Opinion: The A – Z of the 2013 African Cup of Nations

by Sayo Owolabi

I have developed the habit of calling him like the rapper, “Ikeeeechukwu”. Take it or leave it, Ike Uche is the most reliable of the Super Eagles strikers going to the 2013 AFCON

A – AFRICA’S PREMIER FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT.

Yes indeed, this is the biggest football showpiece on the African continent and if the Europeans are proud of the Euro Championships and the South Americans are passionately in love with the Copa America, we should also be head over heels for the African Cup Of Nations (AFCON). Incidentally it is the first time in my lifetime that it is held within 12 months of the last edition and also in an odd numbered year.

B – BAFANA BAFANA

No doubt the South Africa national team needs to stop being “The Boys, The Boys” (literally). The hosts can only lay claim to the 1996 triumph as their biggest football achievement though so much razzmatazz goes into the PSL which unexpectedly has not succeeded in churning out stars that will change the fortunes of the land of Mandela football-wise. Maybe this will be their year though.

C – COTE D’IVOIRE

The Elephants are as good as the size of the personality of their individual players but nothing really to show in terms of the AFCON trophy. Favorites in the last 4 editions, they have also failed in the same shade losing two finals (2006 and 2012). Word out there is that this may just be the last chance for the “Golden Generation” to give Cote D’Ivoire their second title.

D – DIDIER DROGBA

Barring CAF’s decision to crown Yaya Toure as Africa’s best player in 2012, Didier Drogba sure put a mark on the year but unfortunately it was not in the orange and green of the Elephants but rather Chelsea’s blue. What matters now  however is what he does for Cote D’Ivoire as they go all out in South Africa.

E – ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Yea, Yea, Afica’s most loved and fanatically followed league the EPL sure has a thing for the AFCON but unfortunately “It’s not Love”. No other league in the world dislikes the AFCON as much as the EPL where managers scheme to keep their players from honoring their countries’ call ups. This is shameful considering the tournament was moved to odd years largely due to complaints by these European clubs (especially the EPL). For the records 15 players from the EPL will feature at the 2013 AFCON.

F – FRENCH LIGUE 1

Unlike the EPL and as always, the French Ligue 1 will feature the highest number of players (50) in South Africa when the tournament begins on January 19. We just want to say Merci Beaucoup!!!

G – GHANA AND GYAN

Like Ghana, like Gyan is the way I describe this as so much is expected of the black stars as a team and also their (newly crowned) skipper Asamoah Gyan but if I am to lay hold on precedence, I will simply base your expectations on a level of crossed fingers.

H – HERVE RENARD

He is French, he is just 44 years old and he is the AFCON winning coach of the Zambian national team plus he was crowned 2012 CAF Coach of the Year (come on who does not know this guy???). Renard left Zambia unceremoniously in 2010 but Zambian legend and Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) President, Kalusha Bwalya had so much faith in his qualities that he returned him to the job in 2011… the rest as they say is history.

I – IKE UCHE

I have developed the habit of calling him like the rapper, “Ikeeeechukwu”. Take it or leave it, Ike Uche is the most reliable of the Super Eagles strikers going to the 2013 AFCON. Ike may at 18 goals be a long way off Rashidi Yekini’s 37 goals all time record, a good showing at the AFCON can see him overtake Obafemi Martins and Yakubu Aiyegbeni or even the mathematical Segun Odegbami and become the second all time top scorer for the Super Eagles.

J – JJC

“D” is already occupied so we can’t call them “Debutants” but of course we all know what JJC in the local Nigerian parlance means – newcomers. Cape Verde Islands are the only jjc at this year’s AFCON and they shocked the whole world (and not just Africa) in attaining that status by knocking out 4 time champions, Cameroon. This will however not come as a surprise for students of history as notable players like – Patrick Vieira, Nani, Manuel Fernandes, Gelson Fernandes, Elisieu and Rolando all have their roots traced to the tiny West African nation.

K – KALUSHA AND KATONGO

Leadership personified is the way to describes these two gentlemen. Kalusha defied death to lead a hurriedly assembled team to the final in 1994 while Katongo was (and is still) the skipper of the team as they went on to beat favorites, Cote D’Ivoire at the last edition at the same site where the 1993 squad died in an ill-fated plane crash.

L –  LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE (LOC)

The LOC of the South Africa 2013 AFCON has continued to receive rave reviews for their high level of organization and even the Confederation Of Africa Football (CAF) has commended the team led by the Chairman Mwelo Nonkonyana and CEO, Mvuzo Mbebe. We will wait and see what their score card will be after the final on February 10.

M – MISSING IN ACTION

Thank God this is not 2012, Nigeria would have topped this list. All the same two major giants of African football – Egypt and Cameroon who have 11 titles between them will be missing from the African football fiesta for the second successive year. Another major force that will miss the south African party is the Terranga Lions of Senegal.

