HOPE FOR CHIPOLOPOLO

…as Fashion Sakala recovers from injury

CHIPOLOPOLO striker Fashion Sakala has recovered fully from a groin injury which had ruled him out of the Zambia national soccer team squad set to face Mauritania and Tunisia in the crucial back-to-back Qatar Fifa World Cup qualifiers scheduled for September 3 and 7 respectively.

After missing Glasgow Rangers’s last two matches which included a League Cup tie against Dunfermline Athletic due to the injury, Sakala made a return yesterday when he featured as a second half substitute for Steven Gerard’s boys who stunned arch-rivals Celtic FC 1-0.

Sakala played the last six minutes of the Scottish Premier League round four fixture at Ibrox Stadium.

The forward who replaced Columbian star striker Alfredo “El Buffalo” Morelos in the 84th minute could compel Chipolopolo coach Beston Chambeshi to add him back to the squad after he was ruled out because of the injury.

Sakala’s healing may also provide a big relief to Chambeshi who may not have the English Premier League duo of Patson Daka and Enock Mwepu who may not be available for the World Cup qualifiers after the EPL said it would not release players to Covid-19 red-listed countries.

However, fingers remain crossed for Chambeshi and many soccer fans wishing to see Chipolopolo’s best stars after CAF and Fifa appealed to the British government to allow African players to travel for next month’s 2022

Fifa World Cup qualifiers.

CAF reiterated that upcoming matches will be delivered under the strict protocols developed by Fifa and applied across the world, as was the case in previous windows and continental tournaments successfully delivered without any incidents.