Zambia and Zesco United midfielder Rainford Kalaba has postponed his departure for Portugal’s Sporting Braga till early April. And under-20 Stophira Sunzu is expected in country next week from Tunisia.
Kalaba was due to leave today but his departure has been moved to some time next week, initially he was scheduled to leave on the 3rd of March but this was postponed to 25th to allow him to feature for Zesco United in their continental endevours. The Mufulira born star has a five year pre-contract agreement with Sporting Braga that will see him at the club until 2013. It is believed that Braga will be paying Afrisports approximately 100,000 Euros (about ZMK500 million). 
The midfield starlet is expected to undergo medicals and put pen to paper but he will join Braga in the summer in readness for the 2008/09 Portuguese Super liga season.
The 2007 FAZ Premier League player of Year is on a 12 month loan to Zesco United from Afrisports.
Kalaba has featured three times in Zesco’s last five matches. But one hiccup at the moment for the influential midfielder is that he is currently on the sidelines nursing a knee injury he sustained in the CAF Champions league match against Ugandan Revenue Authority in Kampala.
The 21 year was not part of the ‘Zescolo’ team that lost 2-0 to Sudanese giants, Al Hilal on Sunday night.
Since making his international bow in 2005, Kalaba has been to the last two (Egypt 2006 and Ghana 2008) edition of the African Cup of Nations.
In the last three months Kalaba’s international teammates; Clifford Mulenga, Felix Katongo and Felix Sunzu Jr have clinched deals with Macaibi Tevta p(Israel), Stade Rennes(France) and AS Marsa (Tunisia) respectively though Mulenga is also expected to attend medicals before signing his deal.
Sunzu returning from Tunisia
Elsewhere Zambia under-20 international Stophira Sunzu is expected in the country next week from Tunisia.
The energetic midfielder sneaked (AWOL) out of the country on January 8th with his elder brother Felix to Tunisia.
Awol
The Sunzu brothers were lured to Tunisian side AS Marsa by an Ivory Coast agent but after failing to agree terms the young prodigy has decided to return home.
His elder brother, Felix has been featuring for AS Marsa in the Tunisian Premier league after being granted a temporal certificate by FIFA. AS Marsa are still negotiating with Konkola Blades after reaching a deadlock on the transfer fee.
World Youth Cup perfomance & Reading trials
Zambia under-20 George Lwanadmina drafted Stophira into his world Youth Cup squad as the the 18 year old was an absentee from the under-20 that had earlier participated at African Youth Cup in February 2007.
Stophira started the first match against Jordan on the bench was introduced in the second half. After a supreme display, Lwadamina named him in the starting line up in the 2-1 loss to Spain. Lwandamina again showes faith in Chililabombwe born in the decesive match against Uruguay and the youngster gave a match of the match display and helped set up Zambia’s second goal. 
With such kind of an impressive performance at the Canada 2007 World Youth Cup, Stophira earned him a two year deal with Wiseman Media Group (WMG) of UK & USA that are supposed to manage his professional business deals. Just after the World Youth Cup, WMG took Stophira to English Premier League side Reading for trials unfortunately after impressing, Afrisports, WMG and Reading failed to agree on the transfer fee and the young lad lost out on his dream move. Reading wanted to sign him and then loan him to a French side as he was ineligible for a UK work permit.
Zanaco move
Last season he spent the entire season on loan at Konkola Blades but this year ‘Sensation’ Zanaco won the race for his loan signature from Afrisports and they have registered him for the 2008 KCM/FAZ season.
Stophira will be joining two other Afrisports players at Sunset Stadium, Zambia under-23 defender, Charles Siyingwa and exciting striker Ignitious Lwipa who are on loan.
Mali U-23 arrive for Olympic qualifier
MALI Under-23 national soccer team arrived in the country yesterday ahead of tomorrow's formality Beijing Olympic Games football tournament Group B qualifier against their Zambian counterparts wrote The Post
The Malian's arrived yesterday at mid-morning at Lusaka International Airport.
Malian coach Omar Kone-Cheick said his charges had come to Zambia to win and finish in a respectable position when the two teams meet at Nkoloma Stadium.
Kone-Cheick said he had brought to Zambia a team comprising wholly of home-based players adding that he was confident they would deliver against their hosts.
His team is currently bottom of Group B with four points from five games played going into Wednesdayís final pool matches.
Zambia are second with seven points but cannot catch up with leaders Ivory Coast who are enjoying an unassailable lead in Group B on 12 points going into the final round of qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Peter Kaumba's team is currently camped in Lusaka and has been training from Lusaka Club since arriving in camp on Sunday.
Read the complete post at http://zambianfootball.blogspot.com/2008/03/kalabas-trip-to-portugal-postponed.html
Posted
Mar 25 2008, 02:08 AM
by
WWW.ZAMBIAFOOTBALL.COM