The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has congratulated the Zambia Senior Women National Football team for winning their inaugural Cosafa championship.
FAZ president Andrew Kamanga says his executive is proud of the success of the women’s team that has continued to break new grounds.
“On behalf of the executive committee and the entire football family, I wish to heartily congratulate our Copper Queens for winning the COSAFA trophy. It is a treatment of the hard work the ladies have put in the past few years,” Kamanga says.
Kamanga adds that milestones keep coming with first being the Olympic qualification, WAFCON bronze, FIFA World Cup qualification and now the first ever Cosafa trophy for the senior women national team.
He has noted that the Cosafa tournament was the first step in a lengthy FIFA World Cup preparatory program.
“We have been liaising with the technical bench and other key stakeholders on a preparatory program that has already been shared with government and is already in motion. We are particularly encouraged that the government has taken keen interest in this project with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Arts and Sports Mr. Kangwa Chileshe physically present in South Africa to support the team,” he says.
He adds. “Three Cosafa trophies are in our hands starting with the Senior Men’s Football Team, the Green Buffaloes Women’s Football Club and now the Copper Queens which speaks to our status in the region and beyond. We are indeed back in the Champions League.”
Zambia yesterday beat South Africa 1-0 in the final through a Barbara Banda extra time header.
The Copper Queens skipper won the Player of the Tournament accolade and picked up the Player of the Tournament Award for her 10 goals.
Catherine Musonda was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
This is contained in a statement issued to ZANIS in Lusaka this morning by FAZ Communications Manager, Sydney Mungala.