Coach Micho: ‘We Have To Work, Not Sit Crying’ Over Covid-19

Zambia’s new football coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevich has issued a rallying cry during the coronavirus pandemic, saying it is a time to “be proactive instead of sitting and crying”. 

The 50-year-old Serbian, who was appointed at the start of February, has been holed up in Lusaka since the start of the pandemic. He had only been in the job for a month before the crisis cancelled world sport, including his debut games in March. 

“Under the circumstances, we asked ourselves, what should we do? We had to be proactive instead of sitting and crying about the situation,” he told reporters. 

Chipolopolo were due to resume their qualifying campaign for the Africa Cup of Nations in March, with two games against Botswana, but they have since been postponed. 

The African Nations Championship - due to be played in Cameroon - also fell by the wayside. 

With no competitions to prepare for, Sredojevich has set up individual training programmes for 55 Zambian players who he has identified as potential players for the national team. 

The Zambian Premier League is due to return next month. 

Sredojevich says he is enthusiastic about his team’s prospects, despite a poor start to the Nations Cup qualifiers. 

The Copper Bullets lost 5-0 to Algeria away and then 2-1 at home to neighbours Zimbabwe in their opening Group H matches. 

"When you are outside and looking at the Zambia post, you get a positive picture," he enthused.

"But, sincerely speaking, when you take the job it is even 10 times more positive. The magnitude of the job is huge.

"This is a country of unbelievable football potential and an enormous amount of talent plus a football culture that really lives and loves the game whole heartedly.

"You must believe it when I tell you that every day I wake up and feel I have to do something for the game here.

I cannot go to sleep unless I feel I have done something. It is true that the job is enormous, and I have no words to express the feeling of carrying the hopes of 18-million Zambians on my shoulders.”