We are left with less than a fortnight before the proverbial fat lady sings on the 2024 stage. She must be doing her rehearsals at the moment, which gives me just enough time to share the year’s football highs and lows before she takes the stage.
I am a fan of end-of-year reviews because they provide me a chance to reflect on the best moments and achievements that shaped the year. I see these reviews as an opportunity to celebrate success and learn from the challenges.
I am a bearer of highs and lows. In structuring my article, I struggled to choose which one to start with. So, I did a coin toss, and it landed on the lows. Let’s get straight into it.
CHIPOLPOLO’S WORLD CUP AND AFCON DISASTER
I am looking for a word that best describes Chipolopolo’s performance at the 2023 [played in 2024] Ivory Coast Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. I have settled on the term ‘disaster.’
It was an exciting moment when a certain Israeli led us to AfCON’s promised land after close to a decade of wandering in the wilderness. However, our results and performances at the event left much to be desired.
Placed in a group with Morocco, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), it was not too much to expect Chipolopolo to at least sneak into the round of 16. However, two draws and one loss sealed our fate. We booked a plane ticket after 270 minutes of football.
We had a chance to salvage some pride in the World Cup qualifiers. While it was clear from the beginning that the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists, Morocco were the favorites, I did not expect my beloved Chipolopolo to perform as poorly as they did.
I hate to announce that we are ending the year without a single win in the World Cup race. The back-to-back losses against Tanzania and Morocco have left us needing a miracle of biblical proportions, something close to Moses parting the Red Sea. You can trust an Israelite to pull it off.
NO WIN, NO GOAL!
It is this year that Chipolopolo set an unwanted personal record at the Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) Senior Challenge Cup in South Africa.
Chisi Mbewe will hate to be reminded that he superintended over a Chipolopolo side that posted three straight losses at the COSAFA, the worst title defense in the history of the regional competition.
Zambia started the tournament with a 2–0 loss to Kenya before repeating the same scoreline against rivals Zimbabwe in the Zambezi Derby. A 1–0 defeat to Comoros in the final group game extinguished any hope of a respectable elimination.
PREMATURE CAF EXISTS
Our clubs continue to struggle in CAF inter-club competitions. They remind me of a young singer who is always performing curtain-raiser acts before the big artists take the stage for the main event.
In the Confederation Cup, Zesco United was eliminated in the first round after suffering a 1-0 aggregate loss to Dynamos of Zimbabwe, while Red Arrows were eliminated at the pre–group stage of the Champions League following a 4-1 aggregate loss to TP Mazembe.
As the Champions League and Confederation Cup group stages heat up, our envoys are nowhere near the spotlight, leaving you and me to watch from the sidelines.
ELSEWHERE
It was great to see the Copper Queens on the Olympic Games stage in Paris for the second time in a row. Unfortunately, a maiden win eluded the team. Hats off to them; it was not an easy group.
I can go on and on, but hey, my last low point of 2024 was the fallout between Fashion Sakala and Chipolopolo coach Avram Grant. The bad blood has seen the former exiled from the team.
What a year! I have to end here with the lows; feel free to add yours. I hope to return in time for the highs before the fat lady sings.
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