November 30, 2009
Anxious wait on his fitness as Sunzu is set to miss the rest of the group matches at the CECAFA.
Gangly Zambia defensive midfielder Stophilla Sunzu who injured his knee in the 2-0 defeat of Kenya in the opening match of the CECAFA tornament in Nairobi on Saturday will miss the rest of the group matches.
Sunzu who was man of the match in the Kenya tussle will miss the clash with Ethiopia on Wednesday and Djibouti.
The blossoming anchorman was played in central defense partnering Dennis Banda in the win over the Harambe Stars in a game watched by second republican President Fredrick Chiluba and the hosts Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
But now coach Herve Renard will have to rejig his defence with newly crowned Zambian champions Zanaco defender Charles Siyingwa set to figure as he is expected to fly out to East Africa today together with his team mate Allan Mukuka.
Team doctor Joesph Kabungo has confirmed the length of Stophilla’s injury who it was first feared would be in the danger of missing out the entire tournament and possibly the AFCON.
Now the Afrisports groomed who had a professional stint in France at Ligue 2 Chatteroux may be in the frame for a return in the quarter finals of the CECAFA should the Chipolopolo go that far.
72 Comments on "Injured Stophilla out for two games"
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dot com on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 8:48 AM
sunzu… that was a good play..too bad for your injury, wishing you a quick recovery….! Go! Zambia Go! One Zambia One Chipolopolo!
Big Steve from SA on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 9:18 AM
Had a very interesting weekend, walked into a joint to have two for the road and bumped into Felix Katongo who shared a lot of things about his situation at Sundowns and also with the National team. He aparently is quiet a big fan of HR as a coach and even has praise for his tactics. He believes very strongly that HR will take Zambia places though he was honest enough to say he still needs more time but that his head is in the right place with Zambia. He also shared something that surprised me quiet a bit, Kalusha is actually far more involved with Zambian player movement in and out of the PSL than most realise.
apparently his siyuation at Sundowns is not the best. Recommendation for his signature at the club came from the club president and not the coach. The coach apparently has an issue with this and as such is not too keen to play Felix. The couple of times he has played it has been at the presidents request apparently and not necessarily the coach. This is the exact situation he found himself in when he first went to France. We talked i detail about a lot of things but I had to promise him I would not spill it out. It is shoking the amount of goings on in Soccer circles that us fans have no clue about.
AMANDO on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 9:28 AM
@Big Steve from SA sounds interesting steve can we share
Mphatso on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 9:31 AM
Thanx Big Steve for the info, because jus today i was wondering wats happening to our best player in the qualifiers, Felix. He doesnt seem to be getting game time at Sundowns, and yet each time plays, he puts up brilliant performances, I was even thinking he was injured or something!
Jc on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:01 AM
Well all Felix can do is to prove to the coach that he is a good player. This is where i think he has the challenge. Time is not constant and he quickly has to be at a place where the coach appreciates him and where he can fulfil his career. It may even be better to play for Zanaco, where obviously fans and coach will appreciate him and participate in the Champions league.
Big Steve from SA on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:23 AM
Because of the situation his agent has advised him not to sign beyound the 1 year deal he has even though the club showed interest in extending his deal to three years. A few other senior players are also having a bit of an issue with the salary he is getting even though he is not getting game time. His agent is looking at geting him back to Europe after the one year deal though he personaly believes that it would not take him long to shine and be a big name in the PSL if he got game time. He is personally considering extending the Sundowns deal if there is some gguarantee of game time cause he believes one season of game time and no injury would get him into the premiership. His goal aparently is to play in England.
Big Steve from SA on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:25 AM
wish i could but I gave the man my word and I am meeting him next week again. Wha i have given is what i told him I would.
