Sean Jacobs's Blog, page 500

Afcon 2013 Preview: Ethiopia finally back where they belong (including incredible archival footage)

The team of 1962, the last and only Ethiopian team to win the Africa Cup of Nations. Photo: Bezabeh Abetew

Guest Post By Andreas Hansen for Addis Rumble*

It has been a long time coming. The Ethiopian national team has been rare guest at the Africa Cup of Nations. In the years after the inaugural tournament in 1957 – in which only three teams took part and Ethiopia got a wild card to the final – the ‘Walaya Antelopes’ was a dominant force in African football winning the cup in 1962 on home turf in Addis Ababa and reaching the semifinals in 1963 and 1968. However, the glorious period of the 60′s was followed by four dismal decades and not a single participation in the tournament since 1982.

This week Ethiopia is making a surprise comeback at the 2013 Cup of Nations in South Africa after knocking out neighboring rivals Sudan through an aggregate 5-5 draw in the final qualification round. In the days after the qualification was secured in October last year, Addis seemed like a transformed city. Previously you would hardly notice any football celebrations in the city scape (other than of the usual English Premier League teams) but following the qualification most of the capital’s blue taxies and mini busses – usually the best way of distilling public opinion – started displaying posters of the national team with a ‘Yes We Can’ text added.

Saladin Said is by far the biggest star. Adane Girma is another talented striker who scored the first goal against Sudan, Yusuf Sala is the star midfielder (playing in Sweden) and then there is the striker Fuad Ibrahim who plays in the US (Minnesota Stars).

Despite being drawn in a tough group with defending champions Zambia, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, expectations are high in Addis. The manager of  ’Abeba Grocery’, our local neighborhood bar, recently told us he was convinced that the Walayas would bring home the cup for the first time in half a century and he has even invested in a TV to be able to watch Ethiopia’s matches. At official level, the hopes for a new golden decade for Ethiopian football are just as high. A new 60,000-seat national arena is being planned along with a potential bid to host the Africa Cup of Nations in the near future.

Expectations are high in Addis and all Ethiopians seem confident that they will make it through the group stage. In my years in Ethiopia there has never been much talk about the national team but these days it’s the only talk of town, especially the $100,000 bonus promised to the players. At Addis Rumble, we keep our fingers crossed for the Walayas and we celebrate Ethiopia’s return to Africa’s finest football forum with a tour down memory lane through the photo archives. Enjoy the ride.

The legendary team of 1962, coached by Yidnekatchew Tessema who went on to become President of the African Football Confederation (CAF) as well as Ethiopian Olympic Committee. Some of the outstanding players on the team included Mengistu Worku who scored twice in the final as well as the Italo and Luciano Vassalo brothers.

1962 captain Luciano Vassalo receiving the cup from Emperor Haile Selassie. The Ethiopians defeated rivals Egypt 4-2 in a thrilling final. Photo: Bezabeh Anbetew

The 1962 team celebrates victory.

The 1960′s team on a visit to Moscow.

The team of 1968

Luciano Vassalo during Ethiopia’s match against Ivory Coast at the 1968 finals.

Footage from the 1968 Cup final between Congo and Ghana played in Addis Ababa and attended by his Emperor Haile Selassie. Congo won the game 1-0 to clinch their first Cup title while Ethiopia finished 4th.

The Ethiopian national team of the early 1970s.

The team of 2012 that qualified Ethiopia to her first Africa Cup finals in 30 years.

Ethiopia play their first match in Afcon 2013 against Zambia today at 15.00 GMT.

* This post is reprinted here with kind permission of Addis Rumble. Addis Rumble is about “appreciating and communicating creative African endeavors.”

 

What We Learned From Day Two of The 2013 African Cup of Nations

No goals on Day 1, but they were flying in on Day 2! Great goals they were too: Agyemang-Badu’s box-busting team goal, Kwadwo Asamoah’s crafty back-post header (he’s only 5’8”), graceful Eto’o-like precision from Tresor Mputu, and the colossal Seydou Keita’s dramatic last gasp winner for Mali.

