Ahead of Sunday’s Confederations Cup group stage match between Zambia’s Nkana FC and Asante Kotoko in Kitwe, many Ghanaians are confident of victory for the Porcupine Warriors, rating Nkana as the weakest team in group C, but club CEO Charles Chakatazya has warned that any club that underrates his side does so at their ‘own peril’.
Group C is made of two Zambian clubs Zesco United and Nkana FC, Al Hilal Omdurman of Sudan and Ghana’s record league winners Asante Kotoko. After two rounds of matches, Nkana FC lie bottom of the group with 3 points with a deficit of a goal after losing 2-0 to Zesco away before scrapping from behind to claim a slim 2-1 win over Al Hilal at home.
Nkana’s situation was further aggravated by a 2-0 home defeat in the Kitwe derby to Power Dynamos in the domestic league, and many pundits including several Kotoko fans believe they are the weakest team to beat in the group, putting Kotoko as the favorites in Sunday’s clash, but Chakatazya thinks otherwise.
‘We are playing at home and we have to use the home ground advantage and get a win’, Chakatazya told FOX FM’s Rockson Adjei Yeboah in an interview in Kitwe, speaking ahead of the Sunday crucial match against Asante Kotoko.
Asked whether the believe that Nkana are the weakest side among the teams in group C is a reality, he firmly declined by sending caution to all clubs with similar perception about the Red Devils.
‘You take Nkana as the weakest side of the group at your own peril’, he insisted.
‘If you look at Nkana and follow us very well, we have a lot of experienced players, professional players, Kenyan players playing in the national team, the vice-captain of Kenya, vice-captain to Victor Wanyama is in Nkana Football Club and we also have players from Ghana, Ivory Coast so if you think Nkana are whipping boys then you take it at your own peril’, Chakatazya warned.
For the records, Mr. Charles Chakatazya, a former banker, has served in different capacities at Nkana FC, having served as the club’s team manager between 2011 and 2018 before he was appointed CEO of the club, taking over from Kenny Mwansa who parted ways with the 12 times Zambian league champions after the expiration of his contract.
Asante Kotoko arrived in Kitwe on Thursday afternoon ahead of the Sunday Confederations cup match. The team had a walk in the evening for a little shake up and will rest before holding first full training on Friday.
