Zambia Mourns Seven Football Players Who Die In Another Crash
30 October 2024
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Lusaka – In a haunting echo of the 1993 tragedy that claimed the lives of Zambia’s national team, seven Zambian football players perished in a horrific road accident on Saturday en route to a third-tier league game in the country’s northwest.

The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has extended its deepest condolences to the families, while the names of those killed and injured remain unreleased.

FAZ president Andrew Kamanga confirmed the organisation is working closely with local authorities to gather details about the crash, which also injured twelve others, with five in critical condition now receiving medical treatment in Lusaka.

Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe expressed his sympathies, saying, “May God comfort and console the family, friends, and colleagues of the deceased,” and prayed for the recovery of the injured.

This tragedy recalls the profound loss Zambia suffered in 1993 when an entire generation of Chipolopolo players died in a plane crash off the coast of Gabon.

That incident devastated the nation but also inspired resilience, symbolised by Kalusha Bwalya, the sole player not on the flight, who went on to honour his teammates’ legacy by rebuilding a team that reached the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations final and eventually won the 2012 tournament.

Southern African Football Association head Artur de Almeida e Silva shared his heartbreak, adding, “Football is a sport that unites us… we stand with you in grief.”