Former Zambia international striker James Chamanga has criticized national team head coach Avram Grant for saying qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was not a target for the Chipolopolo.
Chipolopolo succumbed to back-to-back defeats at the hands of Morocco and Tanzania earlier this month, losing grip on qualifying for the global football showpiece out of Group E where they sit in fourth place with just three points.
Speaking in an interview with SUN FM Radio today, Chamanga said the experienced Israeli gaffer’s comments were evidence that he was not the right man to be at the helm of Chipolopolo.
“I think we have the wrong coach,” Chamanga said in a special interview with the Copperbelt-based radio station.
“I think for me, the coach (Grant) hasn’t really done a good job. When I heard that he said, ‘The World Cup is not our target,’ I was so disappointed.”
Chamanga who represented the Chipolopolo 59 times and scored 16 goals, says he expected Grant to take responsibility for the team’s poor performance in the two matches.
“For me, the national team coach should have just said, ‘We have failed; we will work hard to improve,’ we can agree with that. But when you say ‘the World Cup was not our target,’ then what are you here for?”
“This is a very big coach by name, so he should have stood up to his words; you cannot say, ‘the World Cup isn’t our target.’ We have been to the Africa Cup so many times as a nation,” charged Chamanga.
The former Chelsea and West Ham United manager’s performance has come under scrutiny following Chipolopolo’s recent dismal performances, with several fans calling for his axing. He has six months remaining on his contract.
Grant took charge of the Chipolopolo in December 2022 on a two-year deal and guided the team to the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in eight years.
Zambia was eliminated in the first round of the tournament.
