MULENGA CALLS FOR CONTINUOUS MONITORING OF YOUNG PLAYERS
Former Zambia international winger Clifford Mulenga has called for continuous monitoring and development of young players to ensure talent is not lost between national youth teams.
Mulenga was speaking following the selection of Zambia’s squad for the U20 COSAFA/CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tournament, congratulating those selected while urging those left out to continue working towards their opportunities.
“These are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Embrace them, work hard, represent Zambia with pride and, most importantly, use this platform as a springboard to greater heights in your football careers,” Mulenga said.
He said players who miss out on selection at one age group should not be allowed to disappear from the national development system.
“At U20 level, many talented young footballers disappear from the football pathway if they are not properly managed, monitored and given clear opportunities to progress,” he said.
Mulenga said he expected to see a significant number of players from the U17 generation that made history by qualifying Zambia for the FIFA U-17 World Cup continuing into the U20 pathway.
He stressed, however, that this should not mean automatic selection.
“Football selection must always be based on current performance, positional requirements, tactical considerations, physical development and the needs of the team,” Mulenga said.
“My concern is what happens after selection or non-selection. A player who does not make the U20 team should not simply disappear from the system.”
Mulenga specifically named several players from the historic U17 generation whom he believes should continue to be monitored, including Nthasilwe Malupande, Felix Phiri, Vincent Mutondo, Mapalo Simute, Gabriel Phiri, Mike Mutale, Kelvin Mulenga Chipelu, Joseph Zulu, Robert Banda, James Sibene, Savior Mwansa, Steven Lungu, Bongani Ndhlovu, Rodgers Simumba, Wiseman Nyirenda and Emmanuel Mbuti.
He also said several other players within the Football Association of Zambia database should continue to be monitored and developed.
Mulenga further questioned the continuity of players identified during the FIFA talent identification process, saying he was surprised that none of the players from that U17 generation who impressed Arsène Wenger were included in the current U20 squad.
“That, in itself, should encourage us to ask an important question: How do we ensure that the talent identified at 15, 16 and 17 years old is still being developed when those players reach 18, 19 and 20?” he asked.
The former international called for a structured national player pathway linking the U15, U17 and U20 programmes, with players tracked beyond tournaments and assessed regularly.
He said players who fall outside a particular squad should be given opportunities to return to the system.
“If we are serious about building a competitive Zambia for the 2028 Olympics and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, our planning cannot begin when players reach senior international level,” Mulenga said.
“It must begin much earlier.”
Mulenga said the pathway should run from U15 to U17 to U20 to U23 and eventually Senior National Team, supported by continuity, monitoring, competition, education and proper player management.
“We have talent. We have young footballers capable of making history. Our responsibility is to make sure that when one generation opens the door, we don’t lose them before they have had the opportunity to walk through it,” he said.
“Develop the player. Protect the pathway. Build the nation.”
