Image credit ABCGoldsboro via Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Deed.
On this week’s episode of the African Five-a-side podcast, we head to Zambia to name our final starter, an African president who actually liked football.
Kenneth Kaunda was a rarity: an African President who not only backed football, but [also] actually liked it. – David Goldblatt
BY Maher Mezahi
In the final episode of “Matchday 1” of the African Five-a-side podcast, we profile Zambia’s first president, Kenneth Kaunda. Kaunda so loved football and supported the national team that they were nicknamed the “KK11” in honor of him. We also explore how Kaunda got parastatal conglomerates in Zambia’s Copperbelt to sponsor domestic clubs and spur local football development. Special thanks to the research of Dr. Hikabwa Chipande and his extensive research on this subject which served as the basis for this episode.
Watch the latest “Matchday” episode below and subscribe to the podcast.
Also, be sure to check out last week’s African Football Round up, where we took a brief look at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and categorize the 24 teams into tiers.
About the Author
Maher Mezahi is a football journalist based in Algiers who studies the cross-section between history, politics and football on the African continent.
