Zambia head coach Bruce Mwape has named his final 22-player squad list for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations set to kickoff on July 2-23 in Morocco, with the notable exception of forward extraordinaire Barbara Banda due to medical reasons.
Shock and disappointment has engulfed the Copper Queens side, as well as football enthusiasts in Morocco and across the continent, following the untimely announcement.
Her teammate Hazel Natasha Nali could not hide her dismay at the development when she spoke exclusively to CAF Online, saying: “It is really sad. Everyone of us wanted her to be part of this tournament. Everyone is not happy. We needed her. Her absence is a big loss to our team.”
“We know she is an asset. Barbara contributes so much to the team. She is the captain and the leader of our team. She is a great inspiration to us all. She is the kind of player who digs deep and gets something out of nothing. She is a great player and a great fighter. We shall miss her on the pitch.”
The 22-year old Banda has been the face of women’s football in Zambia in recent years and made her mark globally at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics when she became the first ever player in Olympics history to score back-to-back hattricks.
Her resilience, never-give-up attitude and fearlessness in front of goal have been at the heart of her rise in the last five years since she switched from boxing to the beautiful game at the age of 16.
Her tenacity right from when she featured at the 2017 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica to finishing as top scorer of the Chinese league in 2020, scoring 18 goals in 13 games, has grown from strength to strength and it rubs off on the rest of her teammates.
Goalkeeper Nali, who met Banda back in 2015, said, “I have known Barbara for about eight years and at the time we were preparing for the Under 17 World Cup Qualifiers. She is a star player. We could see it from back then.”
“It is really sad that we shall be without her, but this is going to be our motivation. We are going to focus and do this for her. She has been there for us in the past and now it is our turn to pay back. Every game without her will be a dedication to her for the great work she has done over the years.”
“As players, we must deliver. We will miss her. We have to play as a team. Football is played as a team. She has taught us that and now we must use those very words on the pitch and make her proud,” said Nali.
Zambia are in Group B alongside three-time finalists Cameroon, Tunisia and debutants Togo and according to Nali, their target is the trophy.
“We want to win the WAFCON and go to the World Cup. We have very fond memories of the Olympics and they are our motivation to return to the big stage. We want to be right there with the biggest teams in the world.”
The Copper Queens take on the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon in their opening encounter on July 3 in Casablanca.
Source: CAF
Frederick Marfo is a sportswriter and social worker well known for his advocacy for equal chances and rights for all athletes, especially those with disabilities.
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