Davy Lane posted two delightful match-report nuggets:

Ghana 2-2 DR Congo. The Leopards stalked Ghana early. They were cunning, calculating. Twice Ghana were cut open in brutal style. Ghana only escaped because of the crossbar Gods. The Black Stars elevated their game. Agyemang-Badu’s goal was football engineering at its finest. Ghana seemed to have ended the half in the ascendancy, but they had been wounded and the Leopards were planning a second half feast. Kwadwo Asamoah’s powerful back post header provided some Black Star insurance early in the second half. DRC Captain Trésor Mputu (who plays for African powerhouse club, Tout Puissant Mazembe) soon materialized in the Black Star box to finish off an attack of pulmonary proportions. Dieumerci Mbokani returned to the scene and scored a second from the spot. The Leopards were sated. It was said moments later Congolese parents named a new born child, Égalisation, meaning Equalizer. The game will also long be remembered for the ‘crazy’ Congolese cat between the sticks. Muteba Kidiaba’s haircut and celebratory dance have already rumbled the viral jungle.

This was an absorbing contest. Ghana boss James Kwesi Appiah chose to start the finest African midfielder of his generation, Kwadwo Asamoah, at left back (he’s in the generation after Yaya’s). I was shaking my head. At Juventus, Antonio Conte usually deploys him to great effect as a marauding wing-back, with three centre-halves behind him, but Appiah was asking him to play on the left of a flat back four.

But what a full-back he turned out to be, bursting into the box and teeing up Agyemang-Badu for the opening goal. Juventus fans have seen that goal before. Then he scored from a corner early in the second half. A goal and an assist from full-back for Asamoah. They say a great player can play anywhere.

Agyemang-Badu played higher up the pitch than I’d expected and looked a goal-threat throughout. Behind him, Derek Boateng was ponderous, and DRC’s Youssouf Mulumbu had a firm grip on midfield. Look for Anthony Annan to start Ghana’s next match in place of Boateng.

DR Congo were fearless and strong. This team just doesn’t know when it’s beaten and could go very far in this tournament on today’s showing. They failed to qualify for the last three tournaments, but they’re still two-time African champions and their players look assured of their own pedigree.

Tresor Mputu was everywhere, playing between the lines in the kind of fluid formation you rarely see nowadays from African national teams. Resolute and cohesive, DRC look to have a touch of Zambia 2012 about them.

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany (his dad’s Congolese) was impressed:

We just wish he’d been playing at the heart of that DRC defence in Port Elizabeth, what a team they’d be.

As the game wore on, there was only one question everyone wanted answered: Why was Ghanaian rapper M.anifest - or someone who looked suspiciously like him – playing in goal for DR Congo? In the end, the man himself “confessed” under our interrogation:

Last word on Kidiaba’s bum bounce (for now). It’s nothing new to TP Mazembe fans – here he is at it a few years ago vs Brazil’s Internacional in the World Club Cup:

Davy Lane again on Mali vs Niger:

Mali 1-0 Niger. Mali’s Eagles were expected to win. They did, but perhaps less emphatically than some expected. Cheick Diabaté tested Niger early. Les Aigles had to thank Mamadou Samassa for a brave, point blank save to ensure parity. Mali pressed and probed either side of half time. Seydou Keita crashed a shot against a post mid way through the second half. The game was heading toward a frustrating draw for Les Aigles of Mali and a hard earned point for the Menas of Niger when keeper Kassaly Daouda dropped an innocuous cross in the 84 minute. Mali’s Seydou Keita, the celebrated former Barcelona veteran, was first to react. Allez Les Aigles. The Menas of Niger must play their next match without making one mistake. Even then, and judging from the striking performance by the Leopards earlier, they may find themselves on the receiving end of a mauling.

That winner was Seydou Keita’s 6th goal at Nations Cups, an extraordinary return for a holding midfielder.

Afcon 2013 Preview: Can Ghana’s Black Stars Win its First Nation’s Cup since 1982?

This edition of the Africa Cup of Nations promises fans of Ghana’s Black Stars potential thrills but also raises the specters of recent failures. The Black Stars (they play the Democratic Republic of Congo today in their opening match of Afcon 2013) must be seen as one of the favored teams and are under a lot of pressure to come away as champions. In recent years they have been a regular continental power house though they have not won the Afcon since 1982 (when Ghana beat Libya on penalties in the final; the teams were tied at 1-1 after normal time).

Coach Kwesi Appiah, a former national captain, replaced Goran Stevanovic after the Black Stars’ shocking and disappointing loss to eventual champion Zambia at Afcon 2012. Appiah is still largely untested though he is trying to create a new atmosphere for his team both on and off the pitch. This time out they are missing a number of their best known players including Andre and Jordan Ayew, John Mensah, Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, and Kevin Prince-Boateng.

