Chipolopolo coach Avram Grant has said he did not call Fashion Sakala to the national team because of his bad behavior after the Africa Cup of Nations.
Sakala’s omission has sparked controversy, with the Saudi Arabia-based striker accusing the Israel coach of biased selection against players who refuse to sign under his agent, Nir Karin.
The accusations have led the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) to open investigations into the matter.
However, in response to the allegations, here is every word that an angry Grant said during a press briefing in Lusaka at the Football House on Monday:
“I never faced a reaction like this from a player that I didn’t choose to the squad, never faced in all of my life, and never faced such lies, completely lies by a player because I didn’t pick him. Suddenly I’m not a good coach, et cetera, et cetera.”
“Everything started in the Africa Cup, until the game of Morocco. To be honest, I had a very good relationship with Fashion Sakala. I’m not taking things personally and he even told me again and again and again that I changed the mentality of the team. I don’t understand what’s happened before and I changed everything.
“So we played the first game against Tanzania. He didn’t play good. It happeneds. He was not the only one and it happens to big players also. Then we played against Tanzania. He didn’t play good and we were one nil down with a red card. I changed the system from 4-4-2 to 4-3-2. He played as the second striker but didn’t play good also, it happened. I changed and brought in Kennedy Musonda who played very well and earned a position for the game against Morocco.
“Against Morocco, I decided to play in his position Lameck Banda instead of Fashion Sakala because I thought his work ethic was not [good] enough to play against, the best defender of Morocco from Paris and Acraf Hakimi and I prefer Lameck and we trained about this in the training. Before he didn’t train well, he made some faces and he didn’t train well. I came to him, I said to him , ‘Fashion we have an important game tomorrow, prepare yourself.
“I made a substitution. My opinion, he didn’t make the effort that we needed to win the game. It’s not his fault but he didn’t make enough effort that enough, his work ethic, I didn’t like it and I didn’t like his attitude.
Grant reveals he sent messages to five players
“I sent a message to five players that I was not happy with them like I have done all my life. It’s between me and them I didn’t send a message not to Sydney [Mungala, the FAZ communications officer], not to you [Journalists].
“I said to the player that I’m not happy with his performance. I didn’t say that he’s not a good player. By the way, the message, and one of us heard the message directly to him. Like I said to the other five players, all the other players that I thought didn’t perform well called me. They asked what they need to improve. They improved and they’re back to the squad.
“I said to him that all my life I speak directly, I speak with you directly. That’s what I think about your performance. Again, not that you are not a good player, not that you are not a good person. I thought that you will call and aks what you need to do better. What do you think I need to do better? Let’s look at the video.
“His answer [which I have shown] to Sydney was who are you that to speak like that?. You are not the boss of the football in Zambia. You don’t decided and if you even put a threat of me, if I will text him again, of course I text him and say Fashion, what are you doing instead to deal with the accusation, take responsibility for your behavior, and say that it will not happen again. What are you doing? But he didn’t answer again. Then I decided that for the two important games that we have, I need to keep the harmony of the team.
“I don’t want the behavior of someone [who thinks] is not equal to the others and allow himself to do things that are not professional. I didn’t pick him to the team and since then, I’m not a good coach.
Have you ever advised any player to sign with your preferred agent?
Grant: “In 51 years of coaching, I was coaching everywhere, I was dealing with management, with association, with players, with agent, with journalists, with the public, nobody, accuse me like this. So let me be clear with you about the truth and the fact it’s false accusation is completely lies.
“Each word of this, I never told Fashion and not any other player in my history to sign with an agent and I have a very good friends who are agents, top agents. I never texted him and not any other player to sign with any other agent. I’m sorry not here, not anywhere. It’s completely lies. I make it clear each word of this is completely lies.
“This is the fact, this is the truth. This is 51 years of coaching. It didn’t change here. I understand that the player is angry. I understand, the player doesn’t agree with my decision. Sometimes even [club] owners didn’t agree with my decision. Sometimes my assistant didn’t agree with me, but this is my job to keep the harmony of the team. I think this is the one thing that we succeed here.
“We did well to harmony the team that everybody’s equal, nobody is above everybody, and nobody’s a superstar. I told him, be modest, your job is to play no excuses, no complaints. We have put it on the screen, no excuses, no complaint. I understand that the players are angry. I can understand that he decided to be bitter instead of being positive and looking forward.”
Grant’s response on whether or not he will ever call Sakala again
“I will continue to maintain the harmony of the team. I continue to tell the players that the team is more important than any other player. I continue to tell them when you say to me I want to give everything from Zambia; prove it on the pitch; you have a commitment on the pitch. Tell them I will continue to do my job for Zambia. It’s not by coincidence. After nine years, we came for the first time to Africa, and we made good progress. We have a long way to go. I will continue with this.”
“My father is a survivor of the Holocaust. He taught me that to forgive is a more easy word than to ask for revenge. I don’t have any personal issues with anybody. If you play well, he [Sakala] will know that he made a mistake and will follow the criteria that ask the players to take responsibility. Don’t look for excuses; no complaints. Perform on the pitch.”
