By Gabriel Nkunika
The importance of a football national team having its identity cannot be overstated. A strong and consistent identity not only shapes how a team plays on the pitch but also guides talent development, coaching strategies, and long-term success. It becomes the foundation upon which a nation builds a lasting football culture.
Over the past few years, Zambia has made significant strides on the international football stage. Under the guidance of Technical Director Lyson Zulu the nation has seen historic achievements across both men’s and women’s football. From qualifying for the U17, U20, and senior men’s international tournaments, to the landmark success of the U17 Women’s National Team qualifying for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup for the very first time — it is clear that progress is being made.
Even more notably, the Senior Women’s National Team has achieved remarkable milestones: Qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, also secured back-to-back Olympic Games qualifications and earned a third-place finish at the most recent Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
These are no small feats and are a clear sign of development in Zambian football.
However, despite these impressive accomplishments, one major challenge still persists — the absence of a unified and consistent football identity across all age groups and both genders. From the youth teams to the senior level, each division often plays a different style of football. While this might seem harmless, it presents serious long-term issues.
A Common Challenge Across All Levels
This lack of alignment creates a ripple effect:
- Young players struggle to adapt when promoted to higher levels.
- Coaches are forced to re-train players to fit into new systems rather than building upon a familiar foundation.
Understanding Our Strengths
It’s important to note that this isn’t an issue of effort or intent. Zambia is blessed with a wealth of natural talent.
Our players are technically gifted, fast, agile, and creative. However, as a nation, we must recognize that Zambian players are generally not built around physicality or height, especially compared to European or West African counterparts. This is not a weakness — it’s simply a reality that should shape our approach to football.
Therefore, instead of trying to force a European or overly physical style of play, we should focus on developing a style that reflects who we are:
- Quick, intelligent passing, Creativity and flair, Fluid movement
- Tactical discipline with technical precision
Countries like Japan and Spain have done exactly that — building success on a foundation that aligns with their players’ strengths and culture. Even Germany, known for physicality and discipline, evolved their style to suit modern demands. Zambia can and should do the same.
The Role of the Technical Director
To make this a reality, we need to empower the role of the Technical Director — not just as an administrator, but as the architect of Zambia’s footballing identity. While the current TD has done well in achieving qualifications and inspiring growth, we must now go further.
We need a TD who:
- Defines a national style of play
- Ensures this philosophy is taught and practiced at every level — U17, U20, senior, men’s, and women’s
- Works with coaches, clubs, academies, and schools to create a consistent training and development system.
This will not only improve performance but also make it easier for players to seamlessly transition between age groups, ensuring long-term success.
Time for Vision, Not Just Reaction
Zambia has the potential. We’ve proven that we can qualify. But qualification is not the finish line — it’s the starting point.
Now, we need vision. We need unity in how we play. And most importantly, we need to build a football identity that represents Zambia’s spirit, talent, and uniqueness.
Only then can we build national teams — both men’s and women’s — that don’t just participate, but consistently compete and conquer on the international stage.
Last year the FAZ Technical Directorate coordinated a National Philosophy workshop that brought together experts from the coaching space, administration, journalism, Ministry of Sports, Ministry of Education, Higher Learning Institutions among others and now we await the results and a clear road map.
