2012 AFC CHALLENGE CUP - RESULTS

North Korea have won the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup, which is designed to be a competition for the lowest-ranked national teams in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and which was held in Nepal. The Chollima defeated Turkmenistan 2:1 in the 2012 final of the fourth edition of the tournament after falling behind to an early Berdimyrat Şamyradow goal (scored after just two minutes), which was wiped out by an Jong Il-Gwan equaliser ten minutes before half-time.

The North Koreans, who were defending the trophy they had won for the first time in 2010, won the match courtesy of a Jang Song-Hyok penalty in the 87th minute, and thus qualified for the next edition of the Asian Cup, which will be held in Australia in January 2015. For Turkmenistan, it was a case of déjà vu; they also ended the 2010 edition (hosted by Sri Lanka) as runners-up to the North Koreans, losing 5:4 on penalties after extra-time finished one-all.

The AFC Challenge Cup is contested by the Asian confederation's so-called "emerging" national teams (as the AFC describes them), which comprises of the AFC's 17 lowest-ranked teams; however, several countries from that the AFC calls "developing nations" (second-level national teams) and even one or two from the AFC's "mature (developed) nations" (i.e. those in the top echelons of Asian football), such as North Korea, regularly take part in the competition. They are, according to the "AFC Challenge Cup Regulations & Guidelines", "invited to participate at the discretion of the AFC."

The 2012 competition, involved 20 teams in all, including 4 which were eliminated following a series of two-leg qualifying play-offs, which took place in February and March last year, and 16 teams which took part in four qualifying groups, which were completed by April last year. (Out of those AFC member countries eligible to compete, Brunei Darussalam, Guam and East Timor (Timor-Leste) did not enter the competition.)

Back to the finals of the competition now, and in the third-place play-off, the Philippines defeated Palestine by 4 goals to 3 in a ding-dong 90 minutes of football, thanks to a brace from the final tournament's top-scorer, Phil Younghusband, and the Guirado brothers, Juan and Ángel, also scored a goal apiece. Phil Younghusband scored 6 goals during the final stages of the competition; his older brother James is also part of the Azkals' set-up.

Palestine's goals, meanwhile, were scored by Abdelhamid Abuhabib, who also scored twice, and Fahed Attal. As a result of the appearance of both teams in the third-place match, the Philippines and Palestine achieved their best-ever international successes. The Philippines were ranked among the weakest of all the nations taking part in the AFC Challenge Cup, and only just squeaked through their preliminary round tie against Mongolia, winning 3:2 on aggregate; this makes their achievements all the more praiseworthy.

The fine performances of the Azkals and Palestine were in marked contrast with those of Nepal, the hosts, and India. Sadly, although India stormed through the qualifiers, neither they nor Nepal scored a goal during the finals, and both teams finished pointless and bottom of their groups. India's lack of achievement at international level, even with the I-league system entering its fifth season and apparently in fine fettle, remains a worry.

The results for every match played in the competition, including the qualifying campaign, which was completed last year, are below. The matches which took place during the finaltournament were played at two stadiums in Kathmandu, the national stadium - the Dasarath Rangasala Stadium (abbreviated below to DRS) - and the Halchowk Stadium (HS), also known as the APF Ground.

PRELIMINARY ROUND (PRE-QUALIFYING PLAY-OFFS)

FIRST LEG

9/2/11   Philippines 2:0 Mongolia
9/2/11   Cambodia 3:1 Macau
10/2/11 Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) 5:2 Laos
23/3/11 Bhutan 0:3 Afghanistan

SECOND LEG

16/2/11 Laos 1:1 Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)
TAIWAN 6:3 ON AGG.
16/2/11 Macau 3:2 Cambodia AET
CAMBODIA 5:4 ON AGG.
15/3/11 Mongolia 2:1 Philippines
PHILIPPINES 3:2 ON AGG.
25/3/11 Afghanistan 2:0 Bhutan
AFGHANISTAN 5:0 ON AGG.


QUALIFYING ROUND

GROUP A

21/3/11 Burma (Myanmar) 1:1 Philippines
21/3/11 Palestine 2:0 Bangladesh
23/3/11 Philippines 0:0 Palestine
23/3/11 Bangladesh 2:0 Burma (Myanmar)
25/3/11 Burma (Myanmar) 1:3 Palestine 
25/3/11 Bangladesh 0:3 Philippines

P/W/D/L/GF/GA/PTS/GD
PALESTINE  3/2/1/0/5/1/7/+4
PHILIPPINES 3/1/2/1/4/1/5/+3
Bangladesh 3/1/0/2/2/5/3/-3
Burma (Myanmar) 3/0/1/2/2/6/1/-4


GROUP B

21/3/11 Turkmenistan 3:0 Pakistan
21/3/11 India 3:0 Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)
23/3/11 Pakistan 1:3 India
23/3/11 Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) 0:2 Turkmenistan
25/3/11 Turkmenistan 1:1 India
25/3/11 Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) 0:2 Pakistan

P/W/D/L/GF/GA/PTS/GD
INDIA  3/2/1/0/7/2/7/+5
TURKMENISTAN 3/2/1/0/6/1/7/+5
Pakistan 3/1/0/2/3/6/3/-3
Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) 3/0/0/3/0/7/1/-7


GROUP C

21/3/11 Tajikistan 1:0 Kyrgyzstan
21/3/11 Maldives 4:0 Cambodia
23/3/11 Kyrgyzstan 1:2 Maldives
23/3/11 Cambodia 0:3 Tajikistan
25/3/11 Tajikistan 0:0 Maldives
25/3/11 Cambodia 3:4 Kyrgyzstan

P/W/D/L/GF/GA/PTS/GD
MALDIVES  3/2/1/0/6/1/7/+5
TURKMENISTAN 3/2/1/0/4/0/7/+4
Pakistan 3/1/0/2/5/6/3/-1
Cambodia 3/0/0/3/3/11/0/-8


GROUP D

7/4/11  North Korea 4:0 Sri Lanka
7/4/11  Afghanistan 0:1 Nepal
9/4/11  Nepal 0:1 North Korea
9/4/11  Sri Lanka 0:1 Afghanistan
11/4/11 Nepal 0:0 Sri Lanka
11/4/11 North Korea 2:0 Afghanistan

P/W/D/L/GF/GA/PTS/GD
NORTH KOREA  3/3/0/0/7/0/9/+7
NEPAL 3/1/1/1/1/1/4/+0
Afghanistan 3/1/0/2/1/3/3/-2
Sri Lanka 3/0/1/2/0/5/1/-5


FINALS TOURNAMENT

GROUP A

8/3/12   Turkmenistan 3:1 Maldives (HS)
8/3/12   Nepal 0:2 Palestine (DRS)
10/3/12 Palestine 0:0 Turkmenistan (HS)
10/3/12 Maldives 1:0 Nepal (DRS)
12/3/12 Nepal 0:3 Turkmenistan (DRS)
12/3/12 Maldives 0:2 Palestine (HS)

P/W/D/L/GF/GA/PTS/GDTURKMENISTAN  3/2/1/0/6/1/7/+5
PALESTINE 3/2/1/0/4/0/7/+4
Maldives 3/1/0/2/2/5/3/-3
Nepal 3/0/0/3/0/6/1/-6


GROUP B

9/3/12   North Korea 2:0 Philippines (HS)
9/3/12   India 0:2 Tajikistan (DRS)
11/3/12 Tajikistan 0:2 North Korea (HS)
11/3/12 Philippines 2:0 India (DRS)
13/3/12 North Korea 4:0 India (DRS)
13/3/12 Tajikistan 1:2 Philippines (HS)

P/W/D/L/GF/GA/PTS/GDNORTH KOREA  3/3/0/0/8/0/9/+8
PHILIPPINES 3/2/1/0/4/3/6/+1
Tajikistan 3/1/0/2/3/4/3/-1
India 3/0/0/3/0/8/1/-8


SEMI-FINALS

16/3/12 Turkmenistan 2:1 Philippines (DRS)
16/3/12 North Korea 2:0 Palestine (DRS)


THIRD-PLACE PLAY-OFF

19/3/12 Philippines 4:3 Palestine (DRS)


FINAL

19/3/12 Turkmenistan 1:2 North Korea (DRS)

AFC CHALLENGE CUP WINNERS

2006: Tajikistan (Runners-up: Sri Lanka)
2008: India (Runners-up: Tajikistan)
2010: North Korea (Runners-up: Turkmenistan)
2012: North Korea (Runners-up: Turkmenistan)

THE SUÁREZ & EVRA AFFAIR - THE LAST WORD

Many column inches have been filled, much hot-air has been released and much bile spilled forth over the whole business concerning Liverpool's Luis Suárez and Manchester United player Patrice Evra since that incident at Old Trafford when the teams met there in a Premier League match last October. Suárez, of course, received an eight-match ban from the FA for using "racist language" against Evra when he called his French opponent a "negro."

