. Kampamba

By ADRIAN MWANZA –
NKANA forward Ronald ‘Sate-Sate’ Kampamba and AfCON Under-20 championship winning captain Solomon Sakala were the biggest casualties in Wedson Nyirenda’s final 23-man squad going to the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament that kicks off this weekend in Morocco.
But the team has room for Augustine Mulenga and Toaster Nsabata, the Zanaco due who were huge doubts for the tournament after attracting several interests from teams outside Zambia.
The CHAN is a continental tournament for players exclusively playing in their native country.
Following Sakala and Kampamba, the former Zambian top scorer, on the way out was Nkwazi starlet Lameck Banda, Red Arrows goalie Kenny Mumba,Bwalya Kasonde and Jimmy Nakena.
Kampamba, who was Nkana’s second highest scorer last year with eight goals is yet to play at the CHAN tournament but has featured for the senior Chipolopolo and scored before and was part of the Chipolopolo for the 2015 Afcon as well as the Olympics squad to the African qualifying tournament in Senegal.
Sakala, despite intelligently marshalling the Zambia U20 defence, has been in and out of the senior national team.
The 16-year-old Banda was a first-time call up after starring for Zambia under-17 at the COSAFA U17 tournament and was impressive Nkwazi’s 2017 campaign.
But the final has however, included team new call up Chanda Mushili who scored eight goals for Lumwana Radiants, same as Alex Ng’onga.
And Sports Minister Moses Mawere said Government had released funds to enable the team travel to Morocco and that departure was now up to FAZ to finalise the tiny details.
He said as far as he was concerned, the team’s delay was not due to lack of funds but that all the airlines were fully booked to take the whole team as once in this peak flying period.
“The problem is now that we did not have money but this period I was told all the airlines were fully booked which made it difficult for them to make reservations,” he said.
Mawere said Government was committed to ensuring that the team did not have any hitches ahead of the CHAN which was less than a week away.
The team, whose departure for Morocco however, remains unknown, is in Group B together with of Ivory Coast, Namibiaand Uganda.
The final list has as goalkeepers Moses Mapulanga (Nkana),Toaster Nsabata (Zanaco), and Allan Chibwe (Power).
The defenders are Solomon Sakala (Napsa), Simon Silwimba, FacksonKapumbu (both Zesco), Lawrence Chungu (Power), IsaacShamujompa (Buildcon), John Mwangani (Nkana), Ziyo Tembo (Zanaco) and Adrian Chama of Green Buffaloes.
The midfieldersare Donashano Malama (Nkana), Kondwani Mtonga, (Zesco), Larry Bwalya and Godfrey Ngwenya (both Power), AugustineMulenga and Ernest Mbewe (both Zanaco) and the Green Buffaloes duo of Jack Chirwa and Mike Katiba.
Nyirenda has selected Friday Samu (Buffaloes), Alex Ng’onga(Power) Martin Phiri (Zanaco), Lazarous Kambole (Zesco) and Chanda Mushili of Lumwana as the strikers.