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To ensure maximum security for the Chipolopolo at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) will attach two police officers to the squad.
FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya said apart from security to be provided by the AFCON Local Organising Committee (LOC), Zambia Police Service officers would also be with the African champions at their Nelspruit base.
Kalusha said in an interview in Ndola yesterday that attaching police officers had nothing to do with the team’s discipline but just to ensure maximum security for the Chipolopolo.
“We will have our own security apart from LOC security. Two police officers will be with the team,” he said.
At the 2012 AFCON finals, midfielder Clifford Mulenga was banished from the squad after breaking a team curfew but Kalusha yesterday declined to be drawn into discussing the past incident, only saying there were always consequences for indiscipline.
“We’ve moved about 3,000 kilometres away from that (2012 AFCON). Of course, there were consequences for that (indiscipline),” he said.
He said FAZ was happy with the team’s discipline under coach Herve Renard and that the spirit in the squad was fantastic.
Kalusha said the players were focused on the AFCON assignment and that Renard knew what he wanted to achieve at Africa’s premier football showpiece which kicks-off in a week.
And Renard has reiterated that his charges would be heading to South Africa to defend the AFCON.
“We are going to South Africa to defend our trophy with the same motivation and determination as we did when we first won it in Gabon,” Renard told fazfootball.com
He said with the support from thousands of fans who would travel to South Africa, the Chipolopolo would have a good tournament again.
Zambia was drawn against two-time champions, Nigeria, 1962 winners Ethiopia and Burkina Faso in Group C.
The Chipolopolo will kick-off the campaign against Ethiopia on January 21 before taking on Nigeria four days later and wind-up with Burkina Faso on January 29