Once, according to Suárez. At least ten times, Evra claimed in a post-match interview with Canal+. Five times, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told match referee Andre Marriner. Seven times, said the FA when handing down the ban to the Uruguayan.

Anyway, after much hoo-hah from all concerned in the time between the incident and Suárez's day of judgement at FA HQ just before Christmas, the Liverpool player settled down and partook of his enforced rest period, augmented by a one-match ban for what the tabloids would (rather hypocritically) call "making an obscene gesture", in other words, giving the middle-finger, to Fulham fans a few weeks after the game at Old Trafford. United, not to mention a large percentage of their supporters, felt smug.

No need to go in to detail once again about all the other shenanigans that went on between mid-October and the Yuletide period; they, the report and the sentencing have already been covered in earlier entries on this blog ("Luis Suárez - Banned And Fined, But Is He Just As Much Sinned Against As Sinner?" and "'The Football Association and Luis Suárez - Reasons of the Regulatory Commission' - Discuss.", to be precise.) Suárez still maintains his innocence, Liverpool still maintain he is innocent; what is surely beyond dispute is that he should not have said what he did to Evra, not even once, and his admission that he called Evra a "negro" once and once only was basically an admission of guilt.

However, your correspondent is still of the opinion that the ban was too severe, the fine imposed by the FA (40000 Pounds Sterling) was not harsh enough, and that Suárez should perhaps have been made to undertake a FA course in British football culture. Others who are better-versed in the art of writing than I am have criticised the possibility of such a course ever coming to fruition; such a course would do no harm, though, and would prepare any and all foreign players for life in the Premier League or Football League. It may still be something for the FA to think about. After all, no club, nor a player's agent, can cater for every eventuality during a player's career.

Suárez's career has not been without controversy; he had a quick gnaw on PSV Eindhoven player Otman Bakkal's shoulder during a league game in November 2010, for which he received a seven-game ban. (There is no truth in the rumour, by the way, that Suárez has been lined up to play the role of The Count in "Sesame Street: The Movie" alongside PFA chief Gordon Taylor as the Ghost of Mr. Hooper and Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan as Uncle Fester - oops, sorry, wrong film..)

Before that, of course, he gained world-wide notoriety for deliberately parrying Ghanaian player Dominic Adiyiah's goalbound header on the line in the last minute of extra-time of the 2010 World Cup quarter-final between Uruguay and Ghana, at Port Elizabeth's Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. (Ghanaian captain Asamoah Gyan ballooned the resulting penalty against the bar, which sent the ball careering over and into the black of the night sky. Uruguay went on to win in the penalty shoot-out. The ball, meanwhile, was eventually found less than 15 miles from the border with Lesotho.)

Having served his suspension, Suárez returned to action against Spurs during the 0:0 Premier League draw at Anfield on 6/2/12, and immediately earned a yellow card for hoofing Scott Parker in the stomach and much criticism to boot. For those who love statistics and criticise Suárez for diving, Gareth Bale received a yellow card for diving during the game; he became the first player in this season's Premier League campaign to have received two bookings for what is now described as "simulation."

Four days later came the much-awaited game at Old Trafford against Manchester United; it was the first time that Suárez and Evra came face-to-face since the match at Anfield in October. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, in response to his Liverpool counterpart Kenny Dalglish's comments that it was good to have Suárez back and that he should never have been banned in the first place, ratcheted up the temperature by saying: "Well, why didn't they [Liverpool] appeal?..They have said plenty, haven't they?"

The world at large, and the media, Manchester United and Liverpool fans in particular, was watching. They were especially waiting for the pre-match handshakes, to see what would happen when Suárez and Evra came across each other. Suárez had, according to press reports, agreed to shake Evra's hand; as it turned out, he did not do so.

How? Why? According to what television pictures you look at on websites such as YouTube, Suárez ignored Evra and proceeded to United goalkeeper David De Gea. Evra then tugged on Suárez's arm, who then brushed off Evra. Suárez and a rather bemused-looking De Gea then shook hands, though Rio Ferdinand, who was next in line, pointedly refused to shake Suárez's hand in a petty gesture.

In footage taken from other angles, Evra's hand, which was positioned at an already low angle, seems to retract when Suárez approaches, forcing Suárez to go instead to De Gea. In all footage, Evra is seen, after Suárez goes past him, stepping out of the line-up, and taking up a theatrical, almost Caesar-like, pose, ("Et tu, Lúis?") sweeping his arm out in a rather grandiose manner while looking into the television camera, until Liverpool 'keeper Pepe Reina pushed him back.

Who was to blame? Many will say Suárez, others will say Evra. It matters not. If the pre-match handshakes are an integral part of the routine, they should be carried through, and they weren't on this occasion. Suárez was castigated by all and sundry for not shaking Evra's hand, but, by the same token, one can only imagine what would have been said if the players had shaken hands.

At the start of the match itself, Evra and Ferdinand went scurrying after Suárez with obvious intent to play (or draw and quarter) the man, only for Evra to bring down Ferdinand. At half-time, the Frenchman apparently attempted to confront Suárez in the players' tunnel, which resulted in a melée involving players from both teams and members of the local constabulary.

United won the game by 2 goals to 1, but not before Suárez, of all people, got his name on the scoresheet. More fun and games followed at the end of the match, when, as Suárez was walking towards the tunnel in front of the Stretford End, Evra began springing around in front of him, waving his arms in gay abandon, with all the verve of a 45-year-old sheep-farmer who had just lost his virginity and wasn't shy of letting his neighbour - and bitterest rival - know all about it. Match referee Phil Dowd was too late to stop Evra making a fool of himself, but not too late to have a word in his ear. However, he still couldn't prevent all hell breaking loose while Suárez continued walking calmly on.

Suárez was the villain of the piece as far as the media was concerned for not shaking Evra's hand; perhaps he should have made more of an attempt to do so, especially if he had agreed to do so before the match. On the other hand, Evra had not said anything about shaking Suárez's hand before the match. The Sky Sports team covering the game, Jamie Redknapp apart, reacted with indignation to what had happened, putting the blame firmly on Suárez's shoulders.

Ferguson let rip on-camera after the game, saying that Suárez was a "disgrace to Liverpool Football Club." The United manager continued his tirade thus (quote from the Sunday People): "That player [Suárez] should not be allowed to play for Liverpool again. It [Suárez and Evra not shaking hands] could have caused a riot..I would get rid of him, I really would - I was really disappointed with that guy." Fergie was much milder in his opinion of Evra, and went on to say that Evra should not have reacted at the end of the match in the manner he did (you don't say), but defended his French star by saying that his behaviour was "understandable." 

An infuriated Dalglish, meanwhile, told Sky Sports reporter Geoff Shreeves that he didn't see the non-handshake, that he "didn't know he [Suárez] refused to shake his [Evra's] hand. I'll take your word for it..That's contrary to what I was told." Dalglish also told Shreeves that he thought the reporter was being "very severe and..bang out of order to blame Luis Suárez for anything that happened.."

Suárez had agreed before the game to shake Evra's hand as part of the pre-match routine, according to Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre, but for some reason obviously did not do so. As a result, Ayre issued a statement, which contained the below quote.

"He was wrong to mislead us and wrong not to offer his hand to Patrice Evra. He has not only let himself down, but also Kenny Dalglish, his teammates and the Club. It has been made absolutely clear to Luis Suarez that his behaviour was not acceptable..Luis Suarez has now apologised for his actions which was the right thing to do. However, all of us have a duty to behave in a responsible manner and we hope that he now understands what is expected of anyone representing Liverpool Football Club."

Suárez issued a statement moments before Ayre, in which he said: "I have spoken with the manager since the game at Old Trafford and I realise I got things wrong. I've not only let him down, but also the Club and what it stands for and I'm sorry. I made a mistake and I regret what happened. I should have shaken Patrice Evra's hand before the game and I want to apologise for my actions. I would like to put this whole issue behind me and concentrate on playing football." The Uruguayan also wrote on Twitter that he was sad because Liverpool had lost and was "disappointed because everything is not as it seems."

