JOIN DRIVERN TAXI AS PARTNER DRIVER TODAY!
SOCCER REVIEW with STEPHEN PHIRI
FINALLY striker Ronald ‘Sate Sate’ Kampamba has clinched a professional deal.
Last Friday, Kampamba put pen to paper for a three-and-half-year deal with Egyptian top side Wadi Degla, and passed a medical. He is due to play his first game today.
The move is a new-year present for Kampamba. Indeed good things come to those who wait.
Kampamba’s move is long overdue. South African side Platinum Stars and some teams in Israel were after the services of the goal-poacher but the deals could not materialise.
Kampamba did not lose track as he continued working hard and scored one goal for the Chipolopolo in the 2015 Equatorial Guinea Africa Cup of Nations qualifying race.
He netted in the 1-0 win over Cape Verde at Ndola’s Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on November 19.
Kampamba should use the move to Egypt as a stepping stone to break into the European league, which is every player’s dream destination.
Zambia has few players plying their trade in Europe and time is ripe for our players to target clubs in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, among others.
Having several players in Europe could benefit the national team which, it must be admitted, has not done well in the past two years or so.
At the moment, we have very few players featuring for European leagues. Among these are Emmanuel Mayuka (England), Chisamba Lungu (Russia), Roger Kola (Belgium), and Emmanuel Mbola and Evans Kangwa (Israel).
The country has representation in India, China and Thailand, among others, which have, in all fairness, nondescript leagues.
We need to watch a Zambian playing for a team competing in the UEFA Champions League. It is possible with determination.
With Kampamba’s eye for goal, it will be easy to be noticed by scouts from Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona, among others.
Kampamba has the ability to raise the Zambian flag high in Egypt. All he needs is encouragement.
He has all the attributes of a good striker. Kampamba was the Super Division topscorer with 15 and 18 goals in 2012 and 2013 respectively, and netted 14 times last year, one shy of Zesco United forward Jackson Mwanza’s record.
He has opened the door for Zambian players to clinch deals in Egypt and other parts of the world.
Should Kampamba perform to expectation, several Zambian players will go North.
In terms of football progression, Egypt is better than campaigning in South Africa, Angola or Democratic Republic of Congo. But if you are to argue based on the pocket, then South Africa is a place to go.
I am urging the under-17 and under-20 players to put in extra effort as they represent the country at the Niger Africa Junior and Senegal Africa Youth Championships.
Several scouts from Europe will be in the two countries ‘spying’ for talent and who knows, majority of our players could just get lucrative deals with top teams.
Zambia Daily Mail
