15/10/2025
๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ก: ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ข๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ญ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น?
By John Mbabala
Zambiaโs menโs national football team head coach,๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐, finds himself at the centre of a storm. Just two years after being hailed as the man who returned the Chipolopolo to the Africa Cup of Nations, the Israeli tactician now faces a growing chorus of discontent from sections of Fans and some officials.
The reason? Zambiaโs failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup a feat the country has ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ achieved in its footballing history.
๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ
Since independence in 1964, Zambia has produced memorable moments but also endured decades of near misses. The menโs senior team remains absent from the worldโs biggest football stage, while the ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ-๐ญ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐
have proudly flown the flag at global tournaments. Even the menโs under-17 and under-20 teams have enjoyed World Cup appearances.
Yet for the senior menโs side, the dream remains unfulfilled.
When Grant was appointed on ๐ฎ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฎ on a two-year deal, Zambia had just failed to qualify for three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ณ, ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ต, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ญ. Since the glory of 2012, when Hervรฉ Renard led the team to continental triumph, Chipolopolo had stumbled repeatedly, exiting at the group stage in both 2013 and 2015 without a single win.
๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐โ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ
Few remember that when Grant signed his contract, ๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐: ๐๐ผ ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐
the team for the next AFCON. Many before him Patrice Beaumelle, George Lwandamina, Wedson Nyirenda, Beston Chambeshi, Sven Vandenbroeck, Aggrey Chiyangi, Aljoลกa Asanoviฤ, and Moses Sichone had tried and failed to bring Zambia back to the continental stage.
Grant, against all odds, did it on his first attempt.
Under his guidance, Zambia topped their qualifying group which included hosts ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฎ๐๐
and booked a return to Africaโs biggest football event. The achievement triggered an automatic contract extension clause, ensuring his stay ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ
, following a second qualification for the ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ก ๐ถ๐ป ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ. His initial two-year contract, signed in 2022, ran until ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฐ, before the renewal took effect for another two years
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฆ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐ฟ
However, success in football can be fleeting.
Zambiaโs dismal form in 2025 winning only one game all year has soured public sentiment. The 1-0 home defeat to Niger in Ndola during the final round of World Cup qualifiers was the breaking point. The government swiftly responded by suspending financial support to the menโs senior national team, citing โpoor performance.โ With half of Grantโs salary dependent on state funding, the decision places both the coach and the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) in an uncomfortable position.
The newly installed FAZ leadership under ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฎ has been handed a seven-day ultimatum to justify why government support should continue.
๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ
It is easy to forget where Zambia was when Avram Grant arrived โ a nation with a broken football system, disillusioned fans, and a team that had become a shadow of the 2012 champions. Grantโs achievement of ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ-๐๐ผ-๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ก qualifications should not be dismissed lightly.
Is it fair, then, to vilify the man who succeeded where others failed?
Critics point to poor tactics, uninspiring play, and a lack of local player development. Supporters of the coach, on the other hand, argue that ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐, not coaching, are Zambiaโs biggest handicap from inadequate grassroots investment to inconsistent administrative policies.
๐ ๐ ๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ?
Avram Grant may not be flawless. No coach is. But the notion that Zambiaโs current woes are entirely his fault is overly simplistic. When he took the job, it was a poisoned chalice one that many top coaches would have refused. He accepted, delivered AFCON qualification, and restored a measure of belief.
๐ก๐ผ๐, ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐บ, ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ธ:
๐๐ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ?
