Sport

‘Our players did not show character,’ laments minister of sport

MINISTER of Youth, Sport and Arts Elvis Nkandu has attributed Chipolopolo’s poor showing at the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) to a lack of character from the players. Zambia have been booted out of the tournament after only managing two points from the three games…

Mwebantu Published 30 December 2025, 10:01 CAT • 30 Dec 2025 2 min read

‘Our players did not show character,’ laments minister of sport

MINISTER of Youth, Sport and Arts Elvis Nkandu has attributed Chipolopolo’s poor showing at the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) to a lack of character from the players.

Zambia have been booted out of the tournament after only managing two points from the three games played. On Monday they were handed a humiliating defeat by hosts Morocco.

The 3-0 loss meant the team left the AfCON stage with no win to their name.

Mr Nkandu has expressed disappointment at the performance.

“I am disappointed by the performance of our boys. We need to immediately start reorganising ourselves. Our players did not show the required character, patriotism, sense of responsibility, and will to win that is expected when one wears the national jersey,” Mr Nkandu said.

Lakatips

He said this in a statement issued to Mwebantu by the ministry’s Principal Public Relations Officer Nchimunya Ng’andu.

“This is not a good showing for former champions. We urge the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), the technical bench, and the players to introspect and ask themselves if these are the results they truly wanted for the country,” he said.

He reminded stakeholders of some of the submissions made during the recently held National Football Indaba.

“We need to tap into the very rich submissions from the Indaba. Those recommendations were meant to guide reforms in Zambian football, and this performance shows that implementation can no longer be delayed,” he said.

(Mwebantu, Tuesday, 30th December, 2025)

Source: Mwebantu — Read more

Chipolopolo AFCON