NIGERIAN FOOTBALL LEGEND CALLS ON CAF TO HONOUR GODFREY CHITALU
NIGERIAN 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winner Segun Odegbami has added his voice to those of football legends calling for the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to honour the late Zambian and African icon Godfrey “Ucar” Chitalu who is still the national team leading top scorer of all times on the entire continent with 79 goals making him 5th in the whole world.
Chitalu’s absence from the African Player of the Year Awards of 1972 after one of the greatest years football has ever seen angers Odegbami.
Zambia’s Football Association (FAZ) has long attempted to challenge Lionel Messi’s record for the most goals scored in a calendar year‚ asserting that the Barcelona forward’s tally of 91 in 2012 was beaten in 1972 by Chitalu.
Then Kabwe Warriors striker Chitalu’s 107 calendar goals – which could in fact be 116‚ as nine more have gone unaccounted for from the African Cup of Champions Clubs tie in Lesotho – in 1972‚ have not been officially recognised.
It is a sports discussion program and among the issues discussed was that of the late Godfrey Ucar Chitalu who has scored more goals than any other player in one calendar year.
Chitalu won all five domestic trophies available for Warriors in 1972. He set two African Cup of Champions Clubs (the predecessor to the Caf Champions League) records against Lesotho’s then champions‚ Majantja – the most in a tie (nine) and the most in a match (seven). The latter‚ while being man-marked‚ sometimes by three players‚ still stands almost 50 years later. Chitalu thrived on being marked.
Chitalu set two world records in 1972 – the single season total of 107 and the calendar-year total of 116.
Astonishingly, Chitalu’s 107 was set in just 309 days and still beat the calendar-year totals of West German great Gerd Müller‚ 85‚ which Messi’s 91 broke in 2012.
Chitalu‚ then coach of Zambia‚ died on World Cup duty in the Gabon plane crash in April 1993. He was just 45 years old.
“It is not too late for Caf to do the right thing. Chitalu was indeed a true legend of Zambian and African football,” Segun Odegbami said.
Odegbami has called for Caf to posthumously recognise the feats of Chitalu in 1972. At the time, the African Player of the Year award was bestowed by France Football magazine.
“France Football actually did a shoddy job of the process at the time‚ but the continent was not well connected by the media as it is today‚” Odegbami said.
“Travel was difficult and monitoring of matches was extremely limited.
“Despite these‚ Caf can still do something about the injustice done to Chitalu and Zambia‚ by recognising and posthumously decorating him with some kind of legendary status award and acknowledging his goal-scoring records.
“It is not too late for Caf to do the right thing. Chitalu was indeed a true legend of Zambian and African football.”
Odegbami’s call is supported by Majantja’s goalkeeper‚ Denton Lebohang Nketo. “Black Cat”, as Nketo is known‚ conceded the nine goals that Chitalu scored. But Nteko has great respect for Chitalu, the best he ever faced.
MEN’s NATIONAL TEAM TOP 5 SCORERS OF ALL TIMES
1. Ali Daei, Iran, 109 goals
2. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal, 102 goals
3. Mokhtar Dahai, Malaysia, 89 goals
4. Ferenc Puskas, Hungary, 85 goals
5. Godfrey Chitalu, 79 goals.
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