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Zambia
coach Herve Renard has dedicated his team’s title triumph at the 2012
Orange Africa Cup of Nations to Chipolopolo legend Kalusha Bwalya for
giving him the opportunity to handle the team.
Kalusha,
considered the finest Zambian footballer of all time heads the
country’s football federation and the Frenchman describes the feat as a
thank you package for the impact in his coaching career. Incidentally,
Kalusha escaped the April 28, 1993 air plane crash involving the Zambian
team in Gabon on their way to Senegal for a World Cup qualifier because
he had to fly to Dakar from his European base.
“He
is the best Zambian player of the last century and he escaped the plane
crash. He was criticized for giving me the second chance. I dedicate
the victory to him because he gave me the opportunity to coach. I also
thank Claude Le Roy for giving me my first experience in Africa as
assistant coach in 2008 with Ghana.”
Renard added that his team was destined to win the title after a campaign that saw them start every game as underdogs.
“It
was unrealisable before the start of the tournament and we realised we
have to believe in ourselves. We were not the best team but have the
strength to fight on.
“We
wanted to honour the dead players and that strengthened us. Our first
game was against Senegal and the team was on its way to Senegal for a
match when the plane crashed. The plane crashed in Gabon and we won the
final in Gabon. It is a sign of destiny.”
The Frenchman is hoping that the performance of his team will open bigger doors for most of them to play in Europe.
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