By MICHAEL MIYOBA
AFTER losing the bid to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with Namibia, the Football Association of Zambia FAZ says it will not cry over the lost opportunity but prepare for the 2029 window which promises to be Southern Africa’s turn.
FAZ president Andrew Kamanga said East Africa got the rights to host the 2027 edition largely because the AFCON had not been hosted in that region since the 1970s.
Kamanga said 2029 will surely be Southern Africa’s turn and the association has enough time to prepare for the bid and will have no reason to fail.
Kamanga said FAZ motivation to bid for the 2027 AFCON was driven by the assurances from government that they will fully support the efforts to bring the AFCON to Zambia.
“Any bid for any AFCON or major tournament is anchored on strong government support. All the countries that won bids had presentations from the highest offices in their lands,” Kamanga said.
He said the granting of rights for the AFCON is not on the basis of already existing infrastructure but the submission of a concrete plan to the point of hosting the tournament.
Meanwhile, Kamanga is happy that the Copper Queens Atlas Lionesses of Morocco 2-0 and 6-2 in two international friendly matches in Rabat have not dropped the ball after having played at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, won WAFCON bronze and played at their first ever FIFA Women World Cup.
Kamanga said the association was now focusing on the Olympic qualifiers coming up next month and the WAFCON qualification journey that is on the cards.
“We are lucky that the 2023 Cosafa Cup that kicks off on Wednesday presents the Copper Queens who are the defending champions another opportunity to fine tune their arsenals. We are happy that the technical bench has opened the door for some untested youngsters to have a run at the Cosafa,” Kamanga said.
He added that next weekend’s Colombia 2024 FIFA Women World Cup qualifier against Congo DR presents the Zambia Under-20 womens team the golden opportunity to qualify for the World Cup.
“We have never been at the FIFA World Cup at U20 level for the women and believe we could have a golden opportunity now. The atmosphere is ripe for success for the women’s game now,” Kamanga said.
He urged fans to troop to Nkoloma Stadium in numbers on Saturday and push the young girls led by coach Charles Haalubono.
On the Chipolopolo who await the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations draw to be held on October 12 in Abidjan Kamanga said; “We have lined up some international friendly matches during the FIFA window as part of preparations for the November round of world cup qualifiers.”
Kamanga said his association has set a high benchmark in terms of preparing teams for international engagements and once the draws for the AFCON are done, FAZ will refine its program in terms of preparation for the AFCON.
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