By MICHAEL MIYOBA
ZAMBIA national women’s team coach Bruce Mwape has declared the Copper Queens ready for the Turkish Cup slated for next week.
Mwape said the Turkish Cup which was in doubt after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which claimed over 6000 lives in Turkey would help the Copper Queens to learn about other strategies used by other world cup bound teams.
“The team is now ready. We have been preparing for two weeks now. We have been in camp for two weeks and we were able to pick a team,” Mwae said.
“What happened in Turkey was not good. We are equally sad and looking at the tournament, it could have been cancelled but I don’t know what happened but it will help us to look at the tactics the other teams use especially the teams we will be facing for the first time and we might learn one or two things from them,” he said.
On Friday, Bruce Mwape announced a 24-member squad that will compete at the 2023 Turkish Women’s Cup in Turkey next week.
The squad is a fair mix of local and foreign-based players that has been boosted by confirmation that China-based captain Barbara Banda will be part of the Copper Queens at the Four-Team tournament.
Banda was initially ruled out of the tournament as her club, Shanghai Shengli, are expected to participate in a CFA Women’s Football Championship to be held from 12-18 February in Kunming, Yunnan province.
Following further engagement between Shanghai Shengli and the Football Association of Zambia, the club has expressed its willingness to release the player as the Turkish Women’s Cup will offer multiple benefits to the player, the Copper Queens and Shanghai Shengli.
Meanwhile Mwape hinted that some local players would be included in the final World Cup bound squad after impressing.
“Looking at the way they are training, some of them can be compared to the professionals and they are doing fine. We have already identified some who will be part of the main team though we can’t pick everyone,” Mwape said.
The Turkish Women’s Cup will run from 13-22 February 2023 in the resort town of Alanya, Turkey with Venezuela, Uzbekistan and Zambia expected to take part.
FINAL-SQUAD
GOALKEEPERS
Catherine Musonda (INDENI Roses), Eunice Sakala (Nkwazi Queens), Hazel Nali (Fatih Vatan Sport-Turkey)
DEFENDERS
Margaret Belemu (Hakkarigucu Spur-Turkey), Martha Tembo (BIIK Kazygurt Shymkent-Kazakhstan), Lushomo Mweemba, Agness Musesa, Esther Siamfuko (all Green Buffaloes), Pauline Zulu (Elite Ladies), Esther Banda (BUSA), Judith Soko (YASA)
MIDFIELDERS
Misozi Zulu (Hakkarigucu Spur-Turkey), Ireen Lungu, Hellen Chanda (both BIIK Kazygurt Shymkent-Kazakhstan), Evarine Susan Katongo (ZISD Women), Mary Wilombe (Red Arrows), Prisca Chilufya (Fatih Karagumruk A.S-Turkey)
STRIKERS
Xiomara Mapepa (Elite Ladies), Ochumba Oseke Lubanji (Red Arrows), Hellen Mubanga, Rachael Nachula (both Zaragoza CFF-Spain), Grace Chanda, Rachael Kundananji (both Madrid CFF), Barbara Banda (Shanghai Shengli-China)
