Coach Apetito

WATCHED HOME TEAM YESTERDAY NO DRUMMERS, NO FANS, NO ATMOSPHERE.

The issue isn't that fans prefer foreign leagues over our local games. The problem is that significant work is needed to improve the quality of our local leagues.

I watched two of Lusaka's top Premier League teams yesterday. In 90 minutes, there wasn't a single shot on target or any clear tactical structure. It was impossible to discern what either team was trying to achieve, and it was deeply disappointing.

This isn't about player quality individually, their technical ability is fine. The problem is the lack of a coherent game plan. One team resorted to aimless long balls, leaving their strikers isolated and exhausted with no service to feet or into space.

The other team attempted to build from the back but had no solutions under pressure. When pressed, they defaulted to long kicks. There were no tactical adjustments: fullbacks didn't invert, wingers didn't drop to receive, and there was no rotation in midfield between the holding player and the central midfielders.

As coaches, we must upgrade our knowledge and methods if Zambian football is to grow.

This week I also observed a women's team doing repeated hill runs on Zesco Bridge with just three league games remaining. At this stage of the season, players should be managing fatigue, not undergoing preseason-level conditioning. Even if fitness levels are lacking, in-season training must be periodized appropriately.

Fans and sponsors aren't avoiding local football without reason. When the product is uninspiring, people will choose to watch a Manchester United match instead of a local fixture scheduled at the same time.

Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), we urgently need access to CAF coaching license courses. Upskilling coaches is critical. Without it, we risk being left behind with outdated methods.

THREE DRILLS ON CHANGING DIRECTIONS

●Outside turn
● Inside turn
● pull back

Today’s winning fit! All credit to my wife 😎 Rate the drip 1-10 she cooked on this one.

On game days, I switch it up. There's a side of me the crowd doesn't see I love cloth, I love looking good, and I play to win on and off the field.

WHAT HURTS MOST IS THE TIME AND EFFORT WE INVEST, ONLY TO LOSE A PLAYER BECAUSE OF A PARENT’S MISGUIDED DECISION.

Too often, parents are swayed by big clubs promising money and opportunities that never materialize. Season after season, these young players end up sitting on the bench without game time. The frustration builds until you can’t even get a smile out of them when you see them. I’ve watched too many promising careers stall this way.

Many youth clubs and academies are being taken advantage of by bigger clubs. Instead of following proper procedures club to club or club to academy discussions, big clubs go directly to parents. These sidesteps develop pathways and leave grassroots clubs unable to sustain long-term programs. It’s also led many smaller clubs to become reluctant to release players to these so-called top clubs, fearing exploitation.

The impact has been felt at the national 🇿🇲 level for years. Our player pool suffers because so many talents skip key development stages. Players get pushed into top clubs based on hype, not readiness. So when they eventually get called up for the national team, they struggle to perform. They’re labeled “top players” in weak domestic leagues, but they haven’t been developed properly to compete internationally.

As this season comes to an end, let’s commit to doing things the right way. Protect the process. Respect development stages. Work club-to-club with transparency. If we get this right now, the players we produce by 2030 will have the quality to take us to the World Cup.

The result starts with us.

There will come a point when you will look back and everything will make sense. You will tell people the story of your struggles and of never giving up. You can stop overthinking and start believing now. An awesome future is waiting for you. It will come together soon.



Jersey by 🙏