adminmost goals scored in a calendar year.
“Thanks for the questions about Godfrey Chitalu. Our official stats are limited to Fifa competitions, so we cannot verify this ‘record’, Fifa’s communications department said on its Twitter account @fifamedia.
“We keep records for all Fifa competitions,” it added.
Barcelona forward Messi was hailed by many as the greatest player ever in the game after he scored twice on Sunday to beat the 40-year-old record of Germany’s Gerd Mueller and take his tally to 86 for 2012.
But claims emerged on Thursday that he may still in fact be well short of Zambia legend Chitalu, who netted 107 times — 49 in league matches for Kabwe Warriors and 58 in cup and internationals — between January 23 and December 10, 1972.
A black and white photograph of a smiling Chitalu, dressed in a suit and holding a ball inscribed with “1972 Godfrey Chitalu 107 goals” has been widely circulated on the Internet.
Yet there have also been claims that his name was raised by jealous supporters of Barca rivals Real Madrid to prevent the record going to a Barcelona player.
Zambian commentator Musonda Chibulu and fellow researcher Jerry Muchimba, who compiled their data from daily newspapers and the southern African country’s national archives, had said they would try to get Chitalu’s tally ratified by Fifa.
The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) also said it wants recognition for the player, who is considered one of the best to have played for The Copper Bullets, who are the current holders of the African Cup of Nations.
“Kabwe Warriors, for whom Godfrey Chitalu played, is a legendary team in our country,” FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya was quoted as saying on the BBC Sport website.
“Their front line had Godfrey Chitalu scoring all the goals — and even for the national team, this man did a lot. So I think it would be important for people to recognise his feats.”
Chitalu died with the whole national football team when their airplane crashed off the coast of Gabon in 1993 on the way to a World Cup qualifier in Senegal. He was head coach at the time.
A similar challenge had already been contested on Wednesday by Brazilian club Flamengo, who insisted that their former player, Zico, scored 89 times in the 1979 season.
Meanwhile, the Football Association of Zambia claimed that their research with regards to Chitalu’s 1972 107-goal tally has been going on for a number of years, and that it is not aimed at Messi.
Laduma broke the news earlier this week that FAZ are attempting to prove the impressive goal-scoring tally of the five-time Zambian Player of the Year, blowing Messi’s heroics of the calendar year out of the water.
On Wednesday night Messi scored another two goals, taking his number to an incredible 88 for 2012, however he is still some way off catching “Ucar”.
FAZ have been criticised by many for waiting so long to bring Chitalu’s record to the attention of the world, however their vice-resident, Boniface Mwamelo, says that that they have been working on it for a number of years.
Mwamela said: “We started this research over five years ago with the aim of putting straight our own Zambian football records, it’s not targeted at Messi.
“This work has been undertaken over a long time. We have looked at the 1972 league games, local cup games, African inter club championships and Zambia national team games. We are not just looking at mere speculation. These matches were played and recorded and Ucar scored.”
“It’s interesting that this comes at a time when there is a record being talked about and we thought we should present to FAZ our facts. The world record for most goals by any player in any calendar year belongs to Ucar, not Messi.”
One of the researchers, Musonda Chibulu, explained where they got all of their information.
He said, “The evidence we have can be verified by anybody. We’ve looked at records and reports of games in the Daily Mail, Times of Zambia, national archives, University of Zambia archives and records kept by other historians which we have presented.
“We hope FAZ will get this record straight because there is no disputing Chitalu’s goals. We know of it here and we’ve talked about it for years; now it’s on paper.”
“The rest of the football world needs to know this. Messi’s record is there and we’re not disputing it but it’s only a European one. Chitalu’s is there. It’s Zambian and it’s a world record and the world needs to know that. Further Fifa gave him a life time achievement award for those goals.”
According to the report presented to FAZ, the first recorded match took place on the March 23, 1972, in a Caf Continental Club Champions fixture (now the Caf Champions League) when Kabwe Warriors took on Lesotho champions, Majanjta.
That first leg ended 2-2, with Chitalu scoring both goals. Kabwe won the second-leg 9-0, as the Zambian netted seven of the nine goals.
In response to claims that the Zambian league back in the 70s wasn’t fit to be credited by Fifa. — AFP-Laduma.
Online Reporter