• CHIPOLOPOLO vice-captain, Nathan Sinkala (second right) with striker Ronald Kampamba donate an autographed football to injured teammate, Changwe Kalale at University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka yesterday as coach Honour Janza (second left) with assistant Chintu Kampamba look on. Picture by FAZ

By SANDRA MWILA –
ZAMBIA Under-17 soccer players have promised to honour their injured teammate Changwe Kalale by winning the Niger 2015 Africa Junior Championship.
Meanwhile, the senior national team led by coach Honour Janza yesterday visited Kalale at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka and donated a Chipolopolo shirt and an autographed football.
The players said they hoped to dedicate the continental championship to Kalale in appreciation to his contribution to the team’s qualification.
Kalale will miss the Africa Junior Championship after getting injured in a fatal road accident in Kabwe on Sunday.
Under-17 coach Chris Kaunda said Kalale’s injury was a big blow to the players and the entire technical bench.
“My boys have promised Changwe that they will fight hard to win the Africa Cup in February in honour of him and his great contributions to the team,” Kaunda said.
He said Kalale’s injury had left the technical bench with a huge challenge of finding a capable replacement to play his position at the African tournament.
“This is a big blow to the team. Changwe, who is our vice captain, is a very instrumental midfielder and it will be difficult to find a replacement,” he said.
Kaunda said Kalale starred in all the 2015 Niger Africa Junior Championship qualifiers and it would be sad not to have him on the pitch in February.
He said the team was praying for Kalale’s quick recovery so that he could accompany the team to Niger for moral support.
“We will pray for God’s healing hand to touch Changwe in a special way so that he can accompany the team to Niger not to play but for moral support,” he said.
Kaunda said the technical bench would work hard to ensure Zambia won the continental title and qualify to the World cup.
The players that were in camp preparing for the 2015 Niger event break camp today and are scheduled to regroup for final phase of preparation on January 10.
Meanwhile, GRACE CHAILE reports that the Chipolopolo took some time off the preparations for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and visited Kalale at UTH yesterday.
Chipolopolo assistant captain Nathan Sinkala presented a Chipolopolo shirt and match ball to Kalale as his 17th birthday present.
Kalale had requested to see Chipolopolo striker, Ronald “Sate Sate” Kampamba yesterday.
Kampamba heeded the call and went to Kalale’s bedside upon arriving at UTH and the Under-17 starlet’s face brightened up.
The Chipolopolo also visited injured defender Nyambe Mulenga at Lusaka Trust Hospital.
And Kalale’s father, Bernard said his son, who underwent further medical tests on Wednesday, was making steady progress.
Bernard said in an interview that his son’s survival in the tragic accident gave the family hope that he would get back to the pitch one day.
He thanked the nation and Government for the moral support rendered to Kalale and the family.
On Wednesday, Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili said Government would evacute Kalale to South Africa for specialist treatment.
Changwe, Mulenga and goalkeeper Satchmo Chakawa survived an accident in Kabwe on their way to join the Chipolopolo camp in Lusaka.