Godfrey Chitalu - Coaching Career

Coaching Career

Chitalu got involved in coaching as early as 1975, when he served as assistant player-coach at Warriors. In 1978, he was named interim national team coach for a two-match trip to Swaziland which Zambia comfortably won 6–1 and 5–2.

After retirement, he was appointed assistant coach at Warriors under Ilija Lukić. On October 16, 1983, Warriors were trailing to Nkana Red Devils in a league match at Railways Stadium. According to reports, Lukić was first sent to the stands, and Nkana were later awarded a penalty in the 75th minute of the match. In the ensuing confusion, Chitalu rushed onto the field as if to talk to the referee and suddenly punched him in the face. This led to the game being abandonded. The club acted swiftly by removing Chitalu from his post and banning him from football activities for a year. Although he denied attacking the referee, the FAZ meted out an even heavier punishment when they banned him for life and Warriors were fined and docked points for the abandonment of the game.

It seemed like an ignominious end for the famed goal-king but his club mounted an appeal and the life ban was lifted and replaced by a two year probation period and a fine. The Warriors stated that "in view of Chitalu's outstanding contribution to the Zambian game". He was being given another chance.

Later that year in October, Warriors dismissed veteran coach Lasky Mwandu and appointed Chitalu in his place and Warriors won the Independence Cup.After a seventh place finish in the 1985 season, he led Warriors to third place in the league in 1986 but was surprisingly replaced by Bizwell Phiri who went on to win the 1987 league title.

In October 1987, he was appointed Administrative Manager for the national team and the following year, Zambia qualified to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games after a nerve-wracking 2–1 aggregate win over Ghana. After winning the first leg 2–0 in Lusaka and Ghanaian fans predicting a 5–0 whitewash in favour of their team in the return leg, Zambia conceded an early goal in Accra and despite intense Ghanaian pressure, held on to proceed to Seoul. Chitalu called the 5 minutes added time 'the longest five minutes of his life.' Although he was left out of the Seoul contingent which made an impression with 4–0 victories over Guatemala and Italy, he bounced back in the same position after the tournament. Later that year, Chitalu received an honorary diploma for Fair Play from the International Fair Play Committee at the awards ceremony on November 3, 1988 in Paris, after he came out second to Indian tennis star Vijay Amritraj in a poll to honour some of the world's most outstanding sports personalities.

In 1990, disaster struck when Warriors were relegated and coach Jack Chanda was fired. The club called on Chitalu to lead them back to the top league and he obliged by first ensuring that none of the club's top players left to join other clubs. Warriors set a blistering pace in Division I which led to a swift return to the Premier League. They also won the Challenge Cup after a resounding 7–0 defeat of Konkola Blades and the Champion of Champions Trophy through a 2–1 win over Nkana Red Devils. Eyebrows were raised when Chitalu, the coach of a team in a lower division was rewarded with the Coach of the Year trophy, ahead of Freddie Mwila of Power Dynamos who had won the Premier League and African Cup Winners' Cup double.

Following Zambia's surprise defeat to Madagascar in a World Cup qualification tie in Antananarivo in December 1992, previous coach was sacked and Moses Simwala was named coach with Chitalu and Alex Chola as his assistants. However, Moses Simwala fell ill before he could take charge of the team and Chitalu took over as head coach. Zambia were tipped to make it all the way to the 1994 World Cup, but on their way to Senegal the team met its fate in the horrific air disaster off the coast of Gabon. Chitalu had a record of 4 wins, a draw and 1 loss with 13 goals scored and 3 conceded.