MUKWIMA CHILALA writes
WITH the restructured new 2019 league season set to kick off this weekend, demoted Super league side National Assembly say they are ready to compete in the 2019 Division 1 Zone league and win back promotion to the super league next season.
The Sun Sports caught up with the side at its training base in Lusaka’s showgrounds where the team has been trying to gel and acclimatize itself having lost its entire team that competed in the 2018 Super league season to other elite teams in the division.
Among some notable players that have left the Parliament sponsored side are veteran William Njobvu who has joined Nkwazi; ‘Hotshot’ Peter Mwangeni and Henry Besa to Forest Rangers of Ndola while George Chaloba has joined Zambia National Service sponsored Green Eagles.
Despite having a new team this season, National Assembly Coach Davy Musole said he was optimistic and confident of winning back promotion to the super league next season.
“Our aim is to bounce back in the Super league in August this year though it won’t be easy as we will be playing under pressure,
“We have new players that are capable of winning promotion despite having lost an entire team last season and only remaining with two players,” says Musole
Musole however bemoaned that his set of players has not had a break even from their respective former clubs as a result of the change in the League calendars and formats with effect from this year.
“To ask whether our players will be affected by the change in league format, the answer is yes and no. Yes in the sense that our players have not had any break and no in the sense that in soccer you have to accept and adapt to anything that comes your way’’. He observed
Meanwhile team manager Ali Mugala said his team registered 30 players from the upcoming season, having poached 20 new players from the communities and other Division 1 teams including a Monze-based striker Rockester Hachele who he said was identified during a recent Monze Christmas Tournament.
The 2019 league season opens with a Samuel ‘Zoom’ Ndhlovu Charity Shield final between Nkana FC and ZESCO United under the new format.