‘We’re truly sorry’ – Barbra Banda sends apology after Zambia WAFCON exit

Zambia women’s national team captain Barbra Banda has sent an apology following the team’s humiliating 5-0 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) defeat against Nigeria in Morocco on Friday.

The defeat ended Zambia’s dream of winning the coveted trophy. In the last edition held in 2022, Zambia played in the third-place play off beating Nigeria 1-0 to win bronze medal.

Below is the statement from Banda;

To the people of Zambia,

We want to start by saying how deeply sorry we are for our performance in our recent WAFCON match against Nigeria. We understand that the 5-0 loss was not what you deserved, and we fell short of your expectations.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the unwavering support you’ve shown us throughout our journey. Your encouragement and belief in us have meant the world, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to represent Zambia on the international stage.

We acknowledge that we didn’t meet the standards you expected from the Copper Queens, and for that, we’re truly sorry. We’re committed to learning from our mistakes, working tirelessly, and coming back stronger. We’ll use this experience as a catalyst for growth and improvement.

We appreciate your understanding and continued support. We promise to keep pushing ourselves to be the best version of the Copper Queens. Thank you for standing by us. We’ll pick up from here and strive to make you proud.

Zambia’s attention will now turn to the 2026 WAFCON qualifiers, where they will play Namibia in October.