Who cannot be happy for the nation of Zambia today after they laid to rest the ghost of 1993, and paid tribute to the 18 members of the national team who perished in a plane crash in 1993 by winning the African Cup of Nations.
Before the tournament started Ghana and Ivory Coast would have been most peoples’ favourites, few would have tipped Zambia. However they quietly went about their business and held their nerve in the final.
It showed once again that a great team will always beat a team of great players.
Zambia coach Herve Renard summed it up best: “This represents something enormous, something which appeared unrealizable before the competition began. I know we’re not the best but we have a strength and force that animated our team.”
Let us hope that the Zambian Football federation never put their team on a military aircraft again to get them to an away match, and that this team can be the inspiration for future generations.
