Football – Page 16 – Empower Sports Magazine

April 28, 2021

A Tragic Waste

African football has suffered more than its fair share of tragedies. April 28^th will always be a difficult day for Zambians, as sixteen years ago on that day Zambian football awoke to the news that it had been dealt a crippling blow. The Zambian team, bar one of Africa’s greatest players, Kalusha Bwalya,[1] Johnson Bwalya and Anderlecht’s Charles ‘Charlie Cool’ Musonda, were killed in a plane crash in Gabon, shortly after leaving Gabon’s capital, Libreville.

April 28, 2021

Football’s Shame

Tomorrow afternoon Henan Construction FC’s Zambian striker, Christopher Katongo, will lead his team out in Bata as underdogs against the Black Stars of Ghana. It is the first time that Zambia has a realistic chance of success in the African Cup of Nations since their unlikely campaign in 1994 – one that was robbed by a preventable disaster of possibly the greatest ever Zambian team.

May 3, 2021

Il Grande Torino Semplicemente il Migliore (Simply the Best)

AS Roma could not have chosen a worse day to capitulate to Catania. Their dismal 4-1 defeat handed the Serie A title to Juventus – today of all days! Sixty-five years ago on this very day perhaps the greatest club side that ever played the beautiful game lost their lives in a plane crash at the picturesque Basilica of Superga on the outskirts of Turin. Superga hosts the mausoleums of Italy’s last monarchs the House of Savoia.

May 3, 2021

The Immortal Grande Torino

Five years ago we published the following story on one of the greatest teams ever to play the beautiful game. They were a truly incredible team that was cut down while still in their prime, having achieved greatness and quite possibly on their way to establishing themselves as the greatest ever. Even now 65 years after they were tragically killed in the Superga Disaster, some of their records still stand.