Zambia: Football Association of Zambia welcomes their week’s column. This week FAZ share a sense of what is going on in the game. What a time to catch up after the weekend round of matches in the MTN Super League, which marked the kick-off of the season.
FAZ stated, “It was so refreshing to catch some action across the league, giving us a taste of what is to come.”
Furthermore, they stated, “Naturally, it is still early days to read into the match day one action, but we can be hopeful that this season will be better than the previous one.
Indications are that teams have given some sense of appreciation for improved game management, especially around stadium safety and security. It is the prayer that they do not have to resort to extreme disciplinary measures to curb some of the ugly incidences we witnessed in the previous season. There should be no room for thuggery and hooliganism in our game.
Away from the Super League, there was the little matter of the playoff for the vacated National Division One slot by Buildcon. The FAZ executive committee settled for a playoff between Livingstone Pirates, who was the best-placed relegated side at the close of last season and Chipata United, who narrowly missed out on promotion during the playoffs.
There could have been no better way to settle this matter than on the field of play, where Chipata United triumphed. We extend our congratulations to them for qualifying for the National Division One. It is encouraging to see that the National Division One league extends beyond the traditional powerhouses.
“Finally, our CAF envoys, Power Dynamos and MUZA, got their continental campaigns off the ground with varying fortunes. A big congratulations to debutants MUZA, who recorded a 1-1 away draw to Cano Sport in Malabo while Power Dynamos lost 2-1 to Namibian outfit African Stars in South Africa but are still in with a chance at home.”
This weekend will be a huge window for our continental envoys to push for qualification to the next round. Their CAF campaign is no longer a club affair but a national one, and we urge everyone to come in droves and support our flag carriers. Their progress on the continent will ultimately translate into progress for the whole country.
We sign off by congratulating the Spanish Women’s National Team for winning the FIFA Women’s World Cup. There are plenty of lessons from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup that we were privileged to be part of. It is now time to conduct a thorough postmortem and build on the world cup experience. Our eyes now are on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers and the WAFCON qualifiers that commence soon.