Man ceasor on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 11:24 AM
Am nt suprised dat sunzu got injured he lacks game fitnes.quick recovery 4hm
Justice Kafusha on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 11:25 AM
That is OK Steve keep your word and you will get more news
Vincent Numbwa on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 12:29 PM
Good you are keeping your world and you were ” Cleared” to talk about the little you have shared. otherwise, it is really a tricky situation the Felix finds himself into. Pray that Zambia plays well ant CAN so that we market our players to better clubs. I feel for Chamanga, if it were not for his age he would have been stood a very good chance of playing for a big club, any way I pray that he makes the most of his China deal.
chiti chitundu on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 1:23 PM
well thats bad for the boy that he is injured. but i think the sunzu brothers should use the transfer window next month to get a club even in south africa. thats good for chamanga and i hope that his confidence grows till the afcon in angola. its rather too late fro us to get a new coach. remember paulsen too over at the last minute in mali 2002 nothing much changed. i mean we know that we will not make it to the second round lets just make use of this chance to look at brazil 2014. i.e the majority players should be the CHAN team
Seen from afar on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 1:49 PM
Well done to every one after an eventful weekend…
@chiti chitundu You mention the transfer window, it’s always around when we are gearing up for tournaments and you could say it is a distraction. Let’s hope it doesn’t play to big a role whilst we are supposed to be in action. Let the interest in Zambian players be decisive and timely.
@Big Steve from SA Glad you got to speak to him and get some insight, it’s interesting and i’m pleased to hear all that. It explains allot of things.
Winza Sichali on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 1:57 PM
Man of the moment is Wada. He has won the league with ZESCO and Zanaco. There must be something about him that would benefit the nation at one point in time. I donk know about his training though.
gskafunda on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 2:09 PM
get well soon stopila nsuzu
Iva Lengwe Mumba on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 2:44 PM
It is really interesting to learn that Stopila partnered with Denis in central defence in the win against Kenya. I think it was good decision for the coach to try him in that position but my worry with our coach is that it takes him along time see certain glaring situations. To me this decision should have come a long time ago because the player lacks certain qualities of a good defensive midfielder. He has to work on his ball control, pass selection, vision, pace, character and most importantly mental strength.I know that he has the right height, the strength,the stamina and perhaps the will power to make it as a very big player in Europe.
To me he has a better outwide appearance than Micheal Essien.
Central defence is far much easier to play than defensive midfield and in 4-3-3 formation the qualities are simple and i feel Stopila has most of them. The formation says that for the two central defenders you need tall players who are good in the air as the most important qualities and the rest are secondary. So i think that it was a progressive decision by the coach and there should be no turning back.
As for Felix, I think that staying at Sundowns will not help him in any way considering the back ground information. I strongly feel he should make a move and go to a team that will give him regular play time. Going back to Europe in itself will note be an achievement because he has been there before. What will be important is going to play and play regularly. It is a pity that our league is not well managed and marketed because the ideal situation should have been that it should have been used as a relaunch of plummeted careers for most of our players. It is working very well for Brazilian players and idealy it sould have worked for us if our league was well managed and strong.
As for the AFRICON, I feel that we should take a relatively young team that we should start preparing for the 2014 world cup qualifiers. I think we have enough aminitions in the young players to offer resistance to the teams in our group and in the process gurner the experience that we require for the future. Some of the young players that are avilable are, Emmanuel Mbola, Felix, Benis,Stopila, William, Mayuka, Kola, Kalaba, Sakuwaha, Thomas, Clifford,HH, Hangunyu
Whisper on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 3:17 PM
@Big Steve from SA
Thanks for sharing that information. Both Felix and Chris are very personable chaps and don’t have any ‘attitude’ about them, they will talk to you no matter who you are. I had an interesting phone conversation with Felix just before he signed with Sundowns and can’t accuse him of not being ambitious. The guy merely had an unlucky time in France and his honesty got the better of him with the coaches.
With regards Kalu. The guy is like a mafia boss in FAZ. That’s what myself and others have been trying to say. The other day people were questioning whether Mbola had really been blocked from going to CSKA for trials, some asked why this would happen? Well, here might be part of the answer for you. We have a FAZ boss being an agent. Remember the Mayuka issue? This is the tip of the iceberg.
