Writing about the tournament on FourFourTwo, Jonathan Fadugba (@JustFootball) shows how Africa's 41st best footballing nation, Equatorial Guinea, came to host the AFCON:

As one of the smallest countries in continental Africa, what do you do if you cannot play your way to a major international tournament? In Equatorial Guinea's case the answer was simple. You buy your way in.

Aided by the discovery of vast oil and gas reserves that prompted huge economic growth in the mid-1990s, Equatorial Guinea found the resources possible to mount a joint bid with neighbours Gabon. After seeing off competition from Nigeria, in 2006 they were named joint hosts for what will be their first ever African Cup of Nations.

In a sense, therefore, the challenge is already won for the Nzalang Nacional. As a nation with just 2,300 registered players merely competing on such a stage is impressive enough.

He continues to describe what Equatorial Guinea’s Head of State is expecting:

 

2012 Africa Cup of Nations logo. Image source: cafonline.com

President Obiang has boldly declared that he expects Equatorial Guinea to go all the way at this Cup of Nations. “Not only do we want the national team to display attractive football and sporting values, we also want them to win the Cup. The trophy must remain in Equatorial Guinea,” he stated. But really this is a pipe dream. The squad is arguably the weakest in the competition 

Krobea D’Bee (@kwame_amoh), a Ghananian sports columnist, roots for his team the Black Stars – the nickname for Ghana’s national team. He starts by saying:

The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations will be one of the keenly contested continental showpieces irrespective of opinions making rounds that it will not live up to the billing as a result of the absence of nations like Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria

He goes on to say:

Truly, the joint-favourites tag carried by Ghana and Ivory Coast is deserving though it puts pressure on the two West African neighbours. For Ghana’s Black Stars, the pressure is doubled some sort because of their performance at the global showpiece before this tournament

Erick E. Cleves, a blogger based in Venezuela, predicts a Ghana-Ivory Coast final:

Although the tournament has many interesting and powerful sides, the favourites are surely the Ivory Coast and Ghana. Both teams have a strong base of experienced European-based players, and both have experience of international tournaments at the highest level.
My support and heart is with the Black Stars! And I hope to be able to watch some African football from here in South America!

A 15-year-old blogger (@NathSalt1) notes the ‘headache’ that teams in the English Premier League have to undergo while losing their players for a month or so to the continental competition:

Every Premier League manager’s nightmare, but spectators and a scouts dream. With some of the best and hottest worldwide talents on display the African Nations Cup is always a delight to watch. The tournament illustrates the strength of talent Africa can offer top clubs around the world. With competition in the tournament improving hugely every two years that it’s staged a lot of teams will feel they can make a push to win it.

Mark (@twoht) has quite a detailed preview of the 2012 showcase:

Sudan are no longer a nation, after partition in July 2011, although the fledgling South Sudan national side still has international affiliations to sort out. While Libya are a very different nation indeed after the bloodiest of cabinet reshuffles last spring… Libyan football was hugely complicated by the fact that Colonel Gaddafi’s son Saadi could play the game properly – even if his career was boosted by the predictable “helping hands.” So “politicised” was almost a euphemism.

Libya’s pre-uprising captain, Tariq Ibrahim Al-Tayib, openly declared his and his team’s support for Gaddafi. But that was probably why he was captain. Others thought differently as they metaphorically battled on at neutral venues while real battles were fought at home (never were metaphors of war to describe football more inappropriate)….

Gabon’s qualification as co-hosts comes two years after they were squeaked out of a quarter-final place in the Angolan tournament’s tightest group. However, Equatorial Guinea have no such competition tradition and are internationally-ranked lower than the earth’s core – the lowest Fifa-ranked team (and by some distance too, at 151) in the tournament

He also discusses an article that looks at the relationship between the tournament and ‘oil-rich” nations:

A thought-provoking article by Sam Wallace in the Independent newspaper likened Equatorial Guinea to Qatar – in the “lots of lovely oil” sense, as much as “the only way Equatorial Guinea were going to play in the African Nations was by hosting it”. But this blazed no trail, as Austria and Switzerland showed in Euro 2008. Wallace was also scathing of the African Confederation (CAF) for selecting politically “unsuitable” tournament hosts (Libya were due to be 2013 hosts until their “regime change”)… Wallace’s basic point was a good one, well-made. The event has become “the target of oil-rich nations with dubious track records and in need of a PR-stunt.”

Finally, a popular sports analyst, Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) looks at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations through Sex, Love and Magic:

 

AFCON trophy is the most coveted trophy in African soccer. Image released under Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Shasta

The sex tales are applicable to Botswana as well. First-timers at the tournament, they reek of naiveté. 

Why else would the team have to order (not suggest) grown men not to ‘boink’?

The Zebras [the Botswana national team] have been warned to stay away from sexual activities, with boss Stanley Tshosane warning that “sex drains energy from a player and I expect my players to abstain till end of the tournament”. He’s also issued drug abuse warnings, touting “face-to-face and group talks with the players.”
—

While some of the methods were based in medical science, rumour mongers accused Ghana of jinxing their Group D opponents by using ‘charms.’
Magic is not new to the African Cup. From the failure of South Africa to qualify being blamed on non-payment of a sangoma to the assertion that Michael Essien’s injury at Angola 2010 was caused by psychic powers, there are countless stories.

Ask players with Cameroon why there never seems to be peace between their star-studded lineup, and you may get whispers of how there are “too many marabouts working for the same team”, thereby cancelling out the efficacy of their powers. Is there any truth to these stories? That is certainly open to question.

—

Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, the hosts, will use every trick in the book – fair or foul – to get as far as they can. After all, it’s what hosts do. Equatorial Guinea have offered $1 million USD to the team for every victory, in addition to $20,000 for every goal.

Outrageous amounts of money have been splashed before but not like this.

He ends the post by saying:

As ever, there are bound to be many subplots in the tournament which starts (on January 21st) and ends on February 12. Here’s hoping there isn’t too much boinking in obscure places

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However, on the eve of the same final the English Football Association decided to abstain from the vote for the presidency of FIFA. Following the allegations made by Lord David Triesman and the suspension of FIFA presidency contender Mohammed bin Hammamm and CONCACAF’s and FIFA’s former VP Jack Warner, FIFA's electoral process was about to collapse.

Joseph ‘Sepp’ Blatter succeeded to win his fourth (and hopefully final) term at the helm of the most powerful and lucrative sports organization in the world. Here are some of the reactions online:

Ghana’s soccer blog quoted Blatter saying:

I thank you for your trust and confidence from the bottom of my heart,” said Blatter, who was applauded back into the auditorium by the rest of Fifa congress after his unchallenged victory in Zurich. “Our pyramid is intact, the base, the foundation is strong and together we have four years to continue on our path and do our job. “We will put Fifa’s ship back on the right course in clear, transparent waters. We need some time to do it, but we shall do it.

The Zimbabwe Review wondered if Blatter is practicing to be Zimbabwe's next president:

Zimbabwe is a troubled nation just beginning to tentatively try to work itself out of a decade of political turmoil and economic decline. It's only president for its 31 years of independence, Robert Mugabe, says he will be a candidate in the next election, expected within the next year. If he does indeed stand it can be confidently predicted that he will officially ‘win.' Even if so, it seems fairly obvious that in a few years Zimbabwe will be shopping for a new president, Mugabe already being 87 years old.

