“We Might Be the First to Bring the Trophy Home” – Sichone Eyes Historic CHAN Win

Chipolopolo assistant coach Moses Sichone says competition is intensifying in Zambia’s camp as players battle for places in the final squad for the 2024 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN), which will be staged from 2–30 August 2025 across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Speaking to FAZ Media, Sichone praised the team’s progress and growing competitiveness, saying the technical bench is encouraged by the steady improvement in training sessions.

“It’s not an obvious thing, everyone has to fight for their position,” Sichone said. “Since we started training, we’ve seen daily improvement, and the competition is there. We are positive.”

With just a week before the team departs for the East African-hosted tournament, Sichone emphasized the importance of both physical and mental preparedness. He also called on fans to rally behind the team as they aim to make history.

“We want to tell the fans that the team can only perform well if we are behind them,” he said. “We’ve qualified for AFCON and we are taking CHAN very seriously. One of the players who performs well at CHAN could even make it into the AFCON squad.”

Zambia, despite being a continental powerhouse, has never lifted the CHAN trophy, a fact Sichone says is driving the current squad to work harder than ever.

“We are doing everything to make sure that maybe we might be the first to bring the trophy back home,” he said.

Sichone also highlighted the inclusion of strength and conditioning coach Jimmy, noting that each training session is designed to strike a balance between technical work and fitness conditioning.

“We’re combining training, not just ball work but also conditioning, and now it’s about adding more tactics as we count down the final days before we leave,” he said.

Zambia has been drawn into Group A along with DR Congo, Kenya, Morocco, and Angola. The Chipolopolo begin their CHAN campaign with a match against DR Congo on August 7 at 15:00 hours.

The Chipolopolo are aiming not just to participate, but to compete, and win.