{"id":1923,"date":"2020-06-08T21:00:41","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T21:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/?p=1923"},"modified":"2020-06-08T21:26:03","modified_gmt":"2020-06-08T21:26:03","slug":"africas-undisputed-goal-king-part-five-indisputable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/2020\/06\/08\/africas-undisputed-goal-king-part-five-indisputable\/","title":{"rendered":"Africa\u2019s Undisputed Goal King (Part Five) – Indisputable"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Satish Sekar \u00a9 Satish Sekar (May 1st<\/sup> 2020)<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The Lost Icon<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first black man to play for Liverpool, Howard Gayle, wants to see Zambia\u2019s Goal King, Godfrey Chitalu, honoured in Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time for the footballing community to honour and recognise what is an outstanding achievement in goal scoring, so that his name and his country can finally be added to the Halls of Fame of footballing greatness,\u201d Gayle said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All but forgotten for four decades Chitalu\u2019s year resurfaced as one of the greatest ever to lace a pair of boots, Lionel Messi, closed in on Gerd M\u00fcller\u2019s \u2018record.\u2019 For 40 years the West German scoring machine had been hailed as the calendar year record holder, but M\u00fcller never held the record. He broke the previous mark in 1972, but that same year Chitalu obliterated it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M\u00fcller broke the previous mark that had lasted just four years by as many goals. Hail der Bomber, M\u00fcller\u2019s nickname. He had broken Chitalu\u2019s 1968 record, but so had Chitalu, and by a considerable amount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Different Standards<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bizarrely, the controversy over Chitalu\u2019s achievements in 1972 somehow managed to do Zambia\u2019s icon a further injustice \u2013 they got his total wrong. Chitalu had not scored 107 goals in the calendar year 1972, he had scored 116. The Zambian records underestimated Chitalu\u2019s achievement due to an anomaly that had slipped through the cracks for almost half a century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M\u00fcller and Lionel Messi were held to a different standard through an error. The \u2018records\u2019 for M\u00fcller and Messi were for the entire 366-day \u2013 1972 and 2012 were leap years \u2013 calendar year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in Chitalu\u2019s case, it clearly states 107 and that nine goals didn\u2019t count. Chitalu\u2019s year started on February 27th<\/sup> 1972 \u2013 the Zambian Charity Shield. But what were these missing goals? Incredibly they were records too \u2013 a still unbroken pair of African Champions\u2019 tournament records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of all the goals to ignore, the African Cup of Champions Clubs \u2013 predecessor of the CAF Champions League \u2013 were the ones that slipped through the cracks. And they just happened to be tournament records that still stand almost half a century later \u2013 most goals by an individual in a tie, 9, and most in a leg, 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason cited was those goals, scored against Lesotho\u2019s champions, Majantja, in the African Cup of Champions Clubs, had been scored before Zambia\u2019s Super League season began. They were, but so what? That legitimately excludes them from the season tally. While that accounted for their exclusion from the single-season record, how could it matter in the calendar year record?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Anomaly<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the seasons in West Germany and Spain, the Zambian Super League season began at the end of February and ended in December. It was completed within the calendar year, so Chitalu\u2019s calendar year had been credited at just 309 days, as his single-season record competed against the full calendar year for M\u00fcller and Messi, and he still beat them convincingly \u2013 Messi by 16 and M\u00fcller by 22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the African Cup of Champions Clubs goals against Majantja are included, as they should be, Chitalu\u2019s total is 31 more than M\u00fcller and 25 higher than Messi. Strangely, CAF asked for proof of those goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Missing African Champions\u2019 Clubs Records<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It was their most important club competition, and Chitalu\u2019s total for the competition that year was 13 \u2013 it included the nine missing goals. Newspaper reports confirm that Chitalu scored a brace at the National Stadium in Maseru against Lesotho\u2019s champions Majantja in the 2-2 draw in the first leg on January 23rd<\/sup> 1972 and seven in the second leg. On February 6th<\/sup> the now demolished Dag Hammerskj\u00f6ld witnessed a strikers\u2019 masterclass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kabwe Warriors beat Majantja by a match record 9-0 \u2013 it has since been beaten by Raja Casablanca and by current record holders Mamelodi Sundowns; but while the club record has been broken, another has not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The late great Boniface Simutowe scored once, as did Sandford Mvula. The remaining seven were banged in by Chitalu. It remains the most scored in a Champions tournament match by an individual. It has lasted 48 years and counting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was checked with writers at the time, and they confirmed that Chitalu had scored nine in the tie, two in Maseru and seven in Ndola.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The African Cup of Champions Clubs goals must count, both as a tournament record and towards the calendar year. All three of these records should be acknowledged. And he may have set even more records if it had not been for a bizarre assessment of Africa\u2019s Goal King.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Gap Years<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chitalu hardly played in what should have been the greatest moment in his career two years later, even with the suspension of preferred striker Simon Kaushi, who got himself sent off in the first final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 1974. Despite that, Chitalu, Zambia\u2019s Goal King, was out of favour with the national team coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This happened despite the assessment of Chitalu as the best player, along with Ibrahim Sunday, by the AFCON record scorer in a single tournament, 9, Pierre Ndaye Mulamba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other African nations respected the striker with the great reputation more than Zambia\u2019s coach at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chitalu played an important role in the first round (qualification) victory over Madagascar, scoring in both legs, which set up the second-round tie against Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last and biggest win Zambia ever recorded against Nigeria was in the first leg at the Dag Hammerskj\u00f6ld Stadium in Ndola on July 15th<\/sup> 1973. Chitalu started the match, but went off injured in the first half without scoring in the 5-1 drubbing of Nigeria. Two weeks later Nigeria won the second leg 3-2 to exit the competition 4-7 on aggregate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

African legends Segun Odegbami and Godfrey Chitalu were rarely on the pitch together but Chitalu\u2019s giant reputation had travelled. A big deal was made of Chitalu in Nigeria. Odegbami, a truly gifted player in his own right, was in the crowd in Lagos on July 29th<\/sup>. He wanted his country to somehow win, of course, despite the size of the task, but he also wanted to see the African icon, Chitalu, play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChitalu was a threat to any team in his time,\u201d Odegbami said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis reputation preceded him everywhere on the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was one of the true greats of African football.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After helping Zambia to reach the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, Chitalu was largely confined to the bench and then to the international wilderness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was said to have lost form. The detractors claimed that he was finished. He was just 26. Others knew better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Andrew<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

FAZ President, Andrew Kamanga agrees with Odegbami\u2019s assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe had a knack for scoring goals,\u201d Kamanga said. \u201cThat\u2019s why he was fondly referred to as \u2018Goal King.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Banished to the wilderness, Chitalu bided his time. He\u2019d be back with a vengeance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first black man to play for Liverpool, Howard Gayle, wants to see Zambia\u2019s Goal King, Godfrey Chitalu, honoured in Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time for the footballing community to honour and recognise what is an outstanding achievement in goal scoring, so that his name and his country can finally be added to the Halls of Fame of footballing greatness,\u201d Gayle said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[698],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1923"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1927,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923\/revisions\/1927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fittedin.org\/fittedinwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}