COVID-19 Halts U-15 Tournament Participation
The Under-15 have had their time in the Croatian ‘Vlatko Markovic’ 8-Nation Invitational tournament cut short due to confirmed cases of coronavirus in the squad.
The tournament kicked off on September 23 but the Zambian side had to conclude their participation early following positive COVID-19 tests for two players ahead of their final match against Qatar.
The hosts Croatia won the tournament, beating Romania in the final 4-0.
Despite only playing in two games Zambia Under-15 National Team striker Joseph 'Sabobo' Banda won the Golden Boot, having scored three goals. The rest of his competitors played four games
Participation in the tournament came following the signing of cooperation agreement with the Croatian Football Federation (CFF) in 2019 by Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Andrew Kamanga.
“It was sad that our under-15 national team concluded their “Vlatko Markovic” Eight-Nation Invitational tournament assignment on an abrupt note after two of our players tested positive for Covid-19. The team played two games beating Bosnia& Herzegovina 2-1 and losing by the same margin to Romania in the second match. The battle for bronze with Qatar was halted by the covid-19 spectre but the team will still leave with their heads high,” Kamanga stated..
“Not exactly how we had wanted the team’s debut appearance at the world famous youth tournament to end. But these are some of the situations we have to deal with under the ‘New Normal’. These are indeed strange times and are epitomised by the number of covid-19 tests that the team have had to undertake at every stage of their participation at the tournament, starting with the mandatory test at home under the Ministry of Health. We are grateful for the support that we received from the Ministry of Health in undertaking all the requisite health protocols prior to undertaking our assignment and also the Ministry of Sport for the guidance and support. The team was subjected to all the health protocols along the way up to the time they left Croatia,” the FAZ President explained.
During the tournament players were subject to daily COVID-19 tests prior to all games,
“While we are saddened by the manner the team exited, we are excited that our dream of actualizing an under-15 national team has come to pass. It is only the first step as we are taking the revolution further down to the under-13 and under-11 brackets as we build a strong base. We salute everyone involved in this process and hope that we can quickly build on as we have a Cosafa under-15 tournament that is on the cards in the future,” Kamanga continued.
Kamanga thanked Croatia for hosting the tournament and making good on its partnership with Zambia.
“I urge everyone to support the young boys, but most importantly support our efforts to grow football from the base. We will continue to develop the youth structures in line with our 10 year strategic plan that remains a guide for everything that we do. To our two young lads that remained behind with our team Doctor, we wish them a speedy recovery and quickest return back home once they have undergone the requisite medical protocols,” he concluded.
