ZESCO UNITED THE NEW GIANT OF ZAMBIAN FOOTBALL
Without a doubt if you are looking for a new giant in Zambian football you will not have to look elsewhere but in Ndola for the ever rising Zesco United and other teams now have to keep pace with the Ndola outfit which has only been in existence since 1974. No doubt Zesco is a giant and it will take a long time for other teams to compete at the level Zesco has reached. That’s what they call international standard.
Big news for Zesco is their involvement of getting professional players from across Africa and it is these moves that will now make this team a serious contender for any title in the country and perhaps on the African continent.
It’s fans are becoming excited and who can blame them with all what is happening around the team. Winning back to back league titles and going the whole season without a loss away from Levy Mwanawasa Stadium is a big statement that a new king has been born in Zambian football and Mighty Mufulira Wanderers and Nkana should be made aware that a new king is ruling.
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MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS
SUPER LEAGUE
ZESCO has won five titles in the super league and that is only from 2007 , the progress will show you that ZESCO mean business.
The 2007 title, the first of ZESCO denied Zanaco from getting their third consecutive titles to join Nkana, Mighty Mufulira Wanderers and GBFC. ZESCO would then defend their title in 2008 .
Zanaco would then stop ZESCO from getting their third title in a role as they would win the 2009 title only to keep it for one year and hand it over to ZESCO in 2010. That happened to be the third for ZESCO.
Power Dynamos, Zanaco and Nkana would get the 2011,2012 and 2013 titles but ZESCO would get organised and grab the 2014 edition grabbing it from Zanaco on the last day of the league and that to ZESCO fans would be the start of an empire in Ndola.
If ZESCO struggled to get the fourth title in 2014, the 2015 one would be with serious intent and comfortability and as earlier said going on the whole season without a loss away from home and only lose three at home is one record that Zesco would look back and embrace in their short but rich history. That’s how Zesco performed to win their fifth title,thats what is called sheer class.
Can they do three in a roll? To join Mighty, Kabwe Warriors, Nkana and GBFC who managed to win three league titles in a roll?
For this team, its possible!!!!
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OTHER HONOURS
CASTLE CUP
Zesco United never participated in the Castle Cup before it changed its name in 1975 to independence Cup and after the change of name Zesco too did not manage to qualify to any final during the period this title was called Independence Cup.
From 1993 the tournament became known as Mosi Cup and Zesco has two names in the final and those came in the last two editions of the tournament (2006 and 2007). Zesco won one and lost one at the final stage. The 2006 final was against Red Arrows which Zesco won 2-0. Red Arrows would then avenge the 2007 defeat to beat Zesco 3-2 on penalty shootout after a 2-2 score line after extra time.
The tournament would then end in that year leaving Zesco with one title.
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BP TOP EIGHT CUP
Zesco has a very poor record in the Barclays cup formerly known as Challenge Cup. They have played three finals in 1984, 1987 and 2008 and in all these fianls have never come out first.
The following are the details of those three finals:
1984 Mufulira Wanderers 2-0 ZESCO United
1987 Zanaco 1-0 ZESCO United
2008 Lusaka Dynamos 1-0 ZESCO United
They would want to have this record in their books but data will always be there played three finals without a win in the BP TOP 8.
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COCA COLA CUP
Zesco United also have shares of the 7 titles of Coca Cola Cup and have participated twice in the finals of this tournament before it came to an end in 2007.
Zesco participated in the final in 2002 and lost their first final in Coca Cola 2-1 to Chambishi Blackburn but they won the last edition in 2007 beating Nkana 5-0 and that is the highest score lime in all the seven finals in the Coca Cola Cup final. Zanaco holds the record of winning two titles of the Coca Cola while Forest Rangers, Zesco, Chambishi, Kabwe Warriors and Power Dynamos have won it once each bringing the title of seven titles .
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BARCLAYS CUP
Two teams have played four finals of the Barclays Cup and that is Power Dynamos and Zesco United but the positive lies with Zesco who have won it every time they played the final while Power Dynamos lost two finals. History states that when Zesco qualifies to the final of the Barclays Cup they win it.
They played in the initial final in 2007 and beat Chambishi on penalty shootout 4-2 after a 0-0 score line. Note that there only has been two finals decided on penalties in the Barclays Cup.
In 2008 Zesco defended the Barclays Cup by beating Power Dynamos 1-0 but didnt manage to defend it in 2009.
Zesco United came back to play their third final in 2010 where they beat Zanaco 2-0 and their last and fourth was in 2014 when they beat Nkana 3-0 in the final.
Other teams that have won the Barclays Cup are Power Dynamos with two titles while Green Buffaloes, NAPSA and Red Arrows have won it once.
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CHARITY SHIELD
Zesco has participated in five finals in the Charity shield winning three and losing two and the following are the finals involving the team:
2007 Zesco United 1-1 Kabwe Warriors [aet, 5-3 pen]
2009 Power Dynamos 2-0 Zesco United
2010 Green Buffaloes 1-0 Zesco United [aet]
2011 Zesco United 3-0 Nkana
2015 Zesco United 3-1 Nkana
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PROSPECT IN 2016
Defending League champions Zesco have assembled a big team and on the first sight you would start wondering if there is any team that can wrestle the league from Zesco . The outcry of Winstone Kalengo selling looks to have been covered by the great signing that the exco have mobilised.

MY VERDICT
Listening the instructions of Tenant Chembo to the players is that the team is instructed to get the league title, Barclays Cup and the minimum acceptable run in the CAF Champions league is the Group stage.
Personally I think they have the squad to manage these limits but I think the team still has something missing to chase all these fronts and this is actually the demand that will affect the performance of this great team. I think Zesco will qualify to the second stage of CAF Champions League and the chance of getting into the group stage will be tough but they can make it.
On the league the more they go higher in the CAF Champions League the more they will be handing over the League Title to the likes of Nkana, Power Dynamos and Zanaco.

The assembled team with their Jersey number:
Jacob Banda 01
Bernard Mapili 02
Ayo Oluwafemi 03
Ben Adama Banh 04
Simon Silwimba 06
Shemmy Mayembe 07
Maybin Mwaba 08
Lazarous Kambole 10
John Chingandu 11
Mischeck Chaila 13
Jackson Mwanza 14
David Owino Odhimabo 15
Braown Nyirenda 16
Clatous Chama Chota 17
Kondwani Mtonga 18
Idris Ilunga Mbombo 20
Daut Musekwa 21
Mwape Mwelwa 22
Samson Banda 23
Matthews Muzi Nkowani 24
Jesse Jackson Were 25
Anthony Akumu Agay 26
Lottie Bwalya 27
Lameck Nyangu 28
Emmanuel Mayuka 29
Kasashi Lupiya 30
***Nyambe Mulenga who is still on the injury list with Humphrey Maseneko and Bornwell Silengo stil maintain jersey numbers 05,09 and 12 respectively.
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ALL THE BEST ZESCO UNITED IN THE 2016 SEASON