I had this weekend off and used the occasion to see a lott of old friends from university. It was a good weekend but put me hideously out of touch with the sporting world in particular the football world. However I didn’t worry too much I mean only so much can happen in a weekend, right?
Wrong.
It almost seems erroneous to post on the subject of Evra and Suarez. In my previous blogs on the issue I think my stance has been clear. Suarez is a disgrace. I am not sure I need to go into much more detail. The rhetoric is seemingly universal and I wouldn’t want to repeat the words of more entitled and recognised people and even more so, repeat myself. The consensus is to draw a line under it so I will do my bit and the line is drawn, I don’t particularly want to waste anymore of my time discussing Suarez, he has tarnished the good name of a historic club and the club itself have not helped themselves with there seemingly oblivious stance toward the severity of Suarez’s actions. But here is the line and let’s move on to an entirely more uplifting and heart warming story.
‘’Burkina Faso, Zambia, Botswana and the fortunate Niger (fortunate as the Bafana Bafana’s poor knowledge of the rules helped them qualify) make up the rest, and I won’t pretend my extensive knowledge stretches as far as to know much about these nations, but that’s what the cup is for; a chance to see these teams and players on the global stage perhaps for the only time.’’
This exert is from my preview of the African Nations cup about a month ago. I got many things right in that post. Senegal’s defensive frailties the surprising talents on offer for the co host nations Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, who did their nations proud in valiant and pulsating campaigns. The Equatorial game against Senegal and the Gabon game against Morocco were too of the most awe inspiring and exhilarating games of football I have ever had the pleasure to witness. The stadiums literally shook as both teams scored last minute winners to advance to the latter stages. Football at its purest form; beautiful stuff, even the best screenwriter would struggle to conjure.
However I made one glaringly obvious mistake, overlooking Zambia. Honestly before the tournament started I knew of one of the Chipolopolo, their inspiring captain Christopher Katongo. Now I feel ashamed at the statement as the nation is quite clearly blessed with some football talent. Often African football is stereotypically labelled as fast and perhaps unintelligent. That was the most eye opening factor of the Zambia sides campaign. There players played a remarkably intelligent game; utilising set pieces to almost unplayable ways in a similar style to Greece during their remarkable European Championship success. African footballs understanding of set plays has seemingly come a long way to the now notorious and unique way of lining up a wall showcased by Zaire in their infamous World Cup match against the mighty Brazil. Luck is of course an integral factor to any championship win and it seems the brightest of stars on the continent was Zambia’s rabbit foot last night. The other day whilst playing the board game version of the BBC game show Pointless I found it difficult to believe that Ivory Coast had played in a Rugby World Cup. Now after witnessing Didier Drogba’s overwhelmingly poor penalty kick it is obvious there is some natural talent in the nation.
Regardless of this Zambia were fitting winners in the championship, playing a fearless and clinical style of football masterminded by one time Cambridge United flop Herve Renard. They more than matched The Elephants for the majority of the game and completed the underdog story in terrifically nerve rambling style in a penalty shootout victory.
The most poignant and poetic fact about the glory of Zambia is the location, just a kick to touch away from the point of the country’s biggest sporting disaster, the death of a highly talented players, and indeed everyone on board, in a takeoff plane crash in 1993. Now 20 years on and in the presence of the Chipolopolo’s most famous son, Kalusha Bwalya, who missed that ill fated and tragic flight by chance; Zambia have created a little football miracle, a kindly reminder that even with all the troubles that occur in the game there is still plenty of room for those emotional moments of magic that make football such a loved sport around the globe.
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