Zambia 2012: Africa's Greatest Fairytale
It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast
The Overlap
4.9 • 667 Ratings
🗓️ 10 June 2025
⏱️ 55 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast.
In today’s episode, co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper explore one of the most powerful stories in football history: Zambia’s remarkable triumph at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
Jonathan, who covered the 2012 tournament on the ground, shares firsthand reflections of what he calls the most emotional press box moment he’s ever experienced.
Nineteen years after a devastating plane crash claimed the lives of their national squad, Zambia rose from the ashes to claim continental glory. This episode retraces their journey - from the tragedy off the coast of Gabon in 1993, the rebuilding efforts led by legendary captain Kalusha Bwalya, right through to their unforgettable victory on penalties in the very same country that witnessed their darkest hour.
00:00 The Final Match: A Battle Beyond the Pitch
00:15 Introduction to an Inspiring and Tragic Football Story
00:36 Zambia's Uplifting Victory After Tragedy
02:26 The 1993 Plane Crash: A National Tragedy
04:37 Zambia's Football Rise in the Late 80s
08:15 The Aftermath of the Crash and the Struggle for Resources
18:42 Rebuilding the Team: The Role of Kaia and New Coaches
24:01 The 2012 African Cup of Nations Journey
25:06 The Quarterfinals and Beyond
27:01 Gabon vs. Mali: A Penalty Heartbreak
27:30 Unexpected Journey to Bata
31:12 Ghana's Complacency and Zambia's Rise
38:38 The Emotional Beach Ceremony
40:27 The Dramatic Final Against Ivory Coast
51:10 Zambia's Historic Victory
52:16 Reflecting on the Significance
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We cannot lose this final because out there in that pitch there will be not only 11 players, but 11 ghosts. |
| 0:14.0 | Welcome to It Was What It Was with me, Rob Draper and with Jonathan Wilson and to today's episode, which I think is just |
| 0:21.2 | one of the most inspiring and tragic in football history. It's an extraordinary story which |
| 0:27.0 | Jonathan, you tell really well. That was Kaluja Buala, a great former player of, and president |
| 0:34.1 | of the Zambian FAA after a semi-final win over Ghana |
| 0:38.9 | in 2012 in the African |
| 0:40.8 | Cup of Nations. A Zambia team |
| 0:43.2 | that is going to go on and complete |
| 0:45.3 | I think is one of the most |
| 0:47.2 | extraordinary and just |
| 0:49.5 | uplifting victories of |
| 0:51.4 | football of all time because it comes |
| 0:53.6 | a number of years after a plane |
| 0:56.6 | has gone down and killed, wiped out the entire Zambian national team. Many people will be |
| 1:01.0 | familiar with maybe bits of this story, but I think when you dig down into it and the way |
| 1:06.5 | you tell it, Jonathan, it just becomes even more tragic and also even more in spa. |
| 1:13.0 | And it really is one of the football's most poignant stories, isn't it, Jonathan? |
| 1:17.9 | I've never known a press box in tears in the way the press box was after Zambia |
| 1:23.7 | had beaten Ivory Coast in the final in 2012. |
| 1:27.9 | So, I mean, the Cup of Nations is a brilliant tournament, partly because it's not a |
| 1:33.8 | brilliant tournament. |
| 1:35.3 | But no team is over, very rarely do you get a crushingly brilliant team. |
... |
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