Avram Grant: ‘Chipolopolo can’t compete with 15 overseas stars’

Chipolopolo coach Avram Grant believes Zambia must develop a pool of at least 40 overseas-based players to compete favourably in Africa.

Chipolopolo is battling to avoid an unprecedented fourth successive AFCON absence since 2017 and is currently banking on a pool of at least 20 foreign-based players to end the phase.

Grant, appointed Chipolopolo coach in December on a two-year deal, is the fourth foreign-born boss since Zambia’s last AFCON appearance in 2015.

GRANT WANTS MORE CHIPOLOPOLO STARS ABROAD

“I must say one of the challenges in Zambia is instead of 15 players abroad, we need to come to 40,” Grant told ZNBC TV Sports.

“They need to come to 40 or 50 because all the teams that are doing well in Africa are the teams that have 50 to 60 players abroad.

“Here, I am not talking about Ghana because they have thousands of players abroad. Then we will know we are making progress, but I think it starts now with U17 and U20s.”

At the 2020 AFCON, two teams with strong home flavours held their own.

Egypt reached the final, where they lost to Senegal, while South Africa advanced as far as the quarterfinals.

The other two sides, Angola and Tanzania, made group-stage exits from the 24-team AFCON.

At AFCON 2019, South Africa and Egypt, unfortunately, had to eliminate each other in the last 16 stage, which saw Bafana later make a quarterfinal exit.

50 PER CENT MIX

Tunisia, who had a 50 per cent mix at the same tournament, finished fourth. “Football is changing a lot now. You see that all the teams that win the AFCON and go to the World Cup are the teams that have a lot of players in Europe,” Grant stated.

However, Grant does not appreciate that Senegal and Tunisia had indigenous coaches who oversaw their successful FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifications, including the former’s debut AFCON triumph in 2022.

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