The Victory Anthem Is On: Zambia v Ghana AFCON 2012

Team Spirit

     I do not remember the exact day I fell in love with the game of football. All I know is I was very young. I remember back in 1994, when the USA hosted the World Cup and for some reason I was a huge fan of The Blues or rather the Azzurri as they are affectionately known by their loyal fans around the world. I still remember being overly enthusiastic whenever Roberto Baggio touched the ball. There was something special about this guy. His magical ponytail made me fall in love with the player even more. He was skillful and deadly at goal. But that was not the beginning of my special relationship with the beautiful game. Before the 1994 World Cup, I hardly remember watching any significant game. This is mostly due to the fact that I was very young and my memory can't quite retrieve those games if any. The only team I was vaguely aware of was the Zambia National Soccer Team. I say 'vaguely', not because the team was mediocre but because I was too young to follow the KK 11 team as they were called, a reference to our first president Kenneth Kaunda.

Renard with Great Kalu

     Before, I could even grasp my knowledge of this 'special Zambia team', something very tragic happened on April 27th, 1993. I remember the news coming in from the radio and television stations that the aircraft carrying the Zambia National Soccer team players had crashed off the coast of Gabon. I still did not understand the impact of this tragic event until I heard my mum and Aunt Jane crying. Aunt Jane was a true KK11 fan and she knew all the players by name more than my mum did. So I went to ask her for the names of the players who perished in this plane crash. As bad as this may sound, I was hoping that Aunt Jane does not mention the name of one player I knew very well, Kalusha Bwalya. Kalusha Bwalya was the only player I knew in this team probably because of the name that we shared. However, I had no reasons to believe he survived the crash after-all the news came in that everyone aboard was gone. Aunt Jane gave me the names and I still remember her crying out loudly the name of her favorite player Debbie Makinka. Then I heard Efford Chabala, Moses Chikwalakwala, Timothy Mwitwa, Godfrey Kangwa and the coach Godfrey Chitalu were among the dead. This was the first time I heard the names of most of these players but from the sound of their names I knew we had lost a great team. In football, the sound of the name speaks a lot about the player. Funny as this may sound, it's mostly true. Names like Debbie Makinka, Efford Chabala, John Soko will tell you these were great players even without watching them play a single match.


     Alright back to Aunt Jane. The name Kalusha Bwalya was not mentioned and I wondered if this was an attempt to hide the story from me knowing that I was a huge zealous fan of Kalu. Naturally, I asked "nga kalusha?" "How about Kalusha?" She told me he was not on the plane and that is all I needed to hear and it was a huge relief. Losing all the players was a tragedy and any hope I could gain from a few survivors was very much welcome. Then I heard two other players, Johnson Bwalya and another player I cannot recall were not on the plane.


     Back in the days, we had no Youtube so I had to rely on television pictures and videos to acquaint myself to these players and this was not easy. Therefore, I had no option but to close this chapter. By the year 1994 our country had already gathered a group of new players who joined the three surviving players on an unimaginable journey. This new group of players were not expected to reach the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations but they did and Zambia achieved something very special. Reaching the finals and only losing to Nigeria 2-1 after going up 1 nil. It was remarkable and I watched the entire tournament. This to me was the team of my generation and I knew pretty much everyone on this team. Elijah Litana, Bubble Malitoli and his brother, Johnson Bwalya, Joe and Kalusha Bwalya, Goalie James Phiri (one of the best), Harrison Chongo to mention but a few.  

Herve Renard with the lads

     Now fast forward 16 years later. The current Zambian squad is trying to finish the job that the class of 1994 could not finish - win the 2012 Africa Cup. This is not some quixotic dream but it's very much palpable in many Zambian fans. A squad with no 'big names' except 'big hearts'. This team BELIEVES and the french coach Herve Renard has injected a certain type of elixir in these young players that has boosted the players' confidence. Confidence is very crucial especially in tomorrow's game as we face Ghana. Zambia meets Ghana in the semi-finals of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations at Estadio de Bata, 16:00GMT (18:00 Zambian Time). The Ghanaians are the favorites on paper as we go into this game but coach Renard and Captain Chris Katongo insists what matters is what will happen on the pitch. Zambian fans are putting their hopes in the deadly front trio - Rainford Kalaba, Emmanuel Mayuka and Chris Katongo. These guys can score goals and get us to the finals where as Stoppila Sunzu and Nkausu together with Kennedy Mweene can help us keep a clean sheet. Whatever happens, Zambia has nothing to lose. Let's just go there and have some fun. Ghana has its own agenda and we have ours. All I hope for is a good time of beautiful football. Good luck Zambia and Good luck Ghana.


     I want to leave you with a few videos. One of them is what I call a victory anthem. It is a song by The Sakala Brothers that was produced as a song to honor our fallen heroes. It is a very nice catchy tune and I remember the first time I heard the song back in Zambia. It immediately touched my heart and I could not think of a better song. During the AFCON 2012, the song is no longer a mourning song for me but rather a victory song. I play it (mostly on repeat) every night before Zambia kicks off a match and I will sure do the same tonight before the semi-finals. Who knows, it might be my 'lucky song' just like Herve Renard's 'lucky shirt'. Whatever happens tomorrow this Zambian Team has done me proud and has already honored our fallen heroes. I predict a 2 - 1 victory to Zambia. Goal, Goal, Chipolopolo.

     My Nyanja skills are very limited but I understand the true meaning and the theme behind this song. Basically it's acknowledging the fact that we did not know what lay ahead when the flight took off. Only 'Mulungu', God, knew. Please if you have or know the translation of the entire song write it in the comment box below and I will truly appreciate. 


     The video below covers the story of the KK 11 team and their quest and also features the post-tragic events such as a win over Morocco at the Independence Stadium. Take time to watch if you're interested in the history. Very interesting stuff. Peace!








-- Amulay Sirch