Zambia’s Cosafa Castle Cup semifinal build-up continued in disarray today after all three Angolan based call-ups were ruled out of Saturdays game against Mozambique after their respective clubs refused to release them.
“The players from Angola are not coming because their clubs crucial league games with three matches remaining to play there while Zesco have refused to release their three players,” Zambia team manager Solly Pandor said Monday afternoon.
Midfielder Ian Bakala of Clube Desportivo 1º de Agosto, striker Adubelo Phiri from Deportivo de Villa and Petro Athletico midfielder Felix Katongo have all been ruled out.
In their place, Zambia stand-in coach Fighton Simukonda has called-up five players that will also see a rare drafting into the squad of Malaysian-based striker Philemon Chipeta who returns to the fold after almost four years in the wilderness and who is currently in the country on holiday.
The other players called up are Zambia Under-20 and Lusaka Dynamos playmaker William Njovu plus the Under-23 trio of Clive Sichondwe (Kabwe Warriors), Francis Kasonde (Power Dynamos) and Felix Sunzu (Konkola Blades).
The changes have been necessitated after clubs at home and abroad continued to flex their muscle over releasing players forcing Simukonda to seek alternative players for the game against Mozambique.
This will mean seven players originally called-up for the Cosafa Castle Cup semifinal match will miss this weekends semifinal game.
Zesco United on Sunday made an unprecedented stance by refusing to release their three Zambia players whom they will feature in Sundays Coca Cola Cup final against Nkanato be played at Nkoloma stadium in Lusaka.
The affected Zesco players are midfielder Rainford Kalaba, striker Enoch Sakala and defender Willy Chinyama.
Striker Songwe Chalwe of South African Premier Soccer League team Moroka Swallows has also been ruled out because of a Telkom Cup commitment this Saturday.
All clubs are not obliged to release any of their players for this weekends Cosafa Castle Cup semifinal match.
This is because the semifinal game will not be played on a FIFA international match date.
Simukonda meanwhile is sweating on the availability of another four South African based professionals whom have indicated they will only join the team at least 48 hours before the game.
Billy Mwanza, Joseph Musonda, Kennedy Mweene and Kampamba Chintu will all be involved in Telkom Cup outings for their respective teams in the run-up to Saturday’s game.
Zambia enter into camp on Wednesday in Lusaka and are scheduled to depart for South Africa on Thursday at 07:55 hrs.
Cosafa cup seems to be running into hurdles everyday.The main Culprit is South Africa.Just because they have not done so well in the tournament South Africa has gone all the way to make this tournament irrelevant.It is now influencing other countries to look at Cosafa cup as obselete.The management of Cosafa need to sit down and re look the tournament.Why is it clashing with other tournaments and why it does not fall under the FIFA calender.Or peharps it has become irrelevant.Does Zambia really need to participate?
It seems like this is the final cosafa tournament becauce SA Breweries has indicated that it will not sponsor the tournamrnt starting from next year.
RN Pretoria is right SA Breweries indicated early this year that the wouldn’t sponsor the tournament next year. But i think the tournament has helped to up the game in southern Africa look at Angola.South Africa has failed to do well in COSAFA whiles other countries have used this tournament to discover new talent.I remember seeing a young C.Mbesuma come on as a substitute for Zambia against Mozambique in the COSAFA semi final.This was Mbesuma’s first game for the senior National team.The guy scored a goal on debut and created one and of course some other talent has been discovered cos of the COSAFA Tournament.
Possible group of death in Ghana
Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroun , Zambia or
Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroun, Zambia
Weakest group,
South Africa, Namibia, Sudan, Angola
South Africa does not really need the cosafa tournament. They have all these organised friendlies like with Scotland , USA, Uruguay etc i dont see them focusing on Cosafa. If Cosafa is to have any meaning we need to look beyond South Africa. Let us do away with sponsorship from SA. The tournament has helped alot of teams in southern Africa but i think we need to relook the whole fixture if Cosafa is to be viable
COSAFA should be reorganised and played as a tournment over a period of say 2 weeks that is to say Finals every year at suitable dates in groups of 2 with 2 teams battling it out the finals, like the East and Central African Cup in those days