The coincidence of pending events in Blatter's career and those in Zimbabwe could provide an interesting match-making opportunity.
Mugabe says he must present himself as a candidate in the upcoming election at his advanced age out of of a sense of duty to his party and to the country. There is no one he believes is presently up to the task of succeeding him, you see.

So, could Sepp Blatter not be the ideal person to continue the legacy of the Zimbabwean incumbent?

The conclusion is:

There are many parallels between FIFA's and Zimbabwe's processes of conducting elections and wielding power.

Daniel Feuerstein argued that political infighting paved way for Blatter's re-election:

This past Mon­day FIFA Pres­i­dent Sepp Blat­ter stepped up to the podium at the house of FIFA and did his best song and dance rou­tine with the ath­letic legs of a boxer bob­bing and weav­ing away the ques­tions from reporters and his open­ing state­ments. He said “There is no cri­sis within FIFA.” How could the pres­i­dent of the world’s gov­ern­ing body of foot­ball stand there in front of so many media and talk garbage?

He hopes that one day an hon­est man that will replace Blat­ter:

What do we expect now from these mem­bers of FIFA, CONCACAF and the AFC? Busi­ness as usual. Never oppose the Pres­i­dent for life and allow the same under­hand­ed­ness to con­tinue on ’til some­one else will take over the reins. Until that day comes and we hope it’s an hon­est man that will replace Blat­ter, just get ready for the 2014 World Cup Qual­i­fy­ing Draw on Sat­ur­day, July 30th.

Socca Critics blog quoted the English Football Association President David Bernstein:

…after listening to the speech of Joseph Blatter, believe that the calls that we have made for greater transparency and better governance have been worthwhile.

It was positive to join other 16 Nations, while a 17 more Nations abstaining clearly demonstrates that we are not alone or isolated in our points of view.

The election process was flawed:

We have an unsatisfactory situation. We are subject to universal criticism of Governments, sponsors, media and the rest of the world…
A Coronation without an opponent provides a flawed mandate.

All in all, we know that the lovely game of football will continue to entertain and bring the world together.

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The latest is the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) election, which comes at a time when one of the most powerful non-governmental bodies (that scares even nations’ leaders - ask President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria) and is almost a law unto itself, has suddenly started looking vulnerable.

This is thanks in part to revelations by Britain’s Lord Richard Triesman as captured by NottheFootyShow here:

Lord Triesman, the former FA and England 2018 World Cup bid Chairman has come out guns blazing in the Culture, Media and Sport Committee at the House of Commons in London. His accusations into the corruption surrounding the World Cup Hosting rights will not surprise many, but it is sure to make the upcoming FIFA elections all the more interesting

Real Madrid CF Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Image by Flickr user marcp_dmoz (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

The blogger continues:

Triesman gave evidence of “improper and unethical behaviour,” by serial FIFA bad boy Vice President Jack Warner who reportedly put his hand out for money to build an education centre in Trinidad, with cash to go through him, and money to buy Haiti World Cup TV rights, also to go through him. Mr Warner comes out badly in two books on corruption in FIFA – “How they stole the game” and “Foul” – and funding for similar ventures have not seen the facilities intended built

And in total disregards of the claims and seeking to support the incumbent candidate, FIFA’s Vice President Jack Warner (from Trinidad & Tobago) is quoted in BajanSunOnline.com saying:

An election is not a popularity contest and as the world still grapples with shifting economic realities we must ensure that our sport is in a position to withstand any uncertainty.”…. “One must examine all that is proposed; how do you expand football? How do you continue to touch the lives of those who have been denied the opportunity to witness the beauty and simplicity of this game?

TheBigLead makes fun of Sepp Blatter and his mission of ‘saving FIFA and ultimately the universe’:

Sepp Blatter is running for reelection as FIFA’s president. He sent an open letter to fans spelling out his simple, direct case for his candidacy. He believes failure to reelect him will create a “tectonic movement” that will cause FIFA to “be sucked into a black hole.” Said chasm will precipitate “irreversible damage” destroying the organization and, possibly, soccer itself. Apparently, Blatter hires his PR flacks in North Korea.

TheBigLead quotes from some of the correspondence Mr. Blatter shared with the football associations as he sought to get their direction in way of voting:

Is the situation really that dramatic?” you ask. The answer is yes, in theory it is. I am confident I will be able to win the elections with a clear majority of two-thirds of the votes. South America, North America, Europe, Oceania and a considerable part of Africa and Asia will continue to support my ideas. However it is still worth considering what the alternative would be: no one.

Caughtoffside.com (what an appropriate name!) questions Sepp Blatter's ability to run FIFA:

Would you buy a used car from this man, let alone want him running the football’s most world governing body?

Responding to Blatter's solution to FIFA's controversial voting process, Caughtoffside says:

Sepp Blatter is basically admitting that FIFA needs change and that he will definitely look into fixing the problem the moment he is re-elected, which is of course incredibly convenient as previously he said no change was needed. Anyone believe what he is saying?

The reigning FIFA president has stated his desire to adopt an IOC style system for deciding on hosts of major tournaments but what is to stop Blatter from changing his mind once he was once again re-elected? FIFA needs change but it’s pretty much a closed shop and no one stands much of a chance of executing real change in the hugely corrupt body.

Arunava writes about Mohammed bin Hammam, the only other candidate challenging Sepp Blatter, and his recent visit to India:

Current FIFA president Joseph S. Blatter from Switzerland will be facing competition from Qatari Mohammed bin Hamman, the president of the Asian Football Confederation. The 61 year old Mohammed bin Hamman in his capacity as AFC president was in New Delhi last week to update himself on the latest in Indian football as well as speak to the heads of the South Asian Football Federation which represents the eight nations of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Caughoffside explains why it would be very difficult for Mohammed Bin Hammam to win:

I would imagine that the biggest obstacle to Mohamed Bin Hammam’s election hopes is his insistence that he will throw the doors open and make FIFA a more transparent place and whilst we the onlookers would love such an act to occur, those ensconced in the regime are not likely to be quite so keen. Therefore it would take something of a miracle for anyone but Sepp Blatter to win the presidential race.

The expression “Turkey’s voting for Christmas” has never been quite so relevant.

JohninParis is not optimistic about Blatter's promise to create a ‘clean reorganised FIFA’:

Sepp Blatter wants to oversee the promised reorganisation of FIFA, which of course he did not have time to do during the last 12 years. In previous articles (see this blog dated May 1) it was suggested that a real debate between these two candidates should take place on television and that both candidates should clearly state what they wanted to achieve as President. This simple and practical idea was not taken up.  One can only infer that during the coming years nothing important will change;  things will simply go on as before!

Whichever way, let’s see how the run-up to the election unfolds and what happens next. Wishing all the candidates all the best in their endeavours.

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Likespor’ a sports blog reported:

Olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru has died after a tumble from a balcony, according to reports in his local Kenya. Kenyan military after suggested that a 24-year-old leapt to his genocide shortly after 11pm on Sunday, after evidence with his wife.

Samuel Wanjiru - Beijing Olympics 2008 (courtesy of www.mzungofire.blogspot.com).

The post goes on to quote other marathoners who tweeted about his death. One of them is Ryah Hall who wrote:

So unhappy to hear about Sammy Wanjiru. He was a fable and still so young.

Britain's long distance runner Mo Farah tweeted:

So sad to hear about Sammy Wanjiru. He was a legend and still so young.

