Copper Queens attacker, Grace Chanda has been ruled out of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup due to an unnamed illness.
Team doctor Faith Chibeza confirmed on Friday morning that the Madrid CFF attacker will not take part in the competition.
“Grace Chanda has taken ill, and unfortunately her illness has taken her out of the tournament. We have done everything that we can to help her, she is receiving all the attention and the help that she needs and she will get well as time goes by but she won’t be able to take part in the competition.”
Chand who did not make the match day squad for Zambia’s famous 2-3 win against Germany in a friendly earlier this month has since been replaced by Elite Ladies’ Comfort Selemani who was on stand-by.
In the absence of Barbra Banda and Kundananji, Chanda was the Copper Queens’ talisman at the 2022 WAFCON, captaining the side to their FIFA World Cup qualification.
She scored three goals in that competition and which later saw her narrowly get beaten by Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala to the 2022 CAF Women’s Footballer of the Year award.
Chanda is now the second Zambian player to be ruled out of the competition after goalkeeper Hazel Nali who suffered laxity in the Medial Collateral Ligament and a complete tear of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), according to FAZ.
