Alex Chola Alex Chola (6 June 1956 – 27 April 1993) was a Zambian footballer and coach. 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. 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. Playing career 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. After a brief stay, he left for Mufulira and signed with Division II side Mufulira Blackpool in 1974. Mufulira Blackpool 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. 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 Kamuchanga Stadium in Mufulira. 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 damaging 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 Buffaloes were all after his signature at some point but Blackpool managed to hold on to their prize 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. 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. 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. 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 Kamuchanga Stadium. Chola's amazing footwork, ball juggling skills and precise passes unsurprisginly led to the nicknames ‘Computer’ and