By JOHN SAKALA
Aspiring Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Blackwell Siwale says glory is eminent with the current crop of the Under 23 (U-23) national soccer team.
Speaking with The Independent Observer, Siwale said the way the U-23 is playing it is evidence enough that the boys will soon bring major glory to Zambia.
He said the U-23 has been together for so long and they know each other too well.
He said the U-23 was identified during the Airtel Rising Stars and were infused into the U-17 and since then they have been graduating together to the next teams, from U-17, U-20 and now U-23.
“I salute the boys for qualifying to U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in November this year. What we need now are more friendlies so that we can take away all the hurdles on our way. I’m happy to have been behind the identifying of the U-23 twin strikers of Patson Daka and Fashion Sakala.
“With the U-23 we are building a strong team and it is a team to watch and when they all graduate to the senior national team glory is eminent,” he said.
The U23 Africa Cup of Nations final eight teams have been confirmed.
The tournament will be hosted in Egypt later this year, and teams will be divided into two groups.
The eight teams that have qualified are Egypt, South Africa, Zambia, Mali, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Nigeria and Ghana
Top three teams will automatically qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Siwale also implored FAZ to begin the preparation for the Ghana Olympics games coming up in four years’ time.
He said FAZ should begin identifying the girls of 15 and 16 years to be groomed for the same cause.
“The longer they stay together, the more they will bond thereby producing excellent results like the current U-23 boys soccer team,” he said.