All very cryptic, but perhaps he was, in fact, correct in saying so. There was also speculation that Suárez refused to shake Evra's hand as he believed he was innocent of all charges. Perhaps the Liverpool player was referring to Evra's behaviour in what turned out to be a not-very-fair-play handshake (and also that Evra might have declined to shake his hand). 

Dalglish also apologised for his outburst to Shreeves, and, issued his own statement, saying: "When I went on TV after yesterday's game I hadn't seen what had happened, but I did not conduct myself in a way befitting of a Liverpool manager during that interview and I'd like to apologise for that."

Even Liverpool's sponsors, Standard Chartered bank, were also reported to have been less than happy with Suárez's behaviour, and representatives of the bank allegedly had what was described as "a very robust conversation" with Liverpool officials the day after the game at Old Trafford. One might say that a bank - any bank - criticising what might be termed as the "unethical" behaviour of a particular individual would be a gross example of extreme irony. (The whole Suárez and Evra saga is riddled with extreme irony..)

Ferguson, meanwhile, did not utter so much as a peep regarding his own tirade, but his club later put out the following statement: "Manchester United thanks Liverpool for the apologies issued following Saturday's game. Everyone at Old Trafford wants to move on from this. The history of our two great clubs is one of success and rivalry unparalleled in British football. That should be the focus in the future of all those who love the clubs."

Suárez would have like to have been able to put everything behind him, but Sun columnist Steven Howard wasn't going to let it lie just yet, referring to Suárez as a "dodgy piece of work who can't be trusted" and a "sociopath." This is a bit rich, coming from a man writing for a "newspaper" which is under the ownership of News International, a newspaper which blatantly lied about the behaviour of Liverpool supporters in the immediate aftermath of what was to become known as the Hillsborough Disaster, which happened in 1989, and which is famous for, among other things, being anti-Irish and having a distaste for people of colour, not to mention a publication which displays rather anti-homophobic at times.

The paper's editor at the time of the Hillsborough Disaster, Kelvin MacKenzie, in a blatant attempt to recover decimated sales of said publication on Merseyside, belatedly apologised in 2004 to relatives of those who died in the tragedy for what had been written about the deceased..and then, two years later, reportedly retracted the apology after saying he had been "forced" to issue it.

The Sun, on 26/2/12, carried the following headline: "Luis Suárez's granny reveals she used to call him 'Mí Negrito'" with a sub-headline, an alleged quote from Suárez's grandmother, Lila Piriz - "It's my fault he said what he did" - underneath. Well, as one might imagine, the article goes on to describe the lives, houses and neighbourhoods of those he left behind in great detail..but there was no sign of Sra. Piriz admitting culpability for her grandson's actions, only an affirmation that she used to call Liverpool's number 7 "Mí negrito."

Last weeken, an article appeared in the Sunday edition of the same newspaper in which a judge criticised the actions of Suárez after a man hailing from Greater Manchester ended up in court, charged with assaulting his partner. The man, Graham Trelfa, who was sitting watching the preamble to the Manchester United : Liverpool match at home with his girlfriend, apparently flung a remote-control at her (hitting her in the eye) and threw her to the floor after the Uruguayan did not shake Evra's hand.

The judge, Jonathan Taaffe, in passing a community service order sentence on Trelfa, called the assailant "a bully", and went on to describe Suárez as "petulant" and like a spoilt child." The article went on: "He [the judge] added: "The actions of a so-called role model can affect the behaviour of many." The same could be said of the media, could it not? In the light of the accused already having been found guilty of, and cautioned for, a similar offence back in 2008 (there was no mention in the article as to which Liverpool player was responsible), Judge Taaffe's comments should only be regarded as utterly laughable and not befitting of a man in his position.

Alan Shearer was critical of Suárez on the BBC's football highlights programme Match of the Day last weekend, alleging that he dived to earn a penalty against Arsenal, when he was actually clearly fouled; yes, he was clipped and went to ground, but although I'm no slouch myself - if only at the dinner-table, mind - I'm a lot slower than Suárez and I still end up doing somersaults when I nudge the edge of the sofa. Shearer is a fine one to talk about diving.

Yes, Suárez deliberately handled the ball on the line against Ghana; don't forget, though, that he (justifiably) earned a red card for his misdemeanour, which put him out of the 2010 World Cup semi-final. Anyone who has condemned Suárez for doing what he did and says that they would not do the same in such an important match is guilty of self-delusion, and those who, for want of a better phrase, keep harping on about it are flogging a dead horse and need to stop moralising. The "Suárez + handball against Ghana = cheat" argument is all a bit hackneyed and sooo 2010, you know.

If it had been Germany, for example, instead of Ghana, would the moral indignation of the media-led masses have been so strong? If Gyan had scored the penalty and the Black Stars had won, the Suárez handball would have been all but forgotten about. Show me a footballer who wouldn't do the same thing as Lúis Suárez did against Ghana and I'll buy you a drink, maybe two.

The Sun, then, and other sections of the media, not to mention bloggers and others who respond to what the media says and does, have vilified Suárez to an unacceptable degree. Yes, to repeat the point, Lúis Suárez should have not said what he said to Evra, and a ban was in order. Yes, he should have shaken Evra's hand, but the fact that it didn't happen appears as though that might not have been solely down to him, if one can use television pictures when forming an opinion.

Back to Evra. The Frenchman has escaped the wrath of the media, but is hardly blameless in all of this, even though he has kept quiet through all of what has happened since October, at the behest of his manager. If Suárez deliberately ignored Evra during the pre-match handshakes, then Evra had the right to feel aggrieved; again, the Uruguayan later apologised for not shaking Evra's hand.

On the other hand, if, as it appeared from certain angles during the television coverage of the game's preamble, Evra deliberately kept his hand down to provoke some sort of response from Suárez and then decided to indulge in some theatrics, he only succeeded in making himself look small. His and Ferdinand's attempt to possibly inflict bodily harm on his opponent less than a minute into the game fortunately backfired.

As mentioned already, Ferguson described Evra's behaviour at the end of the game as ünderstandable." Really, Sir Alex? Is a deliberate attempt to provoke a fellow professional justified? Never mind Dalglish's perhaps ill-considered statement to the media in the tunnel or Suárez being provocative - he is certainly a controversial character, and Liverpool surely knew what they were getting when they signed him - Evra's behaviour could have caused a riot after the game. 

Although the FA have seemingly turned a blind eye to Evra's conduct, and Ferguson's extremely unprofessional outburst after the game, both men have ended up coming out of the whole mess with precious little dignity intact. Evra, at the very least, deserved to have been carded for ungentlemanly conduct. Both gentlemen could, and maybe should, have been facing an FA charge of bringing the game into disrepute, not to mention incitement.

Suárez not only apologised for what he had said to Evra back in October (he made a statement in which he said that the word "negro" - or "negrito" - was acceptable in Uruguay, and, yes, he did add an apology to those who may have been offended by what he said to Evra), but also apologised for not shaking Evra's hand before the game. Neither Evra nor Ferguson have apologised for their actions before, during and/or after the game. What Judge Jonathan Taaffe said about Luis Suárez could be applied to both United men: "The actions of a so-called role model can affect the behaviour of many."

Both players have moved on, and hopefully the rest of the football world will do likewise. Although Liverpool have had a stop-start season, Suárez has been a thorn in the collective sides of many defences, and won his first winners' medal with the Reds when they defeated Cardiff City on penalties recently, more than doing his bit with a lively display, hitting the post (Martin Skrtel scored from the rebound). Whether he will still be in English football come next season will still be open to debate; he will be missed, not least by the media, so in that sense, they are cutting their own throats with their attitude, which often borders on xenophobic hate, towards the Uruguayan. He is a colourful, often controversial character, as is Wayne Rooney, for example, but, then, Suárez is Uruguayan and Rooney is English.

At the end of the day, to repeat what was said at the very beginning of this article, a lot of things have been said in the printed, televisual and not-so-social media about the whole affair, a lot of which, posted by anonymous posters (and mostly, but not all, from supporters of both clubs), has been of an extremely derogatory, not to mention racist, repugnant and also homophobic, nature towards both players, and all of which is utterly reprehensible and cowardly. (Many of the comments posted were potentially breaking the law as a result of their content.) 

