Africa yet to break mould
THE Russian showpiece has been as exciting as we would’ve expected, but the pre-tournament forecast about the game’s luminaries has been way off the mark.
The opening matches have seen the likes of Argentina, tipped as likely finalists mainly on the back of their talismanic playmaker Lionel Messi, Brazil and Germany, all battling to ignite that spark expected of the South American and European nations. The Argentinians may yet suffer the ultimate humiliation if they fail to beat Nigeria, in what for both will be the final roll of the dice, to push through to the knockout rounds.
No doubt the minnows this year have stepped up grandly and proved they are no pushovers with Iceland, Australia and Iran surprising the pundits.
Of the African contingent Nigeria and Senegal still have a foot in the door to keep the interest there.
Africa too often have flattered to deceive, yet there have been individual moments of brilliance which to this day still leaves us breathless.
Who can forget Rahidi Yekini, who scored Nigeria’s first ever goal at World Cup finals in 1994; Bafana Bafana’s Siphiwe Tshabalala’s wonder goal against Mexico in 2010 before an appreciative SA nation; and that iconic performance by the ageless Roger Milla in 1990.
Milla scored four goals at age of 38 as Cameroon became the first African nation to qualify for a World Cup quarterfinal. His swivelling at a corner flag was a momentous occasion which spoke loud and proud that Africa has arrived.
There have been many other individual performances, but it is still perplexing how a continent of stupendous talent just cannot live up to the expectation on the world stage.
When will we compete a final and even win that prestigious trophy. As it stands today that dream seems as elusive as ever. Three of the five participants – Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Morocco – in this year’s competition have all gone home, leaving only Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Senegal’s Lions of Teranga carrying the torch.
But with European big guns still in contention it may be a bridge too far. It is going to take something special for the two countries to break the mould. But what is it that holds the African nations back? Some commentators feel a toxic mix of disunity among the countries and the internal wrangles within the associations themselves stifle the growth of the national teams.
Mahfoud Amara, a professor in sport policy at Qatar University, said as much this week: “The World Cup offer a useful chance to consider all of these biases and misunderstandings. Football and all sport offer powerful opportunities for divided people to unite – even if it’s just over a sports tournament.”
If it did, perhaps then we could finally celebrate that Africa is rising.