On 12th February 2012, Zambia beat a much fancied star studied Ivory Coast 8-7 on post match penalty shoot outs. Kolo Toure and Gervinho failed to convert their spot kicks for the Elephants while Zambia’s Rainford Kalaba ballooned his kick way over the bar.
Zambia came into the tournament as under dogs having never won the competition before but had reached the final twice in 1974 and 1994. Today marks exactly seven years since the Chris Katongo led Copper Bullets went against all odds to claim supremacy at the Continents biggest football show piece.
The memory is still very fresh in the minds of Zambian football fans as if it was yesterday especially the famous line “Sunzu is the man to make history for Chipolopolo and Zambia are Champions”, Delivered by BBC Sport’s Matthew Kenyon in the commentary box.
7 years ago: Stoppila Sunzu [@stoppilasunzu1] with the winning penalty and Matthew Kenyon [@MK_BBC] with the commentary #AFCON2012 #Final Cc @Herve_Renard_HR @Patrice240478 @KalushaPBwalya @CAF_Mwanza pic.twitter.com/lHtP6LtnWr
— ChipolopoloDieHards (@chipolopolodh) February 12, 2019
12 FEB: On this day in 2012, Zambia (@FAZFootball) were crowned African champions for the first time after defeating Ivory Coast 8-7 on post-match penalties following a goalless draw after extra time. pic.twitter.com/xSvhtHoji6
— ZambianSoccerNet (@ZambiaSoccerNet) February 12, 2019
The ZamFoot crew looks back at the events leading to the greatest moment in Zambian football history, the tournament itself and the present day football scenario surrounding the Copper Bullets.
THE RETURN OF HERVE RENARD
On 21st October 2011 the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) named Herve Renard as the head coach of the Chipolopolo boys making his second return to Zambia after ditching the Copper Bullets for Angola the previous year.
The 42-year-old came as a replacement for Italian Dario Bonetti who had qualified the team to the 2012 AFCON with a game to spare, Hence there was division in opinion among fans as some felt Bonetti was the right man to take Zambia to Gabon.
Unforgettable memories…
For ever in my heart
Zikomo Kwambiri Zambia 🇿🇲 pic.twitter.com/fhJAPuTWR5— Hervé Renard (@Herve_Renard_HR) February 12, 2019
“FAZ is pleased to announce that it has settled for Mr Herve Renard as new head trainer of our Chipolopolo. Mr Renard will be offered a one-year contract to compete for the Africa Cup of Nations title,” A statement from Football house read.
Renard first joined the Zambia national team in 2008 and guided the team to their first Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final in 14 years in 2010. A year earlier he had guided the Zambian local based squad to a third place finish in the maiden African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Ivory Coast in 2009.
After all was said and done it was actually the man some had labelled a PE (Physical Education) Teacher who ended up delivering Zambia their first and only Africa Cup of Nations title.
GABON
On the evening of 27 April 1993, a DHC-5 Buffalo transport aircraft of the Zambian Air Force crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after taking off from Libreville, Gabon. The flight was carrying most of the Zambian national football team to a FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Senegal in Dakar. All 25 passengers and five crew members were killed.
Nineteen years later the Copper Bullets returned to the land where the site of the most tragic incident in the history of Zambian football this time with the most prestigious title for African nations up for grabs.
Zambia started their campaign with tricky encounter against Senegal a team with a number of players playing their club football in Europe . Prior to the match even local pundits gave Zambia little or no chance but the determined and highly motivated Zambia side surprised everyone and beat Senegal two goals to one.
Zambia were then held to a two all draw by Libya before beating co-hosts Equatorial Guinea by a lone Christopher Katongo strike to finish top of group A and book a place on the quarters against Sudan who they thumped three nil with goals from Stophila Sunzu, Katongo and James Chamanga.
Emmanuel Mayuka came from the bench to score the only goal of the game in the semi-finals against the black stars of the Ghana to set up a final with Ivory Coast. After a 120 minutes and 14 spot kicks Zambia emerged victorius.
The win was dedicated to the team that perished off the coast of GABON 19 years earlier and in way changed a tragic and unbearable memory into a new joyful memory with that said the 1993 tragedy will always be a sad memory for Zambians.
WHAT FOLLOWED
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to change their calendar for the Africa Cup of Nations and Zambia returned to defend their title a year later in South Africa.
The Copper Bullets failed to defend their title here actually eliminated on the group stage after posting three draws in three games. In 2015 the team qualified to the tournament in Equatorial Guinea and once again we’re knocked out in the group stages.
Things moved from Bad to worse as the team failed to qualify for the 2017 edition after losing 3-2 on the final match day to Guinea Bissau to hand them their maiden appearance at GABON tournament.
Fast forward to today things seem to being moving in the wrong direction on the pitch as the Copper Bullets will not be participating in the 2019 tournament after being dumped out of the qualification race with a game to spare.
FAZ, Sven and all the stake holders have a mammoth task ahead to make sure Zambia returns to playing at the tournament and take it’s rightful place on the continent. As things stand fans can at least comfort themselves with the memories of 2012.
It was an eventful might and the following day was no different as it saw Zambians from different works of life, People with different political inclinations come together in jubilation.
What did you do to celebrate the triumph? Let us know.
Yes I can remember so well as if it was yesterday.
In fact in the times of Swaziland, the tittle of the article was “God is zambian”