Amuna Onzuna on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 4:10 PM
The Big Question is;IS IT WRONG FOR THE FAZ BOSS TO MARKET ZAMBIAN PLAYERS?.If the our aim is to have as many Players in Europe as we can,why should we gramble over someone who wants to help the situation?.I can only condem Kalu if he is corrupts the players and Club officials inorder to get something but if he just does it for help,then lets not point an accusing finger on the Man.I think we see alot of favours in Zambia e.g,last week Mulonga was appoint PS of Sports on Political grounds,so helping a Zambian Player to find a club in abroad is NOT a sin.
Whisper on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 4:21 PM
@Amuna Onzuna
It is wrong because it is against the FIFA statutes, it encourages corruption. If you want a real life example of this in action look at the Mayuka case where someone faked signatures in order to get the player an International Transfer Certificate. It isn’t wrong for the FAZ boss to market football in Zambia to agents, scouts, clubs etc. Infact that is his job, but he can’t get involved in selling players where money changes hands.
monk p on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 4:33 PM
I agree with all that you have said except the last part when you say we should take young players to the AFCON. Why dont we Zambians learn from our past mistakes? We always go with inexperienced players to meet the likes of Eto’o , Song…..no wonder we get wired. When those players you are talking about become mature in 2014 someone else will also leave them and
Amuna Onzuna on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 5:27 PM
DID HE ACTUALLY GET A CUT IN THE MAYUKA TRANSFER?.I THOUGHT THE MOTHER TO MAYUKA GAVE CONSENT SINCE MAYUKA UNDER-AGE AND THE ONLY CRIME FAZ COMMITTED WAS TO ISSUE THE ITC AS KABWE WARRIORS WERE NOT DELAYING.I dont see anything wrong in that,Im in the dark about Kalu’s involvement over money.But the good thing I see is that Mayuka went to a club where he is progressing and we are all happy.If Kalu can do the same for Stophira Nsunzu,i shall be very glad.I dont know why so many people has an issue with Kalusha,its either you are wrong or Im wrong on this judgement.Zambia needs to send alot of players abroad and this should not be deterred by selfish-blood thirsty Club administrators who want to pocket alot of cash for player sales.
Amuna Onzuna on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 5:29 PM
I meant to say,Kabwe Warriors were delaying to accpt the offer frm the Israelie club
Amuna Onzuna on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 5:44 PM
I think we are not very serious with sports,I mean,Im still hurt with how Chingangu was treated.No support from Government,no National Anthem when starting the Fight and no address by any Government Official despite being there.
Gametime12 on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 7:22 PM
1
Gametime12 on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 7:23 PM
At least He makes the right changes. I think our central defense was just fine when Nyambe Mulenga was still in the team. His absence helped the coach realize that HH is not a good back up defender for that position, thus He has been trying other players in that position. I understand why He did not use Stophila Sunzu in that position, it was no time for experiments. By the way I always thought Stophila was brilliant as a defensive midfielder.Just give him props for his new discovery. Iva if you knew that Stophila would be good in that position why didn’t u suggest it before HR tried him there?
@Iva Lengwe Mumba
Gametime12 on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 8:07 PM
I’m watching Mayuka’s team
Seen from afar on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 8:13 PM
Also, Gametime12, he got stick when he played him in that postition(i think) in the under20 against Egypt.
Seen from afar on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 8:16 PM
Got a link Gametime?.. Maybe he is trying to groom Stophilla for the role slowly. He has a physique and is still young.
Bola panshi on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 8:21 PM
Wat a goal frm mayuka!
Seen from afar on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 8:34 PM
Thats an interesting way to put it “mafia boss”. Allot of people would point at Kalu and say he doesn’t use his contacts enough to help players if he didn’t do what he does… It’s ok to do it, but he has to be very careful not to skip too many channels as you point out with the Mayuka happening. That’s when people will suspect Faz is just out for themselves. All round it’s better the clubs get the credit they deserve.
