Zambia secures soccer friendly match with Gabon

Zambia has secured an international friendly soccer match with Gabon to enable the technical bench to assess players for national team duties, the country's soccer governing body said on Wednesday.

Nkweto Tembwe, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) spokesperson said the international friendly will be played on September 8, a FIFA-sanctioned date for international friendly games.

In a statement posted on the soccer governing body's website, the friendly game will be played two days after Zambia play Kenya in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier game away in Nairobi.

"The Football Association of Zambia remains committed to bettering the standards of the beautiful game in our country. Against this background we have secured an international friendly match with Gabon. We are glad that so far we have managed to secure friendlies on most if not all the FIFA dates. These friendlies give our technical bench a good insight of the players that are in the national teams. For the players these games also avail a chance to sample international football," he said.

Meanwhile, the soccer governing body has backed stand-in national coach George Lwandamina as the man for the job until a full time coach was appointed.

The spokesperson said the soccer body was ready to appoint a new permanent coach but was just waiting for final decision from the government.

"The association has the fullest confidence in the current coach and his technical staff. We are sure George Lwandamina will do the job as we await the appointment of a new coach. As the Football Association of Zambia we are ready to engage a new coach as soon as the go ahead is given by our greatest partner in football which is government," he added.

The current trainer was appointed as interim coach on June 8 replacing another local coach Honor Janza. Endi