COLONEL KATOBA: DETERMINED TO IMPROVE WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

THE worldwide outbreak of the Coronavirus has put everything on hold and the world of football has not been spared. The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) was supposed to hold their elections last month but due to the Coronavirus outbreak and a number of injunctions, the elections will have to wait for now. The candidates, however, are already known and most of them are busy campaigning and spreading the gospel according to their manifestos. In the Women’s national representative category the incumbent Brenda Kunda comes up against formidable opposition in Nkana’s Kunda Bowa, Mwansa Mutangama from KYSA, and the front-runner, Col Priscilla Katoba who is both Green Buffaloes Women’s Football team President and proprietor of Kabwe based Queens Academy Football Club. The 44-year-old has set an unprecedented record at Green Buffaloes Women’s football club is the longest-serving President, Six years now and in that time, The club has dominated the Lusaka FAZ Women’s League and contributed over 70% of the Women’s national team. Col Katoba, who is currently the Deputy Director-General Finance Branch, draws her motivation from her late father Fredrick Katoba who was the President and sponsor of Sala United football club in Nampundwe area Mumbwa District and FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura. The Queens Academy boss is keen on seeing the formation of a well-structured women’s league. “Currently we only have Provincial leagues and it is difficult to lure sponsors to the Women’s game, which has greatly improved of late,” she says. Col Katoba believes the lack of enough knowledgeable women football administrators that understand the game and the needs of the girls, in general, is one of the biggest problems faced currently. “I want to see equality in the game, especially when it comes to the conditions of service as compared to male counterparts. Even at the level of National teams,” she said. Her decision to stand is because she feels she can bring a positive change to end certain challenges faced in the administration of the women’s football. During her reign at GBWFC, The team has been champion of the Lusaka women’s league 6 times, They won the first-ever Women’s Charity Shield, They won the first-ever National Women’s Championship pocketing K40,000 and they have reached the finals of the first-ever introduced provincial tournament. Because of the good work, she has done both at Green Buffaloes Women’s football club and Queens Academy the Football Association of Zambia appointed her as the delegation leader of the U-17 Women’s national team for 2019 COSAFA tournament. Women’s football in Zambia has surely developed in the last few years though you can’t single out individuals in this great achievement one can surely commend and appreciate the work done by the Colonel in helping to make sure that Zambian Women’s football is on an upward trajectory. – ZAMFOOT. The Sun