Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili had indicated on July 9 that the Cabinet had decided that the stadium that is due for official handover by December would be known as Gabon Disaster Heroes National Stadium. Honouring the team was popular but the minister still found himself rapidly awash in hot water. The reaction was swift and the objections to that name sustained. The controversy widened and rapidly became the talking point. The predominant view was that the name was inappropriate. It was wrong to call a sports facility "disaster" and the name was too long. It would demoralise fans at every match. Some vowed not to set foot in that stadium if that name was maintained. It would give them the sinking feeling each time they went there. "The name itself is a disaster. We should be moving away from memories of the disaster but cabinet has decided to remind us of the tragedy. It is unacceptable... We should be celebrating the lives of the heroes and not reminding us of the tragedy," said the former Transport Minister William Harrington who is patron of the Chipolopolo Soccer fans Association (CSFA). He vowed never to set foot in what he called the"Disaster Stadium." It didn't help that even the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) had reservations and its president, former Zambian captain, Kalusha Bwalya suggested the more compact "Heroes Stadium."
The reaction to the Cabinet approved name grew more adverse and the issue rapidly developed into something of a tug-of-war, pitying the minister against the rest! Suggestions came thick and fast: Heroes stadium, 30-Heroes Stadium, 1993 National Stadium, Lusaka Memorial Stadium, KK 11 Stadium and Fallen Heroes Stadium among others. What many objected to were the words "disaster" and "Gabon". Two soccer fans' associations said they were disappointed with the inclusion of those two words because they didn't resonate positively. But the Sports Minister still would not yield and maintained that the name approved by the Cabinet was the best way to remember the players and officials who perished in the plane crash off the Gabon coast in 1993 en-route to Senegal for a World Cup qualifier. He said there had been "wide" consultations before deciding on the name. "We consulted widely before coming up with the name and 'Gabon Disaster Heroes' came out prominently. Every year, we commemorate that day, we call it 'Gabon Disaster Victims' day so what is wrong with calling the stadium after that?" "You can't please everyone and those that are not happy will have to live with that. I am sorry but the name stands. We can't say 'Heroes National stadium because heroes are too many, we need to specify that we are honouring the Gabon Heroes. The most important thing is that we consulted widely and this name came out prominently," he said. The next day, July 12 the matter was raised in the National Assembly in the morning with opposition Members of Parliament(MP) threatening to table a private member's motion to rename the stadium. Vice-President Guy Scott defended the "disastrous" name saying those who found it too long could adopt a short form and said the opposition was at liberty to introduce a private member's motion if they so wished.But that same afternoon, the Minister relented as it became clear that if the name stood, it could give rise to a feud with soccer fans and perhaps lead to conflict in future. Kambwili said after listening to the views of the public the name had been changed to Heroes National Stadium. "I wish to confirm that the stadium shall now be called Heroes National Stadium. We have listened to the concerns of the people. The stadium belongs to the people of Zambia," he said and so was the disaster averted. (Sila Press Agency)