I can’t say for sure, but i think for sure FAZ needs to clean up their act and make sure any good intentions they have aren’t going to be misinterpreted. There is allot misinterpretation out there and the danger is starts to work against things that are good…
Seen from afar on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 8:36 PM
cheers Gametime12!
Gametime12 on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 8:58 PM
What a brilliant goal from the young lad. The accuracy itself was just amazing, that’s how a striker is supposed to play. I’m starting to think that this league is just underrated, seems a little competitive so far. I’d definitely give Mayuka a chance before the guys in Finland. On a serious note though, what are they doing in Finland?
Gametime12 on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 9:06 PM
I’ll record the second half, but I don’t know if they’ll show the goal again.
Whisper on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 9:22 PM
Chris and Bielefeld have just kicked off on the same link Gametime provided (cheers mwana). Chris is on the right hand side of midfield.
What a goal by Mayuka though. That was placement of the highest order. Another bumper weekend for Zambian players so far. Jonas should have had a goal, Jacob scored, Emma scored… now we are just waiting for Chris.
Whisper on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 9:28 PM
BaGametime, the Isreali league is tough. It is really physical! I got some dvds of Emma and Justine playing last season and was taken aback by how hard the Isreali teams play. I would say that the Finnish league is more pleasing on the eye, but the teams are not nearly as strong.
Gametime12 on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:03 PM
@Gametime12
I will post the clip of Mayuka’s goal on youtube in a few minutes
ife ndife ba zambia on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:13 PM
ok.that ll be good gametime12.how is the chris playing?just remaining with few units cant watch the game.
Sceptic on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:15 PM
I saw the goal at the end of the game. What a goal!!!!! Brilliant carved ball. I had no idea mayuka was of such quality. Wow. I see why clubs in Portugal are buzzing over him. Lastly ZAMFOOT PLEASE POST ANY PICTURES OF NDOLA STADIUM AS YOU PROMISESD US. PLEASE TWAKOMBA!!!!!!
Gametime12 on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:16 PM
@ife ndife ba zambia
The second half is about to kick off
Gametime12 on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:25 PM
Kalaba’s is playing against his former club (sporting Braga). The stream is on that same website i posted earlier
ife ndife ba zambia on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:32 PM
is he playing?
Whisper on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:37 PM
I don’t think Kalaba is in the starting lineup. I watched a couple of minutes but didn’t see him.
ife ndife ba zambia on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:41 PM
ok.hw did ethiopia play against djibout?
ife ndife ba zambia on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:53 PM
christ’s team is loosin by a goal to nil
Gametime12 on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 10:54 PM
He must be on the bench. He plays for U.D. Leiria and they are playing against Sporting Braga
ife ndife ba zambia on Mon, 30th Nov 2009 11:44 PM
ethiopia crushed djibout 5 – 0,
Winza Sichali on Tue, 1st Dec 2009 9:16 AM
Stophira is an all round player. He can play any position, even as a striker. I have always said on this blog that boy is a rough diamond, being polished to a gem. I still however insist that the best i have seen of him and where his future lies is at defensive midfield. I have always said that midfielders are a rare talent, thats why we have had problems at that position because we have not groomed anyone as we should and have always done. Sunzu should be shadowing Sinkala – the best player for that position now. In those days you would see the progression being done systematically ie from willie phiri to Jericho Shinde, then to Derby Makinka, then maybin chisanga ( briefly ) then mischek lungu but unfortunately the system has been lost now. Just in the last WC campaign you have used Isaac Chansa ( HE IS NOT A DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER ), Hachipuka, Kabuku, now sunzu is in the deep end. I just hope his injury is not serious. Knees are very hard to deal with.
jeff windhoek on Tue, 1st Dec 2009 9:57 AM
that was a serious strike from a quality striker.Im sure he will receive more game time
kuku on Wed, 2nd Dec 2009 12:37 PM
I thought he is player Zambia can groom, apart from the common sentiment that the national team is not for grooming players. Anyway, he looks like a success story of the project, he is almost there.