Ex-Golden Arrows goalkeeper Davies Phiri has been appointed Chipolopolo Zambia’s goalkeeper coach.
Phiri who was until recently AmaZulu goalkeeper trainer replaces long-serving coach Stephen Mwansa.
He is part of new Chipolopolo coach Avram Grant’s bench announced on March 14 by the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ).
“South Africa-based goalkeeper coach Davies Phiri bounces back as a divers’ trainer while others are video analyst Ohad Efrat with Jamie Lawrence coming in as physical trainer,” FAZ spokesperson Sydney Mungala said in a statement.
“Lawrence is a former Premier League star and served as a physical trainer for the Jamaica National Team. The former Leicester and Bradford City winger served as physical coach in Ghana during the team’s 2015 AFCON silver-winning sojourn.”
DAVIES PHIRI’S BRIEF HISTORY
This is Phiri’s second stint as Chipolopolo’s goalkeeper coach.
The former Chipolopolo goalkeeper’s first tenure as Zambia goalie coach was from 2011 to 2015.
Phiri was also part of Herve Renard’s backroom staff that won the 2012 AFCON at the tournament jointly hosted by Gabon ad Equatorial Guinea.
He is one of two indigenous Zambian coaches on Grant’s bench together with ex-Zambia and FC Koln midfielder Moses Sichone.
Sichone has been Chipolopolo’s assistant coach since June when he returned for a second stint in the FAZ technical setup.
Sichone earlier served as FAZ Technical Director from 2016 to 2018.
Meanwhile, Grant’s first assistant will be ex-West Ham and Partizan Belgrade assistant coach Marko Barbul.
Grant was appointed Chipolopolo coach in mid-December, 2023 when he replaced Aljosa Asanovic of Croatia who quit in September after just eight months in charge.
His bench began its first day on the job on March 14 in Lusaka where the Chipolopolo home-based call-ups kicked off their preparations for the 2023 AFCON Group H qualifying matches against Lesotho.
Zambia will host Lesotho on March 23 in Ndola and play Likuena away in Johannesburg at Dobsonville Stadium on March 27.
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