Neeraj Bhushan, a blogger and journalist based in India, had this to say:

Only if he could realize life’s a marathon too, and won it. RIP, young boy.

Samuel Wanjiru 2008 SOYA Winner - (courtesy of SOYA).

SportsKenya paid glowing tribute to Samuel, briefly outlining his major achievements:

A brief window into his life show that he had become one of Kenyan's leading marathoners having secured the 2005 Most Promising Sportsman of the Year Award, having won and broken the world half-marathon record in Rotterdam. He went on to become the first Kenyan ever to win a marathon in Beijing Olympics and in the same year came 2nd in the London Marathon sending warning signals to his rivals.
His last major exploit though was the Chicago Marathon which he won in style having run neck to neck in the last few miles with Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kedebe. Other major awards included;
2008 Sportsman of the Year Award - Kenya
2008 AIMS/ASICS World Athlete of the Year Award (sponsored by Asic)
2009 London & Chicago Marathon winner
2010 Chicago Marathon winner
His exploits had seen him secure major sponsorship from Japan and also enjoying attendance fees of upwards of US$ 50,000- 100,000 per race. SportsKenya had ranked him as one of the top earners in sports in the year 2010 in an earlier post. Little did we know this would be our last one of him being alive.

Kenyan blogger Mombasa411 reported that initial investigations indicate the cause of his death as an argument between him and his wife:

Ombati said the athlete’s wife Triza Njeri had come home to find Wanjiru in bed with another woman had locked the couple in the bedroom and ran outside. Wanjiru then leapt from the balcony, he said. Ombati said Njeri and Wanjiru’s female companion are assisting police in investigating the death. Sources indicate that Wanjiru spent the day drinking at a Pub in Nakuru in Kenya’s Rift Valley province and later headed home to Nyahururu. It is further said he took his last meal at  a place called Tas in the town before he took home a prostitute named ‘Martha’.It is said his wife then caught the two lovebirds before an argument ensued between the wife and the call girl.

The news also made headlines on Twitter, easily becoming one of the top trending topics with the hashtag #SamuelWanjiru.

Ethiopian marathon legend Haile Gebrselassie's reaction:

I am totally shocked of the news of the death of Sammy Wanjiru.

Other Twitter users commented:

@ggithu: Olympic champ Wanjiru dies after fall ……. So Sad RIP Sammy we will miss you

@Monecillo: Shocked about Wanjiru… He was the future Marathon WR holder RIP

@Lucykims: RIP #Samuel Wanjiru. An untimely unnecessary death is the worst kind

CapitalFM_kenya: The woman who accompanied #SamuelWanjiru to his home is a barmaid who had gone to pick Sh13,000 for unpaid bill ~ police

@dirtyLuxury (Vivian): Regardless of his personal life, #SamuelWanjiru will be missed, he represented Kenya greatly in his career, RIP

@Enigmah_dj: when everyone talks and everyone listens, its the truth that always comes out missing #SamuelWanjiru

@wamathai: RIP #SamuelWanjiru. You were not perfect but you were amazing

@maikwambo: just a thought, we should honour #SamuelWanjiru with a minute of silence ahead of sporting events this weekend

RIP Samuel Wanjiru.

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A guest blogger at Outside Blog reports:

When the men's lead pack of the 115th Boston Marathon finished the first half in 1:01:58, the crowds in Boston knew this was going to be a fast race. But the final eye-popping time of 2:03:02 by Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai, the fastest marathon ever recorded, was even more impressive on Boston's notoriously difficult and hilly course.

Kenya's Emmanuel Mutai wins the 2011 Virgin London Marathon. Image courtesy of Beaumont Enterprise.

Running in isolation helped Mutai:

Mutai, who is not related to London marathon champion Emmanuel Mutai, said he prepared for Boston by training almost exclusively in the hilly areas of his native Kenya. Mutai ran most of the race alone with Moses Mosop, and said that the isolation allowed him to push himself even further. “When I am alone I know how to control my pace, but when someone comes to me I don't know how to go,” he said after the race.

The Running Deo links to a story from International Association of Athletics Federations (IAFF) website where Mutai praises American Ryan Hall for helping set a fast pace:

Nonetheless, that a man could average 2:55 per kilometre (4:42 per mile), over the full Marathon distance of 42.195 km (26 miles, 385 yards) under any circumstances is astounding.

“It was at our back,” Mutai said matter of factly about the wind. “But it wasn't such a big wind.”

Instead, Mutai partially credited American Ryan Hall for his fast performance today. Hall, the USA Half-Marathon record holder, was the prime mover in the early kilometres and reinvigorated the pace nearly every time the race slowed on the hilly course from Hopkinton to Boston. Hall saw the lead pack through 5 km in 14:47, then 10 km in 29:05. By that time, the men had already banked a full minute against the 30:08 10-K split by course record holder Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, the defending champion.

A day before two Kenyans had achieved a similar feat running in record time for the men’s marathon and personal best time for the women’s race in the London Marathon:

Emmanuel Mutai made it a Kenyan double after winning the Virgin London Marathon in a new course record.
Earlier, compatriot Mary Keitany smashed her personal best to claim a commanding victory in the women's race…. Keitany broke away after 15 miles and never looked like being caught as she clocked an unofficial time of two hours 19 minutes and 17 seconds, almost 10 minutes quicker than her debut in New York last year.
The 29-year-old began the year by setting a new world record of 1:05.50 for the half-marathon, becoming the first woman to run under 66 minutes.

Caroline Kilel completes another double for Kenya at the 2011 Boston Marathon. Image courtesy of www.runblogrun.com.

Last week, there was outrage when race organisers in the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands wanted to offer Kenyan runners 100 times less prize money than Dutch nationals because “Kenyans always win”:

There is outrage over a move by organisers of the Utrecht Marathon in The Netherlands discouraging Kenyan athletes from competing in – and winning – the annual 42-kilometre race. Organisers of the marathon are offering Kenyan runners 100 times less prize money than what is up for grabs by Dutch nationals who cross the line first, a move that has been subject to vitriolic attacks from sections of the Dutch public, media and equal rights activists.

Subsequently, Athletics Kenya has ordered all Kenyan athletes invited to compete in this year’s edition of the race on April 25 to withdraw their entries.

The Dutch City race controversy was also captured by BookerRising.net in a post titled “Dutch Marathon: “Y'all Negroes Keep Dusting Our White Runners, & Demoralizing Their Egos. We Gotta Rig Our Event In Order To Prop Up Our Mediocre Talent”:

Check this out this story about affirmative action in sport. 23 Kenyans and 1 Ethiopian have won 24 out of the 25 Dutch marathon events held in the past five years. I should add that just last weekend; Kenyans won the Rotterdam Marathon in the Netherlands. Enter the newly rigged setup: a foreign (translation: black African) winner of the Utrecht Marathon on April 25 — which, I should note is billed as an international event — only gets 100€ in prize money vs. 10,000€ (US$14,400) for a Dutch winner. On top of that, they only invited Dutch marathoners to the event (which they've renamed the “Dutch Battle”). The goal is to heavily discourage black Africans from running (and therefore winning) Dutch marathon events.

