Atletico Lusaka football club set an FAZ National League record for the most penalties awarded against a side in a single season after giving up 18 penalties the previous year.
It is not surprising that football fans have taken notice of Atletico Lusaka’s tiki-taka style of play since the team made its Division One League debut. Atletico Lusaka is an Academy of Barcelona Football Club.
The team appears to be on track to break its own record despite having let up two penalties in its first three games, much to the dismay of the coaching staff.
Given that the defense has an average age of 20, one may argue that the players’ lack of maturity is the primary reason for their frequent penalties, but head coach Brian Kunsanama tells BolaNews that the referees are bias against his team.
“It’s totally unfair that we are been victims of conceding penalties in almost every game. We talk to our players every day and there is no way this should be happening against us,” he said.
“This has nothing to do with us been under pressure. This is football and we have already addressed that issue,” he added.
When asked if the squad could bring in seasoned defenders to alter the perception, Kunsanama responded that the Club’s policy is to develop young players.
“We believe in starting them young and build them to be great players. Three of our defenders are aged 15 and the oldest been 23. We signed Chisamba Lungu as our Striker’s Coach, although he will be featuring as a player at times,” he said.
Atletico defeats Mpulungu Harbour.
Atletico Lusaka’s first victory of the season came over Mpulungu Harbour by a score of 2-1 at home over the weekend after they drew their previous two games.
The outcome indicated that the team had maintained its pattern of scoring goals despite Kingston Mutandwa’s transfer to the Italian club Cagliari Calcio.
“Look, we cannot replace Kingston, but our job is to nurture what we have and produce more like him,” said Kunsanama.
READ ALSO: Ex-Chelsea manager comments on Daka’s Leicester City saga
As a result, the team sits fourth on the log going into the international break, trailing only City of Lusaka by one point.
