Rainford Kalaba is set to sign a five-year deal with Portuguese Superliga Sporting Braga.
Portuguese daily Record says the deal is worth just under Euros 100,000.00 and is set to commence in from the start of the 2008/2009 season until 2013.
Kalaba is set to travel to Braga on March 25 to wrap-up personal terms that is subject to passing a medical with the 8th placed Superliga team.
Should the deal successfully go through, it will mark Kalaba’s second stint in Europe after previously playing for French Ligue 1 team Nice from 2005 to 2006 before returning to Faz division 1 north club Afrisports.
Kalaba is currently on loan to Zesco United from Afrisports where he has been since July 2006.
He was influential Zesco’s 2007 league title win and victories in the Barclays and Coca Cola Cup’s.
He scored 24 competitive goals in all competition last season-13 of those in league action for Zesco and was also voted 2007 Faz Footballer of The year.
Kalaba played two matches for Zambia at the 2008 Africa Cup finals in Ghana.
And midfielder Ian Bakala has been training with City of Lusaka for the last two weeks.
Bakala has been clubless since the start of the year since leaving his Angolan club 1 Clube Desportivo 1 de Agosto.
He recently attended trials in China that were unsuccessful just after returning from the Africa Cup in Ghana.
Congratulations to Kalaba. Hope things work out for him this time around. Any comment as to his performance against the Ugandan team? There coach did not think very highly of him (I do realize it could be a case of sour grapes).
Well done young man
GOOD FUTURE 4 ZAMBIAN PLAYERS;2010 HERE WE COME.
That is what we want not the story of trials.
kalaba deserved to go abroad a long time ago but i think it was for the best that he goes now for he has shown maturity in his game.Though small those legs had the stamina to hold the tall sudanese palyers.Hope the boy makes it there.
Number 1, Kalaba was substituted after sustaining an injury in a game against URA. The boy also failed to tick in a game against Maginificent Kabwe Warriors in Chingola.
However, the chap is good and Iam sure he’ll give in his best in Portugal.
Good luck Rain!!!!!!
Last evening I was watching the match btn FC Braga vs some team on SS 5. Ever since I heard of Kalaba going to Portugal, I have been following the Portuguese league. They (Braga) are a good side and very physical. They have prospects of playing UEFA club football. Good luck to Kalaba and hope he fits in well quickly.
I wish Rainford and many other sportsmen and women do read this column. Kalaba would appreciate the words of encouragement that are coming from the soccer loving Zambian. Rainford, you are young and have the potential to excel.Go to Portugal, do what you know best and remember to maintain discipline.Also do not expose yourself to things you will fail to control. I hope you know what exactly I mean.Unnecessary drinking should be avoided. Check your diet, you shouldn’t go the Mbesuma route
Kalaba dont be like Mbesuma
I’m not worried about Kalaba, he’s bright, you can tell he is all about playing football, it’s in his blood. I think, given a chance, he can play in any league in world. Well done to Braga for signing him.
Lets wait and see if he will be playing or just warming the bench. And lets wait and see if he scores. I want to read of at least one player regularly scoring in a European league.
iam just worried that the injury he has now may make him fail his medicals but knowing what he can do i think he might not dis us like mbesuma has done
Bushe can someone explain why our Zambian players cant even end up with such english teams as Barnsley FC, kanofye ukokwine ku ma braga, maritimo etc.
Well, the problem with these countries is that they want the majority of players to be English in England, Italian in Italy and so on, they need to develop there own players otherwise there national team suffers. They also need there top league to be competitive internationally hence they scoop up the world talents. Not many English players in PL… England, Spain, Italy then France, Portugal, Germany, Holand then Greece, Turkey, etc… those are the top leagues, why do you want them not to play at a hi level just for the sake of being in England? Forget Man U, Arsenal, Chelsea, people are to fixated with PL, as if they never heard of anything else.
keyser soze i think it is ok for kalaba to start in portugal with braga.it is one of the teams that has consistently challenged the 3 best in portugal.Braga is not like zesco it is a very organised professional club besides it is better than bansley in english championshiop.I mean this guy is going into the A team of a first divion club in portugal.After all i dont think EPL is the best in terms of soccer,it is the best marketed though
It might be the best right now, no doubt it has the widest appeal to audiences, but don’t anyone be narrow minded. Those other countries take football just as serious and if they are willing to open the door for our guys to do the business for them, give them respect. It’s Italy that has 4 world cups, germany has 3 i think, the Dutch have 2. England 1.
Young man please behavour well all the best
Having said all that, you do have a point Keyser Soze, there is an issue with our players getting signed!!! If you look at Nigeria and Ghana, they have had great success internationally at the youth levels winning world cups for so long now, bang there players get swept up. Ivory Coast, Senegal, french colonies, there players are already linked in French football system.For us we don’t get the competitive platform to prove ourselfs very often.Allot of the time it must be to much risk for a scout to sign of one our guys when there are players already performing at the level they want.We need better coaches and systems now, so when our chance comes, our guys can shine.The youth teams are key.
#8 ‘Mutondo’,You raise a very good point even though i may be digressing a bit here, Athletes’ Diet.Are our players ever at all encouraged and/or educated on strict dietry regimens particularly prior to important matches? Is there a nutritionist as part of the accompanying technical team to ensure proper selection,preparation and portioning of meals, supplements and juice drinks? Full energy and stamina which sometimes appears to be lacking especially compared to the west Africans, can only be attained by incorporating strict dietry guidelines especially when in training camp. Good luck Kalaba and good hope for 2010!