LUSAKA :Avram Grant has departed as Zambia soccer coach, less than two months before the Africa Cup of Nations finals, following the country’s disappointing World Cup qualifying campaign.
The 70-year-old former Chelsea, Portsmouth and West Ham manager made the announcement on social media on Wednesday, followed by a statement from the Football Association of Zambia, saying they had mutually agreed to separate “to help chart a new way forward for the Chipolopolo”, referring to the nickname of the team.
Grant was appointed Zambia coach at the end of 2022 and was in charge during the last Cup of Nations finals in Ivory Coast, where they failed to win and were eliminated in the first round.
DISAPPOINTING WORLD CUP CAMPAIGN
They qualified again for the 2025 finals which start in Morocco on December 21 and were paired in Group A with the hosts, Comoros and Mali.
But in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Zambia finished fourth in their group, losing five of their eight fixtures.
“I hope that one day this great country qualifies for a World Cup for the first time in its long football history,” Grant wrote on social media. (https://www.instagram.com/avramgrant)
Zambia are the third side headed to the Cup of Nations finals to dispose of their coach in recent weeks.
Equatorial Guinea fired Juan Micha after a player revolt saw them miss a World Cup qualifier in Malawi earlier this month, but he has since been reinstated.
Zimbabwe last week sacked their German coach Michael Nees after they failed to win any of their World Cup qualifiers.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by David Holmes)
