Article published on 8th August, 2013
Joseph Musonda has joined Elijah Tana as the only Zambian players in the FIFA Hall of fame for players who have played more than 100 games after lobbying by Zambianfootball.co.zm
Zambianfootball.co.zm Historian and Researcher Jerry Muchimba has over the past one and a half years presented authentic documentation and records showing the actual number of games played by Zambian players and FIFA who had previously only recognized Tana have now acknowledged that Musonda deserves a nod into the Century Club.
In an email dated 29th July, 2013, the FIFA Documentation Communications and Public Affairs Division stated that the organisation after looking at the documentation presented to them Musonda would enter the Century Club.
“After our research, only TANA Elijah (101 caps) and MUSONDA Joseph (102 caps) will enter the Century Club.” The statement read.
Muchimba had presented Godfrey Chitalu and Efford Chabala as other players who deserved to be recognized as having played over 100 international matches but FIFA dismissed some of the games as not being ‘A’ grade.
This also reduced the number of matches played by Tana from 102 as reported by ZamFoot to 101.
“Zambia-Mauritius is an A-match but Morocco-Zambia not because Morocco used 7 substitutes. Allowed are only 6 for an official A-match,” stated the FIFA correspondence in downgrading Tana’s appearances.
While ZamFoot put legendary Kalusha Bwalya on 88 caps, FIFA only acknowledged 87 appearances as ‘A’ grade.
36 year old Musonda is set to add to his number of caps as he is part of the Zambian national team that will play Senegal on Wednesday. He is currently on the books of South African PSL side Golden Arrows.
Tana has since hang his boots and is currently on the technical bench for Zambia’s Super Division side Nchanga Rangers.
On the highest number of goals by a player, FIFA stated that they do not keep track of goals scored.
“[On] Highest goal scorers we do not register as we simply don’t have this information from other players.”
Late national team coach and Zambian striker Godfrey Chitalu holds the record for highest number of goals scored by any player in a calendar year which stands at 104 considering only ‘A’ Grade matches. Records detailing each one of the goals scored by Chitalu were also submitted to FIFA.
ZamFoot earlier this year published an unprecedented research which detailed Zambia national team Appearances and Scoring records and further moved to have the research details authenticated by FIFA.
Access an extract of the communication from FIFA here.
Photo – Joseph Musonda and Peter Odemwingie of Nigeria during the Africa Cup of Nations Quarter Final match between Zambia and Nigeria from the Alto da Chela Stadium on January 25, 2010 in Lubango, Angola – Source: Gallo Images/Getty Images Europe
