Kashikishi Warriors F.C. - DR Congo & East Africa fans

SERVICE SIDES MAY HAVE TO ADAPT THEIR MODELS TO FINANCIALLY MATCH KASHIKISHI WARRIORS

Kashikishi Warriors's million-dollar takeover by Raphael Soriano is highly likely to end any lingering hopes that service sides or other teams with outdated local-only business models might have of ever reaching the top (again).

Expect Kashikishi Warriors to do a Buildcon or Lusaka Dynamos and qualify for the CAF competitions before the like of Nkwazi, Kabwe Warriors, and Red Arrows do.

There will come a time when Green Eagles will fail to compete with Kashikishi Warriors budget wise and the ZNS-sponsored side will eventually drop out of the CAF slots.

THEIR MILLIONAIRE OWNER WILL NOT MESS AROUND

With the takeover of Kashikishi Warriors by the wealthy millionaire owner Raphael Soriano finally wrapped up, what does the future look like for this team based in Luapula province, the French-speaking part of Zambia?

This week, "doing a Buildcon or Lusaka Dynamos", "what next after COVID-19", and "Project Restart" are the trending topics of conversation. Raphael Soriano has made it no secret that he wants to "do a Buildcon or Lusaka Dynamos" but much quicker.

With the right investment, he will not only bring dominance, but also silverware to the Mwaimwena Stadium. Many people outside of Luapula have little idea just how big Kashikishi is, or are planning to be.

This is traditionally a predominantly French-speaking region with close proximity to the DR Congo market both for fans and players. It is certainly an excellent base to start with for growth in Luapula. A huge fanbase with the appetite for hope, even bigger. If this club gets on a role, it will take some stopping.

Really, the sky is the limit at Kashikishi Warriors. Before you know it, you will not realize how big the team could potentially be until you are in and around Luapula.

Of course, the rise of Buildcon and Lusaka Dynamos is highly commendable. It is also worth noting that Zambian club football is growing at a much faster pace than the beautiful game itself. Kashikishi Warriors will need the infrastructure.

However, bar the training ground, the club already has a massive, passionate and fast-growing Congolese fanbase, a stadium and a huge amount of history.

Funds need to be invested wisely rather than going big too quick. This what fans have been starved of for all these years. It took Buildcon 7 years to achieve CAF African continental qualification under Moses Mubanga Nondo. What would be realistic achievements for Kashikishi Warriors under new ownership?

Significant progress is all they can ask for. Consistent CAF football and then, if they get things right, trophies is the absolute goal. Ask any Kashikishi Warriors fan and they would tell you an ABSA Cup trophy and CAF African continental qualification would do, but Raphael Soriano is not making the massive investment into his new team to mess around and his ambitions will prove a whole lot higher than the fans'.

As much as Kansanshi Dynamos fans are chomping for success, the club is rotten to the core at the moment, currently playing at a ramshakle of a groud that does not even qualify to be called a stadium, and that will take some time to repair.

It is exciting to know that Raphael Soriano has drawn up plans to connect the club with the city – that must take precedence. If you get that right, I believe the on-field stuff will sort itself with the significant investment we know the he will bring.

Obviously it depends how this things will pan out due to the coronavirus but that could work to the advantage of this fast-growing club based in Zambia's Francophone region.