Finally, Dave Solomon questions the decision by the IAAF to deny Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai the distinction of running the world's fastest marathon (2:03.02) because he was supported by tail-wind:

The decision by the IAAF to deny Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai the distinction of running the world's fastest marathon (2:03.02) at Monday's Boston Marathon might be the singlemost objectionable ruling I've ever seen by a governing body in sports. You mean it's taken the IAAF 115 years to decree that the most venerable marathon in the world is too easy to be legitimate? And too subject to tailwinds to be legitimate?
Anyone ever hear them say any of that before Monday?
Out of nowhere, the IAAF simply dismisses the record for conditions over 26-plus miles on an internationally famed track. They may as well run it inside Fanueil Hall next year too take the elements out of the equation.

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Football Fans in South Africa

This BBC story has a number of figures on the costs and revenues of staging this year’s World Cup in South Africa. Among them (in British pounds):
• FIFA’s expected revenue: £2.1bn
• FIFA’s budget: £800m
• Recent increase to ensure training camps are in good condition: £67m (included above)
• South Africa’s budget: £3.5bn, or 1.72% of GDP
The expense incurred in South Africa is for building and renovating 10 stadiums, improved transport infrastructure, and security. You can learn a bit about the stadiums here; they appear to be smartly designed…

But how much money will South Africa generate?:

No figures are given for the anticipated revenues that the country expects to generate. But let’s do some work on the back of an envelope. A total of 48 group games, 15 knockout games, and the third place game are to be played. The ten stadiums have an average capacity of just over 56,000. The average ticket price looks to be in the range of $200 (that’s using the median of the category two bracket, which is a bit generous). If all games were to sell out at an average price of $200, that would total $717m in ticket revenue…. The story notes an accountant from the firm Grant Thornton believes that the 1.72% of GDP in direct expenses is “affordable” because it provided an economic stimulus for the country in the midst of a global economic downturn. The story also states that FIFA’s general secretary “was confident the event would leave a lasting legacy on the country and the African continent.

The DailyStocks.com and MoneyMorning go deeper and look at the economic prospects both from within and from beyond the South Africa borders in their posts:

We have said continuously that this is an African World Cup,” South African President Jacob Zuma told parliament last week. “We have an opportunity to promote foreign investment, tourism and trade.”South Africa spent a total of $3.7 billion on infrastructure improvements, including a new international airport in Durban and a high-speed train between the Johannesburg airport and the city center, the Miami Herald… Analysts estimate that the World Cup will rake in $2 billion for South Africa’s tourism industry, and $1.1 billion for retailers. But the real hope is for longer lasting effects to emerge.“We all need to grab this opportunity to show our visitors what South Africa is all about. We need to work together with creative insight and energy after the World Cup to maintain arrivals to South Africa,” Thandiwe January McLean, CEO of South African Tourism told the Economic Times. “This World Cup offers our industry and nation a rich legacy. We should not see World Cup as one event that solves all economic issues, but rather an opportunity to refine the way we do things and create a legacy for the future.

Nigeria is set to capitalise on the event:

Nigeria, which is competing at the World Cup, plans to open an exhibition on the sidelines of the tournament to promote investment in the oil-rich nation. “We wish to showcase Nigeria and its enormous potentials via a Nigeria village at the World Cup,” Sani Lulu, head of the Nigeria Football Federation, told AFP.

Puma's Blog, one of the main apparel sponsors of the tournament talks about marketing and advertising:

World Cup marketing, business marketing is usually taken to have the World Cup sponsorship, naming, please football star for product spokesperson, introduced the concept of product design as well as the World Cup jersey to buy advertising, stadium advertising and other forms. Sports Marketing from input-output ratio of view, by sponsoring the World Cup and soccer star hired as a spokesperson to enhance cat puma shoes brand image, at least three to five times the investment in sponsorship. In order to make huge investment value for the enterprise marketing platform in the World Cup must find the right market opportunities, through appropriate media platforms, will be the right message to the appropriate audience.

An older post written by one of Kenyan’s leading business bloggers, Bankelelelooks at how Africa, particularly Kenya, can benefit from the World Cup:

Tourism: The World Cup will draw thousands of people making their first or a rare trip to African continent, which can yyield opportunities for locales outside South Africa
- Beach tourism: The World Cup is associated with summer, but takes place in winter in SA (southern hemisphere), and while the weather will be relatively mild compared to Europe and US winters, its not beach strolling weather like you could get in Mombasa, Zanzibar or Seychelles.
- Regional packages: Ethiopian Airlines has travel packages that cover more than one country e.g. see the attractions of Ethiopia, Tanzania, Egypt, and Kenya and will probably sell those in SA. Likewise Kenya Airways (or local agents) who will probably have travelers from Thailand and China can draw on the same to entice people on the way back e.g. also tour the Great Rift highlands of Kenya and Ethiopia and visit athletic camps to see where world beating Olympic athletes hone their skills.

He discusses the role of governments:

Governments: there are opportunities for proactive governments to get involved and promote their countries with marketing campaigns, or with travel advice for locals, expedited transit visas (JKIA) or passport renewals. See what UK government is doing.

On a lighter note though, a blog appropriately named BeerBeer, says that there shall be enough alcoholic drinks to take care of the football fans who may seek a way of having fun. “World Cup fans need not fret, South Africa will not run out of beer during the month-long tournament…,” says beerbeer:

World Cup fans need not fret, South Africa will not run out of beer during the month-long tournament, its biggest brewer says. There’s no need to worry, guys. There will be plenty of our beer for all the fans during this period,’ said Norman Adami, managing director of South African Breweries, the local arm of global drinks giant SABMiller. The company, which produces roughly nine of every ten bottles of beer drunk in South Africa, is predicting a 5 per cent increase in sales during the tournament starting on June 11. However, it will be able to meet the extra demand – equivalent to 30 million bottles – because the southern hemisphere winter is normally its slowest sales period, Adami said… Budweiser, owned by SABMiller rival Anheuser-Busch InBev and an official Fifa partner, is the only authorised supplier inside stadiums. SAB will be allowed to sell beer at 10 Fifa fan parks in the World Cup cities, but only in unmarked bottles to avoid breaching Fifa’s jealously guarded rights rules.

Finally the SouthAfrica.Info blog, says though the projections have been reduced, the estimates still indicate a ‘massive impact’ by the tournament,

Indications are that overseas tourists will stay an average of 18 days compared to the 14 days used in the original projections,” said Saunders. “Average overseas tourist spend per trip is also forecast to be up, at R30 200 compared to the R22 000 used before…. The gross economic impact will be R93-billion, with 62% expected to be generated pre-2010 and 38% during the course of the year. Foreign tourism will account for 16% of the gross impact… “We continue to be upbeat about the impact of the World Cup,” said Saunders. “The stadia will be full and it will be great event; the profiling of South Africa and future spin-offs have always been the real benefit of hosting an event of this magnitude.

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WorldCupBlog has nothing against Shakira but why should the song be sung by a Colombian?:

Shakira featuring Freshly Ground - Waka Waka(This is Africa) Source: World Cup 2010 Theme Song

…I’ve nothing against Shakira. But does it seem odd to anyone else that the official song for the World Cup in South Africa will be sung by a hot Colombian lady? True, she’s backed up by South African band Freshlyground, but it’s very much Shakira front and center here.
It continues and gives us a brief history of the original track, Zangalewa by group formerly known as Golden Sounds now known by the title song which made them famous across the continent

Apparently, the song does not fit the event:

The only problem is that the catchy part – the chorus – is borrowed from the popular song ‘Zangaléwa’ by the Cameroonian band originally known as Golden Sounds (who later changed their name to Zangaléwa because the song was so popular). The band was apparently made up of ex-Cameroonian military who were fond of dressing up and acting silly. Apparently the lyrics are in the Fang dialect of Cameroon, and the key refrain of ‘zangaléwa’, translates as ‘who sent you?’ Which is at least fitting for a World Cup. Some further (but not much further) interpretation comes from the Latino music blog Guanabee. The song, music historians say, is a criticism of black military officers who were in league with whites to oppress their own people. Or at least, some of it was. Some of it, as far was we can surmise, is gibberish.

