The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) says it is still proud of the Copper Queens despite their quarterfinal elimination at the ongoing Women Africa Cup of Nations after losing 5-0 to Nigeria.
FAZ president Keith Mweemba says the team gave the tournament their best shot but were unlucky not to seal back-to-back semifinal berths.
“On behalf of my executive and the entire football family, I wish to express my disappointment at our team not making it to the semifinals but urge the girls to keep their heads high,” says Mweemba.
“We were a bit unlucky on Friday, but we can live to fight another day as there is another WAFCON to compete for on the horizon,” says Mweemba.
The FAZ president says his executive will make early preparations key for all national teams preparing for international engagements.
“We call upon the technical benches of all our national teams to closely work with the executive committee through the technical committee so that our national teams go into camp early enough and prepare adequately,” he says.
“It is important that all training programmes must be submitted to the FAZ leadership. We believe in adequate preparations to get positive results and compete efficaciously in football, and if you fail to prepare adequately, then you are preparing to fail lamentably.”
Mweemba has called for unity among the football fraternity to ensure that football enters a new era.
“Let us remain united as a country and not point fingers or play any blame games at anyone from the team or elsewhere for that matter. It is time to even be more united and work as a team from all angles. We must now move on and live to fight another day instead of crying over spilt milk. Hard luck to our beloved copper queens,” he says.
“The copper queens shall return to the field stronger as we know what needs to be done. The FAZ technical committee will sit down with the technical bench and discuss pertinent issues regarding the team preparations, selection and performances, among other very important considerations. They have our full support.”
He has thanked the Zambians for their support not just to the Copper Queens but the various national teams.
“We wish to register our gratitude to the Zambian people for the support to our heroines throughout the tournament. The team will surely be back stronger and make us proud once again,” he says.
Mweemba says his executive is working on unbundling all outstanding allowances for all national teams to pave way for a health working environment.
“Lastly but not the least, we as FAZ leadership wish to reiterate and emphasise that we shall ensure that all players from our Chipolopolo boys and other national teams, coaches and officials from all our national teams including our leaders and employees who are owed money will be paid whatever they are owed,” he says.
Zambia had a strong start at the WAFCON having started with a 2-2 draw with hosts Morocco before beating Senegal 3-2 and wound up their Group A campaign with a 1-0 win over Congo DR. On Friday, the Copper Queens suffered a 5-0 defeat at the hands of nine-time champions Nigeria.
For and on behalf of:
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA
Sydney Mungala
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Stop tolerating failure. Its not a big spoon its a spade. Yes Just call this spade a spade. That way we will progress. Leave self pity to the Kamanga era. We should disect our performance like surgeons and make sure we dont make such blunders anytime in the future. We are sixty one years old and we should be winning things. Iwe Mweemba tampa ukusontapo!!!
The loss though a wide margin cannot be attributed to the coach. We played a very good Nigerian team that was also more fired up than Zambia on the day. Our great and admirable defender Lushomo Mweemba who has been brilliant through out the tournament did not show up on the day, and cannot be blamed since we will all have bad days like that at our work, but she is a real revelation and i really like her. The coach should now be given a national platform somehow to start searching for new talent to assist the current squad. No finger pointing please, we just played a superior team on the day. Let’s pick our pieces and start afresh
Our women team’s problem is, and will remain, physical attributes and some measure of naivety. Perhaps we are being too honest by fielding real, delicate, beautiful “women” like Mweemba and Tembo in our team. Women football nowadays is being played by “he-women”. Look at the Zairean player Vukululu (who looks like Sam Mangwana), she had a thick beard. For the third goal against us, that ugly Nigerian used he-woman muscle to push Mweemba aside. For the next WAFCON next year, let’s have ‘tough’ he-women in our team.
As usual, you vote tribal, you give FAZ to UPND. The damn country you cannot find a male or female goalkeeper.
We need a goalkeeper coach or a programmer to promote the art of goalkeeping in the clubs
We need a goalkeeper coach or a programme to promote the art of goalkeeping in the clubs
Bring back Mr. Bruce Mwape. This lose is an embarrassment.
For Bruce Mwape to do what? What major trophy did Bruce bring? The new coach has only been around for 3 months and you want to see miracles. Why did you not say bring Bruce Mwape when we beat Senegal and drew our first game ala
I agree, perhaps Mwape understood these players better. This coach, beautiful as she is, does not seem to. Back in Mazabuka, we call this coach Nora Haaputule. If her maternal uncle would accept, I would pay 4 heads of cattle to marry her, as “chiko” payment.
Bring back Mr. Bruce Mwape.
To do what?
Ba Mweemba.Surely how can you say the was just unlucky.You of all officials must know that football and goals are nolonger won by chance.All sports is scientific now and as you begin your tenure ,your biggest task is to insure that football is taught and coached as science from academies right up to premier clubs
Hauptle has no vision and very naive.After allowing Morocco to come from back to draw and then struggling to beat 10 woman DRC,the warning should have shown.But she came on stage confidently stating that we where hunting Nigeria while keeping the same personnel that struggled.The result was a 5-0 slaughter and not by chance.Nigeria scientifically dismantled Zambia and shamed our nice Barbara and Kundanaji with impunity Just give Hauptle her money and make her leave
To salute is just an administrative statement. Bruce Meape is now past participle. Part of the problems have been ignored. Said it during the world cup and before the Olympics. We do not have goal keepers, and the defense, the don’t play for one another. Things happen for a reason but it be upto way forward from now. Example, Musole must resign from the national team. She’s lazy and cries a lot.
The lady cannot dive or show some commonsense reflex action.
Mweemba has tasted his first defeat as FAZ president. He thought everything will change once he takes over. Running FAZ is not like running a club.
Iwe na iwe it’s too early to start blaming Mweemba. Where did he express what you are ascribing to his mind? He thought, he thought yakuti? You entered his mind? Who doesnt know that running FAZ is not like running a club?
It is our women national team that has beedefeated,naimwe.Mweemba is not even in Morocco.Stop personal hatred.Did he defeat your preferred candidate at the FAZ polls