the zambian sports series: the chipolopolo — the 2012 AFCON
to understand libreville 2012, you have to understand libreville 1993.
the zambian national football team was on a zambian air force BAe 748 from lusaka to dakar for a world cup qualifier. it stopped in brazzaville — engine issues noticed — then landed in libreville, gabon to refuel. while climbing out after refuelling, the left engine caught fire. the pilot allegedly shut down the right engine in error. the aircraft plunged into the atlantic ocean just off the gabon coast. all 30 people on board died: 18 zambian footballers, 5 support staff, and the crew. the best zambia had. players who had defeated italy 4-0 at the 1988 seoul olympics. still remembered. still felt.
zambia rebuilt. a generation passed.
then came 2012. a zambian team nobody expected, coached by a french coach named hervé renard, arrived in equatorial guinea and gabon for the africa cup of nations. chipolopolo topped their group ahead of hosts equatorial guinea, libya, and heavily favoured senegal. they won their quarter-final. they won their semi-final against ghana. and then they were in the final. in libreville. in gabon. in the city where their predecessors had died.
coach renard had told his players: if we get to the final, we will play in gabon, where the plane crashed. there was special significance in that.
the final. ivory coast — drogba, yaya toure, gervinho — against zambia. 120 minutes. 0-0. drogba missed a penalty in normal time. the shootout: 8-7 to zambia. gervinho fired over the bar. stophira sunzu converted the final spot-kick and ran to the fans who were chanting chipolopolo — not just zambian fans. the gabonese crowd had adopted the zambians. the city that had swallowed their predecessors was cheering for them.
christopher katongo lifted the trophy. hervé renard was hoisted aloft by his players, crying.
one of the greatest stories in the history of african football. the greatest moment in the history of zambian sport.
the zambian sports series begins. 🇿🇲⚽
