WE DISAPPOINTED THE ENTIRE NATION! OTIENO SPEAKS AHEAD OF CHAMBISHI CLASH

Kenyan International and ZESCO United shot stopper, Ian Otieno says Saturday’s CAF Champions League exit was not only a big setback to the club but to the entire country.

Otieno said ZESCO United players are still hurting for failing to advance to the next stage of the CAF Champions League qualifying series.

“Everyone is disappointed because a team of our caliber should have displayed a much better performance, but it is what it is. Everyone is disappointed because firstly we have disappointed ourselves, secondly I believe we have disappointed the whole country which had so much faith in us,” he said.

Otieno has further dispelled assertions that ZESCO United players didn’t approach Saturday’s game with the right attitude.

“I don’t think it was about the attitude of the players. I think it wasn’t just our day because we lost a lot of scoring opportunities and I think we lost the game in the first leg because we didn’t score a goal despite creating numerous scoring opportunities. Our strikers know that they must keep scoring and the whole team understands that we need to rise to the occasion.”

Meanwhile Otieno says the club has shifted its focus towards defending the Zambian Super League title.

“The focus of this team now is to defend the league title. That’s what we are all thinking about. Adjusting from a disappointing outcome is not easy, it can take time, but we have the right players in the team with the right experience. Going by the experience in the team, I think we will rise very quickly because we don’t want a situation like what happened to Napsa Stars. We really need everyone to move with their heads high.”

And Otieno expects ZESCO United opponents in todays MTN Super League fixture to present a strong case against the league champions when the two teams clash at the Levy Mwanawasa stadium.

“The game won’t be easy because we don’t know much about our opponents because we haven’t seen them play. They will come at us because we are the team to beat. We will do everything we can to win the game because a win will cover a lot of things. The main objective is to win regardless of how we play. Everyone is in high spirits and looking forward to today’s encounter.”

ZESCO United will this afternoon face Chambishi in the MTN Super League early kickoff (13:00) fixture scheduled for the Levy Mwanawasa stadium, Ndola.

Author: Desmond Katongo