Zambia national football team

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The Zambia national football team, nicknamed Chipolopolo ("the Copper Bullets"), is the national team of Zambia and is controlled by the Football Association of Zambia.

The Zambian national team endured one of the biggest tragedies in the history of sport; in 1993 a plane carrying the team crashed off the coast of Gabon. 18 players were killed, along with the national coach and officials and the entire crew, 30 people in total with no survivors.

Contents

1 Origins of the name ''Chipolopolo''
2 The Gabon air disaster

2.1 A tragedy's aftermath
2.2 List of players deceased in the 1993 air disaster

3 World Cup record
4 African Nations Cup record
5 External links

Origins of the name Chipolopolo

The literal translation of Chipolopolo is "Copper Bullets". The origins of the national team nickname comes from copper being the chief export of Zambia; it's also related to the speedy and talented game developed by Zambians. A country with plenty of pride in being one of the traditionally large copper suppliers of the world also reserves an abundance of pride for its football team. In a country where poverty is widespread and times are hard, the football team of Zambia has always been something the people of the country could hold their head up about, as the Chipolopolo have been a Southern African football powerhouse for decades. In the Seoul Olympic football tournament, they even thrashed world giants Italy to a 4-0 defeat; that afternoon, Kalusha Bwalya scored a hat-trick and served the other goal.

The Gabon air disaster

In 1993 a tragedy befell the Zambian national football team. During their flight the military plane (reg: AF-319) carrying the team crashed into the ocean after taking off from Gabon in the early hours of the morning on April 28, 1993. The team was on its way to Senegal for a World Cup qualifier, attempting to qualify for the World Cup Finals at USA '94. The journey required 2 refuelling stops: during the first stoppage in Congo, some engine problems were noted in the Zambian Air Force Buffalo DHC-5D. Few minutes after taking off from the second stop in Libreville, Gabon, one of the engines caught fire and failed. The pilot, who was tired from already having flown back from Mauritius that day, then shut down the wrong engine, causing the plane to lose all power during the climb out of Libreville Airport, the plane then hit the water 500m offshore.

The entire passenger roster of 18 players and their support staff were lost in the accident, and when news of the accident reached Zambia hours later, the nation was overcome. The captain of the Chipolopolo, Kalusha Bwalya, was not aboard the ill-fated flight as he was playing for PSV at that time and was to make his own way from the Netherlands to Senegal.

A tragedy's aftermath

Having to complete its World Cup qualifiers, and with the African Nations Cup only months away, the quickly-assembled, and inexperienced new national team were given a difficult task. Kalusha Bwalya and his new Chipolopolo worked hard to rebuild the team. The World Cup qualifiers saw Zambia facing Morocco in Casablanca, with only a single point required for qualification to the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The referee controversially turned down Zambian appeals for a penalty in the closing moments of the match, Zambia lost the match 1-0, and their World Cup chances lost. There have been claims of referee bias.

At the 1994 African Nations Cup, the new Chipolopolo defied all the odds, and with a free-flowing attacking style, perhaps the best Zambian football in the history of the tournament, they reached the final. Zambia met Nigeria in the final, and took the lead in the first half. However, the Super Eagles equalised quickly, and scored the winner in the second half. Zambia had once again come close to achieving their goal, and fallen at the last hurdle. However, the players returned to Zambia as national heroes.

The death of a beloved national team will always be one of Zambian football's saddest moments, and the year that followed will always be remembered as a suitable tribute. However, the families of the football team members that perished have since felt that they were never fully compensated for their personal loss, and this is likely to remain unresolved. Recently, some of the victims' relatives threatened to sue governmental authorities for their lack of candour on the families' issue.

List of players deceased in the 1993 air disaster

David Chabala (goalkeeper)
John Soko (defender)
Whiteson Changwe (defender)
Robert Watiyakeni (defender)
Eston Mulenga (midfielder)
Derby Makinka (midfielder)
Moses Chikwalakwala (midfielder)
Wisdom Chansa (midfielder)
Kelvin Mutale (striker)
Timothy Mwitwa (striker)
Numba Mwila (midfielder)
Richard Mwanza (goalkeeper)
Samuel Chomba (defender)
Moses Masuwa (striker)
Kenan Simambe (defender)
Godfrey Kangwa (midfielder)
Winter Mumba (defender)
Patrick Banda (striker)
Among the deceased also was Godfrey 'Ucar' Chitalu who was the National Team manager. Chitalu, in his hey day, was arguably the best footballer ever produced by Zambia.

World Cup record

1930 to 1966 - Did not enter
1970 to 2006 - Did not qualify

African Nations Cup record

1957 to 1968 - Did not enter
1970 - Did not qualify
1972 - Did not qualify
1974 - Second place
1976 - Did not qualify
1978 - Round 1
1980 - Did not qualify
1982 - Third place
1984 - Did not qualify
1986 - Round 1
1988 - Withdrew
1990 - Third place
1992 - Quarterfinals
1994 - Second place
1996 - Third place
1998 - Round 1
2000 - Round 1
2002 - Round 1
2004 - Did not qualify
2006 - Round 1

External links

[Zambia FA] official site
[The Gabon air disaster accident report]

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Asia: AFC – Asian Cup

Africa: CAF – African Cup of Nations

North America: CONCACAF – Gold Cup

South America: CONMEBOL – Copa América

Oceania: OFC – Nations Cup

Europe: UEFA – European Championship

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