津巴布韦传奇足球评论员李唯唯离世

 

Known as the 'Voice of Zambian football' Liwewe succumbed⁴ to liver complications in a Lusaka hospital. 

 

His son Ponga said: "He died this morning and we are all sad. He was a pillar of the family and always taught us good morals. We shall all miss him." 

 

Liwewe hailed from neighbouring Malawi and began his journalism⁵ career by working as a reporter at a newspaper owned by mines in northern Zambia. 

 

The former BBC correspondent was later to travel 96 times to 42 countries around the world in his 41-year illustrious career; broadcasting from different stadiums to millions of people who enjoyed his distinct voice on the airwaves.

 

At his peak, Liwewe who coined the nickname "KK 11" in reference to the Zambian team that died in the 1993 Gabon Crash, became so popular that fans would troop to stadia（视距） to watch live games whilst listening to his commentaries on radio. 

 

Founding Zambia president Kenneth Kaunda recognised Liwewe's influence on football in the country and awarded him the prestigious⁶ Order of Distinguished⁷ Service in 1977. 

 

A trained teacher by profession, Liwewe was scheduled to be on the plane that crashed in 1993 but he missed the fateful flight. 

 

The death of the entire team took a toll⁸ on Liwewe, who, on doctor's advice, retired⁹ from football commentaries to become an inspirational speaker. 

 

Zambia's sports minister Chishimba Kambwili told BBC Sport: "We are sad as government. We can't have lost such a man at this stage. He dedicated¹⁰ all his life to football. 

 

"He had such a passion for football that sometimes he even used his personal money to follow our national team." 

 

Liwewe's death has shocked his personal friend and former Zambia president Rupiah Banda. 

 

"Dennis like was a member of my family. I became so close to him because we travelled all over Africa and outside with him," he said. 

 

"He was such an inspiration and brand of Zambian football." 

 

Everything about Liwewe, from his private life to social discussions, revolved¹¹ around football. There was never a boring moment in the company of the devout¹² Anglican church member. 

 

He once told me a story of how his widow Sylvia had accepted his love proposal after one-and-a-half years of tirelessly trying.

 

"It took me 18 months of continuous wave-after-wave bombardment using a 5-3-2 formation because my wife was a hard nut to crack", he said as Sylvia looked on.

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