KennyNaija, a blogger from Nigeria, captures the controversy the song brewed in South African radio stations:

The song hit radio stations last week, with Johannesburg locals responding with comments like “It's horrible” and “How is Shakira going to sing the African part of it?” (My guess is with her voice, but a Speak & Spell could be a fun choice, too.). The Colombian singer collaborated with South African band Freshlyground on the track, which borrows from a Cameroonian song called “Zangalewa.” But the fact that the anthem for South Africa's World Cup is not being sung by a South African is the sticking point for the critics who aren't just opposed to the new tune itself.

Martin Myers, a blogger, DJ and publicist, discusses FIFA and Sony Music Entertainment announcement of the song as the official song:

FIFA and Sony Music Entertainment today announced that Waka Waka (This Time For Africa), written and co-produced by global superstar Shakira, has been chosen as the Official Song of the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa. The song will be performed by Shakira together with South African artist Freshlyground at the Closing Ceremony before the FIFA World Cup™ Final on July 11 in Johannesburg Soccer City Stadium. All proceeds from the song will benefit FIFA’s Official Campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ “20 Centers for 2010.

He also captures Sepp Blatter’s thoughts of the song as well as Shakira’s comments on the honour of getting selected to do the song:

The Official Song is as much awaited by the fans as the Mascot or the Logo. It is part of the identity of the world’s most exciting sport’s event. This song is the personification of the African rhythm and identity and sets the pace for this unique event. I am looking forward to hear the song throughout the tournament and watch it performed by Shakira and Freshlyground at the Final”, said Joseph S. Blatter, FIFA President”
“‘I am honored that Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) was chosen to be part of the excitement and the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup,’ said Shakira. ‘The FIFA World Cup is a miracle of global excitement, connecting every country, race, religion and condition around a single passion. It represents an event that has the power to unite and integrate, and that’s what this song is about.’ Shakira continued, ‘African music is so inspiring and is poised to take its place on the global pop culture stage. I was proud to be able to work with one of South Africa’s most acclaimed groups, Freshlyground.’ The song was co-produced by Shakira’s frequent collaborator, John Hill

Brown Shuga of JustCurious, an entertainment blog, says he loves the song but has a problem with the official video:

I had to listen to it about 3 times before I decided I liked the song…I love the song, but if this is the official video then I have a problem… where are my boys?

He takes us through the history of the song:

Zamina” or “Zangaléwa” is a 1986 hit song, originally sung by a makossa group from Cameroon called Golden Sounds who were beloved throughout the continent for their silly dances and costumes. The song was such a hit for Golden Sounds that they eventually changed their name to Zangaléwa, too.The song pays tribute to African skirmishers (a.k.a tirailleurs) during WW2. Most of the band members were in the Cameroonian Army themselves and used make up, fake belly and fake butt for comic relief. The song is still used today by soldiers, policemen, boy scouts, sportsmen and their supporters, usually during training or for rallying. It is also widely used in schools throughout the country as a marching song and almost everyone in the country knows the chorus of the song by heart.

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Muchene.com reports how MacDonald Mariga made history playing in his first UEFA Champions League game when he was brought on later in the game against Chelsea:

McDonald Mariga came on and it’s like Chelsea players panicked on seeing him, coz first thing their captain John Terry did is foul him and get a yellow card for it.

According to Muchene, here is the real story:

…But back to the real story….Congrats Mariga! You can lead Inter all the way to the final.

Nigeria Best Forum Topics adds this:

The moment may have gone unnoticed in London but not in Nairobi where Mariga‘s mum was blowing a Vuvuzela as her son became the first Kenyan and the first East African to play in the Champions League.

MacDonald is raising the East African countries’ profiles:

There is also huge interest in neighbouring, and equally football-mad, Uganda because real hopes exist that a player from Africa‘s footballing eastern backwaters can spearhead a change, which one former Kenya coach – contrary to conventional wisdom – believes is possible.

Yasin Ansari, a Kenyan living in South Africa, says this in his blog:

This blog is about a Kenyan (yes another one but not just anyone) who last night walked onto the field with about 15 mins to go in the game and not only was I impressed but mighty proud that he stood his ground and played well earning him the right to play for one of the most successful coaches of our time, Jose Mourino…. McDonald Mariga is his name, playing in a number 17 jersey as a midfielder. Watch this guy, he will be remembered as one of the stars from Africa.

Kenya's & Inter Milan's MacDonald Mariga shields ball from Seydou Keita of Barcelona. Image Source:www.inter.it

The Kenyan football fan had a unique opportunity to see one of their own playing at a UEFA Champs game and though it was a cameo appearance, it was enough to turn our patriotic selves into rapturous cheer.”
In a previous post, the blog reports what was to be his debut game for Inter Milan in the Champions League,
“After creating such a buzz during the transfer window in January, our very own McDonald Mariga's about to take to the pitch, this time on a high profile game which might just launch his career into greatness…Playing for one of the continent's revered sides and playing against one of England's best hopes for a Champions League win, Mariga will come up against tried and tested pedigree at a continental level.

GhanaSoccernet, discusses Sally Muntari’s prediction of Macdonald Mariga’s future,

He is just a delight to watch. I am sometimes marvelled by his sharp instincts and ability to manoeuvre his way through defenders. He has such an incredible speed, pace and skill on the ball. If he continues to play the way he is currently doing for Milan then I can confidently say he is the next big thing to happen to the game.”

And Muntari continues to say,

Mariga is real and ready to take on the rest of the world. I don’t foresee him fading away like other young talents in time past. In the next few years, he will blossom into the biggest football act out of Africa.

Topi-talk.com, a blog by Kenya’s sports broadcaster Topi Lyambila, calls Mariga “Kenya’s beacon of hope”:

Mariga is versatile and a joy to watch, a player who moves with the fluidity of the ultimate professional. Although coming in as late substitute, for the past two games, Mariga is writing history as the first ever East African to play in the Champions League penultimate and final stages.

Yasin Ansari summarises by saying, “Thank you Mr. Mariga for giving me that feeling of being proudly Kenyan.”:

As the spectacle drew to an end and the sprinklers were switched on to encourage the Inter team to boycott their celebrations and get off the field, I watched Mr. Mariga shake hands and hug some of the legends of the game. All I can say is that I can’t wait for the 22nd when I will watch Inter Milan do what they have been trying to do for years and more importantly get a glimpse of this midfielder…Thank you Mr. Mariga for giving me that feeling of being proudly Kenyan.