Many people will disagree with what I have written in this article, and they are entitled to do so, but it is meant as fair comment and has tried to be objective. It's high time that everybody - both players, both clubs, both sets of supporters and the media - gathered up their coats and moved on. It's only football, after all. In the overall picture, when people are dying because of war and famine, whether or not two players shake hands is a bit of an irrelevance..even if whey should have done, regardless of who was to blame for this not happening. It perhaps says little of us all that we have been all so focused on this side of the Suárez-Evra saga in the midst of infinitely more important things.

THE CHIPOLOPOLO DO JUSTICE TO THE LOST GENERATION - PART 2

So, it was off to Libreville, capital of Gabon, for the Chipolopolo, and also for Côte d'Ivoire, who had defeated Mali 1:0 in the other semi-final courtesy of a goal just before half-time from Gervinho, who had picked the ball up in his own half and ran unopposed into the Malian box before sidefooting the ball past the 'keeper. Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré both saw efforts rebounding off the woodwork, which would surely have put the game beyond a dogged Mali side had they gone in.

Upon arriving in Libreville on the Friday before the final, the entire Zambian team, plus staff, officials and manager Hervé Renard, travelled to the beach where many of the bodies of their predecessors were washed up 19 years earlier following the air-crash, to lay wreaths and pray at the scene.

For Les Éléphants, meanwhile, there was also added motivation to bring the Africa Cup of Nations trophy back to the Ivorian capital, Abidjan. The country was still mentally spilt after the conflict which ravaged the country after seriously flawed elections at the end of 2010, which only ended in April 2011 with the incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo, who had refused to give up power, being arrested and opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara being sworn into office. Over a thousand people are estimated to have been killed during the conflict; Gbagbo is currently awaiting trial for human rights abuses at the International Court of Human Rights in The Hague.

Both teams expressed their respect for each other before the final, one which was eagerly awaited by many. Côte d'Ivoire, with their conservative style of play, were strong favourites to win the Africa Cup of Nations for only the second time in the country's history; the team's only triumph in the competition came in 1992, when they beat Ghana 11:10 on penalties after a scoreless 120 minutes in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. Ghana were fancying their chances of getting their name on the trophy for the fifth time, and for the first time since 1982, but, of course, Zambia had already put paid to that ambition.

Ghana didn't even finish third this time round; Mali defeated them by 2 goals to nil in the third-place play-off thanks to a brace from Cheick Diabaté, one in each half. It was revenge for Ghana's victory over Les Aigles in the group stages, and a deserved victory for the Malians to boot. It could have been by a bigger margin, but Sulley Muntari's goal was chalked off for offside. Black Stars defender Isaac Vorsah was sent off just after the hour mark for a second bookable offence, but the whole Ghanaian team seemed very out of sorts and their minds seemed to be already in the departure lounge at Malabo airport. The third place was Mali's best result in the Africa Cup of Nations since a 3:2 defeat to Congo (then known as Congo-Brazzaville) in the final of the Cameroonian-hosted 1972 edition of the tournament.

That was then; the final this time round took place at Libreville's Stade d'Angondjé, and there was scarce an empty seat in the house. The Ivorian support was evident in the stands, as it was all the way through the tournament, while several hundred Chipolopolo supporters had made their way to Gabon to join the few dozen already there, and had done so on chartered aircraft at a price of some $US2050 a pop (flight and match-ticket included, of course). The locals had thrown their weight behind the underdogs, which didn't go un-noticed given the fraught relationship between the Gabonaise and Zambian governments since the air-crash in 1993. Football was once again showing itself to be a great healer.

Amid all the poignancy of the Zambians intent on bringing honour to their predecessors, and that of the Ivorians looking to bring a little happiness to a country still recovering from years of conflict, one would almost think that it was easy to overlook the fact that there was a football match to be played.

It was not a final which saw an immense number of chances, but the first one came in the second minute when Zambia's Nathan Sinkala, free in the penalty-area after a well-worked corner which saw Kalaba stroke the ball to captain Christopher Katongo, who then passed to Sinkala, saw his low drive well saved by Boubacar Barry in the Ivorian goal.

A few minutes later, Joseph Musonda was injured while making a challenge, seemingly hurting his ankle, and, despite gamely battling on, the defender was in some distress, giving Hervé Renard no option but to substitute him in the 12th minute. It was a pity for Musonda, who had been having a good tournament but, after being sportingly consoled by Didier Drogba, left the field in tears to a standing ovation.

Emmanuel Mayuka headed over a chip from Chisamba Lungu a couple of minutes later as Zambia dominated early proceedings, with a couple of Drogba free-kicks, one of which was comfortably dealt with by Kennedy Mweene in the Zambian goal, all that Les Éléphants had to muster in the first 20 minutes, but the Zambian defence were on panic stations a few minutes later following an Ivorian corner, but the ball was eventually cleared to safety. A warning for the Chipolopolo, and there was another one on the half-hour, when, after a lightning-fast move from the Ivorians, Yaya Touré flashed his shot inches wide of the post.

Nathan Sinkala had a chance to put Zambia ahead from a Kalaba corner but, standing alone in a space as big as a car-park, he seemed to lose his composure, slipped and fell over, swiping not at the ball but at thin air. A lucky escape for the Ivorian defence, who, in stark contrast to their defensive form throughout the tournament, in which they were yet to concede a goal, were occasionally looking shaky and, at times, gifting their opponents too much free space in their own penalty-area.

Sinkala was not the only one feeling the heat; Hervé Renard, his manager, who, in the latter stages of the semi-final win against Ghana, looked as though he was suffering from a mixture of an apoplectic fit and an audition for the Woodentops, was just as animated in this game, stalking the touchline, standing beside the dug-out, and then whacking Davies Nkausu for good measure, telling him to concentrate as the defender was preparing to take a throw-in directly in front of the technical area.

A scoreless first-half, then, and the second half saw Didier Drogba take centre-stage, starting with his receiving treatment for a blow to the back of the head suffered in a clash with Nyambe Mulenga. Drogba was starting to irritate with his mixture of diving and appealing, but this time, he looked pretty dazed. He was back creating havoc in the Zambia box within minutes, missing a half-chance with Stoppila Sunzu in attendance, and heading way over the bar from a Salomon Kalou free-kick, one of the few contributions of note from Kalou, who had been having a rather subdued game, to put it mildly; he would be substituted minutes later.

A game-changing moment arrived in the 69th minute, when Gervinho picked up the ball and hustled his way into the penalty-area, and was nudged in the back by Chansa just as Mulenga was closing in; it looked like one of those "we've seen them waved away" challenges, but not this time. The referee, who was having an immaculate game, got the decision right when he pointed to the spot.

Mulenga was booked, and Didier Drogba stepped up to take the kick, facing Mweene, who had saved Asamoah Gyan's penalty for Ghana early on in the semi-final, and was intent in putting Drogba off by continually talking to him. The man in yellow did his homework; Drogba's attempt wouldn't have looked out of place on any given Aussie Rules oval - it was long, high and wide. Mweene raced out of his area towards Drogba as the Ivorian was standing looking down at the penalty-spot, and prowled round him, waving his hand in front of his face. Drogba could only smile, ruefully, probably reflecting on the fact that history was repeating itself. He had missed a penalty in the 2006 shoot-out defeat to hosts Egypt, and that after missing a sitter with just a few minutes to go in the regulation 90.

There weren't too many more chances after that in normal time, though Max Gradel - Kalou's replacement - could have won it for Les Éléphants late on with an attempt at goal which was just off-target, while a bad bounce and a good, timely interception by Kolo Touré robbed Emanuel Mayuka of potentially swinging the game in favour of Zambia just before full-time.

Extra-time, then, and the two Katongos - Felix, who had come on for Mulenga, and Christopher - combined early on in the first-half for the latter to prod the ball towards Barry's goal, but the Ghanaian 'keeper nudged the ball with his studs, clipping the ball on to the post and away for a corner. Apart from Drogba falling all over the place, Gervinho looking dangerous at times, some good passing movement and one or two more Aussie Rules-style efforts from both teams, plus a couple of last-ditch interventions from Sunzu, there wasn't a whole lot to get worked up about as both teams seemed to be accepting that penalty-kicks would be the only manner in which this game was going to be settled.

