Emmanuel Mayuka - Zambias Raw Talent

      After watching Zambia vs. Senegal (Africa Cup of Nations 2012), I couldn't help but notice the pace, agility and intelligence of Mayuka #20, Zambias forward. I am going to admit it, I was pessimistic about this kid's talent, just as I was when I saw Emmanuel Mbola feature for the Herve Renard's men at the CAN 2010. However, my pessimism was deep-rooted in our FAZ's (Football Association of Zambia) handling of young talent. I have always thought that our football governing body is not well equipped in dealing with raw talent. Why is it that our Zambian players struggle to break into the top European leagues i.e. EPL, Serie A, La Liga etc? It's not because we don't have talent there, rather it's because we don't have a well developed channel that can be used to help our players break into these world class leagues.

      Anyways, back to Mayuka. I was obviously very impressed by his display during the CAN 2010 but even more so during todays game (CAN 2012). He certainly look sharper, smarter, confident and he got Zambia's first goal of the tournament. Obviously all this come with experience and he's got a little bit of that experience now. I hope he keeps glowing with confidence throughout this tournament. How about Mbola? What happened to Mbola? After a menacing showcase of skill and thrill in Angola two years ago, Mbola is nowhere to be seen this year in Equatorial Guinea/Gabon. Could this be another case of a young, talented player going to waste all because of our FAZ? I hope not. I would have loved to see Mbola during this tournament though, he sure has a lot to offer. As for Mayuka, keep your head up. The sky is not the limit!


     Alright, we cannot celebrate that win over Senegal without acknowledging the reliable, key players such as Chris Katongo, Rainford Kalaba, Kennedy Mweene, and the excellent back four Joseph Musonda, Chisamba Lungu, Stophira Sunzu and Hijani Himonde. Our captain Chris master-minded a superb through ball, that caught the Senegalese defenders off-guard, to Rainford Kalaba who just needed a yard around the goalie before slotting home a cool finish into the bottom right corner to give the Chipolopolo boys a well deserved 2 goal lead. Well done boys and keep it up. Next game on Wed against Libya. Keep calm, stay focused and we'll do the job. Peace!


Check out the following article
http://inbedwithmaradona.com/the/2011/11/24/emmanuel-mayuka.html

-Amulay Sirch