•PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu hands over the AFCON trophy to the Zambian skipper Solomon Sakala as CAF president Issa Hayatou looks on. Picture by JEAN MANDELA

By SANDRA MWILA –
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has hailed the victorious national Under-20 side for retaining Zambia’s lost glory in football.
President Lungu has said Zambia will now go on and bid to host the main AFCON tournament following the successful hosting of the youth championship.
The President, in congratulating the team that beat Senegal 2-0 to win the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy, said the team has retained the lost glory which the soccer fans and the general public have been yearning for in a long time after the 2012 Gabon AFCON victory by the senior team.
President Lungu extended his congratulations to the technical bench for their commitment towards securing this victory.
The President said he was happy at the consistent and impressive performance that the team exhibited since the tournament commenced.
“As patron of the Football Association of Zambia, I am extremely happy and we give glory to God for the victory,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the team has a great future in football hence they should continue to work extremely hard, be disciplined and ensure team spirit for them to perform even better in other tournaments.
The President has equally extended his gratitude to the visiting teams for having participated in the Under-20 AFCON and wished them well in future tournaments.
He has since directed the Ministry of Sports, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) including other soccer stakeholders to show unwavering commitment towards ensuring that the team is nurtured to stardom for the country to continue recording success.
The President also expressed happiness with the support that the Zambian people have shown to the young team since the tournament commenced.
“This tournament has shown how the Zambian people love soccer and we have also seen the characteristic nature that this sport has in uniting people regardless of their different background,” the President said.
President Lungu extended his gratitude on behalf of Government and the people of Zambia to FAZ president Andrew Kamanga and his executive, the Ministry of Sports including other stakeholders for working hard to organise a successful tournament.
“To the soccer fans, l urge them to continue rallying behind the young players for more goals to be recorded,” he said.
President Lungu advised the Chipolopolo to take a leaf from the youth team and aim for success.