No goals in the 120 minutes thus far, and despite there being a lack of shots on target, both teams had played their part in what was, for all that, an engrossing final, and the intent to attack was there, especially from the Chipolopolo. One could have expected more from Côte d'Ivoire, however, not just during the final but during the tournament as well; François Zahoui's team seemed to be too conservative at times. Too late to worry about that now, though; penalties loomed.

In what would become a memorable scene, the Zambian substitutes were singing on the touchline, much more tunefully than Les Éléphants when they were getting stuck into their national anthem before kick-off. Now, Zahoui looked concerned, Renard relaxed, yet determined, in one of his three lucky white shirts.

Cheik Tioté went first for Côte d'Ivoire, dismissed Mweene's attempts to put him off, and scored. Boubacar Barry took his time carefully placing his towel directly behind him, but his attempt at gamesmanship didn't work either. Christopher Katongo levelled things up anyway, rounding off an excellent contribution from the man who led Zambia by example from the first minute of the tournament. (Question: Katongo stuttered slightly during the run-up. Should the penalty have been re-taken?) Successful attempts from Wilfried Bony and Emmanuel Mayuka (the only player in the Zambian squad currently playing in European top-flight football and who is currently a star-turn at Young Boys Berne) left the score at 2:2.

Kennedy Mweene then became Zambia's hero, saving Souleman Bamba's penalty. Hero status lasted just a few seconds, however, as the match-officials spotted Mweene yards off the goal-line before the kick was taken. Bamba executed the re-take with relish. Isaac Chansa put Zambia on level terms. Max Gradel then slotted home the Ivorians' fourth penalty - each penalty (apart from that which had to be retaken) saw Mweene dive the wrong way - before Felix Katongo made it all square.

Didier Drogba was next up, and he atoned somewhat for his miss from the spot during normal time, driving his attempt home. Mweene, who regularly takes penalties for his South African club Free State Stars (he has scored six goals during his career), took his turn and sent Barry the wrong way.

Ten penalties taken, ten scored; Siaka Tiene made it 6:5 for the men in orange, before Nathan Sinkala levelled matters once again. Konan Ya and Chisamba Lungu brought the score up to 7-apiece in what was proving to be an exemplary penalty shoot-out.

Kolo Touré was not having the best of nights, and his evening was to get a whole lot worse as Mweene easily palmed away his effort, going down to his left. Kalaba stepped up to take his place in African football history..but the Zambia man, who had impressed immensely, blotted his copy-book somewhat by hoofing his spot-kick well over the goal. No matter, his team-mates on the touchline were still singing their hearts out.

Gervinho, for your correspondent's money one of the Ivorians' best players during the tournament because of his desire to get forward not to mention some fine play in and around the midfield area, was next up, but he didn't seem to want to be bothered taking part in the shoot-out (having had a heated discussion with Zahoui before it commenced) and his penalty, er, reflected that, missing the target by the rhetorical country mile.

So, it was up to Stoppila Sunzu to succeed where Kalaba failed and deliver the Africa Cup of Nations for Zambia, and he did so in some style, sending Barry the wrong way whilst hammering the ball into the roof of the net. The African Cup of Nations was heading to Lusaka. An historic moment for Sunzu, an historic moment for Zambian football and a poignant moment for Kalusha Bwalya and the families of the Chipolopolo killed in the 1993 air-crash a few miles from the Stade d'Angondjé. The ghosts of 1993 had, for Zambian football at the very least, if not for the families of those who perished, finally been exorcised.

One of the most evocative images (to use a hackneyed old phrase) of the final and its aftermath was Hervé Renard carrying the injured Musonda half the length of the pitch to join in the celebrations in front of the travelling Zambian support with his team-mates, at which point Renard scarpered the scene and headed back over to behind the dug-out to have a chat with a clearly delighted and emotional Bwalya, who was also mobbed by the boys in green and black.

The result was also a vindication of the FAZ's decision to re-appoint Renard; it also signalled Renard's transformation from zero (as far as a large percentage of Chipolopolo fans were concerned) to hero. The Afreeknews.com website ran this headline the day after the final: "Hervé Renard, Black Magic From the Blonde Sourcerer." The French ex-binman/cleaner has since been given a new contract, conjured up by the FAZ, which will run until August 2014, and, yes, the Zambian government will pick up the bill.

For Renard's opposite number, François Zahoui, the future is less certain, if rumours are to be believed, though as recently as last Friday, at a press-conference in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan, at which the president of the Fédération Ivorienne du Football (FIF) Sidy Diallo, was present, he stated that he was still the man in command and was looking forward to the forthcoming friendly against Guinea this coming Wednesday, a match which, according to a report carried in Goal.com, would "reconcile my team with the general public after the mishap of February 12 in Libreville." Surely a contract extension is in order for the man many Ivorians call "The Statue;" to finish second in a continental competition is no disgrace, after all, and would hardly be a good reason to sack a manager who, let's face it, delivered.

What price Zambia being named Team of The Year and Renard collecting the Manager of the Year at the 2012 FIFA awards? One man who has already reaped the fruits of the good form of the Zambian team is captain Christopher Katongo. Before the semi-final against Ghana, Katongo, who, in addition to playing professionally in China, is also still attached to the Zambian armed forces, was promoted to Warrant Officer, Class One, by the Zambian president, Michael Sata, "with immediate effect for displaying exemplary leadership and skill in the team."

Warrant Officer, Class One, is the highest rank in the Zambian Army for non-commissioned officers; Katongo previously held the Class Two rank and before that was a Corporal. Not only that, but he will now be the "face of Pepsi" in Zambia after signing a one-year contract with the multi-national soft-drinks company last weekend. The Zambian government has given each team-member a US$59000 bonus for winning the Africa Cup of Nations.

The celebrations in Zambia were long and loud, and started almost as soon as Sunzu dispatched his spot-kick.
Lusaka came to a virtual standstill, while locals in Livingstone were celebrating alongside a large number of Zimbabweans who had crossed the border in the afternoon to lend their support. Sadly, at least two people died and some thirty-five were injured during the celebrations, which went on all night and lasted until well into the following evening, by which time the Chipolopolo had arrived back in Zambia and had attended an open-air ceremony at Lusaka Showgrounds.

All's well that ends well, but that was then, and the Zambian team must now focus on the future. The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations has already begun (more on that shortly), and the 14 winners of the first-round ties will go into the hat for the second round along with the 16 teams competing in this year's finals. Zambia are now the team to beat, and who would have bet on that before the tournament started? This could be the springboard to something good; the second round of CAF qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup begin later this year, and a berth in the finals in Brazil would certainly be something to aim for.

The Chipolopolo, version 2012, are a unified, indomitable, skilful bunch with a team-ethic the envy of most squads, but they will have to be on their guard. Drawn in Group D, they will have to face Lesotho (already eliminated from the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers), Sudan and..Ghana. The Black Stars (not to mention the Sudanese) will be out for revenge, and they will get an early chance to exact it; their second game in the group is scheduled to take place, away to Zambia, on 8/6/12. Zambia, meanwhile, will kick off on 1/6/12 away to Sudan, and their last game will be at home, against Sudan, on 14/6/13.

The third and final round, which is planned for October and November next year, will consist of home and away ties between the winners of the ten group winners from the second round. Will Zambia be in the mix come late 2013? They've got to get out of a rather tricky group first, but they've already shown what they are capable of by winning the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, and in doing so, paid due honour to their fallen predecessors from 1993. They would have surely been proud of the achievement of the current batch. Who knows, the current team's story may yet run and run..

