2013 Afcon qualifiers
Return Leg Uganda (0) Vs (1) Zambia
Saturday October 13th, 2012 – Namboole.
Ahead of the crucial 2013 qualifier against Uganda, Zambian national soccer team has been dealt blow after midfielder Rainford Kalaba has been ruled out of the tie with a groin injury.
The gifted TP Mazembe midfielder suffered the injury while on club duty against Tunisian side Espearance in the Orange Caf Champions league on Sunday at Lumumbashi stadium.
The 2012 African Player of the Year nominee will be out for seven days and by the time he’ll return to training, the qualifier will have been played already. Kalaba has not travelled with his TP Mazembe team mates Stophilla Sunzu, Hinchan Himoonde and Nathan Sinkala to South Africa where the Chipolopolo have set base.
The news will be recieved with great happiness in the Uganda Cranes camp given that Kalaba is one of Herve Renard’s most trusted bullets. It’s not clear whether Renard will name a replacement for the midfielder but he had already summoned highly rated U-20 Power Dynamos midfielder Mukuka Mulenga to join the team.
Zambia leads the match 1-0 going into the second leg and just need to avoid defeat of a two goals margin to make it to South Africa. However, a Ugandan win of the same score will push the match into spot kicks.
Zambia’s last appearance at Afcon was early this year in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea where they emerged champions while Uganda’s last appearance came 34 years ago.
