Green Buffaloes Women Football Club trio have become the latest Copper Queens players to join the growing bandwagon of foreign based players.
This is after the trio signed two-year deals with Kazakhstan Champions BIIK Shymkent.
Defender Martha Tembo, midfielder Ireen Lungu and striker Hellen Chanda will now be based in Shymkent until October 2024 subject to renewal and will compete in the Kazakhstani championship.
Martha Tembo has been a crucial member of the Copper Queens set up and was an instrumental member of the squad that made history in 2020 to Qualify to their maiden Olympics and 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations to reach the semifinals and book a place at the World Cup.
Hellen Chanda has been a workhorse for the Charles Haalubono coached side since her move from Red Arrows and has notched up five goals so far this season.
Meanwhile Ireen Lungu, The female Computer has been putting in impressive shifts for both club and country as she has set the bar for creative midfielders in the Women’s game.
Lungu has scored 11 goals in the Women’s 10 games including two hat-tricks, one against Bauleni United Sports Academy (BUSA) Queens on October 19 and another against YASA Queens on December 7th.
In June at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Lungu was key for the Copper Queens in their best ever performance at a continental showpiece winning bronze.
Lungu made a very strong partnership with youngster Evarine Susan Katongo in midfield. Lungu also scored a goal in the 4-1 win over Togo.
In August, Lungu was again at the centre of action as she helped Green Buffaloes Women’s Football Club qualify for the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League.
Lungu scored five goals to win the golden boot at the 2022 COSAFA Women’s Champions League Zonal Qualifier helping the Zambia army sponsored outfit to book a place at the tournament in Morocco.
Despite Green Buffaloes poor showing at the 2022 CAF Women’s Champions League Lungu was impressive with two goals and three assists to her name.
BIIK Kazygurt which is a regular campaigner in the UEFA Women’s Champions League has now become a home for Zambians as the trio take the number of Zambian players to have ever signed with the club to seven since February 2019.
Racheal Kundananji opened the door back in February 2019 and that was followed by Misozi Zulu in July and Prisca Chilufya in February 2021.
2020 Tokyo Olympics Africa Qualifiers top goalscorer Grace Chanda became the fourth player to join Kazygurt in March, 2022.
The club has proved to be a great launching pad for the Zambian players in Europe as Kundananji and Grace Chanda are now playing at Madrid CFF in Spain and Misozi Zulu has since moved to Turkey.
The trio’s move to the 16-time champions brings the number of Copper Queens players abroad to 12.
Others are Hellen Mubanga (Zaragoza CFF-Spain), Barbara Banda (Shanghai Shengli-China), Misozi Zulu (Hakkarigucu Spor – Turkey), Hazel Natasha Nali (Fatih Vatan Spor – Turkey) , Natasha Witika (Bayesa Queens – Nigeria), Margaret Belemu (Hakkarigucu Spor – Turkey), Rachael Kundananji (Madrid CFF- Spain), Rachael Nachula (Zaragoza CFF-Spain) and Grace Chanda (Madrid CFF – Spain).