South Africa’s hosting of Afcon returns the Black Stars to the site of the triumphs and disappointments of the 2010 World Cup. They came within a Uruguayan fingertip of becoming the first African team to qualify for the semifinals, in the process winning fans from Lagos to Nairobi to Brooklyn and becoming the darlings of the continent.

With its Ghanaian coach and players based in various locales, this Black Stars team forecasts a new direction in African international football that is less focused on Europe. The roster has 10 players participating in their first major tournament. It is creatively put together with a number of players from Ghanaian, North African, and Middle Eastern clubs as well as up-and-coming players from European sides. They show hints of grit and cohesiveness after two tune-up victories over Egypt 3-0 and a 4-2 come-back win against Tunisia.

This 2013 Black Stars team are captained by the sensitive and brilliant striker Asamoah “Baby Jet” Gyan. The 2010 World Cup announced his international stardom as he scored a number of crucial goals and celebrated with signature post-goal dance celebrations; though his missed penalty kick in the quarterfinals nearly tore the nations heart out. After another crucial missed penalty against Zambia at Afcon 2012 Gyan was publicly insulted up and down Ghana’s streets and internet highways. He swore off international football only to be coaxed back to the national team. In the meantime in Ghana, he has become known as an aspiring musician, notably collaborating with hiplife rap star Castro on the hit track African Girl where he shows off his famous dance moves. Recently he has also started promoting  boxing. Gyan seems to have matured as a player and is ready to embrace the responsibilities of being the Black Star leader, though he claims that he will not take penalty kicks for the team this time around.

Stalwart defender John Pantsil of Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv is the team’s most experienced international player with 81 caps for the Black Stars since 2002. His experience should provide stability. Though, he is perhaps best remembered for stirring up a minor international controversy at the 2006 World Cup in Germany when he waved a small Israeli flag in support of his home club team during a celebration in Ghana’s victory over Czech Republic. The Ghana Football Association was forced to apologize and explain that they were not weighing in on the Israel-Palestine conflict, Pantsil was unaware that the flag would cause controversy, and the whole situation was, in fact, completely apolitical.

Two players that must contribute for Ghana to go far in the 2013 tournament are midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah and winger Christian Atsu Tswasam. Asamoah has recently played well for Italy’s Juventus and seems determined to prove himself for the national team. He got his start with Accra’s Liberty Professionals, the club notorious for grooming future international players. His play in the midfield will be crucial if Ghana is to move the ball effectively. He is multi-talented and can work effectively on both offense and defense. 20 year-old Atsu of FC Porto is being tapped as one of the rising stars of African football. I have heard him called the Lionel Messi of Ghana. He has 5 caps for the Black Stars since mid 2012. Look for him to have a break-out tournament.

There are also a number of intriguing young players to watch. One Black Star playing in his first major event who has the potential to shine brightly is Albert Adomah of Bristol City who scored his first goal for the Black Stars in the warm-up against Tunisia. Another player I like is Harrison Afful, a soft-spoken, slim defender whom I have known since he was first called up by the Black Stars when he was still playing with Asante Kotoko in Ghana’s premiere league. He has played with determination since his move to Tunisia’s Espérance Sportive de Tunis scoring the only goal to win the 2011 CAF’s Champions League trophy. Even though he has not performed well for the Black Stars in past outings, he has guts. Young winger Solomon Asante and left-back Richard Kissi Boateng both of Ghana’s Berekum Chelsea club are also intriguing unsung players. If given a chance to get settled, they could provide some excellent energy.

Ghana is put together to play as a team rather than be a collection of individual stars. They begin play against DR Congo on 20 January in Port Elizabeth and also face a rejuvenated Niger team and a tough Malian side in group B. They should emerge from the group stage, though Mali presents a challenge. If they can, as a number of the Black Star players have been indicating, side-step the stress of past near-misses, play with excitement and single-minded determination, I predict they can overcome tournament favorite Côte d’Ivoire and win for the first time since 1982. But for the Black Star this is a foremost a psychological battle. Ghana’s loss to Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup was a disaster and continues to haunt people. While in football as in any sport you are only as good as your last victory, losses linger in the collective memory until they are exorcized. On the fateful night of the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals, jubilating crowds had filled Ghana’s streets in the wild hope of their team’s historic elevation to the semi-finals; viewing parks across South Africa; new and old fans filled bars in New York and London and across Africa. Luis Suarez’s hand ball and Asamoah Gyan’s missed penalty denied millions of fans a celebration they so desperately wanted. The sudden reversal of fortunes somehow seemed personal, somehow an intentional denial easily tied to so many historical betrayals. In Accra, thousands wandered off in bewilderment. For days, a quiet depression descended on the city. Accra’s call-in radio programs featured numerous distraught fans lamenting what almost was; rumors circulated of people so sad they could not eat, even of an increase in heart trouble among older relatives. While fans are confident in the 2013 team’s skills, until the Black Stars are able to earn a major victory, a sense of historical foreboding will weigh on them.

