Zambia and its path from tragedy to glory

“I felt like I didn't want to play soccer anymore.” Kalusha Bwalya's sincere reaction after hearing the news of the death of his teammates in the Zambia national team is a small sample of the pain caused by the plane crash of the Chipolopolo (the copper bullets), the nickname in the Bemba language of the Zambian team soccer.

The emotional journey of the African team, explained through the documentary Eighteam, directed by Juan Rodríguez-Briso and which can be seen exclusively and for free on Rakuten TV starting this Thursday 29, could be similar to the 'Divine Comedy', a descent into hell before making his way to paradise, to glory.

Kalusha Bwalya scored three goals in the Zambia-Italy (4-0)
Kalusha Bwalya scored three goals in the Zambia-Italy (4-0)

This begins on September 19, 1988, when Zambia became known footballingly by beating Italy itself 4-0 in the Olympic Games. The Tassotti, Ferrara, Taconi and company did not give credit to what happened against the emerging team led by Kalusha Bwalya, author of three of the four Zambian goals and who that same year would be named best player of the year in Africa.

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsn-H-IDJKs (/ embed) data-youtube-vid>

The joy with which that team played surprised even the most knowledgeable and was a milestone that is still remembered throughout the country. “We had one of the best teams in Africa and we made it to the Olympics. with a lot of motivation. I think they underestimated us. It was a moment of great pride, the announcement of the arrival of Zambia to the world of football ”, relates Kalusha in his talk with MD.

Zambia could not be in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, so the big goal was to qualify for the 94 in the United States. “The team was ready,” says Kalusha. However, fate carried away the promising future of that team.

Terrible accident

The whole country was overturned with the exploits of its team, determined to tear down the walls and stand in a final phase of the world cup. The last step was to overcome a triangle against Morocco and Senegal, but in the early morning of April 28, 1993, on the way to Dakar, the military plane carrying the team suffered an accident after taking off from Gabon, where they had made a technical stop.

As a consequence, the Chipolopolo expedition, made up of 18 footballers and their coaching staff, led by former striker Godfrey Chitalu, lost their lives. Kalusha, who was not on the plane, survived the catastrophe.

The tragic journey of the Zambia national team
The tragic journey of the Zambia national team

The forward was one of the few who played in Europe. PSV Eindhoven, his team at the time, did not allow him to participate in a match in Mauritius, so he had to travel on his own and meet the team in Dakar.

“I felt that a dream had flown. I was sad. I felt like I didn't want to play football anymore. ”- Kalusha Bwalya

“I was at PSV Eindhoven and I got the call. It was always done by the secretary of the Federation, but this time the treasurer did. He told me that I had to delay the flight to Senegal and I asked why. He told me that there was an accident, that they weren't sure what had happened and that he would call me with more details. I asked him about the accident. When they tell you that there is an accident, many things come to your head. He told me that they had lost several people from the team. I saw on television that the Zambian team had died on the trip and that there were no survivors, ”says Kalusha himself.

“I felt that a dream had flown. I was sad. I felt like I didn't want to play soccer anymore. You don't know how to react. If I'm honest, I didn't think much at the time. I didn't know, but tragedy didn't hit me until later. I had lost my team, my brothers, my coaches. People he adored. The next day he went to the club and there were newspapers there. They told me not to read it, that there were pictures of the accident. They gave me permission to go to the funeral in Zambia. When I got there and they saw me, they all started crying. It was at that moment that everything hit me. For people, I was like a ghost, ”adds the Zambian myth.

Kalusha, in front of the memorial of tribute to the deceased.
Kalusha, in front of the memorial of tribute to the deceased.

With a stroke of the pen, the golden generation of Zambian football had been wiped off the map and the hard task of rebuilding the team fell on Kalusha's shoulders. Surprisingly a year later, Zambia brushed against the feat at the 1994 African Cup, but a double by Amunike in the final gave Nigeria the title.

Later, his stage as a footballer closed, Kalusha led the Chipolopolo in the 2006 edition of the African tournament. Afterwards, he started working as president of the Zambian Football Association.

18, a special number

The years passed and the Zambian national team did not raise its head. However, this trip awaited its sweetest moment. Heading into the 2012 Africa Cup, Hervé Renard was hired to shape a promising group of players.

“When Kalusha came for me, I asked him if they had a good team. He told me that there was always talent in Zambia, so I accepted the position, ”explains the French coach.

The 2012 edition was held in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, the same country where Zambia's dreams had been truncated. The Chipolopolo had to reach the final to be able to play in Libreville, the place where the plane crash occurred. And they arrived.

A long journey of 18 years had brought Zambia to the gates of glory and the possibility of dedicating a triumph to the 18 players who lost their lives in the aforementioned tragedy.

“The key was team spirit and hard work. We had a good team. We had the motivation. Before the final we said to ourselves: “we have to win for them.” That was the premise ”, reveals Renard.

Didier Drogba kicks a penalty against Zambia.
Didier Drogba kicks a penalty against Zambia.

In front, the powerful Ivory Coast of the Touré brothers, Drogba and Gervinho, awaited. But the power of the ‘elephants’ was held back by the zambian team's vigor.

“In Libreville we couldn't lose because we played with two teams” – Kalusha Bwalya

The game went into extra time without any team scoring. After extra time, also without goals, everything would be decided in an agonizing penalty shootout. It took 18 pitches for Zambia to be crowned African champions for the first time and to close the circle.

18 years after the accident, in which 18 footballers died, 18 penalties had made the Chipolopolo touch the sky. “It was like a dream. In Libreville we couldn't lose because we played with two teams ”, relates an emotional Kalusha.

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_dCOkETvu0 (/ embed) data-youtube-vid>

Eighteam Premiere

Rakuten TV exclusively premieres the extended version of Eighteam, the award-winning documentary that tells the story of the 18-year improvement of the Zambia National Soccer Team and their perseverance after the catastrophic loss of team members in a plane crash until winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012. Eighteam will be available exclusively in 42 countries on Rakuten TV's free Rakuten Stories channel beginning October 29.

Watch the trailer for the documentary Eighteam

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqv_eGEvKZs (/ embed) data-youtube-vid>