The recent fallout between Chipolopolo coach Avram Grant and Fashion Sakala is just the latest chapter in a long-running tale of player versus coach clashes at the national team.
It is not far from the truth to state that players and coaches share a cat-and-mouse relationship; the only unfortunate thing for you and me is that we don’t get to see these showdowns often because most fallouts don’t go public.
Away from the Fashion versus Grant shadow boxing, I have compiled a few past instances when a Chipolopolo player and his coach were at odds. Enjoy the trip down the proverbial memory lane.
Herve Renard vs Clifford Mulenga – 2012
There is no better place to start than here.
The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations was a historic tournament for Zambia. The country clinched its first-ever title. But something also happened; there was a fallout between the coach and some players.
During the tournament, coach Herve Renard made the bold decision to expel Clifford Mulenga from the squad for disciplinary reasons. Mulenga and some unnamed players had reportedly broken the team curfew.
While the unnamed players apologized, it is alleged that Mulenga refused to say sorry. Following that, Renard, known for his strict discipline, decided to make an example out of him. This decision was met with mixed reactions, with some praising Renard’s commitment to discipline and others criticizing him for being too harsh on talented Mulenga.
Ian Porterfield vs Gibby Mbasela – 1994
This is another high-profile fallout and just like in the case of Mulenga, the biggest loser was the player.
One of Zambia’s best drillers, Gibby Mbasela found himself embroiled in a dispute with coach Ian Portefield at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia.
Mbasela is believed to have accused Portefield of bias in player selection. He is reported to have ‘fought’ with the Scottish trainer, who consistently overlooked him in favour of Joe Bwalya.
Mbasela believed he was a better player than Bwalya. The disagreement reached a boiling point when he boycotted training. He was expelled from the tournament on disciplinary grounds.
Zambia went on to reach the final but lost to Nigeria. Who knows what would have happened had Mbasela stayed on and been given a chance in the final? Maybe, just maybe.
Wedson Nyirenda vs Rainford Kalaba – 2019
On June 10, during a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) qualifier against Mozambique at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, Kalaba went straight to the dressing room after being substituted for Given Singuluma in the second half. Zambia went on to lose 1-0.
A few weeks later, then-coach Wedson Nyirenda told the media that Kalaba would be disciplined ahead of the next game against Algeria.
Kalaba responded to Nyirenda in the media the following day: “I got permission from the assistant coaches before going to the dressing room just after I was substituted. I got permission to take a shower. I am the captain and would not want to disrespect the coach.”
Mupa was overlooked for the next few games.
Ante Buselic v Godfrey Chitalu – 1974
In the 1970s, Zambian football was dominated by the legendary striker Godfrey Chitalu. However, his relationship with coach Ante Buselic was far from ideal. Buselic often benched Chitalu, despite his status as the most potent striker in the country.
For all his talents, Chitalu did not tickle Buselic’s fancy; the coach believed the Kabwe Warriors icon was not a team player; he was too selfish and individualistic’ in his play. It is for this reason that Ucar only played one game at the 1974 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN).
Chitalu was also overlooked for most games under Buselic’s charge after the Cup of Nations, resulting into a mini-national team exile for close to three years only to be brought back by Brightwell Banda in 1978.
Other reported fallouts between national team players and their coaches include the one between Burkhard Ziese and Kalusha Bwalya in 1998 and another between Samuel ‘Zoom’ Ndhlovu and Lucky Msiska.
Allow me to end with the Zoom vs. Msiska tiff because it was a classic.
When Zoom summoned Msiska for national team duties, the talented player showed up straight from Europe, sporting a head full of dreadlocks. Zoom, the godfather of Zambian football, took one look and nearly spilt his coffee. “What is this? Not in my team!”
Luckily for Msiska, he still made the team that went to the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.
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