* Jesse Weaver Shipley is the author of Living the Hiplife: Celebrity and Entrepreneurship in Ghanaian Popular Music  (published by Duke University Press in 2013).

The images in this post are posted with permission of photographer Senyeuidzorm Adadevoh of Sports Unlimited.

Afcon 2013 Preview: Bamako expects experienced Mali team to go far

Guest Post by Samira Sawlani*

We won’t be surprised if Malians don’t care much for football right now as conflict ravages through the country’s north and east (separatists and Islamists are occupying much of the north of Mali, engaged in a standoff with French and Malian government troops). So I asked a friend who lives in the capital Bamako, Yaya Traore, what he makes of the tournament: “Everyone has high hopes that the team will go far in the tournament. They will be extra motivated to put a smile on the country’s face. Despite all we are looking forward to the tournament.” Another Mali supporter Abdoulaye Semega, was less certain: “I can’t say it will unite the country, particularly as there are those in the North who probably want their own football team. However people in Bamako are making plans to watch the games.”

The conflict back home will either work as a motivating or distracting factor for the team. “We have faith that peace will return anytime soon, but we just can’t stop thinking of those back home,” midfielder Sigamary Diarra has told journalists.

Mali secured 3rd place in last year’s Afcon tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea (they beat Ghana in a shock 2-0 result). The passage to this year’s tournament was easier – because of the shortened qualification format, Mali only had to beat Botswana in a two-legged home and away tie.

Expectations are high. Mali is in Group B with Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger. Their first match is Sunday afternoon against lowly Niger. The Malian squad is made up of a large number of players who have competed in Europe’s most prestigious football leagues. The most exciting of these is Cheick Diabaté (he plays for Bordeaux in the French’s Ligue 1) whose two goals gave Mali 3rd place in Afcon 2012. Tough tackling midfielder Momo Sissoko (now at Paris St Germain; his former clubs include Valencia, Liverpool and Juventus), is also one to watch, though his temperamental personality both on and off the field is sure to set off fireworks.

The captain is former Barcelona player Seydou Keita, who now plays in the less fancied Chinese league and makes more harmless headlines. (A South African newspaper named him as one of the 10 sexiest players at Afcon 2013!)

Head coach Patrice Carteron (predictably French) blamed inconsistency for Mali’s past failures: “I have emphasised to the squad that they must play well in each game if they are going to win trophies.”

Aside from this, disillusion within the team set up has caused problems within the Eagles camp in the past and led to players leaving. It was only recently that the Malian government had to request Seydou Keita to return to the team.

However, in a team made up largely of veterans, the want for one final stab at victory may just prove to be the making of Mali.

Mali play Niger today  in Durban tonight, kick off 18.00 GMT.

* Samira Sawlani is a freelance journalist and political analyst, working towards a career in International Affairs. Her main areas of interest are conflict, refugees, humanitarian response and politics of Africa and the Middle East. Follow her @samirasawlani

What We’ve Learned From Day One Of The 2013 African Nations Cup

South Africa’s Bafana Bafana were sloppy and did not take their opponents seriously. It was a woeful display. Cape Verde on the other hand were purposeful and deserved their point. The way coach Lucio Antunes cast a gimlet eye over the proceedings was impressive. He seemed to have a five bar connection to his players. Captain Nando Nieves was a colossus at the back. Heldon, Mendes, Platini, and Soares all swam through the channels and each looked capable of scoring. One of them surely will against Angola and or Morocco. Cape Verde have been knocking on the door of the World Cup and African Cup of Nations Finals for almost a decade. Cape Verde are at the Afcon 2013 Finals because they knocked out the Indomitable Lions. It would not be a surprise to see them advance.

Angola 0 v 0 Morocco. Cautious Affair. Maybe the Atlas Lions have eyed up a meal of Bafana and Pap. The Palancas Negras probably feel they can handle the terrain better than the Blue Sharks.

* Davy Lane has a chapter in the new book Africa’s World Cup (University of Michigan Press, 2013).

