Zambia head coach Avram Grant has insisted that his side’s participation in the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) was focused on player assessment rather than winning the tournament.
Speaking after Zambia’s elimination was confirmed, the former Ghana Black Stars boss stressed that the primary objective was to evaluate talent for the main national team.
The CHAN competition is exclusively for players competing in their domestic leagues across Africa.
Zambia endured a difficult campaign, exiting at the group stage after four straight defeats. Grant’s men lost 1-0 to Benni McCarthy’s Kenya, 3-1 to Morocco, 2-1 to Angola, and 2-0 to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Despite the disappointing results, Grant maintained that the tournament served its intended purpose.
“We had a target when we came here. We didn’t win, we didn’t even take a point but I think what we wanted from this is to see who is good for the [main] national team and who is not and now we know better,” he said.
The experienced tactician will now prepare his Zambia side for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco later this year.
