HSV begins shipping to Zambia after Daka signing attracts huge interest

Patson Daka’s move to Hamburger SV has caused quite a stir, with the impact felt all the way from Zambia to the club’s merchandising department. So, how did this come about? It all began when Patson Daka was unveiled as a new signing on 22nd July.

A new arrival will always generate plenty of interest, but the response in this case was on another scale entirely. It was particularly noticeable on Facebook, a platform that has lost ground to other social networks in German-speaking countries in recent years. Yet, that was where the comments suddenly began flooding in and HSV’s follower count rose sharply. To put these numbers into context, the post announcing Daka as a HSV player attracted almost 30,000 reactions, compared with just under 14,000 for the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga last year. That certainly tells you something.

A glance at the comments made it clear that the 27-year-old has a huge following back home in Zambia. One read: “You sign him, you sign us too.” Another featured the phrase “Zambia Ku Chalo”, which roughly translates as “Zambia to the world”. Daka is a major figure in his homeland. He has been a Zambia international for more than ten years, having made his debut at the age of 16. He is also involved in supporting children affected by hunger in Zambia through his role as an ambassador for the World Food Programme.

Daka is almost always smiling, but his expression turns serious when he speaks about the support he receives from his compatriots. “I know that Zambians are with me wherever I go. I will never take that for granted and will always cherish it. People give up their valuable time to support me. That is a privilege and an honour. It means a lot to me,” said the striker, who has the largest social-media following of any player in the HSV squad. “The people are incredibly passionate and loyal. I fly the flag for Zambia and represent these people. That motivates me.”

It was not long before enthusiastic supporters began asking in the comments when HSV would start delivering to Zambia. The club’s merchandising team took note and acted quickly, adding Zambia to the list of countries available in the online shop. It is the first African country to be included. Israel, South Korea, Japan and Australia are the other destinations outside Europe, with HSV now shipping to 33 countries in total.

HSV Ku Chalo.