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| Two weeks of brilliance and blame in Angola |
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WASHINGTON DC (AFM) - After a fortnight of action and the completion of the group stage, the African Cup of Nations in Angola has certainly, if not all that surprisingly, been peculiar. If the start to what some have called the ‘Year of Africa’ is representative, then 2010 figures to be an erratic celebration of football and life. Of course, the tournament hasn’t really shrugged off its tragic start, nor should it. The attack on the Togolese team bus by an armed political faction in the Cabinda region that killed three people and seriously injured goalkeeper Dodo Obilale will always be the first line in the summary of this edition of the always compelling biennial event. Who to blame? The second line regarding the CAN is usually something about poor organisation, which is just about a given, even on far less serious matters than who is to blame for the attack on Togo. And though the four brand-new stadiums built for the tournament are lovely and shockingly modern - thanks, China, these will come in handy for something - pre-tournament whispers about prohibitively expensive accommodations and difficulty getting around inside Angola were proven true. Even the teams were having trouble negotiating the random chaos and blank confusion of a CAF-run event. Malawi alleged home bias when they were denied a training ground ahead of their loss to Angola in Group A. Their coach Kinnah Phiri said his team was “demoralised” after three trips to find an open facility ended in failure. They lodged a complaint with CAF, who said “thanks very much!” and the Malawians, who thumped Algeria in their first match, then proceeded crash out of the tournament with losses to Angola and Mali. Demoralised indeed. And if you think that’s bad … there was almost a riot by the Malian team, again in Group A, when they showed up at their training ground in Luanda only to find the Algerian team there and already training. When they tried to enter the ground, Algeria’s security guards prevented them, so some players tried to sneak in through a bathroom window. After an hour of trying, the Malians went away without being able to train before their final match against Malawi. Their coach, well-respected Nigerian Stephen Keshi, said he was “fed up” naturally, while his players, some of whom - like Barcelona’s Seydou Keita and Real Madrid’s Mahamadou Diarra - make their living at the highest reaches of the European game, were left wondering who to blame. Mali then formally protested over the final match between Angola and Algeria, where both teams knew they were through after Mali’s early goals against Malawi and appeared to play to an eventless, scoreless draw. Mali said they were “vehement,” to which CAF said “thanks again!” Brightness and blunder But as usual, for those determined to watch some football, there have been a fair share of entertainment on the pitch to distract us. A 4-4 opening match is astounding enough, but one in which the visiting team, Mali, came from four behind against the hosts after 79 minutes is for the ages. It was a masterpiece of drama and ridiculousness as the Angolan team collapsed to an almost unprecedented scale. Surely among the handful of most amazing international match comebacks ever. After that, the goals kept on coming and the defensive frailties continued to be exposed. Frederic Kanoute scored after 40 seconds from 40 yards out with the Malawian goalkeeper on walkabout. Turns out, it was also his last international match. Also retiring from his national team is 36-year-old Tico Tico, who was Mozambique’s all-time top scorer and cap holder. There also of course were new stars and stars getting brighter before our very eyes. Cote d’Ivoire winger Gervinho, who is top scorer in France’s Ligue 1 with Lille, looks poised to explode at the World Cup this summer. He’s fast, strong, decisive around goal and currently brimming with confidence. It’s hard to imagine a better foil for Drogba and Kalou in the already mighty Elephants attack. Similarly full of self-belief are Angola’s old, middle and young trio of Flavio, Gilberto and Manucho, who look like they can score on anyone. Egypt’s evergreen Ahmed Hassan not only scored a goal in the 3-1 defeat of Nigeria but equalled his country’s all-time caps record at 169 later in the group. Seydou Keita scored three top drawer goals - his free kick against Malawi is the early leader for Goal of the Tournament - while Burkina Faso’s Jonathan Pitroipa tirelessly showed off his speed up front for the Stallions. All of those things will be remembered from the group stage. So will another report from the Friday after the matches ended, this one about a ‘brutal’ attack on a Ghanaian journalist by Angolan security forces. Such is the sad duality of things at the CAN. Thankfully we’re on to the knockout rounds, where five of Africa’s six World Cup qualifiers will show off their stuff. What could go wrong? Copyright African Football Media (AFM), 2010 For more information on AFM, contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |