LUSAKA, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Tuesday expressed disappointment with the senior men's national football team's early exit from this year's Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), currently underway in Morocco.
The Chipolopolo, as the team is affectionately known, was eliminated from the tournament on Monday night following a 3-0 loss to host Morocco, after previous draws against Mali and Comoros.
Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts Elvis Nkandu said the government was not satisfied with the team's performance, particularly given Zambia's history as former African champions.
"I am disappointed with the performance of our boys. We need to immediately start reorganizing ourselves. Our players did not show the required character, patriotism, sense of responsibility, and the will to win," he said in a statement.
Nkandu said urged the country's soccer governing body and the technical bench to reflect and assess whether the results truly reflected the aspirations of the nation.
While acknowledging that junior national teams have performed well in recent tournaments, Nkandu said the government was concerned that the senior national team's performance has remained average and, in some instances, poor.
Since winning the title in 2012, Zambia has failed to progress past the preliminary rounds of Africa's premier soccer tournament. ■
