Writing 'The Zambian Game.'

Writing 'The Zambian Game' was quite an experience. It involved delving back into the deepest reaches of memory to recall some of the most memorable moments I have spent following Zambian football and countless interviews with many of the people who were influential in making Zambian football so memorable over the years.

Below is an excerpt from the chapter that looks at Zambia's success in winning the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

Standing in Zambia’s path was a Ghanaian team, ranked among the favourites to win the tournament, and playing, if not with the expected dominance, with the air of a team that truly believed that nothing less than a place in the final was their destiny. Before the match Ghanaian midfielder, Sulley Muntari, is said to have scoffed at Renard’s credentials, remarking that he had only been the physical coach when he worked for the Black Stars. Renard took the comment in his stride, channelling it as a motivation rather than considering it a put-down. He explains, ‘Maybe Muntari has a short memory because I was doing seventy five percent of the training. Only the tactical approach was from Claude Le Roy because it was not special physical fitness or training, it was mixed. I remember I was with him many times in the gym, to prepare him but maybe at this time he didn’t see something of me because I didn’t make any decisions. With me, I was confident. I knew one day, my day would come and I knew sixteen of the twenty-three Ghana players. I said to my players, the final against Ivory Coast, this is our chance because today we will beat them and we will play the final, and we will win this final.’

Renard was not the only one in the Zambian contingent who found himself the target of cynics. He remembers an incident before the match against Ghana that strengthened the resolve of the Zambian team to win. ‘We had such a strong mentality. We were upset sometimes about the comments. Before the Ghana game, three players were in the press conference and one journalist asked, ‘Can you introduce yourselves because we don’t know you?’ Christopher Katongo was so upset but first, we believed in ourselves. We got strength, I don’t know where the strength came from but it was unbelievable. Me, I didn’t for a second, fear anybody; Ghana, Ivory Coast.’

As expected, Ghana dominated large spells of the match with possession in their favour but the Zambian team had their moments too. The turning point came when Renard took off James Chamanga and brought on Emmanuel Mayuka. He also replaced the more defensively-minded Francis Kasonde with Chisamba Lungu at a critical time on the match, when fatigue was beginning to creep into the Ghanaian team after their relentless but futile attempts on the Zambian goal. It took one flash of brilliance by Mayuka to decide the match, as he swiveled to create space and shot instantly, catching Adam Kwarasey off-guard. It proved the difference between the two teams and Zambia were in the final eighteen years after their last appearance in Tunisia in 1994.