Alex Chola

Alexander "Alex" Chola (6 June 1956 – 27 April 1993) was a Zambian footballer and coach.

It was Blackpool's second and last trophy following their Chibuku Cup win of 1972.

Despite a mid-table finish, Chola finished the season as Blackpool's top scorer with 20 goals and was named Zambia's Footballer of the year.

After a brief stay, he left for Mufulira and signed with Division II side Mufulira Blackpool in 1974.

Chola's exceptional skills were evident from an early age and he forged a sharp frontline with giant striker John 'Fuso' Lengwe, Lee Mulenga and player-coach Simon "Kaodi" Kaushi.

It was the first league defeat in over a year for Buffaloes, who had won the title in 1974 without losing a single game.

In July of that same year, Blackpool captain John Botha was removed and suspended indefinitely for issuing disparaging press statements against Kaushi, and Chola was named the new skipper at the age of 19.

Chola was linked with several clubs during his time at Blackpool.

Mufulira Wanderers, Rokana United and Green Buffaloes were all after his signature at some point but Blackpool managed to hold on to their prized asset.

In Buffaloes' case, the player changed his mind when told he had to enlist with their sponsors Zambia Army because he wanted to maintain his civilian status and the move to Wanderers did not materialize as it was believed that such a move would have soured relationships between the two clubs.

Blackpool won promotion to the Zambian top league and in April 1975, Chola ended defending league champions Green Buffaloes long unbeaten run with a clinical finish at Blackpool's home ground John Kachofa Stadium in Mufulira.

Voted Zambian Footballer of the Year in 1976, he is regarded as one of the greatest Zambian players in history and is the country's second highest goal scorer after Godfrey Chitalu.

In 1976, Blackpool won a hard-fought 4-3 Independence Cup final win over town-mates Butondo Western Tigers at Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium in Ndola, with Chola creating two goals and scoring the winner.

In 1978, Blackpool made a strong start going unbeaten in the first 8 games of the season and topping the table.

They were still leading with 4 games to go, however were pipped to the title by Wanderers, who finished on top by a single point, when Blackpool lost all three cases which were before the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) disciplinary committee.

In the first one, they lost points to Ndola United at Kamuchanga Stadium when a ball blew up and a replacement could not be found while a 2–2 draw with Red Arrows which was abandoned when Blackpool walked off the pitch after Arrows were awarded a dubious penalty had its result upheld.

The third case involved a former Blackpool player who featured for Kabwe United while still on their books but the FAZ ruled against the Mufulira side.

The second-place finish was still an achievement but it was evident Chola had been carrying the team for a long time and fans wondered how much longer he would stay at John Kachofa Stadium.

Chola's amazing footwork, ball juggling skills and precise passes unsurprisingly led to the nicknames 'Computer' and 'Master Dribbler.' He inspired a young Kalusha Bwalya who later remarked that Chola "could do incredible things with the ball. It’s a pity there was no video at the time."

Following their second-place finish in 1978, Blackpool were expected to make the final step and capture their first ever league title, however, the team was caught in a relegation battle right from the start and finished second bottom, however was saved from relegation when the FAZ increased the number of teams from 16 to 18.

In December 1979, Chola and his family vanished from Mufulira and were reported to be in Kitwe, a move which upset Blackpool officials who felt betrayed and did not know which club had snagged their star as so many clubs were after him.

However, Chola denied that he had deserted Blackpool and said he was merely on leave in Mufulira, despite the fact that a big truck was seen transporting his household goods from Mufulira.

"I am a big boy and an international footballer. When I want to leave Blackpool, I will inform the public about my intentions to do so.'.

It soon emerged that Chola had been given a job by Copperbelt Power Company, the sponsors of Power Dynamos and this led to Blackpool banning the player indefinitely 'for deserting the club,’ which ruled him out of international matches.

This prompted Chola to write a letter of appeal to the FAZ who ruled in his favour and paved the way for his move to Arthur Davies Stadium.

He made an instant impression, scoring twice on his debut, the Champion of Champions Cup semi-final on 3 February 1980 in a 2–0 win against Green Buffaloes.

A week later, he scored the third goal in the final, a 3–0 triumph over Mufulira Wanderers in Ndola.

He collected more silverware later that year when Dynamos beat Buffaloes 2–0 to win the Independence Cup, and ended the season as the club's top scorer.

The following year, Dynamos retained the Champions of Champions Cup and made their debut in the Africa Cup Winners Cup only to be eliminated by Sekondi Hasacaas of Ghana in the quarter-finals.

In 1982, they won the Independence Cup for the third time in 4 years, but the league eluded them as they ended the season as runners-up to Kitwe rivals Nkana Red Devils.

Dynamos however had a fine run in the Africa Cup Winners Cup, reaching the final only to lose 4–0 on aggregate to Egyptian club Arab Contractors.

Chola ended the season as second highest goal-scorer in the Zambian league, runner-up to club-mate Peter Kaumba.

Chola was in the Dynamos team that won the Rothmans International trophy in the 6 nations African Club soccer tournament in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in May 1983, after beating home team Stella Abidjan of Ivory Coast 2–1, FC 105 from Gabon 4-1 and Nigeria's Bendel Insurance 2–1.

In the final, Dynamos drew 0–0 with Camerounian giants Tonnere Yaonde FC and won 5–4 on post match penalties with goalkeeper Blackwell Chalwe saving the decisive spot-kick after a goalless 90 minutes.

In July 1983, new Zambia national team coach Wieslaw Grabowski described Chola and his Dynamos teammate Kaumba as world class players with enough potential to play for any division I side in Europe.

Grabowski joined the legion of fans who admired Chola's bull juggling skills, but he noted that his teammates did not understand his crisp and timely passes.

He further said that although Chola lacked speed, he was an intelligent player who could read the game.

He made a mark at Mufulira Blackpool and Power Dynamos before becoming Dynamos coach and winning the Coach of the Year award in 1992.

Chola died in a plane crash off the coast of Gabon on 27 April 1993.

Chola was born in Lubumbashi where his father went to work and he reportedly played for local club Solbena F.C. before moving to Ndola as a teenager.