Zambia soccer team relives Gabon disaster

SPOPRTS Minister Chishimba Kambwili and Football Association of Zambia president and soccer legend Kalusha Bwalya led the Zambia National soccer team to the sea shores of the Atlantic Ocean where the Zambia national soccer team perished to lay wreath on the shores of the ocean in Gabon. It was a tearful and sorrowful moment as the officials and the players laid wreath on the ocean with some sobbing and tearing down.

Graet Kalu who was not on the plane on that fateful day of April 23, 1993 (but part of the team) readily admitted that one person could not be replaced by another but the team representing Zambia at the moment was just another. The tearful faces on Super Sport Blitz channel spoke thousands of how Zambia wants to win this trophy to honour their fallen heroes. Kalusha Bwalya saluted Zambia's attacking trio of Christopher Katongo, Rainford Kalaba and Emmanuel Mayuka for inspiring the team to Sunday’s Africa Nations Cup final. Catch the Action final live on SS4 and SSHD2 from 7:30pm on Sunday. Bwalya told SuperSport.com in Libreville on Thursday that the trio had epitomised Zambia’s football adventure at this year’s Africa Cup tournament. "Christopher Katongo is doing a fantastic job; Rainford is there too, Mayuka is getting the goals and we have two players on three goals each," Kalusha said.

"And we also have (defender) Stopilla Sunzu coming from behind to score a header." Strikers Katongo and Mayuka are both in line for the Africa Cup golden boot award on three goals each heading into Sunday’s final against Ivory Coast in Libreville. Midfielder Kalaba has been Zambia's engine since the tournament began for them on January 21 in Bata despite scoring just one goal in five games heading into the final. Bwalya said it was a great moment to see his successors take Zambia to the Africa Cup finals for the first time since 1994 when they finished second to Nigeria. "I told the boys; you guys can score goals and enjoy the adventure and see what we can get. It is a proud moment for me," Kalusha said. Retuning to Libreville was a Joyful and sad moment for Zambia as Libreville is the scene of their worst sporting tragedy. Zambia was joyful and promised to honour the footballers and team officials who died in a plane crash 19 years ago with a first Africa Cup of Nations title. At the city's Leon Mba airport, where the fated airplane took off nearly two decades ago, Coach Herve Renard told The Associated Press that his team had talked in their pre-tournament training camp about coming back to the Gabonese capital to honour the memories of their compatriots. Zambia played the first part of the African Cup in Equatorial Guinea, but had always targeted an emotional return to Gabon for the final. "We wanted absolutely to come back to Gabon 19 years after the tragedy. We are there," Renard told the AP as the squad arrived from Bata for Sunday's final against Ivory Coast. "Now the best thing to honor their memories is to win the final and to make all the country happy." Zambia are not expected to beat mighty Ivory Coast in the final, but after surprising Ghana in Wednesday's semifinals, Renard's players could be inspired to another upset by strong emotional ties to Libreville.

"We are not the favorite one more time," Renard said, "but it will be very difficult to beat us. They (Ivory Coast) know. "We know we are playing against a very good team, a strong team, but sometimes football is psychology, the mental state, and our mental state is very high." While the team arrived in high spirits, smiling and posing for photographs with local dancers as they emerged from the terminal, there will be a chance for poignant reflection later on Thursday when the squad visits a site on the coast near where the crash happened. "There is not one game in Zambia without talk of the memory of the team of 1993," Renard said. "I heard it was maybe the best team Zambia ever had. It will be a very good moment (to go to the site). "Before the African Cup we were in camp in Johannesburg talking about the only possibility to go back to Gabon was the final. Not before. That means it's fantastic to be there." The French coach also said his lucky white shirt, which he has worn for every one of Zambia's games at this tournament, including the win over heavily favored Ghana, would be ready for Ivory Coast. "I just have to make the laundry and it will be ready for Sunday," he said.