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The 2010WorldCupFifa Blog captures Danny Jordaan’s words moments before launching into the 50-day festivities:

In just 50 days time we begin what I believe will be one of our most important defining moments, the 2010 World Cup. This defining moment will last a full month, a moment where the attention of the world will be nowhere but right here in South Africa…”The same South Africa the world once called a miracle nation when in 1994 we made a peaceful transition to democracy, defying all the sceptics. The world has heard many more stories about us since then, sometimes more negative than positive, but this World Cup gives all South Africans the opportunity to show the world who we really are sixteen years into our democracy.

Donnette E Davis has some interesting observations about the low number of foreign fans attendint the event:

With 50 days to go before kick-off, football fever is growing in South Africa but the global economic crisis, the tournament’s high cost as a long haul destination and fears of violent crime have reduced the numbers of foreign fans

The DispatchOnlineBlogs,reports how Buffalo City’s East Londoners were led by their Executive Mayor Zukisa Faku in celebrating 50 days to the event even though they are not hosting any teams:

..Zukisa Faku was in attendance wearing her Bafana Bafana football shirt. Faku was in high spirits and encouraged citizens to get behind football in the city, while also making a valiant attempt at learning the 2010 “Diski Dance”…“Join us along with the chorus of soccer directors in the country in celebrating 50 days to the start of the 2010 World Cup,” Faku said.

She goes on to say:

The spirits of our people are not dampened by the challenges we have encountered. We need to stand tall and show the football bosses that we could live up to their expectations if they should have a change of heart and consider us for a role in the upcoming soccer extravaganza.

Dissol at MyDigitalLife.co.za says that the world has been experiencing a period of bad luck leading up to the event:

We have had all sorts of really bad luck leading up to the event - the global credit crunch, the shooting at the Confed Cup, political intrigue, bad press, and even a volcano exploding in Iceland causing the European airspace to be closed down (something that neither Bin Laden or Hitler could pull off!!)

Dissol reminds us at the time when most people thought that South Africa was trying to do the impossible:

Remember just 4 years ago when so many people here, and overseas were telling us that what South Africa was trying to do was impossible? Remember the scare stories about the event being moved to Australia, or elsewhere, because we would never finish? We have pulled off the most amazing build projects, and that has been recognised all around the world. Already we have impressed other professionals around the world with the way that the impossible has been pulled off…. In 50 days the event starts…a few short weeks after that, the teams will leave…and FIFA will move on, quite a bit richer… But we will be left with the legacy. We will remember the event. Elsewhere in the world people still talk about “being there” or “part of” different events such as World Cups, and Olympic games. We will have that…and it is doubtful we would ever get the FIFA games back here in any of our lifetimes… People born next year can never say they were here for the World Cup.

Sinlung says has 50 reasons to look forward to the event:

Reason #8: Timing of the matches. No need to put the alarm clock on for early morning kick offs, with games starting at 12.30pm, 3pm and 7.30pm. Should England make the final four, all but two of their games will be held at weekends, maximising marketing opportunities and audience figures.
Or reason no.26;
…Real fans have the chance to see the play. Fifa's unprecedented decision to allow surplus tickets to be sold in shops and supermarkets will be beneficial to the atmosphere at even the smallest insignificant group games. Tournament rules stipulating tickets could only be sold in ballots were lifted following poor sales and anything that limits corporate sales and lets real fans attend games is a good thing for the tournament.

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As reported by White Cottage Blog, the first day was characterized by chaos and even one fan lost their life after collapsing while queuing to purchase a ticket:

The first day of the last phase of ticket sales for the World Cup has resulted in chaos, with queues at sales points, one soccer fan dying of a heart attack in the queue, and the FNB system being off-line.

The blog also notes that:

…greedy and opportunistic “speculators” bought tickets, with the aim of reselling them, at a profit one would assume, and have now discovered, even though it was clearly stipulated during the purchase process, that one cannot resell them, as the ID number of the ticket purchasers are printed on the tickets. This means that sellers of tickets cannot even give them away for free!

The Soccerphile Blog gave a more personal account:

After being told by FIFA that there were tickets for all games, people who had been queuing from 0700 finally got to the counter at around 1400 to be told that only Category 1 tickets were available for some games

The 5th Official has this to say about the ticket sales as they got underway:

A total of 1610 tickets were sold to 310 customers nationally at the Ticketing Centres within the first hour after they opened at 9am this morning, with 2166 tickets also sold to 470 fans at FNB branches. The integrated Ticketing System, which manages all sales channels experienced huge countrywide demand; as a result experiencing some delays initially in the processing of ticket orders.

The Worldbbnews.com, managed to get the Chief Executive Danny Jordaan who sought to clear the air about the chaos:

Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the World Cup organising committee, shrugged off the complaints: “It happens when you use technology. The moment you want not to have a glitch, you have a glitch. We printed tickets this morning and it was working perfectly. Then when you come and the cameras are here, somehow the machine gets shy and it doesn’t happen. But I’m happy it’s back online.”

Danny Jordaan said this to a British journalist:

I don’t think you understand chaos. It seems you have never been with football fans buying tickets. The experience today is exactly the same as buying a Manchester United or Arsenal ticket.…

In Pretoria, An American in Pretoriahad this to say:

I drove across Pretoria today. One of the robots was out and traffic was nightmarish. When I finally arrived at my destination there were throngs of people standing in a queue that snaked through two shopping malls - twisting, turning, suffocating any empty space in a two-block radius…World Cup tickets were available for public sale. The crowd was so thick I couldn't leave or go anywhere, so I sat in a cafe for three hours.

The World Soccer Blog says that South Africans do not seem to be interested in buying the tickets:

Over 500,000 tickets went on sale in SA over the counter in the final phase. Organizers are confronted with the Herculean task of selling these in the next two months or risk seeing sparsely attended matches. Ticket sales have been brisk in the USA, flat in Europe, and in Japan and generally in Asia, they have been disappointing.

But there are indications that South Africans themselves are not coming out in droves to buy. The danger is the lower profile matches involving nations like New Zealand, Slovenia, Algeria, and Greece. The SA government is also resorting to waiving visa fees at the point of entry in a bid to attract more World Cup fans. They are also setting up fast track channels to expedite visa processing.

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What has been the reaction from sports bloggers?

WorldCupBlog argues that errors in football, which can be prevented by technology, do cost clubs a lot of money:

European Football has grown into a 12bn Euro business, so these errors aren’t just about football narratives and mythology, but about costing clubs millions of Euros.

Another blogger believes that technology can make football “really fair”:

Why is it fine to contest decisions with technological aid in other sports while football/soccer referee decisions are only based on the limited capabilities of man? Sure we want to keep enjoying the game as it is but let’s make it really fair for both teams that enter the field for 90+ minutes. What do you say Irish fans? Do you have anything in particular to say to FIFA?

FIFA World Cup South Africa captures the anxieties over the FIFA decision:

If we start with goal-line technology then any part of the game and pitch will be a potential space where you could put in place technology to see if the ball was in or out, whether it was a penalty and then you end up with video replays. The door is closed

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While the Western media still doubts South Africa’s capability to hold the tournament and always throwing jibes at the continent, the South African authorities are ready to make a buzz of this as 2nd March counts exactly 100 days to the start of this magnanimous event.

What should South Africa do to convince the world that it is ready?:

I have had to ask myself, what else will South Africa do to convince the world that it is not only ready, but capable of hosting and hosting well, the World Cup?

He continues:

The countdown, therefore, has nothing to do with the readiness of the teams, rather it tends to sensitise us to the greatest single sport spectacle on earth. And in this wise, the South Africans can be assured of my vote. The South Africans have so woven life round the World Cup that long after the competition had gone, (just one month) the legacy that will be left behind will be awesome.

