Zambian duo Daka, Mwepu out of Harambee Stars friendly
Zambian duo Patson Daka and Erick Mwepu are set to miss Saturday’s international friendly against Kenya in Nairobi.
This after their club Red Bull Salzburg banned its players from turning out of their countries during the international break after three of players in the team tested positive for Covid-19.
“All international call-ups for Salzburg players in the next two weeks have been rejected,” said Salzburg in a statement as reported by BBC.
The Austrian club say the positive results came after their Champions League play-off with Maccabi Tel Aviv last week.
COVID-19 TESTS
The duo’s absence is a big blow for Zambia coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojević who named a full-strength squad for this tie in preparations for a busy calendar in the coming months, namely the 2020 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN), 2021 Africa Nations Cup qualifiers, and 2022 Fifa World Cup qualification matches.
Daka ,21, has emerged as one of the most prolific strikers in Europe and was this summer linked with a transfer to English clubs Manchester United and Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Harambee Stars players and officials underwent Covid-19 tests on Monday as the team reported to camp.
Head coach, Francis Kimanzi, will be without goalkeeper Arnold Origi and forward Michael Olunga for this clash.
This will be the first time in 11 months both national teams are engaging in a football match after the international games in March and June were postponed following the global outbreak of coronavirus.