CHAN 2024: Why CAF Cancelled Zambia Press Conference at Kasarani Stadium
- Zambia's scheduled press conference at Kasarani Stadium was cancelled by CAF on Wednesday, August 6
- The country's head coach and captain were supposed to talk to the media ahead of their opening game against DR Congo
- Zambia are coached by former Chelsea manager Avram Grant, who was in charge during the 2008 UEFA Champions League final
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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) was forced to cancel a press conference on Wednesday morning ahead of the Thursday set of games at the African Nations Championships (CHAN).
Source: UGC
Nairobi will once again come alive on Thursday afternoon when CHAN enters day six.
The first game will see the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) take on Zambia at the Nyayo National Stadium before the hosts face Angola from 7 pm at Kasarani Stadium.
Kenya have three points, behind Morocco on goal difference. Zambia are third but haven't kicked a ball at CHAN yet, while DR Congo and Angola are fourth and fifth respectively.
It is customary and mandatory for teams to address the media the day before they are slated to play. Normally, the head coach and a pre-selected player show up for a regulated session with journalists to field questions ahead of the game.
Why CAF cancelled Zambia's press conference at CHAN 2024
However, those hoping to hear from Zambia's contingent were left disappointed after CAF was forced to cancel their press conference.
Chipolopolo were scheduled to answer questions from 11:45 am with head coach Avram Grant and captain Kaboso Chongo lined up in the CAF documents.
However, there was confusion when Grant failed to show up, with his assistant Moses Sichone coming instead.
After consultations, the CAF Media Officers at Kasarani Stadium announced that the press conference had been cancelled as this flouted the rules.
The head coach is the one who must appear for the media briefing and in case of any emergencies, it must be communicated three hours prior, something Zambia didn't do.
"They warned us a few minutes ago that the assistant coach would be coming, but rules are rules. The rules say that if the head coach can't come, there has to be an official reason and this reason wasn't communicated to us. We have no choice but to cancel this press conference."
Why did Avram Grant fail to attend the press conference?
No official explanation was given as to why Grant, who is arguably the most high-profile coach alongside Kenya's Benni McCarthy, failed to attend the media session.
Some outlets report that the former Chelsea manager was unhappy with CAF's scheduling of their training session. It is said that Grant wanted the session to be held on Wednesday at 4 pm, the same time they will play on Thursday, not the scheduled 5:30 pm by CAF.
Others have linked it to alleged unpaid arrears, but the sources inside the Zambian Federation have insisted it was frustration over the training schedule as reported by Bola News.
Surprisingly, Grant showed up for the training session and addressed the media.
Will Zambia be fined?
Yes. Failing to attend a press conference without prior communication is frowned upon worldwide.
The Zambia Federation could be fined up to 10000 USD (KSh 1.2 million) by CAF.
Source: Getty Images
Who is Avram Grant?
Grant is a widely-travelled Israeli manager who managed clubs in his country and the national team before moving to England, where he was first Portsmouth's technical director.
He later rode on his personal friendship with former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and moved to West London in a similar capacity.
After Jose Mourinho was sacked in 2007, Grant took over as the manager. Despite initial resentment from the Chelsea fanbase, Grant went on a 16-match unbeaten run, forcing Abramovich to hand him a four-year contract.
He led Chelsea to the Champions League final in 2008 but lost to Manchester United after the infamous John Terry slip during the penalty shootouts.
He was sacked shortly thereafter, and he returned to Portsmouth and later West Ham. Apart from Zambia, he has also managed Ghana's Black Stars in Africa.
Was Kenya fined by CAF?
In a related story, FKF and TFF have been fined by CAF for multiple security breaches during the opening rounds of games at CHAN 2024.
There was a stampede at Kasarani Stadium and cases of CAF officials getting assaulted.
Fans also started a fire behind the stands at stand 18, which breached multiple CAF Safety rules.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
