Olympic Qualifiers: Zambia’s Norin Betani dies in controversial circumstances ahead of Ghana clash

Zambia’s Norin Betani has abruptly passed in controversial fashion ahead of the Copper Queens clash against Ghana on Friday 23rd.

Norin Betani, 24, passed away on Wednesday, as confirmed by the Zambian FA.

Betani had been expected to travel with the team to Ghana for the Olympic qualifying third round match at the Accra Sports Stadium on Friday.

A statement from the Zambian FA read: “We regret to announce the death of one of our female players, Norin Betani, who was in the provisional squad for the Ghana match.

“Betani was taken to the nearest hospital to the team camp.

“Whis is the Kanyama Level One Hospital, and FAZ engaged the family at every stage.

“The patient was referred to the Univesity Teaching Hospital on Monday and was under medical care until her demise.

“FAZ secretariat staff, family members, and her club (Indeni Roses) worked closely during the player’s hospitalization.”

Tributes for the player have flooded in online as people have paid their respects to Betani.

Zambia were heading into the match as they looked to qualify for the Olympics for a second time.

They previously qualified for the 2020 Olympics after beating Cameroon in the final round of qualifiers.

In their Olympic debut, they lost 10-3 to the Netherlands which is the highest-scoring match in the event’s history.