Xavier Manchishi
16 March 2011
Pretoria, South Africa — Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Bizwayo Nkunika has directed Nchanga Rangers to make Zambia proud by beating St Eloi Lupopo in the Orange CAF Confederations Cup this Friday.
Nkunika said when he addressed Nchanga players and officials at Pretoria University High Performance Centre (HPC) on the eve of the team’s departure back home that victory over Lupopo was a must. He said Zambia had created a reputation as soccer giants and every time a team was going to play the Chipolopolo or a local club side, they prepared so hard to win at all costs.
“That is why even when you are here training. You can rest assured that your opponents in Congo are also preparing very hard for you because Zambia stands among the giants in football. Go there and make us proud,” he said. The high commissioner said the Nchanga players were carrying a heavy burden of having to win in Lubumbashi and maintain Zambia’s unblemished record on the continent as a soccer powerhouse.
He said the players in the Nchanga squad had reached an age when they should shape their future, adding that the first continental outing for the Chingola side must spar them to make it a launch pad for longer and successful careers.
“There are many young people who would like to be talented like you but all they can do is to admire you. Be proud that you have made it to this level. Use it as a route to a higher level,” he said.
Nkunika challenged the players to get the inspiration for more illustrious players that had flown the Zambian flag like Kalusha Bwalya and late goal-scoring machine Godfrey ‘Ucar’ Chitalu, let alone Collins Mbesuma from their own generation. The high commissioner told the players that it was possible for them to become household names like other players that donned the Nchanga and Chipolopolo jersey before them.
He said the Nchanga players must be counting their stars by the exemplary sponsorship the club was getting from Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) at a time their counterparts at other clubs were struggling to get the very basic needs.
He said for players at other clubs, even travelling out of the country was a far-fetched dream, much less training at HPC which has state-of-the-art facilities, saying against such a background, Nchanga had no excuse for failure.
The high commissioner, who was flanked by first secretary for Press Doreen Mukanzo, told the entourage to conduct themselves orderly in Congo and everywhere else in the Confederations Cup as Zambia’s ambassadors.
Delegation leader Blackwell Siwale thanked the high commissioner for sparing time to meet the team while coach Bruce Mwape promised to use the experience of training at such high quality facilities to beat Lupopo.
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Zambia: Make us Proud, Envoy Nkunika Urges Rangers