Afcon 2013: Morocco prefers ‘team of quality players’ rather than ‘players of quality’

We, Moroccans, are usually optimistic and hopeful about our football team, but often, we end up by being very disappointed. Morocco boasts many fine players like Adel Taarabt (who plays for Queens Park Rangers) and Marouane Chamakh (Arsenal). At the same, the Moroccan team has a reputation for not playing as a unit, rather as individual players who prefer to outshine each other on the field. But there are good reasons to expect that this year’s African Cup of Nations (Afcon 2013) will not be as embarrassing as the last for Morocco’s Atlas Lions. So before we stock up on rotten tomatoes and head to the airport to welcome back our team, we should try and consider how things may actually be better this time around.

The team has undergone a makeover, with the firing of coach Eric Gerets (the former Belgian international), the hiring of Rachid Taoussi, along with a squad filled with new talent which appears so far to play a more cohesive game of football. Last year, despite being one of the pre-tournament favorites, the Atlas Lions were eliminated in the first round after losing their first two matches against Tunisia, and Gabon. The bar was set really low at Afcon 2012, so it should not be hard to do better this time around

The selection of a new coach this past September caused quite a national stir. After a 2-0 defeat in a first leg match against Mozambique’s on September 9th, Gerets was fired by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (RMFF) due to poor  performance sof the Moroccan team since he took over in 2010. As the RMFF searched for a new coach, 84 percent of fans were hoping that it would select Badou Zaki. Zaki is a former star goal keeper who coached the team from 2002 to 2005, and who managed to lead the Atlas Lions to the Afcon 2004 semifinals against Tunisia. Despite overwhelming preference for Zaki, the RMFF chose Taoussi, a coach without the charisma of Zaki, but who none the less has proven himself as worthy. Taoussi led the MAS of Fez, a Moroccan Club, to win three titles in one year, two of which were African titles: the African Confederation Cup, the African Super Cup, and the Throne Cup. In 1997, Taoussi also led Morocco’s under 20 national team to win the African Youth Championship cup.

Fans were also upset when Taoussi did not select a string of Morocco’s best payers for the national team including Taraabt, Chamakh, Houssine Kharja (Al-Arabi, Qatar) and Mbark Boussoufa (Anzhi Makhachkala, Russia). Taoussi defended his actions by saying he chose to focus on players that would work well as a team: “Before Morocco had players of quality, now we have a team of quality.” He also said “I don’t want players who want to be stars and show off, I want a united team that plays as a team.”

Our team may lack our well known stars, but we still have great players to be proud of. Among them are 25 year old defender Mehdi Benatia (of Udinese in Italy), whose solid performances have been earning him a lot of recognition. Then there is 23 year old Abdelaziz Barrada (Getafe, Spain), And by far the new favorite Younes Belhanda (Montpelier, France), a 22-year old midfielder who for the last few years has caught the attention of many teams across Europe for his drive and goal scoring abilities. Belhanda was reported injured last week, but we’ll see later today if he is included in the starting 11.

An additional factor that gives us a better shot this year is the team composition of our  at Afcon 2013. The teams in Group A are Angola, Cape Verde, and hosts South Africa. We have a chance of winning against Angola as we defeated the Angolans two out of three times in previous encounters (in 2008 and 2009). Cape Verde, is a more tricky proposition. They will be participating for the first time an Afcon finals, is relatively inexperienced with a relatively unknown squad playing at small European clubs. But they also eliminated heavyweights Cameron 2-0 in their final qualifying match for Afcon 2013, so it could prove to be a difficult game, but our experience should enable us to pull it off. Based on the record books, South Africa, though their football is in dismal state right now, has the edge on Morocco. They’ve met in three Afcon tournament matches (1998, 2002, and 2004), with Morocco lost two games, and managing to draw one.

Despite having a new coach with a new strategy, and a different team which includes many new players, it is still hard to know what to expect until Morocco starts playing later today (against Angola). A very positive forecast would see us win against Angola and Cape Verde, and come to a draw with South Africa. Either way, even if we do not get pass the first round, we should be happy that at least we qualified for the tournament.

Afcon 2013: Moroccans hopeful things may actually be better this time around.

We, Moroccans, are usually optimistic and hopeful about our football team, but often, we end up by being very disappointed. Morocco boasts many fine players like Adel Taarabt (who plays for Queens Park Rangers) and Marouane Chamakh (Arsenal). At the same, the Moroccan team has a reputation for not playing as a unit, rather as individual players who prefer to outshine each other on the field. But there are good reasons to expect that this year’s African Cup of Nations (Afcon 2013) will not be as embarrassing as the last for Morocco’s Atlas Lions. So before we stock up on rotten tomatoes and head to the airport to welcome back our team, we should try and consider how things may actually be better this time around.

The team has undergone a makeover, with the firing of coach Eric Gerets (the former Belgian international), the hiring of Rachid Taoussi, along with a squad filled with new talent which appears so far to play a more cohesive game of football. Last year, despite being one of the pre-tournament favorites, the Atlas Lions were eliminated in the first round after losing their first two matches against Tunisia, and Gabon. The bar was set really low at Afcon 2012, so it should not be hard to do better this time around

The selection of a new coach this past September caused quite a national stir. After a 2-0 defeat in a first leg match against Mozambique’s on September 9th, Gerets was fired by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (RMFF) due to poor  performance sof the Moroccan team since he took over in 2010. As the RMFF searched for a new coach, 84 percent of fans were hoping that it would select Badou Zaki. Zaki is a former star goal keeper who coached the team from 2002 to 2005, and who managed to lead the Atlas Lions to the Afcon 2004 semifinals against Tunisia. Despite overwhelming preference for Zaki, the RMFF chose Taoussi, a coach without the charisma of Zaki, but who none the less has proven himself as worthy. Taoussi led the MAS of Fez, a Moroccan Club, to win three titles in one year, two of which were African titles: the African Confederation Cup, the African Super Cup, and the Throne Cup. In 1997, Taoussi also led Morocco’s under 20 national team to win the African Youth Championship cup.

Fans were also upset when Taoussi did not select a string of Morocco’s best payers for the national team including Taraabt, Chamakh, Houssine Kharja (Al-Arabi, Qatar) and Mbark Boussoufa (Anzhi Makhachkala, Russia). Taoussi defended his actions by saying he chose to focus on players that would work well as a team: “Before Morocco had players of quality, now we have a team of quality.” He also said “I don’t want players who want to be stars and show off, I want a united team that plays as a team.”

Our team may lack our well known stars, but we still have great players to be proud of. Among them are 25 year old defender Mehdi Benatia (of Udinese in Italy), whose solid performances have been earning him a lot of recognition. Then there is 23 year old Abdelaziz Barrada (Getafe, Spain), And by far the new favorite Younes Belhanda (Montpelier, France), a 22-year old midfielder who for the last few years has caught the attention of many teams across Europe for his drive and goal scoring abilities. Belhanda was reported injured last week, but we’ll see later today if he is included in the starting 11.

An additional factor that gives us a better shot this year is the team composition of our  at Afcon 2013. The teams in Group A are Angola, Cape Verde, and hosts South Africa. We have a chance of winning against Angola as we defeated the Angolans two out of three times in previous encounters (in 2008 and 2009). Cape Verde, is a more tricky proposition. They will be participating for the first time an Afcon finals, is relatively inexperienced with a relatively unknown squad playing at small European clubs. But they also eliminated heavyweights Cameron 2-0 in their final qualifying match for Afcon 2013, so it could prove to be a difficult game, but our experience should enable us to pull it off.  Based on the record books, South Africa, though their football is in dismal state right now, has the edge on Morocco.  They’ve met in three Afcon tournament matches (1998, 2002, and 2004), with Morocco lost two games, and managing to draw one.

Despite having a new coach with a new strategy, and a different team which includes many new players, it is still hard to know what to expect until Morocco starts playing later today (against Angola). A very positive forecast would see us win against Angola and Cape Verde, and come to a draw with South Africa. Either way, even if we do not get pass the first round, we should be happy that at least we qualified for the tournament.

Africa Cup of Nations Preview: Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks ready to make a big splash

By Amílcar Tavares*

Almost one fifth of Cape Verde’s population would fit in the stands of The Calabash, the 95,000-capacity stadium where the Blue Sharks will today play their first ever Africa Cup of Nations match. Being recognised as one of the 16 best African national teams is a milestone in the country’s sports history, and the highlight thus far was when Cape Verde defeated four-time Afcon winners, Cameroon, 3-2 on aggregate in qualifying (with a memorable 2-0 win at Estádio da Várzea, Praia City, in the first leg). When the victory in Yaoundé was official, fireworks went off. Car horns honked from the street. There were huge parties on each of the nine inhabited islands. Hundreds of people waited all night long at the airport and they cheered and applauded the national team when they arrived home at 5:40 am. (For a sense of the national mood on the eve of Afcon 2013, see the music video above). Many fans are probably expecting similar performances against the three teams Cape Verde will face in Group A; especially as Cape Verde is ranked 15th in Africa, ahead of Morocco (17), Angola (19) and South Africa (22), according to the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. In 2009, Cape Verde played twice against their Lusophone brothers Angola and won the first match 1-0 and drew the other 1-1. But the Cape Verdean people are aware of the smallness of their country, know that they will face two former champions, and that this is Angola’s seventh participation. So what they expect of the “Tubarões Azuis” is that they play well, give everything they have and make the nation proud. And to win one match (at least).

