NAPSA Stars Football Club head coach Mohamed Fathi says he wants to remain positive ahead of this Wednesday’s CAF Confederation Cup match against JS Kybalie.
CAF has set this match for 23hours local time, which is midnight in Zambia, with coach saying he does not want to be negative about this time set, but has advised his boys to adjust and be ready for the match.
The Pensioners who debuted the competition and managed to reach Group stage, have failed to progress through to the next round, with this match being the last one in the Group.
Currently NAPSA Stars are bottom in the group with 4points, a point below current Champions RS Berkane who just like NAPSA Stars, has failed to progress through to the next round of the competition to see them fail to defend their title.
Coach Fathi said in his interview in Algeria where the team arrived at 18hours yesterday that his side will still push to collect maximum points in this match.
Fathi’s 23-man squad started off at 07;00hours from Lusaka, made a stop in Garoua Cameroon for an hour before progressing to Algeria where the team arrived at 15:45hours local time.
The team took an hour to check out at Houari Boumediene Airport, and another two hours from the airport to the lodge which is in a town where the game will be played.
“We have already started adjusting to the time. I do not want to be negative, time has been set by CAF and what we need to do now is adjust and get ready for the match,”
“We know we are out but we want to finish strong for ourselves and for our fans,” Coach Fathi adds.
The coach also stresses that the CAF competition has given his side an insight of how to perform if the team qualifies after the season ends.
He adds that he is confident that after this competition NAPSA Stars will not be the same team, with target now being focused on always pushing to qualify for continental games.
“I know we are not the same team anymore. We will continue pushing because we want to maintain the same level of football. We knocked out champions RS Berkane and that is another motivation for us especially going forward,” Fathi said.
Meanwhile the team held its first training session at 23hours at Mirraabo Stadium yesterday to help adjust to the time set for this match scheduled for Stade Du 1er Novembre 1954 Stadium.