Last week, African soccer's ruling body, CAF (Confederation Africaine du Football) banned spectators and journalists from attending a friendly between Ghana and Tunisia in Accra, Ghana. No reason was given for the ban but speculation was rife that CAF were concerned that the fans and hacks might see for themselves that last-minute preparations were still going on at the Accra Sports Stadium days before the opening of the 22nd African Nations Cup last weekend.
CAF need not have bothered with the ban. An estimated 20,000 fans gate-crashed the friendly anyway. Ghana's opening African Cup game last Saturday at the Sports Stadium, which saw them side hold Cameroon to a 1-1 draw, also passed off without major logistical problems.
The Cup, then, is off and running, bringing with it a now familiar mix of organisational uncertainty, political interference and footballing spectacle. For example, it was only last March that CAF had to acknowledge that Zimbabwe were simply not up to the task of organising a three-week long, 16-team tournament that features some of the best footballers in the world.
CAF quickly changed plans and called on Ghana and Nigeria to jointly run the event. That late call to organisational arms partly explains why the finishing touches to some stadia were still being added last week.
African soccer, like many other activities in that continent, may well continue to be plagued by a mix of organisational shortcomings and political and socio-economic problems. For example, the cheapest match tickets at the finals cost one dollar but even that is too expensive for many of the Ghanaian fans who will watch either on state television or on one of the 10 giant screens provided in five cities, thanks to the sponsorship of Guinness.
While African soccer clearly has its infrastructural problems, it remains a remarkable reservoir of football talent. Of the 352 registered players at these finals, slightly more than half (177) play their club soccer in Europe. The Nigerian squad, for example, does not contain a single player based in the country.
Many of Europe's most famous club names are represented as evidence by a cursory glance through the team sheets - Nigerians Nwanko Kanu (Arsenal), Sunday Oliseh (Juventus), Victor Ikpeba (Borussia Dortmund) and Augustine Okocha (Paris St Germain); Ghana's Samuel Kuffour (Bayern Munich), Mohammed Gargo and Stephane Appiah (both Udinese); Cameroon's Hjitap Geremi (Real Madrid), Patrick M'Boma (Cagliari), Jacques Song'O (La Coruna) and Pierre Wome (Bologna); Algerian Ali Benarbia (PSG); Moroccan Mustapha Hadji (Coventry); South African Benni McCarthy (Celta Vigo); the Ivory Coast's Ibrahim Bakayoko (Olympique Marseilles).
Mention of the Ivory Coast, however, brings to mind Parma's talented defender Saliou Lassissi, who was was sent back to Italy from the Ivory Coast's training camp after a clash with the country's Minister for Sport. Back in Italy, Lassissi claimed that his "crime" had been that he had not curried favour with team officials by bringing "presents" such as watches or mobile phones back with him when he returned home from Europe.
African soccer is many things but it is rarely dull.
Email: pagnew@aconet.it
