Mmegi Staff Writer, LETSO MPHO examines the just-ended AFCON 2008 and
argues that participating teams committed the 'crimes of soccer'. He says
African teams must improve if they entertain hopes of winning the FIFA
World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
From what we have all witnessed in the just ended AFCON 2008 competition
in Ghana, I degrade some of the showcases. I really could not wait any
longer. What is the point of waiting if my insights can almost certainly
come to our rescue when the 2010 World Cup is just around the corner?
As Ghana 2008 memories are still fresh in the mind, we are blushing, looking
discredited more so that we did not see a nation capable of saving Africa's
ailing respect in the circles of soccer. Not even Egypt can possibly come
to our liberation. So we ask ourselves the question; who will win World
Cup 2010 for us? No one indeed. Perhaps our gratification can only come
from one of the non-African nations that have players with African connections
to triumph at World Cup 2010. But if we are looking for an African nation
to save us from years of humiliation, there is most likely none. Ghana
2008 may have proved that African teams are to a certain extent the 'criminals
of soccer'. Conceivably the contestants should be held in contempt; so
I am the first to try them. Therefore I examine the charge sheet.
With all due respect... but to whom really? Perhaps to Egypt who sufficiently
exterminated the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon twice, and the Elephants
of Ivory Coast to extend their record of five titles to six. However,
the level of football at the tournament was disappointing.
Though a record 95 goals was accomplished, the standards were very low.
In reality, a record number of goals was scored due to the fact that some
of the 'minor' teams formatted defensive woes. For instance, when Morocco's
first game produced five goals against Namibia, it was not brilliance
but a mis-match. Morocco then imperfectly lost ground in the last two
games and was purged in the group stages.
When Cameroon slumped 4-2 against Egypt, it was another distasteful representation.
It was amateurish defending since the teams were evenly matched. All in
all, a large fraction of the 95 goals may not have come as a gift from
the 'gods of soccer' but rather a lapse of defensive capabilities. From
a neutral point of view, I say that the competition needed a superstar.
Angolan, Manucho Goncalves and Ghana's Manuel 'Junior' Agogo almost made
it for me, but overall there were no distinctive players who carried the
'Barrack Obama' factor.
We also came to see the strange characteristics of Cameroon's defender
Rigobert Song and Ivory Coast's Kolo Toure - 'running from a Pharaoh'.
Usually when an 'unfamiliar' player commits a mistake in a similar fashion,
they are forever forgiven. But when such renowned players falter, I guess
it 'really sucks' for African soccer. It 'just' all went wrong for them
against Egypt - Toure literally just got frightened of Amr Zaki and ran
in zig-zagged confusion. For what Cameroon fans feared most throughout
the competition, Song 'surrendered his soul'- hopefully unintentionally.
Cameroon defender, Alphonce Bikey successfully saved himself from the
humiliation of facing Egypt (again) in the finals by committing a 'barbaric'
attack against a member of the medical team in the semis and was given
his marching orders.
But in general, such individual misfortunes are not supposed to be taken
practically though on a number of instances, they have astonishingly inflicted
irreversible outcomes.
African teams lack motivation and confidence as we came to see that there
was no team that looked really keyed up. They were not raring to go. The
Indomitable Lions were weak and the Super Eagles were awful. The Egyptians
lacked competitive opposition and were not tested.
The usually free-flowing type of football we came to know
from teams such as Nigeria and Cameroon has faded away with generations.
And regrettably, Africa's prominent stars did not come to the party though
all of them were in action in Ghana except Togo's Emmanuel Adebayor and
Ghana's Steven Appiah. For the best part of the tournament, Samuel Eto'o
looked isolated upfront and just about content to be on the field. Didier
Drogba was nowhere to be found most of the time. It appeared as if everyone
was just running ahead of him. Obafeni Martins was completely lost in
the field of play and when the coach found him, he placed him right where
he could not disappear - in the middle of the bench. Interestingly, when
Nigerian play maker, Mikel John Obi was interviewed after their first
game loss against Ivory Coast, he was not aware of his terrible performance
or what consipired during tha game.
Other play makers such as Yaya Toure, Mohamed Diarra and Steven Pienaar
looked like fugitives. They played as if they were under threatening forces.
The foreign-based African stars posted poor performances unlike before.
Most of the teams were endowed with physical and muscular players and
the major problem was the technical aspect, which was vastly compromised.
It was evident the players failed to cohesively play one-two touches and
make telling passes. There were barely players who could dribble and make
surging runs from the midfield or in the box. There was no wizadry nor
trickery. It is so depressing that the golden generation of African players
such as Jay Jay Okocha, Joel Tiehi, Finidi George, Tijani Babangida, Kalusha
Bwalya, Abedi Pele and Doctor Khumalo have no successors.
Most of the participating teams failed to retain possession for long periods
and made stray passes. Football should entertain and be executed with
intent. Fatally, where does the pride of African soccer lie when Cameron
and Ivory Coast can concede four goals each against Egypt? The Pharaohs
might have won the last two editions of the AFCON but the truth of the
matter is that at the highest level, they are not Africa's best. They
were at the World Cup way back in 1990 and during qualifiers for the last
tournament they finished bottom of their group. Really, even the Botswana
Zebras have managed to contain Egypt. But in Ghana, they were in a class
of their own and that shows the depths to which African soccer has plummeted.
Ghana 2008 saw the humiliation of the elites of African soccer like Cameroon,
Nigeria and Ivory Coast with their vast array of European-based stars.
They surrendered to an Egypt side with home-based talent and coach.
Realistically, Egypt is not the best team in Africa but the most consistent.
For African teams to prosper in the World Cup 2010, they need a much better
performance than we saw in Ghana. It was mediocre. And should none of
the big teams improve, Africans will find themselves cheering an outsider
walk away with the cup.
Remember 'I told you so, didn't I?" I bet I will bite off my elbow
if the continent produces a World Cup winner in 2010. I have once said
that and I was branded negative - but my friend, negativity and reality
in these scenarios are married.
,
3 March 2008
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