The other fifteen teams won’t have had the kind of problems that Cape Verde have faced in the run-up to the tournament, specifically the reluctance of many players to represent the national team for fear of losing money and damaging their careers in Europe. Even the President of the Republic took part in efforts to raise cash for the Blue Sharks stay in South Africa.

This could, perhaps should, have been Cape Verde’s second appearance at Africa’s top sporting event. We only missed out on the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea by a couple of goals in qualification. But team coach Lúcio Antunes (he’s chums with Jose Mourinho) learned his lesson and dealt properly with the team’s perennial Achilles heel when they played against Madagascar and won 7-1 on aggregate. Then, when confronted with the big boys from Cameroon, he did what he does best: setting the team up to look for chances to counter-attack and exploit the opponent’s mistakes.

Typically, Lúcio Antunes plays a 4-3-3 formation. I expect that between the posts we’ll see Jozimar “Vozinha” Dias, 26, who plays in Angola at Progresso Sambizanga and has decent aerial ability. Full-back Admilson “Gegê” Barros, 24, a player with good awareness and strong tackling ability who play for CS Marítimo (Portugal), will probably retain his place at right back. The skipper and defensive leader is the veteran Fernando “Nando” Neves, 34, who plays for the French side LB Châteauroux from Ligue 2. His partner will be Fernando Varela (FC Vaslui, Romania), 25, who has a physically imposing presence and good aerial ability. On the left side of defence, Carlos “Carlitos” Tavares (AEL FC Limassol, Cyprus), 27, provides good defensive support.

Portuguese-born Marco Soares (AC Omonia, Cyprus), 28, is a solid and experienced defensive midfielder and also a tidy passer. Helping him in the same role will probably be the reliable, versatile and dynamic Toni Varela (Sparta Rotterdam, Netherlands), 26. Elvis “Babanco” Macedo (S.C. Olhanense, Portugal), 27, has a more attacking role in the midfield, with the task of opening up the channels for his teammates.

Cape Verde’s star player Ryan Mendes (LOSC Lille, France), 23, has tremendous skills and will lead the attack from the right side with his ability to dribble, cutting inside, trying to break down the defense with either shots on goal or setting up chances for the striker. He scored three goals in the two matches against Madagascar. On the left wing, the supporting forward Heldon “Nhuk” Ramos (CS Marítimo, Portugal), 24, has as his top attributes pace, the ability to dribble and effectiveness from free kicks, scoring a beautiful free-kick in Yaoundé.

In the centre of the attack, SL Benfica’s striker Jorge “Djaniny” Semedo (currently on loan at S.C. Olhanense, Portugal), 21, is a tireless worker who scored one of the goals in the home win over Cameroon. Spotted by a Portuguese Mayor visiting Cape Verde, Djaniny played in an amateur league for the team supported by the Mayor, scoring 50 goals in two years. Then he signed a contract with a local Premier League club where he played for one season before signing a contract with SL Benfica.

Despite Cape Verde being minnows, they raised eyebrows by eliminating Cameroon, and their pre-tournament friendlies have been encouraging, losing honorably 1-0 against heavyweights Ghana and drawing 0-0 with Nigeria. This young and inexperienced squad may have lost the element of surprise. But what remains are the powerful words from our coach Lúcio Antunes: “We respect all our opponents but we are not afraid of anyone.”

Cape Verde play Bafana Bafana in the opening match of the tournament, today at 16.00 GMT.

* Amílcar Tavares is a Msc. student in Mechanical Engineering, a former capeverdean blogger and editor of a website about the Capeverdean national team. Follow his tweets @amilcartavares.

