Zambia head coach Avram Grant has cautioned Chipolopolo fans to manage their expectations ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cote d’Ivoire.
The Israeli trainer claims the upcoming tournament is different from the 2012 edition, where Zambia won the trophy after beating Cote d’Ivoire in the final after a post-match penalty shootout.
In an interview with Zambia’s national broadcaster ZNBC, the former Chelsea manager said;
“Fans must admit that there are 10 teams better than us on paper. We have to be realistic.”
“The 2012 edition was different because the squad was almost the same as the big teams.
The Chipolopolo, after winning in 2012 tournament, dropped out of the AFCON after group stages in 2013 in South Africa and 2015 in Equatorial Guinea.
Subsequently, they failed to qualify for the next 3 tournaments in Gabon 2017, Egypt 2019, and Cameroon 2021.
They return to the biggest stage of African football after advancing from a group that consisted of Cote d’Ivoire, Comoros, and Lesotho.
Zambian fans are beaming with a lot of confidence going into this AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire as they are expectant of the team.
The Chipolopolo are paired in Group F, where they will play Morocco, DR Congo, and Tanzania.
