By Gunnergirl
“Africa, my Africa. Africa of proud warriors in ancestral savannahs……….” Those were the lines written by the late David Diop, born in Europe to a Senegalese father and a Cameroonian mother – A vintage African poet who penned a timeless representation of the black man’s struggle under colonialism, a struggle that still rears its ugly head today, even in recreation. In Africa, the beautiful game of football appears to only be played by Eagles or Lions, which are generally considered to be superior combatants in the jungle. The teams who are nicknamed Squirrels and Cranes usually end up being swallowed up by the rest for obvious reasons. Am I the only one seeing a pattern here?
The recently concluded 2019 edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON 2019) hosted by Egypt epitomized the Africa of whom the poet’s grandmother sang. It was quite simply put, a mishmash of footballing faux pas, if there is anything like that. My avid interest in football was not even enough to lift me above the series of underwhelming performances I had to witness from the first blow of the whistle to the last kick of the ball in Cairo.
My first accusing finger of course points at Egypt. Being 7-time winners of the title, a lot more was expected from the Pharaohs. They however produced several below-par showings, despite having the highly decorated Mohamed Salah in their ranks. Their spirit of fair play also left a lot to be desired with the notable empty stadiums whenever Egypt was not playing and particularly when they disappointingly crashed out in the round of 16. The Pharaohs were indeed plagued, this time by a bloated sense of self-assuredness.
The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon ended up being the most susceptible to defeat when they failed to register a goal against the Squirrels of Benin. This was ironical, considering that their supposed undisputed superiority to them in the green forest was not evident on the green turf of the Ismailia Stadium during the Group Stage of the competition. Their reign as defending champions ended when they were eventually knocked out by fierce rivals, the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the round of 16.
Speaking of the Super Eagles, a couple of smash-and-grab wins in the group stage, one good game against Cameroon, one lucky win against South Africa, and another good game against Tunisia in the third-place match earned them the bronze medal for a record eighth time. Their string of lukewarm performances, including a shock loss to Madagascar in the group stage did not portray the dignity of an eagle, not to talk of a ‘super’ one. Even the receipt of the golden boot by Odion Ighalo was not a true reflection of the performance of the Nigerian front-man. Off the record, I failed to understand what exactly Kanu Nwankwo’s role was supposed to be in the Super Eagles camp.
The underdogs from the island of Madagascar were the one bright spot in the competition. This 2019 edition was the first time they would qualify in their entire history as a nation and boy, were they a force! They beat a lack-lustre Nigerian side, brushed aside the Red Devils of the Democratic Republic of Congo with their winning mentality in a penalty shoot-out, before finally being knocked out by the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in the quarter finals. The Malagasy football team did their country right proud and will go down in history as the surprise of the AFCON 2019 tournament.
How exactly did the Lions of Teranga not win this tournament? I will tell you. A good number of their eggs were in the basket of a certain Sadio Mane, European Champions League 2019 winner. He began to break those eggs right from the off when he lost two penalties in back-to-back matches. It is true that attacking skills in the entire tournament was in short supply what with all the missed spot kicks and numerous shots off-target, but that is no excuse for a player of Mane’s pedigree. Senegal did claw their way to the Finals, but Algeria came out on top, being the best of a bad bunch. I guess they will try again in Cameroon 2021, abi?
And so it turns out that it was a team who are not christened after warrior animals that won the AFCON 2019. Yep, The Desert Fighters of Algeria beat Senegal in a tepid Final that ended 1-0. The Algerians simply used the standard North African style of play: Line-up at the back, leave third mainland bridge in the midfield and throw long balls to the solitary point-man in front. Apparently, they are strongest on North African soil, winning their only other AFCON in 1990 in their very own backyard.
Shall I touch on the match officials? The referees’ positioning was so bad, they never saw any misdemeanors clearly and interfered with play. They made way too many wrong calls and unnecessary stoppages of the game, thereby killing the tempo too often. And the commentators? Awful to say the least. No intelligent quips, no witty comparisons (imagine one likening the drama on the field to an American Soap Opera…..how? No be Mexico get soap opera?), no poetry. Just repeated screams of “Mo Salah! Mo Salah! Mo Salah! Mo Salah!” or “Chukwueze! Chukwueze!”. Where was Peter Drury when I needed him?
The truth is, football has gone scientific and Africans simply cannot keep up. The mathematics of it has become so technical that our uneducated footballers are struggling on the very green grass that is the essence of the savannah.
MergeTeam on the Spot AFCON 2019 Awards:
MVP of the Tournament – Ismael Bennacer (Algeria)
Coach of the Tournament – Nicolas Dupuis (Madagascar)
Game of the Tournament –Kenya vs Tanzania (Group C Match)
In other news: I bid you a cheery welcome to the new club season in Europe, especially the EPL (we all know that is where the action is). Frank Lampard and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are the freshmen to watch this season – which of them is going to pull a Guardiola? Super Frankie has the heart and vision seeming like the real deal, but I cannot ignore the fact that Ole Gunnar trained under Sir Fergie. So many questions plague my mind this season: Will Klopp of the Kop stop Guardiola’s quest for the record of a third EPL title in a row? Will Ronaldo deliver the Champions’ League to Juventus as a last hurrah in the twilight of his career? Will Hazard face the harsh REALities in Madrid? Will PSG finally rally the divas in their team and taste European glory? Will Barcelona avenge their last two shock exits from the CL? Will another underdog replicate Ajax’ acrobatics last season? The pennants have been exchanged…..let’s play ball!
GunnerGirl