ZAMBIA SQUAD (2012 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS)

GOALKEEPERS: 1 Kalililo KAKONJE (TP Mazembe, DRC), 16 Kennedy MWEENE (Free State Stars, RSA), 22 Joshua TITIMA (Power Dynamos)

DEFENDERS: 2 Francis KASONDE (TP Mazembe, DRC), 4 Joseph MUSONDA (Golden Arrows, SAF), 5 Hijani HIMOONDE (TP Mazembe, DRC), Davies NKAUSU (Supersport United, SAF), 13 Stoppila SUNZU (TP Mazembe, DRC), 15 Chintu KAMPAMBA (Wits University/Bidvest Wits, RSA), 23 Nyambe MULENGA (Zesco United)

MIDFIELDERS: 3 Chisamba LUNGU (Ural Yekaterinburg, RUS), 7 Clifford MULENGA (Bloemfontein Celtic, RSA), 8 Isaac CHANSA (Orlando Pirates, RSA), 10 Felix KATONGO (Green Buffaloes), 14 Noah CHIVUTA (Free State Stars, RSA), 17 Rainford KALABA (TP Mazembe, DRC), 19 Nathan SINKALA (Green Buffaloes), 21 Jonas SAKUWAHA (Al-Merreikh, SUD)

FORWARDS: 9 Collins MBESUMA (Golden Arrows, RSA), 11 Christopher KATONGO (Henan Construction, PRC), 12 James CHAMANGA (Dalian Shide, PRC), 18 Evans KANGWA (Nkana Red Devils), 20 Emmanuel MAYUKA (Young Boys Berne, CH)


MANAGER: Hervé RENARD (FRA)

ASSISTANT MANAGER: Patrice BEAUMELLE (FRA)

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please find below links from some of the media mentioned in the above article, starting with the link to Afreeknews.com article on Hervé Renard:
http://www.afreeknews.com/article.php?item_id=1409

"My old man's a dustman.." Link on Rfi.fr article concerning Renard on life with the bins:
http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20120211-herve-renard-coach-zambia-team

Link to Goal.com article on the future of François Zahoui:
http://www.goal.com/en/news/89/africa/2012/02/24/2926925/cote-divoire-coach-francois-zahoui-i-am-still-in-command

Link to Tumfweko.com article on Hervé Renard's contract extension:
http://tumfweko.com/2012/02/17/renard-gets-3-year-contract/

Link to ZambianWatchdog.com's article on the Chipolopolo's Tanzanian benefactor:
http://www.zambianwatchdog.com/index.php/brreaking-news/impressed-tanzanian-gives-zambia-national-soccer-team-cash/

Link to MTNFootball.com's bust-up between Renard and Clifford Mulenga, which led to Mulenga's expulsion from the team:
http://www.mtnfootball.com/africa/african-tournaments/african-cup-of-nations/news/2012/february/01-mulenga-i-want-asked-to-apologise.html

CAFOnline, Wikipedia and other named media organisations were also used as sources of reference. Thank goodness for Eurosport as well!

THE CHIPOLOPOLO DO JUSTICE TO THE LOST GENERATION - PART 1

Emotional scenes marked the end of the final of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday 12/2/12, when Zambia put their name on the Africa Cup of Nations for the very first time after a pulsating game against Ivory Coast (or Côte d'Ivoire, as the nation's government prefers the country to be known), which took place in the Gabonese capital, Libreville. It was a match which went to a penalty shoot-out after a scoreless 90 minutes and extra-time. Not only that, but it took 18 penalties before Zambia were home and dry and captain Christopher Katongo was able to hoist the trophy.

It was a bitter-sweet moment for Zambians everywhere, coming as it did almost 19 years after, and just a few kilometres from the location where, a military aircraft carrying the then Zambian national team, who were due to play in a 1994 World Cup qualifier away to Senegal, crashed in the Atlantic Ocean some 500 metres off the coast of Libreville on 19/4/93, killing all 30 people on board. Most of the current Zambian squad were of primary school-age when the tragedy occurred, and honouring the memory of those who perished was foremost in their minds.

The fact that the tournament was co-hosted by Gabon (the other country hosting the tournament was Equatorial Guinea) was not the only thing adding to the poignancy of it all; the current Zambian FA president, Kalusha Bwalya, was the only member of the squad due to play in Dakar who was not killed in the air-crash. At the time, he was playing in Europe for PSV Eindhoven and was due to meet up with the rest of the squad in Senegal when he received news of the tragedy.

The Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) were decimated, but a new squad was hurriedly assembled and almost qualified for the 1994 World Cup finals, only to lose to a late Moroccan goal in their final group match in Casablanca. Zambia are still attempting to qualify for their first World Cup finals.

Try as they might, those who followed the class of '93 were not as successful as those whose lives were lost, one would think, nor did they find a place in the hearts of Zambian football lovers. However, looking at the statistics, the Chipolopolo finished third in 1990 and reached the quarter-finals two years later. Those who took on the mantle of representing Zambia immediately after the air-disaster actually did their country proud, not only coming within minutes of World Cup qualification, but finishing runners-up in the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, and winning the third-place play-off in 1996.

Zambia had come second in their first appearance at the continental finals in 1974, when they were known as the KK11 - in honour of the country's inaugural president, Kenneth Kaounda, who also attended last Sunday's game in Libreville along with the fourth president of the country, Rupiah Banda, on behalf of the current holder of ofice Michael Sata - losing 2:0 in the replayed final to Zaire after salvaging a 2:2 draw with virtually the last kick of the ball in the first match. They defeated Algeria to finish third in 1982.
The team have qualified for 15 different editions of the Africa Cup of Nations since their first appearance in 1972, and reached the quarter-final stages last time out in Angola, in 2010, so those who underestimated them should have been warned of their potential. The manager back then was Frenchman Hervé Renard, who had been in charge since May 2008. He resigned in April 2010 to take up the vacant Angolan manager's post, a move greeted with consternation by many followers of the Zambian game, some of whom claimed that he was the sort who would sell himself to the highest bidder.

In the qualification tournament, Zambia were drawn against Libya, Mozambique and the Comoros in Group C. The Chipolopolo began their campaign, with the colourful Italian Dario Bonetti at the helm, at home on 5/9/10, by putting four goals past the Comoros in Chililabombwe's Konkola Stadium and Rainford Kalaba, Fwayo Tembo, James Chamanga and Emmanuel Mayuka all getting on the scoresheet, before losing away 1:0 to Libya in Tripoli in early October 2010. Another away game, this time against Mozambique in Maputo at the end of March last year, was on the itinerary, and Zambia came away with a 2:0 win, courtesy of goals from Chamgana and Mayuka.

The return game, played at the start of June at the rather bijou Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka, saw a 3:0 win for Zambia (a double from captain Christopher Katongo and a goal from Collins Mbesuma), on the same day that the Comoros stunned the African football world by holding visitors Libya to a 1:1 draw at the tiny Stade Said Mohamed Cheikh in Mitsamiouli. A trip to the Comoros was next on the agenda, and another away win, this time by 2:1, was booked thanks to Christopher Katongo and Mayuka, who was hitting form at just the right time, and he scored the winner with three minutes to go to spare the visitors' blushes.

It was a result which left the Chipolopolo needing just a point at home against Libya to ensure qualification for the final stages of the Africa Cup of Nations, and that is precisely what they got. A scoreless draw at the Nchanga Stadium in Chingola on 8/10/11 saw them through, a point ahead of Libya, who also ended up qualifying as one of the three best runners-up in the preliminary stages. 

In spite of the Zambian team's qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations, dark clouds had seemingly been gathering on the horizon. Two days after achieving qualification with his team, Bonetti was sacked. According to a report in the Lusaka Times, several of the players, who spoke to the news outlet on condition of anonymity, had called for Bonetti to be replaced. One of them was quoted as saying that "Zambia's qualification is not because of him [Bonetti] but it is because of the collective efforts of us players."

If Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Kalusha is to be believed, his organisation did not recruit Bonetti for the manager's job, but (quoted from an article on the UKZambians website) the Italian "was just handed to us as the coach and in many ways did not respond to our command. You know he respected command from a higher source which I don’t think is a good working relationship."

Kalusha did not elaborate as to who this mystical "higher source" was, but there is a reasonable possibilty that Bonetti was hired by the Zambian government; Bonetti is suing the FAZ for wrongful dismissal, to the tune of some US$1.6 million. Kalusha and the FAZ have maintained from the start that Bonetti left by mutual consent. The country's Sports Minister, meanwhile, told the presenter of a local radio programme that the FAZ should not have sacked Bonetti, and that they had only approached the government to discuss the matter after having the sacking.

The FAZ were told to find the money themselves to pay the next national team manager, who was hired several days after Bonetti's departure. The new man in charge was none other than..Hervé Renard. The Frenchman, who had had a rather undistingushed playing career, had left his post of Angola's national team manager in October 2010 due to what France Football described as (something like) "off-field concerns;" if the Wikipedia entry on Renard is to be believed, these concerns included not being paid and having difficulty obtaining a work-permit. He then headed off to manage USM Alger in January last year on a 2.5-year contract.

He stayed at USM for less than 10 months, taking advantage of a clause in his contract which would allow him to leave the club in order to take up a managerial post of a national team. Zambia came calling, and the rest has become legend.

