By Mubukwanu Kaingu
Chipolopolo Zambia’s 2025 CHAN Group A opponents DR Congo have still gone ahead with a training camp in the United Arab Emirates despite the tournament being postponed from February to August, 2025.
CAF last Tuesday on the eve of the 2025 CHAN draws announced that the tournament was rescheduled from February 1 to 28 to revised dates to be announced this August.
This is due to upgraded venues failing to meet their handover deadline before the February 1 kickoff of the CHAN that will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
But according to FootDRC.com, DR Congo is already in the United Arab Emirates for a preliminary training camp that began on January 17 but without players from TP Mazembe and Maniema who were wrapping up their continental group stage obligations this past weekend.
“According to our information, the Wild Beasts will spend nearly two weeks of preparation there. The departure for this Gulf country was scheduled for Friday, January 17. The first contingent will leave Kinshasa without the players of the Association Sportive Maniema Union and TP Mazembe. They will join the group for training after the 6th and final day of the group stage of the Champions League,” FootDRC stated.
Apart from DR Congo and Zambia, other teams in Group A are Morocco, Angola and co-hosts Kenya.
Reaction to the draws has been mixed, with Angolan coach Pedro Gonçalves describing the decision to reschedule CHAN giving a poor image of African football.
“It is with total surprise that I was informed of the postponement of CHAN 2024. It is already strange that the tournament’s name no longer matches the year we’re in, and now it has been delayed further. This decision harms African football’s credibility and especially impacts the players who were focused on an objective that is now postponed,” Gonclaves told Daily Sport.
But Kenya assistant coach John Kamau warned that the team must not plan their preparations at the same pace as the delayed completion of infrastructure works for 2025 CHAN.
“Sometimes we have a tendency as Kenyans of thinking that we have a lot of time, but in the real sense if we don’t start early then we will be caught off guard. So, it will be meaningless for the tournament to be pushed to August. If we start preparing like today, then we will have a good team,” Kamau told the Standard on Sunday.
“About 80 percent of our local players are ready, but we also need to get the 20 percent. And to get the 20 percent, we need to have like eight training sessions monthly.”
