British-born defender of Zambian descent, Jadel Katongo’s chances of playing for Zambia are dwindling, Bolanews has exclusively been told.
The 18-year-old defender, who made his senior debut for Manchester City FC in a friendly match against Girona in December last year, has been a hot topic in Zambia for the last two years, with the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) contacting him to switch his international allegiance from England.
Katongo, who was born in the United Kingdom to a British mother and a Zambian father, plays for Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad (EDS) and is said to be interested in representing Zambia.
“We are in touch with him,” FAZ technical director Lison Zulu revealed to Bolanews. “And he is interested in playing for Zambia.”
Katongo was the youngest member of the Manchester City U-18s squad in 2020/21. Despite that, he played in key games during the title-winning season.
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In the 2021/22 season, he played 18 games as City won the U-18 Premier League.
Will Katongo play for Zambia?
A source has told Bolanews that Katongo’s naturalization process has stalled because his handlers are skeptical.
“Well, the boy is interested to play for Zambia, but his agent is skeptical about him switching allegiance to Zambia. They are the ones delaying the process,” the source disclosed.
Bolanews understands that Katongo’s agents are still weighing the options, as the defender is widely regarded as a prospect for England’s Three Lions.
He is managed by Elite Project Group who also manages Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketia, and many other British-born players of African descent.
Katongo has previously made three appearances for both England’s U-16 and U-18 in 2019 and 2021 respectively.
In March, he was summoned for the 2023 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, but he did not show up. According to FAZ, this was because the qualifiers were not held during the FIFA international window.
However, FAZ is still hopeful that the youngster will play for the AFCON-bound Chipolopolo Boys, as he has expressed an interest.
