ZAMBIA’S SUCCESS WAS BREWED SIX YEARS AGO

I was tempted not to write about Zambia this week but I couldn’t ignore this historic achievement, simply because of the lessons Chipolopolo’s victory can teach us.

The biggest lesson is that, contrary to popular believe, Zambia’s win was not totally unexpected, especially not from the country itself.

Instead, this is the reward for great organisation and a visionary approach to football development.
The fact is, Zambia’s decision to stick with a core group of players after the 2006 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is what really propelled them to their current success.

When considering that goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene, defender Joseph Musonda, midfielders Isaac Chansa and Rainford Kalaba along with striker Christopher Katongo are some of the players that featured for Zambia six years ago; it should thus not be a surprise that these very same players were outstanding for their country during this magnificent triumph.

In fact, the same players then went on to represent their country at two more AFCONs (2008 and 2010), where they naturally picked up more experience.

The result of this consistent selection of players is that the team becomes like a family and this was evident in the way Chipolopolo fought for each other until the final game.

And that brings us to the second lesson.

Modern football requires teams to attack and defend as a team, without relying too much on individual talent à la Spain at the 2010 World Cup and Inter Milan in UEFA Champions League 2009/2010, and that is what Zambia did perfectly.

Oftentimes Southern African players are criticised for being smaller than their West African rivals and yet Zambia proved that with a collective approach, any giant can be slayed.

Since Namibian players share the Zambian team’s physical attributes, it should then inspire the Brave Warriors to do likewise when we face West African countries.

But over and above that, Zambia’s victory should let the authorities see the benefits of consistently selecting a core group of players, regardless of instant results, while keeping in mind that success only comes after a period of sustained hard work.

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