Renard's re-appointment as Zambian national team boss on 22/10/11 created a veritable stir among local fans; some welcoming him back with alacrity, others decrying him a nothing more than a gold-digger. He had earlier admitted that it was hunger for the folding-stuff that had swayed his decision to go to Angola, and that he had regretted his decision to leave the Chipolopolo to head west. Renard signed a one-year contract with the FAZ, and although public opinion was divided over his re-appointment, the players and staff were more than happy to see him, and he was joined soon after taking office by his right-hand man Patrice Beaumelle.

The Chipolopolo played several friendlies in advance of the Africa Cup of Nations, and there was precious little for those who had opposed Hervé Renard's re-appointment (or anyone else, for that matter) to get excited about; November saw a 2:0 defeat away to Nigeria, which was followed at the end of the month by two wins in India, including a 5:0 win against the Indian national side. A 1:0 defeat away to, irony of ironies, Angola a week before Christmas was not very well received, nor was a 0:0 bore-draw in Johannesburg against Namibia. It was mixed bag of results, one which was not guaranteed to settle the nerves before the start of a major tournament.

Zambia travelled to Equatorial Guinea's second city, Bata, a couple of days before the Africa Cup of Nations kicked-off, and were drawn to play in Group A against tournament co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, plus group favourites Senegal, and Libya. Senegal and Libya were many people's favourites to progress, with Renard's men given almost as little chance of making progress as Equatorial Guinea. They also had to make do without FC Utrecht player Jacob Mulenga, who had damaged his left cruciate ligament (a year after damaging his right cruciate ligament) in a league game against Ajax, in which he scored twice in a 6:4 win for his club.

Bata was the venue for Zambia's first game against Senegal on 21/1/12, and Zambia made light of their underdog status by coming away with a deserved 2:1 win, Emmanuel Mayuka and the pacey Rainford Kalaba scoring for the Copper Bullets in the first 20 minutes. Senegal woke up in the second-half, and when Ndoye Dame pulled a goal back with just over 15 minutes to go, the nerves started to jangle, but the team pulled together to carve out a result, thanks to some gritty defending and a good display from Kennedy Mweene in goal.

Zambia's team-ethic came to the fore in their second game, which took place four days later in an absolute quagmire at the Estadio de Bata, when Libya were the opposition. In spite of the wretched playing conditions, which were ideal for any goldfish busy planning their very own Great Escape, and which saw the start of the game put back from 17:00 to 18:15, the paltry crowd more than got their money's worth with some good football and some, well, fruity tackling from both sides.

It was a see-saw affair from start to finish, with both teams going for the win; Zambia to qualify for the second round, Libya to avoid elimination after losing 1:0 to Equatorial Guinea in their first game. Ahmed Osman put the Desert Knights in front after 5 minutes, but Mayuka bagged his second to draw Zambia level on the half-hour. Osman restored Libya's advantage in the 48th minute, but Chipolopolo captain Christopher Katongo, who was having a good tournament, equalised 6 minutes later. Katongo and Co had to dig deep for the last 20 minutes or so, but they held on for a well-earned draw, which saw them all but through to the second round, at the expense of Libya, and of group favourites Senegal, who suffered a shock 2:1 defeat against Equatorial Guinea, who were appearing at their first major finals.
And so, for the Zambians, who had one foot in the second-round, it was off to Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea to play the Nzalang Nacional in their own back-yard on 29/1/12. Having surprised their Senegalese and Libyan opponents, and the world at large, by coming away from their first two games with maximum points, the Equatoguineans, managed by Brazilian Gilson Paulo, needed only a draw to progress into the second round as group winners.

Much had been said and written in the run-up to the tournament about the Equatorial Guinean team and its contingent of foreign-born players who had no obvious connection with the country, or had even set foot there, but who had been granted citizenship nonetheless. Only two of the team - reserve goalkeeper Felipé Ovono, defender Colin - had actually been born there, but several of the rest of the squad were of ecuatoguineano descent. Regardless of whom the opposition consisted, Zambia needed to win the match to top the group, but a draw would have been enough for them to join their opponents in the quarter-finals, albeit as group runners-up.

With not so much riding on the result, it was hardly a surprise that the game lacked the intensity of those which preceded it, but the co-hosts were playing determinedly and with no lack of skill, while Zambia dominated much of the first-half. The occasional chance came and went in a first-half which ended scoreless, and it was more of the same for much of the second-half, until Christopher Katongo found himself faced with two defenders, but that was no problem for the man playing in China for Henan Construction. He skipped past them both before firing a low shot past the impressive Danilo in the Equatorial Guinean goal.

The Chipolopolo now had their noses in front, both in the game and in the group table, and despite late pressure from the hosts, the Zambian defence once again did not flinch. In the group's other game, Libya defeated Senegal 2:1, but that mattered not as both teams were by now eliminated from the competition earlier than either had envisaged. And so, unfancied Zambia and Equatorial Guinea's hotch-potch collective had finished first and second in the group. Who said that there are no surprises in modern football?

Equatorial Guinea's party did not last much longer as they lost their quarter-final against Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) by three goals to nil, but they did much better than expected. Mind you, the carrot-on-a-stick which was the promise of a US$1 million payout to the squad for each win from the nation's government was a good incentive for the team to put in a creditable performance; it was also a nice sweetener in the aftermath of elimination.

Someone else whose party was over almost before it began was Chipolopolo midfielder Clifford Mulenga, who was sent home by Renard for breaching team curfew after the Equatorial Guinea game, as did three of his team-mates, John Sakuwaha, Collins Mbesi and Hichani Himoonde, who later apologised for their actions. Mulenga did not repent, however, and for that reason was left at the airport in Bata to make his way back to his club in South Africa. The Bloemfontein Celtic player, whose only contribution on the field was as an injury-time substitute against the Nzalang Nacional, told MTNFootball.com that he was never asked to apologise to Renard after his unscheduled night out on the tiles. He also alleged that Felix Katongo also took part in the late, late show, and was "shocked" that he was not questioned by Renard.

"I was never asked to apologise for going out on Monday [30/1/12] by the coach..The coach said I was a bad influence on the other players and it was in the team's best interest [sic] that I leave, and at no time was I asked to say sorry," Mulenga added. 

In an interview on South African television station SuperSport TV after the Zambian team's return form the tournament, Renard said that Mulenga "can get another chance to play for Zambia, but not under Hervé Renard. I am not in Zambia forever."

"It was not a difficult decision. We [Renard and the FAZ board] wanted to show the other players that respect was important. You have to show respect for the squad and maybe that was the first mistake, but you cannot repeat the same mistake."

Mulenga's tournament was over, but Zambia were just getting started. Their quarter-final opponents were Sudan, who had finished as group runners-up behind Côte d'Ivoire and their qualification for the knockout stages had also surprised many. They had lost 1:0 to the Ivorians in their opening fixture before drawing 2:2 with Angola and defeating Burkina Faso 2:1 (and condemning them to bottom spot in the group) in front of just 132 paying spectators. Only 200 turned up for the quarter-final against Sudan at the Estadio de Bata, which turned out to be a fairly comfortable 90 minutes as far as the Chipolopolo were concerned.

The Sudanese were appearing in the latter stages of the competition for the first time since they won the competition back in 1970, but were never really in the hunt. Stoppila Sunzu opened the scoring for the Zambians on the quarter-hour with a near-post header, but despite looking in control for much of the first half, they were unable to add to their advantage.

In the 66th minute, however, Sudan's Saif Eldin Ali Idris Farah upended Rainford Kalaba in the penalty-area with what could charitably be called a clumsy challenge, for which he received a second yellow card. Christopher Katongo took the spot-kick, and although Sudanese 'keeper El Hadi Salim Akram saved well, Katongo scrambled the rebound over the line and it was all over bar the shouting. James Chamanga finished matters with a delightful curler from the edge of the area four minutes before time to send Zambia singing and dancing their way into the semi-finals, where Ghana would provide the opposition.

The Black Stars, who were counted as being among those most likely to win this edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, had more or less spluttered their way to the latter stages of the competition despite coming top of their group and luckily defeating Tunisia 2:1 in a bad-tempered quarter-final which was probably worthy of a blog all of its own(with most of the spiteful action coming from the Tunisians in extra-time), would provide the opposition.


The semi-final between Zambia and the Black Stars, which was played in Bata on 8/2/12, was preceeded the day before by a gesture from a Tanzanian businessman, Azim Dewji, who donated US$11000 to the Zambian team's collective purse, and a pledge to donate US$300 to each widow of the players who died in the Libreville air-crash in 1993; it was a gesture which drew wide acclaim from Zambian society in general.

