‘Let's honour Gabon heroes’

FOOTBALL Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Andrew Kamanga has challenged the national soccer team to honour the Gabon Air Disaster Heroes by qualifying and winning the 2023 Ivory Coast Africa Cup of Nations.

Speaking after laying wreaths during the commemoration of the 29th Gabon Memorial Anniversary at Heroes Acre, Kamanga said qualifying for the AFCON would be a befitting gift for the fallen heroes who died 29 years ago.

Kamanga, who was joined by Director of Sports at the Ministry of Sports, John Zulu, FAZ secretariat staff comprising Deputy General Secretary Joseph Chimpampwe and Technical Director Lyson Zulu said the heroes sacrificed a lot for the country and paid the ultimate price with their lives on national duty.

“It will be a befitting gift to the fallen heroes if we can remember them with victory in 2023 but first, we need to qualify then we can think about how far we can go in the tournament. The 2023 Africa Cup will be a special moment because it will be 30 years since the heroes died and we also need to do more on the pitch to remember the heroes,” Kamanga said.

“We cannot over-emphasise the role the heroes played, they sacrificed a lot, and they paid the ultimate price with their lives on national duty,” he said.

Kamanga said the association is next year hopping to organise some international games to celebrate 30 years of the unfortunate clash in Gabon.

Meanwhile, Director of Sports Zulu described the fallen heroes as one of the best teams of dedicated players who would have taken Zambia to the World Cup.