The BlaBla Blog puts it into perspective (albeit more practical) by focusing on the ‘fly the flag for 2010 in South Africa event which is a celebration of this important milestone,

2 March is therefore earmarked as a day on which South Africans, here and abroad, are called upon to demonstrate their excitement for the tournament and to display their passion for the country and the beautiful game

In an interesting survey from the South African Road Safety blog, the figures show that 85 % of the South Africans believe the country’s ready to host the tournament:

a record high (85%) of South Africans supporting the preparation ahead of the World Cup has surfaced in African Response’s latest 2010 Barometer – measuring perceptions of readiness ahead of the World Cup in around the major metropolitans in South Africa

However, South Africans are cognisant of the fact that there is still work to be done ahead of the World Cup and 61% agree that we need to focus on policing and security if our visitors are to leave our shores having had a good experience in our country

The SouthAfrica WorldCupBlog was more satirical in its post titled – Here come the fat cats of FIFA…:

FIFA President Sepp Blatter joined many other dignitaries for a 100-day countdown bash in Durban. Local Organizing Committee Chief Executive Danny Jordaan will be present along with Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe. Other participating celebrities include Jay Jay Okocha, Roger Milla, Mark Fish, and Hossam Hassan.

It also highlights the issues still grappling the organisers especially on the issue of the infrastructure in particular the stadium(s):

The latest concerns surround the quality of playing surfaces that are available at both the host stadiums and at some of the training bases chosen by the participating teams.”… The fields were boggy and saturated so the English FA contracted Richard Hayden, from the Sports Turf Research Institute to work on improving their condition. He did such a good job that FIFA signed him up to work on all the problematic pitches around the training camps.

According to Soccerway.com, South Africa is still wooing fans with 100 days remaining:

President Jacob Zuma in his state of the nation address urged locals to buy more tickets and to support the games to honour former president Nelson Mandela, who lobbied to bring the World Cup here. Mandela was central in assisting the country to win the rights to host this great event. We therefore have to make the World Cup a huge success in his honour,” said Zuma. “The infrastructure, security and logistics arrangements are in place to ensure a successful tournament.

“We will deliver a great World Cup,” declares The Times Online blog:

The rising excitement across the nation is palpable and South Africa is about to show the world what Africa is capable of doing. We are a nation with major social challenges, but we will deliver a great World Cup

Finally BushRadio’s blog discusses the events arranged to mark the occasion:

The deputy president will then join a major public celebration at the Durban city hall where a range of festivities will provide a foretaste of the colour and energy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament,”
And also,
Marking the day also Bafana Bafana will play host to neighbours Namibia on Wednesday evening, kick-off at 20h30. The hosts go into the International Friendly in good form after 6-2 and 3-0 wins over Swaziland and Zimbabwe respectively.

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2010 CAN in Angola

This year Africa’s in the sports arena for all the right reasons. First to shine the spotlight is definitely the Confederation of Africa's (CAF) African Cup of Nations being held in Angola which is just a stone’s throw away from South Africa, which hosts the World Cup in June later on this year.

As expected in many respects, this is a dress rehearsal for most of the teams which qualified for the World Cup from Africa.

But not everyone is celebrating Africa’s premiere football showcase as Mark Murphy notes:

If this year’s African Cup of Nations in Angola has entered the psyche of English football fans at all, it is because of the cataclysmic effect on Chelsea’s Premier League title hopes of a month without Didier Drogba

David James also wonders aloud in an article for Sports Blog:

With Chelsea flying there is plenty of speculation as to how they will cope without Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou and Mikel John Obi

Quite a number of English clubs will lose their players to the tournament with Chelsea and Portsmouth being the biggest casualties. Plagued by financial difficulties, Portsmouth has been living from hand to mouth and currently lie last in the English Premier League.

www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/dec/20/african-cup-nations-david-james”>David James again:

‘African Cup of Nations will hit us but who wouldn’t want to be there?’
…we have had so many other things to worry about – not getting paid, having another change of manager, being bottom of the league – that the thought of players going missing in a few weeks' time has not yet come to the fore. Of course it will be a big blow to us. We don't have the biggest of squads, and to lose some of our best players will have a huge impact. When our players do return there could be a host of other problems, such as mental and physical fatigue, adjusting to the difference in temperature, and injuries. So what do the Portsmouth players themselves think? To gauge opinion I had a chat with some of them over dinner, and the only thing anyone wanted to talk about was who would win the competition

The hosts, Angola will be hoping to save their blushes after failing to qualify for the World Cup after a promising period in 2008 as noted by Oliver:

After a successful stint in the 2008 African cup of nations, Angola were awarded the rights to host the tournament for the first time in its twenty six year history. Angola, who have only featured in the competition four times, preceded to the quarter finals in 2008”
But going by the first game against Mali they must wish the fortunes are better and pray (and play too) hoping to make it through the knock-out rounds of the quarter-finals and looking forward to replicating Egypt’s success of hosting the Cup and winning 1986/2006(along with other nations such as Sudan-1970,Ghana -1978, Algeria-1990, South Africa-1996);

Another country hoping to change their fortunes is last tournament’s hosts, Ghana. Should Ghana be taken seriously?:

Should Ghana be taken seriously?”– It goes on to ask if they shall find comfort with “John Mensah, John Pantsil, Stephen Appiah, Laryea Kingston are all nursing injuries while Muntari was famously overlooked”
It goes on further to say,
“Soon after the draw for the CAN several media pundits installed Ghana as joint favourites together with La Cote D’ivoire. Well that was before the injury crisis, but still that is the expectation this young team is up against-to at least make the final

The Indomitable Lions- as the Cameroonians have their old but vastly experienced players to put through their case as their iconic players look to hang the boots in pride. Cameroon is led by Rigobert Song who plays in his eighth African Cup of Nations tournament:

Cameroon promise to be strong. Their manager, Paul Le Guen, has found a way of ensuring star striker Samuel Eto'o does not feel the need to scamper all over the pitch in search of the ball, and the skilful Betis midfielder Achille Emana has become the prime conduit to the Inter star. In the centre of defence Cameroon boast one of the hottest prospects in African football, the 20-year-old Monaco centre-back Nicolas N'Koulou, who has been compared to a young Franco Baresi. What is more, in a tournament where few of the teams have top-class goalkeepers, Cameroon are an exception: Carlos Kameni is excellent

The other countries expected to make run-ins in the title chase include past winners Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria and the West African states of Mali and Burkina Faso. Togo team decided to go back home following the attack on the team bus in Cabinda:

The heartbreaking attack on the Togo team bus in rural Cabinda, an Angolan territory geographically separated from the rest of the nation, on the eve of the 2010 African Nations Cup upset me deeply. Foremost, I’m upset about the dead and wounded; I’m upset that the vile geo-political mix of oil, land, terrorism, and inequality claimed innocent lives and injured the travelling party of a soccer team that was interested in nothing more than a game. But I’m also upset about the potential for the ambush to detract from what should be a great year for African soccer—and to further distort perceptions of Africa

Cameroonian blogger George Fominyen discusses the incident in a post titled “Death in the Africa Cup's group of death”:

When four West African neighbours were drawn to play in group “B” of the African Cup of Nations in the enclave of Cabinda, pundits named it the “group of death”. But they were far from imagining that someone will die from gun-shot wounds two days before the kick-off of the tournament.

