12 February 2012:  The Chipolopolo (the Copper Bullets) of Zambia sink the Elephants of Ivory Coast 8 – 7 in penalties after a nil-nil extra time in the final of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations! Rushing back are the thoughts of the 1993 tragedy when a plane-load full of the Zambian national football team en route from Gabon to Senegal for a World Cup qualifier, went into the Atlantic Ocean. But the Chipolopolo of 2012 showed the rest of Africa who is king of football in Africa.

Zambia the 'underdogs' against the mighty Elephants of Ivory Coast, and tournament favourites,  didn't really stand a chance, so we all believed. But it was beginning to show that this Zambian side was no walk-over. Even though Ivory Coast had the cream of Africa's footballers in their team – Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Gervinho, Salomon Kalou – all English Premier League first team players, three of them missed key penalties in the final and in the penalty shoot-out. The Copper Bullets were moulded into a compact, tenacious, quick-thinking and nimble force that rocked the foundations of African football. This team were cool in temperament not only on the field of play but also during the helter-skelter of play one of the Zambian players had to put his hand on the shoulder of the fiery french coach Herve Renard as he remonstrated on the touch-line with his players, just to say 'cool down, we know what we're doing.'

Will we have the privelage of seeing any of these Zambians in the Premier League? I hope so!