BOASTS: ‘SUPER EAGLES CAN’T STOP ZAMBIA!’

BOASTS: ‘SUPER EAGLES CAN’T STOP ZAMBIA!’

Chipolopolo of Zambia’s inspirational skipper, Chris Katongo was the versatile playmaker who almost single-handedly inspired the Zambian team to the 2012 African Cup of Nations trophy.
The left footed striker who plays for the Chinese team, Hena Construction FC will be leading his countrymen to defend their crown in South Africa next year in a group comprising the likes of Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The fearless striker tells Complete Sports Saturday’s DAVID MESHIOYE in this interview, that Nigeria cannot stand in their way as they are poised to successfully defend the title they impressively won in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon earlier in the year.

HELLO Chris, how are you doing captain?
I am fine and you?
Very well.  How are you looking forward to AFCON 2013 with the like  of West African  football heavyweights, Nigeria?
Well, you have to ask fewer questions because I really don’t want to talk about Nigeria.

Okay. How is Chipolopolo looking forward to defending  the trophy they won in Equatorial Guinea this past January?
Everything is under control; Zambia will always be the team to beat but we will do everything within our power to prepare adequately for the competition. We will always have time to come together as a team and put things right in our preparations  and hopefully we will do well to defend our trophy. We are ready for the games.
Bafana Bafana of South Africa have been tipped as one of the new entrants that could spark lots of surprises  at AFCON 2013.They have been earmarked to give Zambia a run for their money in the upcoming AFCON.
Hmmn… of course we are not under any pressure. Aside from the Mandela Challenge, there are more preparations  coming up next month for the competition but it is up to the coach to select his players for the competition. We will be in South Africa to give the fans something to cheer. The fact that we had it rough through the qualifiers does not mean we will be under pressure in AFCON 2013.

Is Chipolopolo under pressure to deliver come January?
No we are not.
Lots of soccer cynics have argued that Zambia may not have won the last edition of the Nations if the likes of Egypt, Cameroun  and Nigeria had taken part. What is your take on this?
I think everybody is entitled to their own opinion as regard the Zambian team. I know Egypt, Nigeria and Cameroun are great teams but the fact that they failed to qualify for the last edition means they were not good enough to play in that edition. Every team that qualified for the last edition of AFCON merited it and deserved to win it. But we played our best games in the competition and we could have still won if those three countries were in attendance.
How far do you think Zambia can go in AFCON 2013, looking at your group which comprises Nigeria, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso? Besides, do you think you can go all the way with the absence of Egypt and Cameroun?
The main reason why we qualified for the African Cup is to defend the trophy. We would not have bothered ourselves trying to qualify if we don’t have any business in South Africa. Even if Egypt are there or not,  all the teams that qualified for the competition are good teams. Don’t even talk about teams that are not there. All the teams that qualified for the African Cup are  very good teams that deserve to be there. If Cameroun is not in African Cup of Nations , they are not amongst the best.

You have always had it tough against Nigeria, do you think the present generation of Chipolopolo is ready to correct that wrong this time around?
I cannot  really say that this team or that team will qualify for the next round in our group, but I know we are coming to defend our trophy and Nigeria cannot stand in our way. The game  against Nigeria is a crucial one but you will  find out what will happen  after 90 minutes of that match.

What would you say has been the key to success of this team so far in African football?
Of course, we need team spirit and hard work to succeed as a team. We have been playing together as a team under the  same Manager and that has really helped us to play as a unit. I think that is one of the factors that has helped our team so far. In the last edition, we had to work hard and win the Cup at the expense of Cote D’Ivoire. We have played together for so long and we have the team spirit which I think unites  us as a family now. We don’t have problems with one another on the field of play and everybody understands one another, which was why we won the last Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea/Gabon. We can still do the same in South Africa.

Chris, how does it feel like having two brothers in the national team?
Yeah, it’s fantastic to have your brother playing alongside you in the national team. For decades now, the Zambian  national teams have been  featuring brothers  in the national team and the fans themselves are used to the trend. Most of the time, we have always had brothers playing in the senior national team and it does not have any negative effects on the team itself, so that  is fantastic.
Your fans out there would like you to explain the meaning behind the way Chipolopolo celebrate their goals. A lot of fans out there really want to know what you say in between those celebrations.

The simple meaning of our celebration is; “Don’t tell them, don’t cry and don’t even say anything to anybody but just keep quiet,  that is the meaning. We are just trying to say we are the underdogs but we are going to have to do something to shut people’s mouth”

How would you describe life in the communist  China? How is it like playing alongside other top African players like Drogba, Aiyegbeni?
It’s been fantastic for me and my family.