N – NIGER REPUBLIC

Menas is their nickname and they made their debut in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon last year. They will be looking to go one better than their debut performance by making it to the knockout phase in South Africa.

O – OBNOXIOUS BROADCAST FEES

THIS IS A CSR FOR THE COMMON MAN: For those who cannot afford any form of Pay TV (and I am sure you know which ones) every hope of seeing matches of the 2013 AFCON live on Terrestrial TV is as good as dashed. CAF and its partners are asking for the most unbearable fees ever heard of and Broadcasting Organization Of Nigeria (BON) has said it cannot afford the expected 6 million euros.

P – PETER EDIBE

The NFF, Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) and indeed the National Sports Commission (NSC) should be proud of the only man among the lot who has been selected from our great country to officiate as an assistant referee at the 2013 AFCON.

Q – QUICKIES

–          This is the 29th edition of the tournament.

–          The winner will qualify for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

–          The last edition of the AFCON played in an odd year was in Tunisia in 1965

–          There are nine former winners at this year’s tournament

–          And yes, yea and yeah… Issa Hayatou is still the CAF President.

R – ROOKIES

it is a rare occurrence in recent times to see players in their teens blossom at the AFCON but it is expected that this will change in South Africa though of the 368 players billed to attend only 13 are still teenagers.

S – SUPER EAGLES AND STEPHEN KESHI

I am so sure you were wondering if I am a Nigerian and had to come here first to read what I have to say about our darling Super Eagles. Having missed out on the last edition, it is expected that the Super Eagles will return with a bang and win their third African title (uhmmm though it may not be that easy). However for coach Stephen Keshi, he sure knows what it is to win the AFCON having captained the Super Eagles to glory in Tunisia ’94.

T – TOGO AND THEIR PRODIGAL STRIKER

Togo perfect their appearance at the AFCON this year with a 7th appearance and they will need to prove the perfection by qualifying for the knock out phase for the first time having failed in their last 6 showings.

Coach Didier Six has also done all within his power to bring back the prodigal striker, Emmanuel Adebayor into the fold and Togolese people hope he can inspire the hawks to success.

U – UNTESTED PLAYERS

The AFCON is an entirely different experience from the qualifiers and friendly matches and this edition will also feature scores of players who are untested on that terrain. The Super Eagles for one have 17 untested players out of the 23 named in coach Stephen Keshi’s side. It will surely be a memorable tournament for all untested legs and maybe hands.

V – VUVUZELA

The trumpet like instrument became a house hold name during the 2010 FIFA World Cup which was held in South Africa and it has remained in the heart of African football since then. The Vuvuzela is expected to seize the atmosphere once again as the tournament kicks off, so if you hate the “noise”, get ear plugs.

W – WEST AFRICA

Nigeria, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Cape Verde Islands, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic and Togo represent 50% of the teams that qualified for the 2013 AFCON and inspite of the abundance of talents in the region, the last time the trophy came to the Sub Sahara of Africa was 1994 (yes that long ago). This should however be the year for the West African nations.

X – X FACTOR

For every AFCON winner, there is always an X – Factor – be it a player, coach, administrator or even an event leading up to the tournament. This usually drives the country to the title triumph.

For Zambia it was the memories of the 1993 squad who died in the ill fated crash on the border of Gabon where the 2012 final was played, Nigeria in 1994 had Emmanuel Amuneke, Egypt’s triumph in 2008 was down to Mohammed Aboutrika and we can go on and on…

Y – YAYA TOURE

The younger of the Toure brothers is the reigning CAF player of the year, a crown he is wearing for the second successive year. He is expected to be a major driving force in the elephants’ quest for a 2nd AFCON title.

Z – ZAMBIA

The Chipolopolo (Copper bullets) are the champions with the shortest reign as they go to South Africa to defend their historic title less than 12 months after they did so in a memorable fashion. The team is however same except for the inclusion of 2 or 3 players who missed the last edition. Only time will tell if they can successfully defend their title like absentees Cameroon (2000) and Egypt (2006, 2008 and 2010).

————————-

Sayo Owolabi is the producer and lead presenter of Sports Edge, Final Score and the BIG Preview on 92.3 Inspiration FM, Lagos. He has created radio content for leading brands in Nigeria and he has anchored Sports Events across the country. He tweeets from @sayoowolabi.

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

One comment

  1. now this is cool….the last "quickie" nailed it and i agree with the Ike Uche assessment 100%….Drogba and his team have the capacity to win but somehow make it a habit of falling short…perhaps they are the Germany of Africa…hehe…GYAN has already shown yesterday that he can possibly cause more harm than good to Ghana

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail