By MICHAEL MIYOBA
ZAMBIA Sports Fans Association Patron Peter Makembo has urged the Copper Queens not to underrate Malawi in the crucial Morocco 2022 Women Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Zambia has been drawn against Malawi in the first qualifying round of the 2022 CAF Africa Women’s Cup of Nations to be staged in Morocco.
According the to draw conducted on Monday in Cairo, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics-bound Copper Queens will be away to Malawi in the first leg before hosting the Scorchers with both ties to be played between June 7-15.
Draws for the qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 and FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup were also done with the Zambia under-17 national team facing Namibia while the under-20 will face Malawi in the FIFA under-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022.
In interview Makembo, who is still admitted at St Johns Paul Orthopaedic Mission Hospital in Lusaka where he underwent a successful spinal surgery, said there is need for the Copper Queens to take Malawi very seriously as they seek AFCON qualification while preparing for the Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, Makembo has hailed President Edgar Lungu and the government of Botswana for successfully launching the Kazungula Bridge connecting Zambia and Botswana.
Makembo said it was challenging for soccer fans to move into Botswana using pontoons whenever they would travel to provide the needed support for the Chipolopolo and the Copper queens. “I’m very excited to see the Kazungula Bridge finally completed because crossing into Botswana using pontoons when going to cheer our national teams was very tormenting.
“The Kazungula Bridge will make it easy for us the fans to easily move into Botswana when our Chipolopolo and the Copper Queens are playing in that country. We thank President Lungu for considering the needs of the Zambian people who I call on to guard that state of the art bridge jealously,” Makembo said.
