South on the rise in African football
THE MUTUAL respect that Mamelodi Sundowns and Zesco United have for one another, chances are that after dealing with the disappointment of losing in the semi-final of the CAF Champions League – the losing coach will support the victorious one when they appear in the final. These two clubs are after all flying the flag of Southern Africa in a tournament that’s dominated by North African teams.
A Cosafa derby, especially at this level, is a rare thing. But somehow Sundowns and Zesco defied the odds to make it to the last four. When they met for the first time in a competitive match, having played three friendlies against each other before, they produced an entertaining spectacle at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Saturday in the first leg that Zesco won 2-1. Part II of that duel will be played out in Pretoria this coming Saturday with the winners likely to face Egyptian giants Zamalek in the final after they thumped Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca 4-0 in the first leg in Alexandria.
“It’s a good thing there are two teams from Southern Africa at this stage,” Zesco coach George Lwandamina said. “It means that there’s an improvement from the Southern part. The most unfortunate part is that we had to meet in the semis. I would have loved for us to have met in the final because one team would have got the cup. But I am sure, with my colleague (Pitso Mosimane), we will do our best (to bring the cup to Southern Africa). We have to keep the cup this side.”
Success on the continent by one of these two clubs would also make up for the disappointment of their senior national team failing to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations. Lwandamina was in charge of that Zambian side that failed to book a place in Gabon. He has since been replaced as Zambia’s interim head coach, with Wedson Nyirenda, who is also in charge on a temporary basis while the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) is negotiating with Gordon Igesund. The organisation argued the move was to help Lwandamina focus on his duties with Zesco who are one game away from reaching the Champions League final.
“They wrote to my club, informing us that I should concentrate on it,” Lwandamina said. “It’s a welcomed move. I am paid by my club and not FAZ. I was just trying to be patriotic by being a good Zambian. I am sure that in future (should they come back to offer him the job), I will still say yes in whatever capacity. This is our country. It’s up to us to protect our integrity.”
FAZ took helping Zesco a step further by freeing up their schedule on the week leading up to their clash with Sundowns. The Brazilians weren’t as lucky.
“Our calendar is totally different from your calendar,” Lwandamina said. “Don’t compare the two countries. It would be very unjust if you compared the two. Your calendar sees you playing on weekends and midweek; we don’t do that here. You’ve taken a leaf from somewhere, the Bazungus (Europeans, with a calendar that runs from May to August). Our calendar is in line with CAF and runs from February to November.”