A phoenix is an imaginary bird which, according to ancient stories, burns itself to ashes every 500 years and is then born again.
If someone or something is described as a phoenix, it means they return back after seemingly disappearing or be disintegrated.
Last year, 1988 African player of the year Kalusha Bwalya and FIFA World Cup referee Janny Sikazwe were, proverbially, burnt to ashes like a phoenix: both were slapped with with sanctions from FIFA and CAF respectively.
The former was slapped with a FIFA ban for accepting gifts from disgraced Qatari official Mohammad Bin Hammam, a violation of the world football governing body’s code of ethics which he subsequently denied of contravening and had vowed to fight tooth and nail to be exonerated.
And the latter was accused of corruption following a penalty which he awarded to Tunisia giants Esperance against Angola’s Premiero Agosto in the 2018 CAF Champions league semifinal tie.
At the time when FIFA president Gianni Infantino is determined to clear out rogue officials from the game, it seemed breaking through for Kalusha Bwalya was akin as expecting a pig to fly.
At a time when CAF is crackdown rogue whistle-men like Kenya’s Aden Marwa and the famous Joseph Lamptey of Ghana, being exonerated seemed impossible for Janny Sikazwe.
However both have risen from ashes, akin to a phoenix. Kalusha Bwalya was on Monday exonerated partially by FIFA. And Sikazwe was also allowed to again pick the whistle, plant between his lips and blow it.
We say welcome back King Kalu and Janny Sikazwe to the game.
KALU ALWAYS A PHOENIX
In the aftermath of the 1993 Gabon Air Disaster. When the entire Zambian national team was wiped out in a plane clash – Kalusha Bwalya, just like a phoenix spearheaded the rise of a new Chipolopolo which underwent a transition from being dubbed “KK Eleven” to “Chipolopolo”, loosely translated as the Copper Bullet.
Bwalya was the cynosure of the new Chipolopolo side which in a short period of time went to the cusp of qualifying for the first ever FIFA World Cup, but sadly were subdued by Morocco in the qualifiers.
At the 1994 Africa Cup of the nations in Tunisia, the Chipolopolo boys, formed around the backbone of Kalusha Bwalya was on the brink of winning the most coveted showpiece in Africa but sadly came short in the final against Nigeria’s best side of all time, of Rashid Yekini, Jay-Jay Okocha and Sunday Oliseh.
17 years later, Kalusha Bwalya as a FAZ president, Zambia would go on to win their first ever Africa Cup of the national trophy, few miles from the very shores where 18 years ago the country’s greatest tragedy took place; beating tournament’s favourites Ivory Coast on post match penalties.
Hitherto, some still cast aspersions on Zambia’s 2012 AFCON glory with others saying the triumph came as a result of the Zambian players playing as ghosts incarnates of the players who died in 1993 Gabon Air Disaster.
Whether that is case or not; just like a phoenix, much like Kalusha Bwalya is always rising from slumber – the Zambia nation team always rise from ashes. The Chipolopolo, at the moment, might be firing blanks – but very soon the bullets will begin to gore opponents and rise to the status of aristocracy in African football.
Our greatest Officials of Zambian Football, KALUSHA BWALYA and JAN SIKAZWE, WELLCOME BACK GENTLE MEN and wish you the best
Good article
Well said by the anonemous columis, Our greatest Officials of Zambian Football, KALUSHA BWALYA and JAN SIKAZWE, WELLCOME BACK GENTLE MEN and wish you the best.
We are behind you despite the odds. You belong to the mother Zambia. Go Zambia go.
A phoenix surely describes Kalusha Bwalya. I’m not one to celebrate wrong doing as such I’m on the fence about celebrating this because lets call a spade a spade….he did take a bribe and that is wrong!
Lets celebrate what Kalu has done for Zambia. He put us on the world footballing map for sure and as FA president achieved what begun to look like a far fetched dream by winning Afcon.
But surely lets not celebrate the fact that he took a bribe and got a short sentence for it. That cant be right.
As for Janza there was just something sinister about the whole thing. I wish it could be investigated further as to me someone was just out to get him. He has also put our flag high on the world map and hopefully this trumped up issue does not make FIFA second guess him for future engagements. I give loud hand claps to Janza everyday of the week.
FOR US TO WIN THE AFCON WAS COMPLICATED. BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE CONTRIBUTED. SOME OF THEM IT WAS JUST FORBEARANCE.
I SHED TEARS WHEN I READ ABOUT THE LATEST NEWS ON ARGENTINE SALA WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOOTBALL AT CARDIFF CITY IN THE EPL AND NOW IT APPEARS TO BE THE LATEST AIR DISASTER INVOLVING A BELOVED FOOTBALLER.
THE FOOTBALL WORLD CANT JUST BE HARD ON ONE SIDE, WE INCLUDING FIFA CANT JUST CRUCIFY A MAN WHO WAS AT THE HELM IN HELPING A DARK SIDE OF FOOTBALL HISTORY BE ERASED WITH TRIUMPH WHICH THE GAME IS ALL ABOUT. AS KALU DID HIS PART PLAYING FOOTBALL TO DRAG AS INTO THE FINALS OF THE VERY NEXT AFCON AFTER WE LOST THE ENTIRE TEAM, APART FROM KALU AND THE INJURED OR DROPPED PLAYERS, IN THAT FATEFUL AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT IN THE WATERS OF THE OCEAN. WE CAN FORGIVE. LIKE SOMEONE SAID HE HAS LEARNT A LESSON, FIFA HAS BEEN REFORMING. PEOPLE CAN SEE AND LEARN.