African News

Zambia, Ethiopia let pair travel

Pitroipa: Needed in France

Pitroipa: Needed in France

Zambia defender Stoppila Sunzu and Burkina Faso winger Jonathan Pitroipa will join their respective teams just days before the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations begins.

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Sunzu left the defending champions' squad this past weekend to go on trial at English Premiership outfit Reading, while Pitroipa will play for Stade Rennes against Montpellier in a French League Cup final on Wednesday night.

Both nations kick-off their AFCON challenge on Monday (January 21st) at the Mbombela Stadium as they are in the same group, ironically they will only meet in the final match of that stage of the tournament.

Sunzu is expected back in South Africa on Friday and the Burkinabe winger on Thursday.

"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," Kalusha Bwalya, president of the Football Association of Zambia, told Reuters on Tuesday.

"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.

"Ultimately it is advantageous to our team to have players from clubs at the highest level.

"He will have enough time to have recovered from the journey by the time we play our first game."

The Zambian played in every game at last year's tournament and scored the winning penalty against Ivory Coast in the final to give his country their maiden continental trophy.

Posted: 15/01/13 13:43

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