Zambian Football Beyond AFCON: A Call for Structure, Discipline, and Long-Term Vision

30.12.2025 | Muleya Eugene ✍️

Zambian football is bigger than a single tournament, a single coach, or a single group of players. It is a national treasure, a unifying force, and a source of identity and pride. While Zambia’s early exit from AFCON 2025 is disappointing, this frustration must not turn into blame or division. Instead, it should drive reflection, learning, and meaningful reform.

The truth is simple and undeniable: Zambia does not lack talent. What the country lacks is structure, consistency, and disciplined execution. Other African teams we compete against have not stumbled upon magical players; they have simply invested in stronger systems, embraced long-term planning, and borrowed best practices that now produce results.

Football Must Be Treated as a Complete Ecosystem

Progress will only come when football in Zambia is developed holistically—from grassroots to the senior national team.

Youth football must prepare players mentally, physically, and tactically for senior football.

The domestic league must be competitive, professional, and intense enough to produce AFCON-ready players.

The national team must have a clear football identity, one that is consistent and understood at all levels.

Merit, Transparency, and Discipline Must Lead Selection

National team selection must be transparent and merit-based. Wearing the Zambian jersey should be an honour earned through current form, fitness, discipline, and commitment, not past reputation. Every call-up should reinforce that performance matters.

Mental Strength Wins Tournaments

AFCON is not only won by skill, but by mental resilience and game intelligence. Successful teams know how to manage crucial moments, defend leads, and stay composed under pressure. Zambia must invest in:

Sports psychology

Match analysis

Scenario-based training

Football today is won in the mind just as much as on the pitch.

Learning From Africa’s Best

Zambia can grow by borrowing intelligently from Africa’s top-performing teams:

Morocco: structure and integration of diaspora talent

Senegal: physical conditioning and strong team spine

Egypt: mental toughness and tournament discipline

Ivory Coast: adaptability and pragmatism

Tunisia: stability and continuity

Nigeria: pace, athleticism, and effective transitions

These are not foreign lessons; they are African solutions that Zambia can adapt.

Leadership, Implementation, and Accountability

Leadership must be strengthened both on and off the pitch. Former Chipolopolo legends should be integrated into mentorship and advisory roles, bringing experience, discipline, and belief to the current generation.

The recommendations from the National Football Indaba must now move from paper to implementation. Zambia does not need more meetings; it needs action, accountability, and measurable progress.

Stability — not panic — must guide the future. Coaches need support, but they must also be accountable to clear performance standards. Constant changes without a long-term plan only set the nation back.

Fans Also Play a Role

As fans, our responsibility remains vital. Support must be passionate but constructive. Growth happens in an environment of unity, patience, and belief, not toxicity. Criticism should build, not destroy.

Conclusion

This is not the end of Chipolopolo — it is a moment of awakening. If Zambia prioritises structure over shortcuts, systems over emotions, and long-term planning over quick fixes, the nation will rise again. The passion is there. The talent is there. The history is there.

What is needed now is discipline, vision, and collective responsibility.

This appeal is made not in anger, but in hope — for the future of Zambian football, for national pride, and for generations yet to wear the green, red, black, and orange .

Muleya Eugene | Unapologetic Soccer Fan

#FootballDNA

#FAZ #Chipolopolo #SoccerFans #ZambiaFootball