This week, Zambia defeated the Ivory Coast in penalty kicks in order to win the African Cup of Nations (or CAN, an abbreviation of its French name), the African equivalent of the Copa America.

The CAN normally does not receive much international attention, but this year it has. Why? Because of the feel-good, underdog story of Zambia.

The southern Africa nation has not had much success in international soccer. It has never qualified for a World Cup, and it had never won the CAN. Most of the members of the best squad in the nation’s history, the 1993 national team, died in a plane crash in Gabon as they were traveling to a World Cup qualifier.

This year’s squad was low-profile. Most of its players toil in anonymity on professional teams in places like Zambia, South Africa and the Congo. Only two members of the team play in Europe, and even then, it is in the lowly Swiss and Russian leagues. Contrast that with the Ivory Coast, whose stars Yaya Touré, Kolo Touré, Salomon Kalou, and Gerinho and Didier Drogba feature in the line-ups of some of the best teams in the English Premier League.

No one gave Zambia much of a chance in the tournament, but the chipolopolo proved the prognosticators wrong. Making this story even more feel-good is the fact that this year’s CAN was held in Gabon, where the best squad in national history had perished 19 years ago.
 

 

---

COMMENTS: