Micho Promises To Restore Chipolopolo Pride

Zambia coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic has vowed to restore pride back to Chipolopolo which, he said, has been dented of late.

Chipolopolo lost to Algeria and Zimbabwe in their 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which partially led to loss of faith from the Zambian public.

The Serbian coach, who was appointed at the start of February, is yet to guide Chipolopolo in his first match as the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers were postponed due to coronavirus.

However, Micho is optimistic that he and his new team will win back the faith of the Zambians when the Nations Cup qualifiers resume.

“Zambia has an enormous name in the world of football, but has done so poorly lately,” the former Uganda boss told BBC on Thursday.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “The positive picture of Zambia in football is evaporating, so there is a sense of pride that needs to be restored.   [/perfectpullquote]

“We want to use this to generate a positive energy to reclaim the pride of Zambian football.”

Micho had begun re-organizing the national team with local camps before the coronavirus pandemic his the county.

The former Uganda Cranes coach is now spending much time keeping contact with players.

“We wanted our players to make sure they were not infected with the COVID-19 virus and then to also alleviate any mental trauma they may be suffering because of the lockdown,” he explained.

“We were in regular contact with them to emphasize that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“The players have worked progressively to maintain their fitness levels which will help them when they returned to their respective clubs, practically re-integrating without having lost much fitness.”