Judge Zambia by the names on their squad list and you might be rather underwhelmed, but many of those who have watched them have been impressed by the gloriously-named Chipolopolo (the Copper-headed Bullets) – not only at this year Cup of Nations but also in the previous edition, where they exited on penalties to Nigeria. “They are a very good team,” said Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama after their exit in 2010, “believe me, they have a great future.”
We should start believing him. Led by Frenchman Hervé Renard – a touchline-enticing, cavorting, bottle-throwing, white-shirt-wearing Superman – Zambia are a throwback to the non-Northern African sides of yesteryear that didn’t rely on Papa Bouba Diop-esque European-spectacled model of a player based on bison-like strength. Indeed, this Zambia team possesses a core group of technically-gifted, protean footballers dancing to the same vuvuzuela beat who deviate from the norm; the attacking quartet of Emmanuel Mayuka, Chris Katongo, Rainford Kalaba and Isaac Chansa are all below 5’10. Naturally, then, the onus is based on keeping the ball on the ground. “Bola Panshi [Ball on the floor]!” Renard berates his players whenever the ball leaves the ground needlessly. When his team couldn’t play the ball on the floor in the wet, soggy pitch in the 2-2 draw against Libya he lamented: “It’s unbelievable to play on a pitch like this. It was kick and rush this afternoon, not football.”
