Andrew Sinkala Misses Zambia Camp Ahead of Algeria AFCON Qualifier
Zambia assistant coach Andrew Sinkala has been excused from the Chipolopolo camp ahead of Friday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Algeria.
The former Zambia international will miss the opening fixture after asking the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) for permission to attend to personal matters.
FAZ Secretary General Charles Chakatazya confirmed that Sinkala had communicated his situation to the association.
“We would have loved to have a full technical bench, but Sinkala called and said he had some personal matters to handle and asked to be excused,” Chakatazya said.
Sinkala, who is based in Germany, was appointed to Zambia’s technical team in November last year and was part of the coaching staff led by Moses Sichone at the most recent Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
He remained with the national team setup following Sichone’s departure, with his most recent assignment coming during Zambia’s international friendly against Argentina in Buenos Aires in March.
Mweene joins Zambia technical team
While Sinkala will be absent, Zambia have added another familiar face to their technical setup.
Former Chipolopolo goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene, who was part of the Zambia team that won the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, has joined the squad in camp.
Mweene brings considerable international experience to the technical team as Zambia prepare for a demanding start to their AFCON 2027 qualification campaign.
The Chipolopolo face Algeria on Friday before immediately turning their attention to their second Group fixture.
Zambia face quick turnaround
Zambia are scheduled to leave Algeria immediately after Friday’s match and return home to prepare for their Matchday Two encounter against Togo.
That fixture is scheduled for Tuesday, 29 September 2026.
The back-to-back qualifiers will give Zambia little time to recover and regroup, making the opening two matches an important early test in their bid to qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
