Chisi Mbewe, the head coach of Red Arrows FC, has confirmed that his team’s captain and Chipolopolo defender, Benedict Chepeshi, will be absent from tomorrow’s Super League match against Mutondo Stars.
Mbewe told reporters during a press conference on Thursday morning that Chepeshi is unavailable due to a fever.
“So far so good; the team looks ready for Mutondo stars; the team is boosted with the return of Ricky Banda and Chitiya Mususu, though the team captain [Chepeshi] has been ruled out due to a fever.”
This comes four days before the Chipolopolo Boys enter a local camp in Lusaka ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Airmen captain is part of the 55-member provisional squad that has been summoned by Avram Grant for AfCON.
Chepeshi has started all four of Zambia’s recent games, both in AFCON and World Cup qualifiers, at right back.
Grant will be hoping that he will recover from his fever soon.
The Chipolopolo Boys are expected to enter a local camp in Lusaka on December 26, 2023, before the final squad will shift to Saudi Arabia ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON), which is set to kick off on January 13, 2024, in Ivory Coast.
The Chipolopolo boys will make their 19th appearance at the tournament after missing out on three editions.
READ MORE: Mbewe gives his Arrows a tough order ahead of clash with Mutondo
The tournament will run from January 13th to February 11th, 2024, in Ivory Coast.
The 2012 Champions are placed in Group F alongside Morocco, DR Congo, and Tanzania.
Zambia’s first game will be against DR Congo on January 17 at the Stade Laurent Pokou in San Pédro.
