Avram Grant named Zambia national team coach
Israeli technician Avram Grant, here on February 2, 2017. AP - Sunday Alamba
Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow
2 mins
Israeli coach Avram Grant is the new Chipolopolo coach.
The technician, who notably worked for Chelsea, West Ham and Ghana, signed on Thursday, December 22 for a two-year term as coach.
His mission will be to bring Zambia back to the African Cup of Nations after three consecutive failures.
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Zambia finally have their new coach.
After the Croatian Aljosa Asanovic, appointed at the start of the year and left at the end of September due to a salary dispute, and after the interim of a few weeks provided by Moses Sichone, the position at the head of the national team has found a taker. .
Thursday, December 22, the Zambian Football Association (FAZ) formalized the arrival of Avram Grant on the bench.
The 67-year-old Israeli coach has signed a two-year contract with Zambia.
A choice that is welcomed by Andrew Kamanga, the president of the FAZ: “
We believe that with the arrival of Mr. Avram Grant as coach of the Chipolopolo, we will return to the elite of African football.
Mr. Grant is a well-known figure around the world and has held some of the most prestigious positions before.
»
Former coach of Portsmouth, Chelsea and West Ham in England, Avram Grant was also Ghana's coach between 2014 and 2017. He reached the
2015 CAN final with the Black Stars
.
He was ousted after the fourth place obtained in
the 2017 edition in Gabon
, with a defeat in the semi-finals against Cameroon (future winners) and a loss against Burkina Faso in the match for third place.
In recent years, he officiated at NorthEast United FC, Indian elite club.
During his press presentation in Lusaka, the new technician expressed his determination: “
I was looking for the right challenge, and the challenge here is great.
Zambia has great potential.
I'm a man of challenges, and that's why I chose Zambia and Zambia chose me.
»
The Chipolopolo are in great need of a new lease of life.
Ten years after
their coronation at the CAN 2012 with Hervé Renard
as coach, the national team has fallen into line.
She did not pass the first round of CAN 2013 and CAN 2015, and she did not even qualify for the 2017, 2019 and 2021 editions. For CAN 2023 – which will be played in Ivory Coast at the start of 2024 – Zambia are in Group H in the play-off phase, along with Côte d'Ivoire, Comoros and Lesotho.
After two days, it lost to the Elephants (3-1 on June 3, 2022) and beat the Cœlacanths (2-1 on June 7, 2022).
The Zambians sit in third place pending the continuation of the qualifiers from March 2023.
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