However laudable, the gesture was only conditional on Zambia beating Les Éléphants and it seemed to completely ignore the widows (or families) of the other twelve people - among them were the Zambian team's coaching staff - who perished in the tragedy. They have constantly been dismissed by the media as being irrelevant, or so it would seem.

In 2002, the Zambian government eventually paid out some US$4 million to the families of the bereaved via a complicated compensation payment system, which involved the age of the deceased, plus their work experience and what they could have expected to have earned if they had reached the age of 65. Although an official report from the Gabonese government, dating from 2003, listed pilot error and mechanical failure as probable causes of the air-crash - the plane actually belonged to the Zambian Air Force and was reputed to have been in a state of some disrepair - 19 years on, no Zambian government report has yet been published. A report is due, according to reports, but nobody's holding their breath.


Back to matters football, and the semi-final, as one might have expected, was a tense, tight affair, played before a sparse crowd at the Estadio de Bata. Ghana were overwhelming favourites, and started the game as they meant to go on. They were awarded a penalty after 8 minutes, when Davis Nkausu and Kwadwo Asamoah more or less just bumped into each other in the Zambian penalty-area. Asamoah Gyan took the spot-kick; however, he could only watch as his penalty was well saved by Kennedy Mweene.

Ghana dominated the first half, and Gyan, among others, missed opportunities to put his team in front, while Zambia looked rather dangerous on the few occasions they were able to get forward, with James Chamanga putting his effort wide of the post. The pattern continued in the second half, but the Ghanaians were finding it hard to get through the Chipolopolo defence, and when they did, Mweene was in impervious form.

It was turning into one of those games when it looked as though just the one goal would win it, and it came in the 78th minute..from Zambia's Emmanuel Mayuka, who turned on a sixpence on the edge of the area, and his curled shot went in off the base of the right-hand post. A lovely finish; one which, despite frantic Ghanaian attempts to break Zambian resistance in the closing stages (which also saw a second yellow card for Ghana's Derek Boateng with six minutes left on the clock), was enough to separate the teams and send the underdogs through to the final for the first time since 1994, and for only the second time in the country's history.

There were jubilant scenes in the stadium, and joyous celebrations in Zambia itself followed, but these turned sour as at least seven people were reported to have died and around 50 injured as a result of road accidents and assaults. Many African publications (especially those from outside Zambia itself), meanwhile, seemed to focus as much of their post-match attention on reports that prostitutes were getting in on the act by offering free sex to passers-by in Lusaka as to what had happened on the field of play. No matter, that would soon change..

2012 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS - RESULTS

The twenty-eighth edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (sponsored by Orange) was held jointly in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon between 21/1/12-12/2/12, and was won by Zambia, who surprised most pundits by defeating pre-tournament favourites Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) 8:7 on penalties after a scoreless 90 minutes and extra-time also failed to provide an outright winner.

The results and tables are listed below; the Orange CAN 2012 Best XI was published on CAF Online.

GROUP A

21/1/12 Equatorial Guinea 1:0 Libya (Bata)
21/1/12 Senegal 1:2 Zambia (Bata)
25/1/12 Libya 2:2 Zambia (Bata)
25/1/12 Equatorial Guinea 2:1 Senegal (Bata)
29/1/12 Equatorial Guinea 0:1 Zambia (Malabo)
29/1/12 Libya 2:1 Senegal (Bata)

P/W/D/L/GF/GA/PTS/GD
ZAMBIA 3/2/1/0/5/3/7/+2
EQUATORIAL GUINEA 3/2/0/1/4/2/6/+1
LIBYA 3/1/1/1/4/4/4/0
SENEGAL 3/0/0/3/3/6/0/-3

GROUP B

22/1/12 Côte d'Ivoire 1:0 Sudan (Malabo)
22/1/12 Burkina Faso 1:2 Angola (Malabo)
26/1/12 Sudan 2:2 Angola (Malabo)
26/1/12 Côte d'Ivoire 2:0 Burkina Faso (Malabo)
30/1/12 Sudan 2:1 Burkina Faso (Bata)
30/1/12 Côte d'Ivoire 2:0 Angola (Malabo)

P/W/D/L/GF/GA/PTS/GD
CÔTE D'IVOIRE 3/3/0/0/5/0/9/+5
SUDAN 3/1/1/1/4/4/4/0
ANGOLA 3/1/1/1/4/5/4/-1
BURKINA FASO 3/0/0/3/2/6/0/-4

GROUP C

23/1/12 Gabon 2:0 Niger (Libreville)
23/1/12 Morocco 1:2 Tunisia (Libreville)
27/1/12 Niger 1:2 Tunisia (Libreville)
27/1/12 Gabon 3:2 Morocco (Libreville)
31/1/12 Gabon 1:0 Tunisia (Libreville)
31/1/12 Niger 0:1 Morocco (Libreville)

P/W/D/L/GF/GA/PTS/GD
GABON 3/3/0/0/6/2/9/+4
TUNISIA 3/2/0/1/4/3/6/+1
MOROCCO 3/1/0/2/4/5/3/-1
NIGER 3/0/0/3/1/5/0/-4

GROUP D

24/1/12 Ghana 1:0 Botswana (Libreville)
24/1/12 Mali 1:0 Guinea (Franceville)
28/1/12 Botswana 1:6 Guinea (Franceville)
28/1/12 Ghana 2:0 Mali (Franceville)
1/2/12   Botswana : Mali (Libreville)
1/2/12   Ghana: Guinea (Franceville)

P/W/D/L/GF/GA/PTS/GD
GHANA 3/2/1/0/4/1/7/+3
MALI 3/2/0/1/3/3/6/0
GUINEA 3/1/1/1/7/3/4/+4
BOTSWANA 3/0/0/3/2/9/0/-7

QUARTER-FINALS

4/2/12 Zambia 3:0 Sudan (Bata)
4/2/12 Côte d'Ivoire 3:0 Equatorial Guinea (Malabo)
5/2/12 Gabon 1:1; 1:1 (AET); 4:5 (PENS) Mali (Libreville)
5/2/12 Ghana 1:1; 2:1 (AET) Tunisia (Franceville)

SEMI-FINALS

8/2/12 Zambia 1:0 Ghana (Bata)
8/2/12 Mali 0:1 Côte d'Ivoire (Libreville)

THIRD-PLACE MATCH

11/2/12 Ghana 0:2 Mali (Malabo)

FINAL

12/2/12 Zambia 0:0; 0:0 (AET); 8:7 (PENS) Côte d'Ivoire (Libreville)


ORANGE CAN 2012 BEST XI

A "Best Of Tournament" squad of 23 players who had participated in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations was published on the CAFOnline immediately after the tournament's end, and was split into a "starting 11" plus a panel of substitutes.

BEST OF XI

GK Kennedy MWEENE (Zambia)
D Jean-Jacques GOSSO (Côte d'Ivoire)
D John MENSAH (Ghana)
D Stoppila SUNZU (Zambia)
D Adama TAMBOURA (Mali)
M Seydou KEITA (Guinea)
M Emmanuel MAYUKA (Zambia)
M Yaya TOURÉ (Côte d'Ivoire)
M Kouassi Gervais YAO (Côte d'Ivoire)
F Didier DROGBA (Côte d'Ivoire)
F Christopher KATONGO (Zambia)

SQUAD MEMBERS ("SUBSTITUTES")

GK Boubacar BARRY (Côte d'Ivoire)
D RUI Fernando DA GRACIA GOMEZ (Equatorial Guinea)
M Kwadwo ASAMOAH (Ghana)
M Rainford KALABA (Zambia)
M Houssine KHARJA (Morocco)
M Youssef MSAKNI (Tunisia)
M Eric MOULOUNGUI (Gabon)
F Pierre Emerick AUBAMEYANG (Gabon)
F Sadio DIALLO (Guinea)
F Cheick Tidiane DIABATÉ (Mali)
F Mudathir Eltaib IBRAHIM EL TAHIR (Sudan)
F MANUCHO (Angola)

ORANGE MAN OF THE COMPETITION: Christopher KATONGO (Zambia)

FAIR PLAYER TROPHY: Jean-Jacques GOSSO (Côte d'Ivoire)

FAIR PLAY TROPHY: Côte d'Ivoire