AfricaPress-Tanzania: SIMBA midfield maestro Clatous Chama has revealed why he will not be part of the Zambia squad for friendly matches during the international break.
Chipolopolo have planned a tough October friendlies where they will return to action after a seven-month Covid-19 lockdown with a home friendly against Malawi on October 7, then travel to Kenya to face the Harambee Stars on October 11, and then finish against South Africa on October 13 in Rustenburg.
But Chama, who was voted the best player and midfielder of the year in the Tanzania Mainland Premier League last season, and was named in the squad for the three matches has now explained what transpired.
“Good evening lads,” Chama wrote on his social media pages. “I wish to state my side of the story over the national team call up saga in relation to reporting dates and travel arrangements.
I didn’t want to speak out on this but I feel like there’s a need to do so. First and foremost, you all need to know and understand that I and the coach together with the football association of Zambia, FAZ are on good terms.
“I didn’t have time to listen to the coach today on his press briefing but I did talk to the team manager about all this.
“The truth is I didn’t miss two flights and I talked to the coach before our game in Dodoma and explained to him that it wasn’t possible for me to make it on the first flight that I got because it was at 3 am on Monday and our game was at 4 pm on Sunday in Dodoma.
“The distance from Dodoma to Dar is eight hours. and either way the team had no arrangements for us travelling all the way back to Dar after the match.”
Chama continued: “I got my second ticket for today [Tuesday] and the departure time was 8:45 pm in the morning and while I was preparing for my trip, I was told that I should not travel around 3 pm.
“I don’t agree with many Zambians who believe that I don’t have discipline, but I didn’t miss any of the two flights that I got.
“Thank you so much. I wish the Zambia national team nothing but the best and success.”
Zambia are using the friendly matches to prepare for their 2021 Afcon qualifiers as they are scheduled to face Botswana in a Group H double-header on November 9 and 17.
Chama and his country mate Obrey Chirwa won’t join the national team for friendly and the team’s coach Milutin Sredojevic Micho reacted by telling them: I am no more Mr Nice Guy for Zambia.
Chama and Chirwa of Azam FC were excluded from the final squad after they failed to link up with the team before Tuesday. Although Chama has come out to defend himself for his failure to join the rest of his teammates, Micho has sent a new warning.
“We are having a situation where I have always looked like a nice guy in front of you. I have always tried to be a generator of positive energy,” Micho said in a statement on Faz Facebook page.
“However, all life and I am living 20 years in Africa under the four pillars of my survival in African football.
“The first pillar is iron discipline, second pillar absolute order and organisation, fanatical work followed by science and fourth pillar is family atmosphere based on the good, in this case, Zambian tradition based on respecting and being respected.
“We have two players in Tanzania, the players in Tanzania were supposed to fly on Monday morning, and however they missed the flight.
“We have been flexible and set the flights for Monday evening, they missed the flight and now they are asking to come on Wednesday and whatsoever.”
The former SC Villa coach further stated why he could not take the excuses from the Mainland Premier League duo.
