Her road to the African Nations Cup finals had been a thrilling test of resilience and fortitude of a side armed with nothing but sheer belief in themselves. They were able to pass through the likes of Senegal, Ghana and finally met Ivory Coast in one of the most emotional and spirited matches in the Cup’s history.
In real terms, teams like Senegal, Ghana and Ivory Coast can boast of showcasing some of Africa’s best talents in some of the world’s best clubs in the premier league and across Europe. The thought of ever losing to a side like Zambia was the least entertained on the minds of these great luminaries.
The semifinals were set against the black stars of Ghana. For many pundits, the holiday for Zambia was now over, with Ghana set to sail through by destiny to meet her closest neighbor and rival- the Elephants of Ivory Coast in what was meant to have been a repeat of the ‘Senegal 1992’ clash of the pairs which Ivory Coast eventually won on penalties. This was an illusion, a dream short-lived; the gods had decreed otherwise.
Zambia proved to be out-of-reach as they dumped one of the tournament’s favorites-thanks to an Asamoah Gyan Penalty miss followed by a lone goal from Emmanuel Mayuka. The hopes of the black stars featuring in the finals were dashed with the Zambians appearing more dangerous and hard to handle.
The grand finale with the Elephants of Ivory Coast which was set to take place in Libreville, either by coincidence or fate, was close to the same ground where a plane carrying 18 members of the Zambian squad had crashed minutes after taking off the coast of Gabon in 1993.
The power of belief crept in. The Zambians became more resolute and resilient believing that the only way to pay homage to their fallen heroes was to win the Prestigious Cup on the land that had claimed so much from them. The Elephants could not resist the prowess and pace of the Chipolopolo boys.
With coincidence or fate, or a combination of the two, it was a penalty miss by some of Africa’s best brightest stars that assured the Zambians of a 2012 Nations cup.
At long last, the heroes of 1993 were honored in absentia, but their souls might be rejoicing as the latter generation with magic in believing gave them their first ever Nations Cup in their History.
Lessons Learned
There are many lessons to learn from the Zambian experience, to recount a few; we need to learn from the Power of Unity. There is strength in holding together. Even the strongest of waves, biggest mountains cannot defeat unity with ease.
The power of belief gives hope, faith, courage, resilience, strength, even where they are non-existent.
To transcend the belief of a youthful and largely inexperienced team to win the Prized Nations Cup tournament, there are many useful examples.
The people of Liberia have gone through a series of bitter experiences: 1980-1990, 1990-1997, 1997-2003 these periods had been marred by war, ethnic-driven conflicts, destructive socio-political changes, killings, destructions, entire collapse of basic institutions etc.
As we embark on a period of national recovery and nation building, we need to see our dark-past as an impetus to forge ahead, get united in our diversity and redirect our future. With this spirit and attitude, we can stand firm and surpass most of our contemporaries despite our years of neglect.
Imagine, it took the Zambians 19 years later to rebuild a new squad from scratch after such a horrific catastrophe, but they did it! We can do the same, not just in football, but as a nation, after a period of civil strife that later became known as one of Africa’s bloodiest wars. We can remake our nation and reclaim our place on the African continent. We can once again pride ourselves with our place in history, as one of the most politically stable countries in Africa. We now have an emerging youthful democracy, we’ve produced in just one year, two winners of the famed Nobel Peace Prize, and our President chairs the Mano River Union, the African Leaders malaria Alliance. We’ve produced the Vice President for ECOWAS; we’ve done so much in just a little time, because it took hard work and belief.
As the Zambians did, there’s power in belief, and that power is in you-Believe it!
About the Author:
Lekpele Nyamalon is a private citizen and resides in Monrovia. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
