Kalu upbeat of Nkana triumph

By ROBINSON KUNDA in Lusaka and HONE SIAME in Mbabane
FOOTBALL Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Kalusha Bwalya is upbeat Nkana will erase the 0-2 defeat to Mbabane Swallows when the teams clash in Saturday’s CAF Champions League preliminary round return leg.
Kalusha said in Lusaka yesterday that Nkana are an experienced team capable of overturning tables.
“It’s a tough call because two goals are not easy but Nkana have got experience,” he said.
Kalusha said Nkana coach Masautso Mwale is an experienced trainer, who knows what the team needs to do to win the game on Saturday in Kitwe.
“It will be a tough game but with the support in Kitwe, Nkana can do it. Of course Nkana can score three goals, it’s just a matter of working hard,” he said.
The 1988 African-footballer-of-the-year said nothing is impossible in football.
“They [Nkana] have to prepare well. It is now or never for them. If they lose on Saturday they will be out,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zambia’s High Commissioner to Mozambique Japhen Mwakalombe has urged Nkana players not to despair.
Mwakalombe, who is also accredited to Swaziland and Mauritius, said not all is lost for the Zambian champions.
He advised Nkana players to play their lungs out when they host Swallows.
“That defeat should not weaken us but be treated as an eye-opener to players and the technical bench. If Mbabane Swallows can score two goals within a space of five minutes, Nkana can score more in 90 minutes,” Mwakalombe said.
Nkana delegation leader Kelvin Mutafu also encouraged the team to remain focused.
Zambia Sports Fans Association patron Peter Makembo accepted defeat.
Makembo is confident Nkana will win on Saturday.
And some Swazi nationals that were given Nkana-branded T-shirts were almost lynched by their compatriots, who labelled them unpatriotic.
The fans, who were mainly ladies, equally hit back and hurled insults at their compatriots.