It’s a beautiful African story
THE greatest challenge for this AFCON finals was always going to come from trying to get closer to the very high standards which we saw at the 2022 World Cup finals.
Of course, the World Cup is the premier football showcase on the globe and it’s expected that it parades the highest possible standards for the game in the fight for the biggest crown in the game.
All the World Cups have produced some fireworks and left memories, including some which will remain engraved in the memory banks of the fans for as long as they live.
Who can ever forget Roger Milla, at the ripe age of 38, playing a very influential role in leading Cameroon to the quarter-finals of Italia ’90 where they eventually lost to England?
It wasn’t only his goals, which captured the imagination, but his unique celebrations, which had a distinct African touch to it, with some beautiful dances at the corner flag.
But, in terms of pure athleticism and the brilliance of the leading actors, the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar rose another notch and provided the game’s fans with virtually everything they could ever dream of.
Klylian Mbappe was virtually unplayable, especially in the final, where he scored three goals but, somehow, ended up with the loser’s medal despite also converting a penalty in the shootout.
Lionel Messi was at his very best, taking his game to a whole new level and leading from the front as Argentina
won their first World Cup since Diego Maradona inspired them to glory in the Mexican sunshine in 1986.
It was always asking for too much to appeal for this AFCON finals to provide such great moments but, to its credit, the tournament has been excellent on a number of fronts.
No wonder we are now hearing authoritative voices saying that this could be the best AFCON finals in history and, if it goes according to the script we saw in the group stages and Round of 16 matches, very few will argue otherwise.
From day one, we have seen some shock results, something which football needs because once it becomes predictable then it loses its X-Factor and its massive fan base.
Of the countries ranked in the top five of African football on the FIFA rankings, all of them are OUT of the AFCON finals before the tournament even reached the quarter-final stage.
Morocco, who made history when they became the first African side to reach the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, arrived in Cote d’Ivoire as the favourites to win their second Nations Cup crown.
But, they were the last of the Big Five to fall, after they were beaten by Bafana Bafana 0-2 in a match in which they even failed to score, including missing a penalty.
These giant-killing acts have illuminated Nations Cup and the referees have helped with their excellent decisions while the fans have added colour on the stands.
We are writing a beautiful story in Cote d’Ivoire.