Minister of Youth, Sport, and Arts Elvis Nkandu has called on the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) to address the ongoing tension between Chipolopolo coach Avram Grant and striker Fashion Sakala. Nkandu stressed the importance of having all talented players, including Sakala, available for the national team.
In an interview, Nkandu expressed disappointment over Sakala’s continued exclusion from the squad, particularly noting his absence from recent Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Grant’s latest squad announcement for the 2025 Morocco Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone did not include Sakala, who was also left out of the World Cup qualifiers against Morocco and Tanzania.
“I urge FAZ to engage in dialogue to resolve this issue. Every player is valuable, and exclusion should only be due to injury,” Nkandu stated.
