Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) have confirmed goalkeeper Hazel Nali will go under the knife in the coming week after she picked an injury while preparing for the Fifa Women’s World Cup.
According to FAZ Secretary general Reuben Kamanga, a group of Zambians living in Australia/New Zealand have identified a surgeon, who would be able to conduct surgery earlier than the proposed India option,
“Following the continued exploration of possibilities to seek an immediate solution for the injured Zambia Women National Team goalkeeper Hazel Nali, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) in collaboration with the Association of Zambians living in Australia/New Zealand have identified a surgeon who would be able to conduct surgery earlier than the proposed India option,” confirmed a statement released by FAZ media.
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On his part, Kamanga said: “We are pleased to announce that following consultation with various stakeholders especially in the medical field we have had Dr Munanga Mwandila who is a Zambian based in New Zealand having provided us with an alternative within New Zealand for the player to undergo further assessment and possibly surgery.”
He added: “Nali will be seen by New Zealand top knee surgeon professor Bruce Twaddle for an appointment on July 22 with possible surgery conducted on July 26. Whatever we have done has been run based on medical advice and we are confident that the option provided by our Zambians in New Zealand will serve all parties better.”
Nali’s World Cup journey came to a premature end after she suffered laxity in the Medial Collateral Ligament and a complete tear of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) during training in Germany and is likely to be out of action for a long period after further tests conducted in New Zealand.
In the process, Zambia coach Bruce Mwape replaced Nali with ZESCO Ndola Girls goalkeeper Leticia Lungu, who was part of the 35-member provisional team that was in Germany for an international camp but did not make the final team as Nali, Kazakhstan-based Catherine Musonda and Nkwazi Queens’ Eunice Sakala made the cut.