By Angela Bambala Bwalya
Zambia U-17 women’s national team coach Carol Kanyemba has admitted that the Copper Princesses’ winless FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign was disappointing, insisting the team must learn from the experience and develop a stronger winning mentality.
Zambia exited the tournament in Morocco without a point after losing all three Group D matches, scoring twice and conceding nine goals.
The Copper Princesses began their campaign with a 5-0 defeat to Japan before suffering a 3-2 loss to Venezuela. They then concluded their group-stage fixtures with a narrow 1-0 defeat to France.
Kanyemba acknowledged that the results fell short of the team’s ambitions, emphasising that while the under-17 category is primarily a developmental stage, learning how to win is equally important in preparing players for senior international football.
“Overall, the tournament has been bad for us because we never recorded any positive results. We came into this tournament hoping to get something out of it,” Kanyemba said.
“We know this is an under-17 developmental stage, but a lot is expected of us. As much as we are developing these players for the future and the next category, we expect them to learn the winning ways. If they build on that, it will be easier to transform even as they transition to the senior team.”
The coach admitted that failing to collect a single point represented a setback compared with Zambia’s previous appearance, but believes the experience offers an opportunity to review the team’s selection and scouting processes.
Kanyemba explained that players develop at different rates, with some members of the current squad returning from previous editions while others were making their first appearance at the tournament. She also acknowledged that some returning players had struggled to reproduce their previous performances.
“It’s unfortunate that we didn’t pick up any point as compared to our previous outing, but that gives us a chance as coaches to go back and make the right selection and scouting,” she said.
“We can never have the same team twice. Every player will come differently. We’ve had some new players, and we had some players who were here last year but have failed to tick as they did in the previous edition. But we continue working on them and developing them because they are young.”
Kanyemba also apologised to supporters for the disappointing campaign while welcoming criticism, which she said could help the technical bench identify weaknesses and make the necessary improvements.
“First and foremost, we want to apologise to our fans who have been there to support us for a poor run in this tournament, but we want to appreciate them. For those who are always there to criticise, we appreciate it because you make us have our checks and balances,” she said.
“We’ll continue working on the ways in which we can improve ourselves as coaches and also improve the game of football.”
Despite the disappointing results in Morocco, the coach defended the players’ character, pointing to their unbeaten run during the African qualifying campaign as evidence of their ability.
Zambia secured their place at the World Cup after going unbeaten in six qualifying matches, but Kanyemba said the step up in competition at the global tournament had exposed the need for greater international exposure.
“Coming to this World Cup, as much as it is a yearly thing, it’s not something that is given on a silver plate. We earned a place to come here. We competed back in Africa, so they showed resilience in the qualifiers and made it possible,” she said.
“We never lost any game out of the six games that we played, and that shows that they’ve got character. It’s just that the level at which we play at the World Cup and in Africa is quite different, which means we need to be exposed more.”
Looking ahead, Kanyemba urged the players not to allow the results to undermine their confidence, reminding them that the experience gained at the tournament could still prove valuable as they progress through the national team structures.
She encouraged players moving beyond the under-17 category to continue working hard as they target opportunities with the under-20 and senior national teams. Those still eligible at under-17 level, meanwhile, must maintain their standards as the technical bench searches for additional talent.
“I want to encourage them to continue working hard. Don’t look down on yourselves, girls. You’ve got this, and you are as good as everyone else,” Kanyemba said.
“To those graduating to the upper stage, continue working hard. There are a lot of teams looking out for you. The under-20 team and the senior team are looking forward to having you.”
She added that competition for places would remain strong for players hoping to feature in future under-17 campaigns.
“For those still eligible to play in the under-17 team, I pray that you continue working hard, as the competition in this team will go out flat out scouting for other players who will come and fit in the gaps created by those graduating.”
For Kanyemba, the immediate challenge is to turn the disappointment in Morocco into progress, with improved scouting, greater international exposure and a stronger winning mentality central to the Copper Princesses’ continued development.
