Zambia 0 – Excuses 10: Avram Grant’s Tactical Masterclass in Blame-Shifting
After Zambia’s flat 2-0 loss to DR Congo in the CHAN 2024 opener at Nyayo Stadium, head coach Avram Grant stepped up to the mic not with solutions, but with a suitcase full of excuses.
“We didn’t play well. We didn’t play like we wanted to play,” he confessed. Fair enough. But then came the plot twist: “It’s the first time this group is playing together. We didn’t have friendly games. We couldn’t even play among ourselves because of problems with the flights.”
Ah yes the real opponent wasn’t DR Congo… it was air travel.
Grant blamed disrupted preparations: delayed flights, missed sessions, zero friendlies. At this rate, maybe we should’ve just faced off against Ethiopian Airlines. The idea that a national team arrived at a major tournament without a single preparatory match is not just shocking it’s practically comedic.
And this was the first time the players had played together? In a tournament that relies on local talent? That’s like opening a restaurant and realizing on launch day that no one knows how to cook.
Zambian fans, rightfully unimpressed, took to social media demanding answers. No Plan B? No contingency? Not even a warm-up at the team hotel with cones and borrowed bibs?
Critics argue this is becoming a pattern under Grant. Since taking over, Zambia’s playing identity has been… well, let’s just say it’s still in transit possibly stuck at the same airport as the team’s game plan.
The road ahead in CHAN 2024 is now steep. Zambia needs a performance reboot and fast. As for Grant, the time for travel tales and training woes is over.
Because if the next match doesn’t show progress, his only tactical decision might be choosing between departure gates.