COVID-19 Hits Copper Queens Again

The Copper Queens have one again been forced to withdraw from an international tournament as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The national women’s team had been due to participate in an eight-nation tournament organized by Turkey. However, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) on Tuesday announced that the Copper Queens would be withdrawing following COVID-19 tests conducted ahead of their matches.

“We have decided to withdraw participation from the Turkey Eight Nation Invitational Tournament after having had encountered some medical challenges in our preparation for the tournament,” FAZ General Secretary Adrian Kashala has explained.

“It is not an easy decision to make but we always have to prioritize the health of the players and technical staff at all times,” he continued.

Kashala stressed that while the trip has been cancelled on medical grounds, the team’s preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will continue.

The Copper Queens previously encountered problems in Chile when some players and staff ended up in prolonged isolation as a result of testing positive for COVID-19. The team travelled to Santiago, Chile, in November 2020 for international friendlies ahead of the Olympics, which will now take place in 2021.

The Zambian team beat their hosts 2-1 in the first game but the second match was cancelled after four members of the Zambian team tested positive for COVID-19.

The Zambian delegation was then quarantined for 14 days at Mayor Torres hotel. 24 members of the team were allowed to return home following the period of quarantine. However, six members of the team remained in Santiago until late December after having tested positive despite being in isolation for 14 days.