COACH Herve Renard says as long as he is at the helm of the Zambia national team, midfielder Clifford Mulenga will not be in his plans.
And Renard has disclosed that he rejected a US$100,000 (about K500 million) salary to coach Saudi Arabian side Al Itihad.
“To get another chance… not with Herve Renard. Maybe with another coach since I will not be in Zambia forever,” Renard said of Mulenga’s possible return to the Chipolopolo squad.
He said this on Thursday night during SuperSport’s Soccer Africa programme.
Mulenga was expelled from the national team on January 31 after he and three other players sneaked out of camp.
Mulenga’s expulsion came two days after he featured for five minutes in Zambia’s 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea to top Group A at the Africa Cup of Nations.
other players Hichani Himoonde, Jonas Sakuwaha and Collins Mbesuma apologised and Renard pardoned them.
Renard who has just agreed a three year deal said there is need for unity if desired results are to be achieved.
National team skipper Christopher Katongo said on the same programme that he felt sorry for Mulenga.
Katongo said Renard informed him about Mulenga’s misconduct and he supported the coach’s decision to crack the wipe as a way of instilling discipline in the team.
Katongo also said he and his teammates are walking with their heads high after the Africa Cup of Nations triumph.
He said after reaching the quarter-finals at the 2010 Angola Africa Cup of Nations, he was confident that he had the material to do better in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
Renard said when the Chipolopolo started preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations on December 28, 2011 in Johannesburg, he told the players to win the title as a way of honouring their colleagues who perished in the 1993 Gabon air crash.
“I told them that the only way we can go to Gabon is by reaching the final on February 12, which we did and we won the Africa Cup,” Renard said.
He said he is proud to be coach of the Chipolopolo.
“There is something special in Zambia especially the relationship with the people,” Renard said.
He also reiterated that midfielder Rainford Kalaba is among the best 15 players in Africa.
“Rainford is an amazing player and he has good touch of the ball. But for me when I was playing football I used to fight with the ball,” Renard said.
Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Kalusha Bwalya said Renard is the right coach to drill the Chipolopolo.
Kalusha said after Renard left for Angola in 2010 and Italian Dario Bonetti took over, the Chipolopolo’s standard of play nosedived.
Bonetti was dismissed on October 10, 2011, two days after he guided Zambia to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
“Qualification is something else and we wanted to get a coach who has experience of African football and not European experience. Several coaches applied but Herve was the number one choice,” Kalusha said.
He described Renard as an ambitious coach.
Ivory Coast soccer analyst Mamadou Gaye said the Elephants coach Francois Zahoui let the West African nation down.
Gaye said with all the stars in the team there is no excuse for failure.
He said Zahoui’s coaching tactics are not up to date.
Gaye wondered why Zahoui rested midfielder Yaya Toure during the final against Zambia when he knew that the match could go into extra time.
Nigeria analyst Peter Idahside said Kalusha has shown that former international players can effectively run football affairs.
“You (Kalusha) are an inspiration to those of us who played at a higher level and you have inspired us to work hard. Congratulations for the job well done,” Idahside told Kalusha.
Meanwhile, YANDE SYAMPEYO reports that United Party for National Development president Hakainde Hichilema has urged Mulenga to apologise to Renard over his misconduct during the Africa Cup of Nations.
Hichilema said during a Radio Phoenix programme ‘Let the people talk’ yesterday that Renard should consider reconciling with Mulenga.
He said FAZ should facilitate the reconciliation process between Renard and Mulenga.
“Let us reconcile where it is possible because if we do not talk about the wrong things, it will be difficult to reconcile,” Hichilema said.
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