Football Association of Zambia (Faz) President Andrew Kamanga has revelled in the recent achievements of their national teams.
While the men’s side emerged Cosafa champions on Sunday after beating Namibia, the women’s side is in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) semi-finals after sealing a place in the 2023 World Cup.
"It has been a beautiful few days for our game, with the Copper Queens chalking up a historic Fifa World Cup qualification spot while the Chipolopolo wrapped it up by lifting the 2022 Cosafa Cup," stated Kamanga.
"It is the sixth crown for Zambia, who join Zimbabwe in that honour, although the Chipolopolo have dominated with 14 appearances in the final since the inaugural tournament in 1997."
While appreciating the technical bench led by Aljosa Asanovic, who delivered the regional trophy, Kamanga particularly pointed out the importance of featuring debutants.
"It is particularly exciting that the technical bench fielded an all-local squad that had several debutants in the team," the Faz top official added.
"The tournament gave debut appearances to players like Enock Sakala junior, Ricky Banda, Allan Kapila, and Saddam Phiri, with others making like Joshua Mutale, Albert Kangwanda, and Jimmy Mukeya adding on to their infant Chipolopolo careers.
"Over the years, the Cosafa has birthed many future stars, not only for the Chipolopolo but other countries as well."
According to Kamanga, Zambia will remain grounded in South Africa as they prepare for their next international duty.
"It is a huge boost to the team that is preparing for the African Nations Championship [Chan] two-legged qualifying ties against Mozambique. The team will be away to Mozambique this weekend for the first leg before hosting the mambas on July 30 in Lusaka," he continued.
"The Cosafa has provided the perfect platform for the preparation for the Chan ties, with the technical staff keeping faith in the same players that lifted the Cosafa crown. We urge the team not to drop the ball in the aftermath of the Cosafa success but to remain focused on the Chan assignment.
"As part of preparation for the Chan fixtures, the team will remain camped in South Africa and fly directly to Maputo from their international camp. We urge the fans to give the team maximum support as they work their way back to success."
Shepolopolo will tackle South Africa’s Banyana Banyana on Monday in the Wafcon semi-final and Kamanga wants Zambians to rally behind Bruce Mwape’s girls.
"Finally, we also wish the Copper Queens all the best as they sail through unchartered waters in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations semi-final this evening against South Africa," the football administrator concluded.
"It has been a rollercoaster ride for the ladies, and we believe the team is motivated enough to reach a dream Wafcon final. We call upon the entire citizenry to rally behind the Copper Queens this evening as they seek to rewrite history."
