COSAFA 2022 women’s Champions League winners, Green Buffaloes football Club coach Charles Haluboono says he is optimistic that his side will be able to replicate their performance in the region at the 2022 CAF Women’s Champions League tournament set to be held in Morocco next month.
The COSAFA Champions have been drawn in Group A alongside AS FAR of Morocco, Simba Queens of Tanzania and Determine Girls of Liberia.
Buffaloes qualified for the tournament after winning the COSAFA Women’s Champions League last month following a 5-6 post-match penalties victory over reigning African champions Mamelodi Sundowns to lift the trophy for the first time and also become the first Zambian women’s club ever, to qualify for the continental women’s inter-club football showpiece.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with BOLA NEWS after the draws today, Coach Haluboono said his team stands a better chance of winning the competition despite being debutants at the tournament.
He said he is hopeful the national team players in his team who recently participated in the Women’s Africa cup of nations which was held in Morocco where Zambia minted bronze, will help the team with the much-needed experience at the inter-club competition.
Green Buffaloes contributed six players to the national team at the recently held Women’s Africa cup of nations, and I’m sure that the experience gained by these players will greatly help the team, because if you analyze the tournament, Surely you will be able to tell that our ladies contributed greatly to the achievement of the Copper Queens.
Haluboono said.
The coach will be hoping that the likes of national team defender Agness Musesa, Martha Tembo, Lushomo Mweemba, midfielders Natasha Nanyangwe and Ireen Lungu who were part of the Copper queens team at the 2022 Women’s Africa cup will come to the party when the tournament kicks off next month.
Haluboono further said what makes the Group they have been drawn in interesting is that all the three teams in it are debutants at the tournament, giving the group a level playing ground.
One interesting fact about Group A is that all the three teams drawn against us (Green Buffaloes) are debutants and they also don’t have the experience of playing at such a level and this shows that the playing field is levelled, no team will have an advantage.
Haluboono told Bola News.
Meanwhile, the CAF Women’s Champions League defending Champions Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa have been pitted against Bayelsa Queens of Nigeria, Wadi Degla F.C of Egypt and a UNIFFAC representative who will be revealed after the Conclusion of the Zonal tournament.
The eight-team tournament will be held in Morocco next month and will run from 31st October 2022 to the 13th of November 2022.