Friday Bonus Music Break

Let’s start our weekly round-ups of new music videos this year with some bangers. Representing Congo this week, rapper (and professional dancer) Dinozord: above. Next up, there’s new music and visuals from Art Melody (representing Burkina Faso):

“Lefteneh” by Bajah and the Dry Eye Crew — by the way, about the meaning of that Sierra Leonean “dry eye”:

Ty (born Ben Chijioke — Nigerians claim him) has a new video out as well:

From Liberia (Alloysious Massaquoi) and Nigeria (where Kayus Bankole’s parents come from) via Scotland (Graham Hastings’s place): Young Fathers:

Lee Fields played a set in a Dutch church last year. Yes, we’ll feature all of his videos:

Another acoustic performance; by France-based Oxmo Puccino (né Abdoulaye Diarra):

Judging by the rate at which Laura Mvula is putting out quality videos recently, it seems she’s intent on making the year 2013 hers. We don’t mind:

And in response to what’s happening in Mali, Fatoumata Diawara and her label have brought together a big group of musicians to record the song below. Artists performing on the track include (I’m copy-pasting) Amadou and Mariam, Oumou Sangare, Bassekou Kouyate, Vieux Farka Toure, Djelimady Tounkara, Toumani Diabate, Khaira Arby, Kasse Mady Diabate, Baba Salah, Afel Bocoum, Tiken Jah, Amkoullel and Habib Koite:

African Cup of Nations Preview: South Africa has to make it out of the group stage

By Njabulo Ngidi*

Minimum. Requirement. Semifinals. Africa Cup of Nations. Bafana Bafana.

For some odd reason the suits in the South African Football Association chose to put hose nine words together when they drafted a mandate for coach Gordon Igesund when he took over the coaching post on the first of July last year. This with the team having failed to win an African Cup of Nations match in nine years, with eight unsuccessful attempts. Seven months after that mandate was set, ridicule and laughter still follow whoever speak of it as something that can happen.

Ridicule and laughter have been associated with South African football ever since 2010 when they became the first World Cup hosts to be eliminated in the group stages. They grew louder after the debacle in Mbombela where the players danced around, celebrating qualification for the 2012 edition of the Nations Cup which never was as they misread the rules. Now South African football is at an all-time low. A snake’s stomach would be its skyline if it came to life. That’s a good thing.

For a while South Africans have failed to grasp the reality with statistics there to prove it, since the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, when South Africa beat Tunisia 2-0 in the final, Bafana Bafana have been on a nosedive eventually crashing in Mbombela. Now it’s right in everyone’s face that Bafana Bafana have some serious problems that no coaching change will fix. Safa should know, they have picked 20 different coaches since 1992 with just one title to show for it. The thoughts that the current Bafana Bafana squad can emulate the feat of the class of 1996 by claiming the tournament on home soil is ludicrous but this tournament can lay the foundation for that possible happening in the future.

The players have started to adopt a different attitude which is highlighted by their rejection of getting bonuses for their group stages match, arguing that they would only consider them when they reach the quarterfinals. They said when not if.

Igesund has selected a squad that has players who can play a key role in the rebirth of Bafana Bafana in the likes of Netherlands based Thulani Serero (picture above), 2011 Swedish League Player of the Year May Mahlangu, Tokelo Rantie and skipper Bongani Khumalo. But instead the focus has been this Afcon and the mandate.

Performances in pre-tournament friendlies against Norway in Cape Town and fellow qualifiers Algeria have failed to inspire confidence with many predicting further embarrassment. It resulted in a situation where a portion of fans in Cape Town booed Katlego Mphela when he struggled to find his rhythm even though he was coming from a lengthy injury and has the conversion rate like no other in the national team colours with a goal in every second match. Poor form up front and creativity in the midfield going forward have been the two key problems for some time even during former coach Pitso Mosimane’s era.

The common denominator has been the planning, or lack thereof. When Mosimane took over from Carlos Alberto Parreira his mandate was qualifying for the 2012 Afcon. It didn’t happen. Igesund didn’t have the problem of qualification for the next Afcon when he took over in 2012 (since South Africa were going to be hosts) but was instead given a mandate to at least reach the semifinals. It’s unlikely to happen.

What the nation should do is take a leaf from neighbours Angola, who are in the same group as South Africa (Cape Verde and Morocco), who hired Uruguayan mentor Gustavo Ferrin with a mandate to develop their football for the future. He performed a similar role in his homeland producing the core of players who went to finish fourth in the 2010 World Cup and crowned Kings of South America a year later.

Bafana Bafana make it out of the group stage. Those are the nine words that should have been included when Safa drafted a mandate with a focus to ensure that in 2015 or even 2017 it reads everywhere that, Bafana Bafana crowned champions of Africa.

South Africa play their first match in Afcon 2013 against the Cape Verde Islands tomorrow.

* Njabulo Ngidi is a South African journalist based in Johannesburg. You can follow him on Twitter.