|
Hail the legend.
With World Cup matches taking place all over the globe last weekend and midweek, patriotism will demand that I should have interest in the match in Kenya where the Flames were beaten to confirm their place at the basement of qualifier group A. To spare myself the headaches that come with a broken heart, I have chosen to shift my interest elsewhere.
In my view, the highlight of the qualifiers was not the dramatic comeback by Austria against England nor the surprise barren draw between France and Israel. My highlight was only across the border in Zambia. Legendary Kalusha Bwalya wrote another chapter in his fairytale comeback when he came off the bench to score a beauty from a free-kick and get his side the much-needed three points when hopes for a goal were long gone.
Now, there is nothing new in someone scoring after coming on as a substitute but this is someone who stopped playing some time ago and is now in coaching. He is 41 years old. Recently it was announced that he would play in what was supposed to be his official farewell match. It was a dream farewell because the great Kalu scored another beauty, this time in open play.
I, for one, thought I had seen the last of Kalu but Zambian fans had seen enough about him to suggest that there was still a lot of good football in the legend’s legs and persuaded him to make several of those dying minutes appearances whenever he can. On Saturday, the game was heading for a barren draw and the Zambians knew that only a win could keep their hopes of making it to Germany in 2006 alive.
On stepped Kalu and with a low free-kick that eluded the wall into the far post, he secured the three points that kept Chipolopolo at par with Senegal and Togo at the top of their qualifier group.
I don’t need to say that when Kalu was making his international debut 20 plus years ago, most of our players were not yet born. I was in primary school myself, if you care to know. I remember first watching him in 1986 at the then Kamuzu Stadium when he was already a household name. Actually a friend, who called him Kalusa Waya, successfully lied to us that he was related to Lawrence Waya, the local star of the time.
What amazes me is that none of the Malawian players that played when Kalu was winning the African Player of the Year award is still playing now. Few of them are in coaching but the majority are no longer within the game.
I suggested only recently that one of our major problems is that this country has failed to produce players who churn out consistent star performances over a long period. I was looking at the situation from a coaching perspective but that point is also crucial because with experience comes refined performances and even where you cannot run as fast and as long as you used to in your early stages, one is able to deliver the goods for a considerable length of time.
All it takes is self-discipline, determination and sharp focus on one’s goals. Kalusha, who is African, black and has a similar background to that of several of our own players, has shown the way. African boys who want to excel in the game have an idol in him. Otherwise inconsistent results will continue to dog our performances on the international scene.
By the way, I have enjoyed interacting with some readers of this column who have cared to get in touch on various issues that I discuss. Just in case you would like to join the private discourse, I am on (265) 9 958 696 or atukula@hotmail.com
|
