Zambia's fresh approach works wonders

By Peter Auf der Heyde Feb 13, 2012, 16:08 GMT

Libreville, Gabon - Zambia were not among favourites when the 28th Africa Cup of Nations kicked off in Equatorial Guinea on January 21.

But when the champions were crowned in Gabon on February 12, it was Zambian captain Christopher Katongo who lifted the trophy after his side beat Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties.

There are several reasons for the Chipolopolo's success.

Firstly, there was the incredibly strong will to achieve success to honour the players who died in 1993, when a plane carrying the national team crashed into the sea off the coast of Libreville.

The plane was en route to a World Cup qualifier in Senegal and all 30 people - amongst them 18 players - perished in the crash.

'We wanted to honour the players that died here, so that the families of the deceased players can feel much better and I am pleased we achieved that,' midfielder Rainford Kalaba told dpa.

Another reason why the Zambians won their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations trophy is because they went into the competition without any pressure.

Whilst celebrating with his team-mates in the changing rooms after the victory, goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene told dpa that all the pressure was on Ivory Coast.

'We felt no pressure and our coach simply told us to go out and enjoy ourselves, which is what we did.'

It was a message that they took to heart and that was prominently displayed on hand-drawn posters in the dressing room, from which the players drew inspiration ahead of the game.

'Best moment in our life - enjoy,' one of the posters read, while another said: 'Today you put the Zambian flag on the summit of Africa we are proud of you. 2012 12th of February. Day of history.'

French coach Herve Renard kept on telling the players that they needed to fear no other team or player.

Another poster in the change-room said: 'Their (Ivory Coast) reputation is nothing to compare with your determination. There is something written. My dream is to fly over the rainbow, my dream is to fly so high.'

Renard, who is in his second stint with the side, is another factor why the team has had success. Unlike most other coaches, he seems very calm and relaxed when he goes into matches.

This is also shown in the way he treats the journalists, telling them after the victory that there was no need to hurry their questions, as he had as much time as they needed.

He has been described as the Cantona of coaching - bringing a philosophical aspect into the game.

'It was a sign of destiny, written in the sky. There was a special spirit with us,' Renard said after the victory.

Another reason, of course, why Zambia on Sunday became the 14th African country to win the trophy, was because they had very good players.

Inspirational captain Christopher Katongo was joint top scorer (with six others) with three goals and won the Player of the Tournament award, while his striking partner Emmanuel Manyuka also impressed.

Goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene saved an early spot-kick against Ghana in the semi-finals and then saved one in the penalty shoot-out. Mweene was also confident enough to take one of the Zambian spot-kicks himself, which he duly converted.

It could well be that the Chipolopolo success is not only a sign of things to come for the southern African country, but also for football teams all around as they follow a fresh approach, which can - as Zambia have shown - also lead to success.

Read more about Zambia