Chipasula Out As Zambia U17 Names COSAFA Squad, Eyes Title Defense Without Star Forward
Mercy Chipasula will not be captaining Zambia’s U17 Women’s National Team at the COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship, which Namibia will host from May 10–17.
Head coach Carol Kanyemba has named a 25-member squad to enter camp on Saturday to prepare for the championship, as the Copper Princesses seek to reclaim the title they won last year.
Fourteen players who were part of the squad that qualified for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup by beating Benin have retained their positions in the squad summoned by Kanyemba.
Chipasula, who scored four goals over two legs, along with Lweendo Hanongo, Hellen Sichamba, Masela Sekeseke, Victoria Mbali, and Loveness Chingwele, will miss the tournament.
The mentioned players will, however, continue to play key roles as pivotal members of Zambia’s U17 World Cup squad.
UK-based midfielder Jessica Choolwe Johnson has been excused to attend to her final-year school commitments. Defender Nana Malanda, who has recovered from injury, has been included as Natasha Nkaka remains sidelined due to injury.
In the COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship, the Copper Princesses are in Group B alongside Mozambique and Mauritius. Group A has hosts Namibia, Malawi and Comoros, while Group C comprises Lesotho, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
