After leading the Brave Warriors to their maiden African Cup of Nations appearance, Coach Ben Bamfuchile, a Zambian native, succumbed to a long illness a few days after Christmas.The 47-year-old Baumfuchile died in his hometown of Kitwe and the announcement of his death was made by the President of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) Teddy Mulonge.

He said, “It is a big blow for our country. He was the first Zambian coach to have qualified a foreign country to the Africa Cup.”
Bamfuchile was the Brave Warriors’ coach from 2006. He had also coached the Zambian national team and also had stings in his home town as well as in South Africa.
A message of condolence from the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture states that Baumfuchile was a competent professional coach who has done a lot for football in Namibia.
he Ministry states, “Through his professional guidance, our national football team the Brave Warriors, has qualified to participate and compete in the forthcoming 2008 African Cup of Nations championship to be hosted in the Republic of Ghana.
The Namibia Football Association (NFA) stated in its message of condolence that what Baumfuchile gave the Brave Warriors and the Namibian nation was the best gift ever: qualifying for African Cup.
NFA states, “Over the past 18 months that Baumfuchile lived in Namibia, we began to understand the depth of knowledge that he possessed about the game that he selflessly passed onto the young team he built for Namibia.
“We witnessed firsthand Baumfuchile's passion for sharing his vast pool of African football experience as he inculcated the desire and hunger for the qualification to the African Cup of Nations and the need to make that a habit in the youthful Brave Warriors team.”
The NFA stated that it had hoped for a speedy recovery and that despite his illness, Baumfuchile was courageous and continued to work hard at building a team for Namibia and ensured qualifications for the biggest showpiece event on the continent