By Mubukwanu Kaingu
Bruce Mwape faces his biggest trial of his six-year reign as Shepolopolo Zambia women’s national team coach when they face Morocco in a defining 2024 Olympic Games final round, last leg decider qualifier in Rabat.
Zambia heads into the final leg decider battling to overturn a 2-1 home defeat to Morocco sustained on April 5 at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
Mwape has qualified the Zambia women’s team for every major tournament since his appointment in 2018 including the forgotten 2021 All-Africa Games when his side mysteriously didn’t travel due to administrative reasons.
Three successive Women’s AFCON qualifications, plus the obligation qualification and a debut in the COSAFA Women’s Cup have been the highlight of Mwape’s stint in which he transformed a once modest regional side into an African women’s football heavyweight.
Some other milestones under Mwape also saw Zambia reach the knockout stage of Womens AFCON for the first time at Morocco 2022 where they finished third to clinch its first-ever appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup last July which was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
For Mwape, it has not just been a fairytale ride but basking in the theatre of dreams and has cemented his legendary status as Zambia’s most successful women’s national team coach.
But after a checkered half-a-decade reign, Mwape’s side is facing the very strong prospect of failure to qualify for their first major international tournament under his watch.
But the former Nchanga Rangers coach remains optimistic Zambia will redeem itself in Rabat on Tuesday night.
“To me, I think we haven’t lost hope. Even the fans or the supporters shouldn’t lose hope that this is the end of the road,” Mwape said.
“They should just encourage the players. I know, there will be negative comments here and there but we will just concentrate on our game and make sure that we win the away match.”
Mwape has 48 hours to plot for a major comeback after Zambia landed in Rabat on a charter flight just around 01h00 on Sunday morning.
The midfield continues to be overwhelmed as witnessed against Ghana in February and also at right-back where Esther Banda seemed overwhelmed.
But one key factor heading into the big day is firmness of leadership, especially following the fiasco of Prisca Chilufya’s scandalous penalty miss.
Mwape and his captain Barbra Banda must draw the line in the sand on Tuesday that when at war, there is no place for personal egos of inducing ones online popularity on do-or-die missions.
