Zambia football seeking to lure USA-based Okeowo back home ahead of Olympics

Zambia women’s football call on new recruits

JOHANNESBURG, May 11 (ANA) – Zambia football are calling on reinforcements ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, with USA-based women’s player Bupe Okeowo being lured back to represent the Southern African nation.

Bupe, who was born of a Zambian mother and a Nigerian father, has expressed interest to don the Zambian colours.

The 28-year-old is one of the players that the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has been tracking as part of casting the net wide in terms of national team players.

Bupe has previously played for Charlton Athletic Women’s Football Club in England from November 2016 to February 2017.

In April 2017 she joined Swedish third-tier side Sunnana, where she has since played in 55 matches as a forward, scoring 52 goals and creating 23 assists. She helped the team win Division One in 2019.

Bupe and her representatives met with FAZ general secretary Adrian Kashala and technical director Lyson Zulu to lay the groundwork for possible induction into the Copper Queens – as the Zambia women’s football team are known – structure.

FAZ has opened the door for foreigners of Zambian descent to have an opportunity to play for the Copper Queens.

A similar program is underway for the men’s national team.

The Copper Queens are preparing for the Olympics which kick off in July and are in Group F with Brazil, Netherlands and China. The women’s tournament will run from July 21 to August 6. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman