GRANT THANKS FANS FOR GIVING CHIPOLOPOLO EXTRA PUSH
Chipolopolo coach Avram Grant has thanked fans for truly being the 12th man in Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier win over the highly rated Ivorians.
Speaking to the FAZ media team in the aftermath of the 3-0 victory at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Grant said the fans gave the team an extra push and deserved commendation for playing a part in the team’s stellar performance.
“The atmosphere at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium was incredible, the fans pushed us like crazy, we felt obliged to work hard,” he said.
“We cannot thank the fans enough; we are happy that they filled the stadium to capacity.”
Grant said the planning for the June 17 clash was on point and helped the team deliver to the expectations of the fans.
“Our camp in South Africa was a well thought out idea that was fully supported by FAZ through the president, Mr Andrew Kamanga. It helped our team fully focus on the job at hand with minor distractions,” he said.
“A big thank you to my technical staff, they worked so hard to prepare the team. The physical conditioning of the team by Jamie Lawrence was amazing, my assistants, the medical team and all the staff did their best to help the team.”
Grant said, “Most importantly I congratulate the players for the hard work and qualification. They should enjoy the moment now since it is off season before they get back to the hard work.”
Grant masterminded Zambia’s qualification to the Africa Cup of Nations after an eight-year absence.
The former Chelsea, West Ham and Portsmouth boss has recoded three straight victories since taking over the Chipolopolo job.
Zambia tops Group H with 12 points, two better than Ivory Coast who already qualified as hosts of the biggest soccer showpiece on the African continent.
Comoros are in third place with six points while Lesotho lie bottom with a point with one round of matches to play.
Credit: FAZ
