COPPER QUEENS TO PLAY PORTUGAL, ENGLAND, JAPAN IN FRIENDLIES

By GIDEON NYENDWA THE Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has lined up three international friendly matches against Portugal, England and Japan for the Copper Queens who are Africa’s sole representative at the Tokyo Olympic Games starting next month. FAZ Executive Committee member in charge of women’s football Priscilla Katoba said the association has managed to secure three international friendlies to be played on dates to be announced. Katoba, who is also president of Green Buffaloes Womens team and CEO of Kabwe-based women’s club Queens Sports Academy said the association is still awaiting for official confirmation depending on the how the corona virus will turn around. “We have managed to secure three international friends, we will play Portugal in the first game England in the second game and the hostJjapan in the last round of the friendlies before the Olympics starts,” she said. Katoba added that the games are not fully confirmed because it will depend on how the corona virus pandemic will evolve. “We are still waiting for the FAZ general secretary to fully confirm because of late there has been ups and downs in trying to secure the friendlies for the girls, you can secure this side today and next you get a negative response and the game is cancelled because we would not know how this pandemic turn around in just a night,” she added. Zambia will compete in Group F of the Tokyo Olympic Games with the Netherlands, Brazil and China.