The ZISD football club announced on Sunday morning that Copper Queens midfielder Evarine Katongo had been invited for trials at South Africa’s top women’s club, Mamelodi Sundowns.
In a statement on their Facebook page, the club said, “we would like to congratulate ZISD kuchalo superstar Evarine Suzeni Katongo AKA ESK12 for being invited for trials to Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies in South Africa, the number one women’s team in Africa.”
According to the statement, the trials are slated to take place from January 16 through January 30, 2023.
Social media bloggers and fans reacted differently to the news, with the majority seeing it as insulting for a player like Katongo to be invited for tryouts rather than simply being signed given that she has already proven herself at the highest level of football, like the Women’s Africa Cup (WAFCON).
Bernard Junior Chimanx wrote on Facebook, “How would you take Africa’s best midfielder for trials? to make matters worse in South Africa this is a joke.”
Another blogger, Beenzu Himoonde, also reacted to the announcement and said, “you should have just waited for the world cup to get better offers, she is worth more than going to South Africa, don’t undermine her worth. she could have gone to Europe or somewhere else.”
Mwanza Mhlangeni said, “Such disrespect, tell her not to go.”
“She played at the Olympics, Afcon, and cosafa. Her videos are all over and an SA club wants her to do trials? Total disrespect to the player and I blame her handlers for not just snubbing that invite after all we all know what happens to our players when they trek down south. She is way beyond playing in SA, let her just be patient; a call from Europe will come,” reacted Chawezi Katwizi, also a Facebook blogger.
Sinkala Katongo shared his thoughts too and said, “the world cup is just around the corner, why not wait because that’s a bigger stage for her to be seen. Also how do you call one of the best players of the last AWCON with a player of the match award to her name for trials? “
Katongo, who was one of Zambia’s key players at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, where she won one player of the match award, recorded an assist, and produced a critical shot that deflected into the net against Nigeria to win Zambia bronze at the competition, has been a center of a dispute between two Zambian clubs who each claimed ownership of her.
The Copper Queens midfielder, who is 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup-bound, was the subject of a transfer dispute between Luyando Foundation and ZISD football teams in September last year.
READ MORE: Luyando,ZISD and Green Buffaloes in tag of war over Evarine Katongo
Katongo was close to joining Zambia’s representatives in last year’s CAF Women’s Champions League, Green Buffaloes Women’s FC, from her purported parent club, Luyando Football Academy Foundation, and was already seen training with the Zambia Army-sponsored team, but in a dramatic turn of events, ZISD issued a statement claiming the player was permanently signed by their club and warned Buffaloes to stop training with her.
The matter was reported to the Football Association of Zambia, and ZISD reportedly won the case.
Since the 2022 WAFCON, there have been several rumors that many top clubs were interested in signing Katongo, but transfer disputes between Luyando and her current club have prevented her from making her dream move.
