30/12/2025
🇿🇲 AFCON 2025: CHIPOLONGOLO’S EARLY EXIT AND WHAT WE MUST FIX AS A FOOTBALL NATION
Bola Gallery
Zambia’s failure to qualify for the knockout stages at AFCON 2025 hurts — not just because of the results, but because we all saw it coming. Two draws and a painful 3–0 loss to Morocco summed up a campaign where effort was there, but planning and structure were not.
Yes, the boys tried. Yes, there were moments of fight. But at AFCON level, trying is not enough most of the times.
NOT BAD, BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH
The two draws gave hope, but Zambia never truly looked like a team in control of its destiny. We knew the easier route was to get a win on on those draws.
Against Morocco, the gap in quality, organisation and match intelligence was clear for everyone to see. We were chasing the game, chasing shadows, and reacting instead of imposing ourselves.
AFCON punishes teams that arrive half-prepared — and unfortunately, that’s exactly where Zambia found itself.
THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM?
Let’s be honest as Zambians — the preparation was not good enough.
The team went into AFCON without enough proper international friendly matches. There was no settled system, no clear best eleven, and no strong understanding between players.
We started the tournament with a team that had not yet been tried before. Some players looked rusty, others unsure of their roles. AFCON is not a tournament where you “find your feet” — by the time you do, you’re already on your way home. Here we are.
At a major tournament, players need confidence and trust. Constant changes disturb chemistry, especially in midfield and defence where partnerships are key.
Rotation is fine, but what we saw looked more like uncertainty than tactical planning. You cannot build rhythm when every game feels like a new experiment.
TACTICAL ISSUES WE CAN’T IGNORE ?
Zambia struggled in quite similar areas....
—Keeping shape when under pressure
—Controlling games from midfield, poor transition from the defence.
—Creating clear chances from open play
Things is these are not new problems. We’ve seen them before and that’s why this exit hurts quite even more.
THE WAY FORWARD? MAYBE START FROM HOME ?
If we have to stop these embarrassing exits, we must fix football from the ground up. Club football has to improve. Our clubs are always second in comparisons with almost every team they meet in later stages of CAF games.
THE ROLE OF THE MINISTRY OF SPORTS ?
I think this is where the government have to be more intentional about infrastructure.
We cannot talk about progress while players train on poor pitches.
Watch the special assistant to the President, Jito Kaumba organise a tournament in Kalingalinga and observe the pitch being used, horrible!!
And this is common all over the country. Most of our stadia are substandard, and you expect such players to one day play for the National team. Poor foundation.
You cannot produce AFCON-level players on dusty or uneven pitches. Simple.
This AFCON exit should not just make us angry — it should make us serious.
Serious about preparation.
Serious about grassroots.
Serious about infrastructure.
Serious about club football.
If we fix football at home, the results will come on the continent. If we keep ignoring the basics, we will keep repeating the same story.
The ball is in our court now. 🇿🇲⚽
