ZISD FC announced on Sunday that South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies FC had sent an invitation for Zambia Women’s National Team midfielder Evarine-Susan Katongo to attend trials from January 16–30, 2023.
Most Zambian fans, however, have not reacted favorably to the news, saying she would be better off in Europe and that she is a proven international footballer who is too excellent to be subjected to trials.
Her club, ZISD FC, has since defended and justified the decision to send her for tryouts at the South African club, which won the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League in 2021 and finished as runners-up in 2022.
ZISD General Secretary Elijah Lungu expressed surprise at the opposition to the move in an exclusive interview with BolaNews, noting that Mamelodi Sundowns is among the top 30 women’s clubs in the world and the best-ranked team in Africa.
“The criteria for men and women’s Football are different, the Sundowns that people are saying is not good enough is ranked 26th in the whole world,” he said.
“If you look at her going to that team, not even our biggest player playing in China that team is not at the same ranking, even Green Buffaloes Women’s is ranked at 100 and, in Africa ( Mamelodi Sundowns) is the number one ranked team, if you are a rational person don’t you think that’s the best move for career development for a player?” asked Lungu.
Lungu has questioned why people have not voiced their opposition to the recent move of the Green Buffaloes Women’s team trio to Kazakhstan Champions Bullk Shymkent, a lower-ranked team in the world.
“Trials are just a way to assess whether the person gets along; there is also a cultural difference, but the question I could also ask is that we have had three players who have gone to Kazakhstan, which has less ranked teams than where Katongo is going. How come we never hear anything?” asked Lungu.
“I know that she is a super star; that’s because of ZISD marketing, but how come no one has said that? That’s more detrimental than someone going to a team that is in the top 30 in the world, not in Africa, but in the world. Let people trust that what ZISD is doing is right; ZISD has taken her this far; before this, people never knew her; we made her a Super Star; if it’s a European move that people want, let them be patient enough. Patson Daka didn’t go directly to play in the EPL; he took the necessary steps.”
Lungu further clarified that ZISD has not received any offers from Europe for Katongo, hence the Sundowns move is the best at the moment.
“And just to be clear, there were no other offers; you don’t get to Chelsea overnight; you don’t get to Barcelona overnight; everything is planned; this move is a historic one for women in the country; most people who are talking don’t understand.”
“Most of the people who are talking don’t understand the gravity and scale at which Women’s Football is right now, Even when you look at the money the player will get, she will earn more than she could at any other place in Africa, on a social basis which is training, she is going to be trained by David Tshabalala one of the best coaches in Africa, Sundowns go to CAF to win and not to participate, and it’s in my interest as a club owner to make sure that the player grows and also for the national team, it in the interest of them to see that players in the national team are very competitive,” explained the ZISD FC secretary general.
Katongo 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 and she is expected to be part of the Copper Queens’ 2023 FIFA World Cup bound squad.
