Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
BLACK Rhinos Queens’ opponents for the inaugural edition of the COSAFA Women’s Champions League, Green Buffaloes of Zambia, say they are looking to draw inspiration from their national women’s team’s recent participation at the Olympic Games to push for success on the continent.
The two army teams are set for an exciting showdown in Group B, which also includes TURA Magic of Namibia. The tournament take place in South Africa later this month.
The Lusaka-based army team are among the favourites in the competition having been seeded in Group B while Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies were the seeded team in Group A, which also has Lesotho Defence Forces, Eswatini’s Manzini Wanders Ladies and Double Action from Botswana.
Buffaloes have contributed two players – Ireen Lungu and Agness Musase – to the Copper Queens who played Netherlands, China and Brazil at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last month.
The club also has some recognizable names, such as defenders Lushomo Mweemba, Martha Tembo and Anita Mulenga. They have also had national team stalwart Rachael Nachura training with the side, under head coach Charles Haalubono.
Buffaloes assistant coach Carol Kanyemba told the COSAFA media that Shepolopolo’s qualification for the Tokyo Games was a huge boost for the army side.
“The Olympics brought a lot of confidence in the team. We believe in them [the players] because of the wonderful performance they put up. We hope they come back healthy to rejoin the team because they have been away a while.
“Systems are different from the club and the national team, so they have to blend in again with our system. The little time we have, we need to work on our co-ordination. But the morale is high, and the confidence levels are high also,” said Kanyemba.
Seven teams are taking part in the COSAFA tournament, which also serves as the main qualifier to the inaugural TOTAL CAF Women’s Champions League to be held in Egypt later this year.
The top two teams from the groups will qualify to the semi-finals while the winning team at the end of the campaign will bag the sole ticket to represent the region at the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League.
“We are definitely going to Cairo! We want to be the first ones to represent Zambia at the CAF Women’s Champions League,” she said.
“The draw is good, but the challenge is there. The greatest challenge is having to face a team you have not met before. We don’t know what they are coming up with.
“In this competition, every team is strong in its own way because the first games against a new team are always scary. We will put in maximum effort and try our best to progress from the group. We have our homework to do, we know a few of the players [in the opponents’ teams].”
The Football Association of Zambia has recently introduced a national women’s league, rather than a provincial competition that had been played previously.
“Women’s football in Zambia is really improving. Just recently they have introduced the national women’s league, which has brought in a lot of competition. It is of the highest level and a lot of teams are getting the best out of it.
“Every team and every player is working hard to be the champions of the inaugural national league,” said Kanyemba.