Ethan Zuckerman discusses the incident in a wider context arguing that “what happens in Cabinda doesn't stay in Cabinda”:

Actually, hosting Africa’s biggest football tournament – that is, up until the World Cup later this year – was probably a good branding move for Angola, which has made vast strides since the Angolan civil war ended in 2002. The mistake was in holding one of four sets of matches in Cabinda. It proved to be a tragic, deadly mistake: Separatist guerillas attacked a convoy of team buses, led by Angolan military, as they travelled from Congo-Brazaville into Cabinda, killing three members of the Togolese national team’s entourage and wounding nine others.

On a lighter note, Brucio offers American viewers options of viewing the African Cup of Nations:

No regular USA cable or dish packages have the games. You need the African or Middle East package. If you have no idea how to see the games then I would suggest calling all the African restaurants and bars in your town to find out who is showing them

Dary, however, has tips on how to watch the tournament from the US, UK and Australia:

Unless you have a ticket to an Angola 2010 game, there are basically three ways to watch the African Cup of Nations 2010. Option One is to watch it on TV. Option Two, you can watch a legal, high quality internet stream. Option Three, you take your chances with a barely legal pirated internet stream.

Cup of African Nations

There are also some interesting facts about this year’s African Cup of Nations which now has 17 countries competing:

Did you know? The youngest player is Zambia’s defender Emmanuel Mbola, only 16 at the kick off of the African Cup of Nations. The oldest is Mozambique’s midfielder Nelinho, aged 38. Each squad has called up 23 players, save from Burkina Faso who arrived in Angola with only 22. Forward Aristide Bancé had a fallout with his coach Paulo Duarte and refused to play.  66 of the 367 players play in France, the African Cup’s number 1 provider. OGC Nice reluctantly sent 8 of its players to Angola: Poté (Benin), Bamogo (Burkina Faso), Faé (Ivory Coast), Mouloungui (Gabon), Traoré and Bagayoko (Mali), Apam (Nigeria), Ben Saada (Tunisia).

Dary has compiled a list of 11 players to watch:

Everyone knows about Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba and Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o. The superstars of African football. Most will know about Mali’s Fredi Kanoute and Seydou Keita too. You don’t need WorldCupBlog to tell you about them. So we thought we’d compile a list of 10 players to watch at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, featuring talented youngsters and other players with slightly lower profiles than those listed above.

Mamadou Gaye discusses the match between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso and says, “The best is yet to come”:

Hello and welcome to my first blog on SuperSport.com. I look forward to exchanging views and ideas with you through this medium. You can also catch me on Soccer Africa and during SuperSports' coverage of the Afcon on SS3 and SS4.
I think the game between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso was a good one. It was pacey and very tactical.

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The last 10 years has seen an explosion of sorts in sports coverage across the continent. The now famous SuperSport is an African powerhouse in pay TV for satellite users and subscribers. This has given Africa and indeed most states a platform to be able to showcase their best.

With recent developments of social media, the sports world is bound to take another leap beyond the current rut it seems to be attracting in terms of growth and expansion to the rest of the world. Fibre optic landing and other developments such as social networks and mobile telephony will be the leads.

There has been a rather unseen force in the name of blogs in the aforementioned social networks. These forums have been stealthily making in-roads as alternatives to sports coverage and offering opinions and news about sports.

Kenya is not unique to this and has seen its share of budding blogging enthusiasts. They range from the best of football to general sports with the highest sport being for obvious reasons rugby (thanks largely to the sevens success in recent years).

Say we also have a blog on the Grand Prix (Formula One) which has seen a growing fan-base in the country and the region too. I am one of those falling into the trap of running around the local joints looking for screens showing the GP on a Sunday morning or afternoon.

Starting with the rugby scene, there are more than 3 blogs including a club blog for one of the teams playing in the rugby league. The major blog on this is Rugby Kenya, which has more than one contributor. The blog is updated regularly especially after the weekend fixtures.

It linksup the rugby fraternity with both the local and international circuit. It is currently ranked as the top sports blog from Kenya and 24^th among top blogs from Kenya on the African blog aggregator, Afrigator.

SportsKenya for which yours truly is a contributor covers general sports from anything relating to current events to offering opinions on sports issues as well as a lashing or two every so often to the sports associations. This blog has quite a number of followers and is ranked 2^nd among Kenyan sports blogs on the African blogs aggregator.

Another blogger closely related to this is Cricket Kenya whose main focus is the cricket world and samplings of other sporting disciplines. This blogger is not located in the country most the time but somehow manages to stay and keep tabs with the cricket and sports scene.

One most interesting blog is Gitau Grand Prix. This blogger has dedicated his blog to Formula One exclusively to be able to appeal to the fan-base which follows this sport. It has very incisive and well-researched articles. It has few graphics making it a hard sell to most sports enthusiasts’ but all the same has its fair share of followers.

Compared with the region, Kenya has most of the Internet users and thus by default has more bloggers. It is because of such forums as the Bloggers Camp that has seen the blogging world grow in good numbers in the country.

Developments in sport and coverage of live events as well as updates have seen the use of blogs become a must even for mainstream media which has sought to converge their offering on their websites and web portals. It is almost a given that most if not all the editors and writers of newspapers or magazines have a blog they write to or contribute.

There are other sports blogs which include Daily Running Tips, which offers tips on jogging and is currently involved in offering free tips for marathon runners both amateur and professional. This is particularly helpful given the fact that there is the Nairobi Marathon (sponsored by Standard Chartered) which has become an annual event in the Kenyan city circles.

The impact of blogs in bringing sanity to sports has started being felt with a vocal voice in Kenya Football. The main contributor and administrator, Francis Gaitho admits that this forum has brought much prominence to issues which were not previously featured in other media.

In fact, it was used by SuperSport to research about Kenya football. The impact that SuperSport has had on the Kenyan game is enormous and the games on the pitch are evident to the pedigree we can get and are looking to develop (if one our football administrators were a little more concerned and focused on developing the game rather than satisfying their insatiable appetites).

The forum has also become a source of information for FM radio stations, most of which have sports segments and the Kenya Premier League features prominently. But of course, it is no bed of roses as it would seem. Gaitho laments the way Kenya football officials especially clubs with shadowy management boards have tried besmirching his work.

Quoting from one of the Agenda issue in one of Kenya Premier League meeting’s minutes;

3^rd Minute: Governance and Policies …on www.kenyafootball.com and its owner Managing Editor, Francis Gaitho, the directors noted

“…that Francis Gaitho…started a malicious campaign on his www.kenyafootball.com website in which he repeatedly made unsubstantied allegations and accusations on embezzled funds, bribery, match-fixing and other corrupt practices against the KPL and its Board and staff…”

On most counts though, sports blogs have helped their administrators learn better and understand their world of sport. It has also meant interaction with sports personalities, administrators and gets more first-hand accounts from those mentioned.

It has also seen mainstream media start appreciating different opinions and not necessarily leaving to their own machinations. The audience is the biggest beneficiary since most of the blogs are easy to read and language that makes them relate to the writers and sport alike. The impact of this will eventually expand into the greater East African and African region as a whole. With the 2010 World Cup around the corner, this is our time sports bloggers. Stand up and let’s hold our own!

Written by Richard Wanjohi · comments (9)
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