Zambia Under-17 Men’s National Team arrived in Doha on Friday ahead of the FIFA World Cup, kicking off on Monday next week. Head coach Dennis Makinka said his side is ready for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which kicks off this weekend in Qatar.
The Junior Chipolopolo, drawn in Group H alongside Brazil, Indonesia, and Honduras, concluded their final preparations in Dubai, where they recorded impressive friendly victories — 3-1 over Mexico and 3-0 against New Caledonia.
Makinka said the build-up matches gave his technical bench a chance to assess every player ahead of the tournament.
“First of all, I just want to say the boys are really showing character — never giving up, never underrating any team. They pushed so much, though we now need to start working on finishing. We are creating a lot of chances, but just converting — we can’t finish so many chances that we are creating,” he said.
“We came with a big number, 21 players, so we needed to look at everyone. We started with the same lineup that we played against Mexico, and they gave us their all. At half time we decided to give everyone a chance, and we’ve seen that the team is ready now because even those that came in gave a good shot.”
Selection Headaches
Makinka acknowledged that trimming the squad to the final 21 players will not be easy but encouraged all players to stay motivated.
“It’s a difficult decision to make. The 25 that we came with are all showing that they can play, but football is about numbers. For those that have to go home, this is not the end. You can never play at under-17 level but still make it at under-20 level because you are now in the database and will be considered for the next assignments,” he said.
The coach also urged the final squad to maintain their fighting spirit.
“They still have to fight. We don’t have to be complacent because we’ve been named in the final list. We need to fight and never give up,” Makinka emphasized.
Zambia will open their campaign against Indonesia on November 4, before facing Honduras and Brazil in their remaining group matches.
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