Mazembe To Refuse To Release Ghana Duo Asante, Boateng For Next Month Friendly After Snubbing Zambia

DR Congo football giants TP Mazembe will not release their Ghana duo of Solomon Asante and Richard Kissi Boateng if they are invited for a Black Stars friendly next month, GHANAsoccernet.com can reveal. This comes after the continental giants snubbed Zambia by insisting they will not release four of their players for next month�s friendly against Senegal. The Chipolopolo play Senegal in Paris on August 14 in an FIFA approved date for international friendlies. However the Congolese say they will not release their Zambian players who have been invited for the international friendly because it clashes with their Confederation Cup assignment. This means if coach Kwesi Appiah invites regular Black Stars players Asante and Boateng, they are unlikely to be released. Zambia coach Herve Renard has summoned Nathan Sinkala, Hichani Himonde, Rainford Kalaba and Stopilla Sunzu to be part of the team that plays Senegal. But the date has clashed with the club�s CAF Confederations match against Athletic Club Bizertin of Tunisia. Mazembe plays FUS Rabat of Morocco next weekend before taking on Bizertin on the weekend of August 17 in Tunisia. �Obviously, the date of the international friendly match Zambia-Senegal in Paris does not align with the timing of the TP Mazembe in African club competition at the same time they will be on their way to Bizerte in Tunisia to face Athletic Club Bizertin in the third round of the CAF Cup,� TP Mazembe said in a statement. Chipolopolo plays Senegal in Paris on August 14 as preparations for their final must-win Group D World Cup qualifier against Ghana in Kumasi on September 6. Ghana are also trying to organise a friendly next month to prepare for the World Cup qualifying match to be played in Kumasi. Zambia needs to beat Ghana to progress to the final qualifiers of the World Cup. Ghana is leading Group D with 12 points while Zambia is on 11 points.