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Grace Chingoma–Senior Sports Reporter
ZAMBIA became the fourth country to win the COSAFA Women’s Championship in the tournament’s history after they beat South Africa 1-0 at the Isaac Wolfson in Nelson Mandela Bay.
And everything is going the Zambian way in women’s football tournaments.
The weekend’s victory comes a month after Zambian club Green Buffaloes also won the 2022 COSAFA zonal qualifier for the CAF Women’s Champions League.
They beat South African club champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies, who are also the Champions League title holders.
And all these achievements are not by sheer luck or coincidence. But the Zambians are reaping where they sowed.
On Sunday, Zambia reached another milestone when they lifted their first-ever COSAFA title, ending a 20-year drought.
The other countries to have won the regional title are record winners South Africa, Zimbabwe and East Africa guests Tanzania, who were last year’s winners.
Zimbabwe won the southern region football trophy in 2011 on home soil after they beat South Africa 1-0 at Rufaro.
But Zambia’s consistency and hard work were again rewarded on Sunday in Port -Elizabeth when She-polopolo beat hosts Banyana Banyana 1-0 at Woolfson stadium.
Zambia striker Barbra Banda scored the priceless goal to ensure the Zambians claimed their first COSAFA title.
The Copper Queens completed a remarkable hat-trick of achievements this year as they have also qualified for the FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup and also won a bronze medal at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco in July.
The success of the Zambian team shows that consistency is key in football. Zambia have been investing in women’s football over the years. They are no longer that team that used to lose to the Mighty Warriors at every turn. Their effort is beginning to pay dividends for them at a time their rivals are regressing.
Ever since the Copper Queens hammered the Mighty Warriors 5-0 in Lusaka in 2019 in an Olympic qualifier, and walked over Zimbabwe at home in the return leg after the Mighty Warriors failed to turn up for the match at the National Sports Stadium, the Zambians have never looked back.
They have gone on to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations and booked a place at the FIFA 2023 World Cup.
The same cannot be said for the Mighty Warriors.
Since their 2016 Olympic qualification and participation at the Rio Games in Brazil, their fortunes have been waning.
Currently, the national team is frozen from international football and only league football is being played.
However, the women’s football league is not competitive enough and more needs to be done in terms of competition, marketing and sponsorship.
With the absence of international football, local women’s football will be further alienated. And by the time they return to international competitions, other teams in the region would be leaps ahead.
Former Mighty Warriors coach Shadreck Mlauzi, who took the team to the Olympics six years ago, said the Zambians have been taking a good direction towards the development of women’s football.
“They are presently a country with a great football development model I have had the pleasure to see in 2015.
“It’s not surprising the results that they are getting,” said Mlauzi.
“They deserve every success that has come their way. They have an average economy like ours but they have put very good systems in place. Better still the Association identified an individual that could steer their strategic plans.
“It could be argued that South Africa used a development team, other nations, with Zambia included, were at full strength. That can’t take the glory from the sterling work the Zambian FA has done. Well done to our neighbours.
“Success is a product of many variables like strategic planning, good structures, for example a league, incentivisation, leadership and management as well as talent Identification.”
Online Reporter