ZAMBIA say they are happy with the opportunity for their key defender Stopilla Sunzu to go to Reading this week, even though he is a key component of their squad for the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
The centre-back travelled to London at the weekend for a trial with the Premier League strugglers with the blessing of his football association, a week before his side begin their defence of the African title.
"The Zambia national team will always be there, but opportunities like this do not come around often in a player's career. So we were happy to let him go," said Football Association of Zambia president Kalusha Bwalya, himself a former professional in Belgium, the Netherlands and Mexico.
"We have agreed with Reading, his club TP Mazembe and ourselves that he takes up this chance. Reading were quite insistent on seeing him, so it is a good sign," Bwalya told Reuters yesterday.
He said it had been agreed that 23-year-old Sunzu would travel back to South Africa by Friday.
"He will have enough time to have recovered from the journey by the time we play our first game." Sunzu's long journey mirrors that of Burkina Faso winger Jonathan Pitroipa, who has left his team's Nations Cup training camp to return to France to try to help Stade Rennes reach the French League Cup final.
Pitroipa is due to fly to South Africa, where Burkina Faso have been drawn in the same group as Zambia, tomorrow after today's semi-final against Montpellier.
Zambia's defender on trial
ZAMBIA say they are happy with the opportunity for their key defender Stopilla Sunzu to go to Reading this week, even though he is a key component of their squad for the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
The centre-back travelled to London at the weekend for a trial with the Premier League strugglers with the blessing of his football association, a week before his side begin their defence of the African title.
"The Zambia national team will always be there, but opportunities like this do not come around often in a player's career. So we were happy to let him go," said Football Association of Zambia president Kalusha Bwalya, himself a former professional in Belgium, the Netherlands and Mexico.
"We have agreed with Reading, his club TP Mazembe and ourselves that he takes up this chance. Reading were quite insistent on seeing him, so it is a good sign," Bwalya told Reuters yesterday.
He said it had been agreed that 23-year-old Sunzu would travel back to South Africa by Friday.
"He will have enough time to have recovered from the journey by the time we play our first game." Sunzu's long journey mirrors that of Burkina Faso winger Jonathan Pitroipa, who has left his team's Nations Cup training camp to return to France to try to help Stade Rennes reach the French League Cup final.
Pitroipa is due to fly to South Africa, where Burkina Faso have been drawn in the same group as Zambia, tomorrow after today's semi-final against Montpellier.
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