AWESOME AFCON
AS always, Social Media has been abuzz with hot topics that kept tongues wagging and fingers typing.
Although two major sporting events took centre stage, it wasn’t the on-field action that got people talking. Elsewhere, an American comedian’s explosive interview was no laughing matter…
Sunday night saw the curtain come down on the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), with hosts, Ivory Coast, pulling off a 2-1 victory over Nigeria.
It marked quite the comeback from the Ivoirians, who sacked their Manager, Jean-louis Gasset, midway through the tournament. The Frenchman was given the boot after the Elephants managed just one win in the group stages. They snuck through and the rest is history!
This year’s African football festival was one to remember. From breath-taking goals on the pitch to breathtaking women in the stands, it was almost impossible to keep your eyes off the television.
An interesting observation from the fans is that AFCON is as much about cheering on your own nation as it is about celebrating the demise of your rivals.
After the Super Eagles of Nigeria beat South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in the semis (a game that one Facebook warrior cheekily billed as The Drug Lords verses The Drug Addicts), it seemed many in Botswana took great delight as our noisy neighbours’ world came crumbling down.
“Finally, they’re out, now maybe they’ll hush up!” declared one local.
A distraught South African found the loss hard to bear, complaining, “We lose everything to Nigeria. We lose football, we lose our women, we lose everything.”
It appears Ivory Coast were very much the people’s favourite going into the final, with many expressing delight
at Nigeria’s downfall.
“Those guys are unbearable when they win!” noted one fan, while a proud Ghanian added, “I would much rather Ghana lose AFCON if it means Nigeria loses as well.”
Since the mighty Zebras of Botswana missed out on qualification this time, we will congratulate Ivory Coast on their AFCON 2024 victory.