Samuel Mutale The Swiss trainer is expected […]

Samuel Mutale The Swiss trainer is expected to resume her duties as Copper Queens coach after a rough relationship with the Football Association of Zambia; not many anticipated an end to the exchange.

Although it is unclear over the type of compromises that have been met, the task remains that she leads the team to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in July. When all the dust has settled, can she engineer a memorable participation that can lead to a first trophy for the Queens? There is a lot of skepticism over the effect that her prolonged absence might have inflicted on the chemistry of the team.

 Speaking in an interview with the Zambian Business Times, football analyst Moses Mpundu tipped Nora to succeed at the upcoming tournament, emphasizing that despite the setbacks, she is the right person for the job.

 “FAZ is confident in Nora. Looking at the WAFCON, it should be a source of ambition and motivation to the girls and the coach as well. For Nora, it is the issue of her CV because she might want to surpass her own record, and being with a team that has qualified for the World Cup before this could be a motivating factor.”

“For the players, this is a source of motivation for career progression; every player wants to succeed. This is beyond whatever challenges have happened administratively in the past few months, something that the players have ambitions for.”

He added that there is no time to start looking for a coach, especially since the WAFCON is in July, and the coach and the players have a better understanding of each other.

 Mpundu urged the fans and the nation at large not to rely so much on the speculation but to rally behind the team as they have the ambition to win the WAFCON, adding themselves to the list of teams that have won it for both the women’s and men’s games.

The Copper Queens are scheduled to face Egypt, Malawi, and defending champions Nigeria, who are a major threat to the ambitions of the team, and all eyes will be on Nora, on whether her return is permanent or another walkaway if the results don’t go as expected.

Article by Sam Mutale