PRIDE AT STAKE
FOOTBALLAssociation of Zambia (FAZ_ president Andrew Kamanga has urged the four teams that will represent Zambia in the CAF interclub championships to improve their performance to ensure that Zambia maintain the four slots in the continental competitions.
Zambian champions Zesco United and runners up “Sensational” Zanaco will represent the country in the lucrative CAF Champions League while Red Arrows and “Magnificent” Kabwe Warriors will compete in the CAF Confederations Cup.
Kamanga who congratulated the four teams for their achievements said that it is not by accident that Zambia has retained its four slots in CAF competitions for the 2021-2022 season.
Zambia joins Angola and
South Africa among the 12 countries who will be given an added slot in next season’s African club competitions, meaning two teams in each of the African Champions League and African Confederations Cup.
The other countries allowed two representatives are Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Guinea, Morocco, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania and Tunisia.
Kamanga challenged the four to not only consistently reach the group stages but aim to win the competitions.
Kamanga noted that as a country we have garnered enough experience from participation hence the need for the CAF envoys to step up their performance to be serious contenders.
Kamanga expressed delight that the 2020/2021 soccer season was concluded with all the games played on the pitch despite the Covid-19 challenges.
“We did take a lot of lessons from the 2019-2020 season that helped us plan better for the 2020/2021 season where we partnered with the Zambia Medical Association who handled our Covid-19 protocols.
“We shall continue to draw on lessons of the past to improve the management of the game in Covid-19 situations,” Kamanga said.
Meanwhile, Kamanga has hailed the government for allowing the association to play the games as the nation was observing national mourning in honour of First President Kenneth David Kaunda who died on June 17 at Maina Soko Medical Centre.
Kamanga also hailed FAZ’s television partners, Top Star, ZNBC and SuperSport who were on board to beam some Super League and Eden University
National Division One League matches.
He said the association is happy to sustain its partnership with the three broadcasting entities especially under the Covid-19 pandemic that kept fans away from stadia.