 Bwalya was Africa's top player in 1988 |
Former Zambia captain Kalusha Bwalya has accepted a short-term deal to take charge of all the national teams. "I am now employed by Faz(Football Association of Zambia) and we have agreed on a three-month contract," Bwalya told reporters at a news conference in Lusaka, the Zambian capital.
Faz's decision to give the former African Footballer of the Year a short contract could be linked to the decision of the Confederation of African Football to merge the 2006 Nations Cup and World Cup qualifiers.
Should Zambia fail to scale through October's preliminary round, it would not be involved in senior African football action until 2006, when the qualifying series for the 2008 Nations Cup would begin.
Bwalya, who will appoint his own assistants, replaces Patrick Phiri who was sacked after Zambia failed to qualify for the 2004 African Nations Cup in Tunisia.
The Zambian legend ended his playing career in 2001 and took up a coaching job with Mexican side Vera Cruz, leading them to the top division in his first season.