Zambia's preparations for final like no other

LIBREVILLE, Gabon — Zambia prepared for the African Cup of Nations final by traveling to a rubbish-strewn beach Thursday to sing songs and lay flowers in honor of players who died in a plane crash nearly two decades ago.

The current players, some without shoes, walked down the nondescript stretch of sand in Libreville not far from where a Zambian military plane crashed into the ocean soon after takeoff in 1993, killing 25 players and officials on board as well as five crew.

It robbed the country of one of its best teams and a group favored to win the following year's African Cup.

This squad walked silently at first as players held their flowers, some too young to remember the disaster. Then players started singing as they approached the water and laid their flowers on the edge of the surf. Some waded in knee-deep. They huddled to pray for Zambia's previous soccer stars.

On Sunday, they will try to honor them again by beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast, Africa's top-ranked team, for Zambia's first continental title.

The site for the small, informal ceremony was chosen as the part of the beach the plane flew over 19 years ago before plunging into the water 500 yards out to suddenly and tragically snatch away nearly an entire squad.

At the head of the 22 players Thursday was Kalusha Bwalya, probably Zambia's greatest player and a member of the '93 team who escaped the accident because he played for a club in Europe and was to meet the rest of the squad for a World Cup qualifier at their final destination: Dakar, Senegal.

Bwalya's teammates never made it.

Zambia and Bwalya returned to the Gabonese capital for the first time since the tragedy. The Zambians will be in the African Cup final for the third time. And they've returned to try and finally win it in the city where Zambia suffered its lowest, saddest soccer moment.

Zambia made the '94 final with a makeshift squad that was inspired by Bwalya and the tragedy, only to lose to Nigeria.

The team has surprised many again by making the final, and a victory in Libreville this weekend would undoubtedly be dedicated to the 18 players and seven federation officials who died a few miles from the stadium.

"It's been a long journey," Bwalya said, remembering his late teammates as the current players stood behind him, some ankle-deep in the ocean. "I'm just pleased that God has given me enough days to see this day."