African Cup of Nations 2008: Observations

Côte d'Ivoire are the best team in the competition

Nigeria were not very impressive in their opening group game against the Elephants, but they were not that bad either. Tactically Berti Vogts made some odd decisions (Yakubu operating down the left hand side? Kanu as a roaming midfielder??) but one obvious lapse aside they defended well and had chances themselves, Obafemi Martins finding the keeper instead of the net when clean through being the main one. What really became clear in Sekondi was that, while there are many good sides in Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire are the cream of the crop.

Their team spirit, European mentality, individual qualities and defensive prowess all mark them out as a class outfit, and they look to have a real chance of making this their second ever Cup of Nations triumph. Yaya Toure was outstanding against the Super Eagles, and the way both he and Didier Zokora track back when their opponents attack forms the kind of shield that offers no way through and allows the side to consistently pick up clean sheets. The one question mark concerns the fitness of Didier Drogba, who was not 100% against Nigeria but he is gradually picking up match fitness, looked sharp and scored against Benin and will grow in stature. I expect them to go far.

Shoot to score

Maybe it’s the attractive nature of the ‘wawa aba’ or maybe a lot of people are feeling confident in their abilities. Either way, it seems a lot of players so far have been keen to shoot on site, and there have already been some outstanding long range goals to behold. From Muntari to Zidan to Aboucherouane, players who find themselves in space are not afraid to have a go, which only adds to the excitement and unpredictability of the competition. Long may it continue.

Everyone wants to…win?!

In more or less every game so far both teams have taken to the field believing they can win the game and have set out to do so rather than attempting to contain the opposition and sneak a draw. All except for Benin that is, who unforgivably left out their best player Stephane Sessegnon for 53 minutes against Mali, preferring to try and restrain the Eagles with negative tactics and aggressive tackling. In fact not only are teams going on the offensive to try and win every game they play, they more or less all do so with intentions of going as far as they possibly can regardless of ranking or quality.

"We want to claim good results in Ghana to show that 2008 will be a year to remember for Sudanese sport," Sudan striker Haytham Tambal told the press on the eve of the competition – and his side are the joint worst favourites. Of course all teams will naturally talk themselves up pre-tournament, but from the passing, attacking style of football Sudan played against Zambia one cannot say they did not try to win the game. They simply failed to take the chances presented to them and were overrun by Zambia’s forceful midfield and more clinical strikeforce. It has been thoroughly refreshing to see players play for the love of the game and the effervescence many sides have shown in their willingness to go forward and attack the opponents has led to some exciting end-to-end football. This was no more evident than in Cameroon's 5-1 win over Zambia. 5-0 down, the Chipolopolo players continued to steam forward and search for goals, maintaining their commitment to and enjoyment of the sport.

Low in numbers, loud in voice

Despite tickets for games being as cheap as $4 USD at the lower end of the scale, attendances have been poor. According to the figures, Namibia v Morocco drew a crowd of just 1,000. This is a real shame because the reduced turnout has little to do with a lack of interest. There has always been a demand for tickets with many locals willing to see games, but there have been all manner of administrative errors from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in their handling of ticket affairs which has directly reduced numbers in the stands. Tickets went on sale in banks and post offices the week before the tournament, but many people are unaware that tickets cannot be bought on the door. This is a remarkable oversight given the number of fans travelling to games from outside Ghana, and has an adverse affect on attendance. Additionally many branches in rural or less populated areas of Ghana did not receive tickets on time and so would-be spectators have shown up only to learn, sadly, that tickets were unavailable. On top of this CAF sent a number of tickets to the wrong place. Glaring mistakes like these mean that unfortunately stadiums have been half-full, particularly for games with earlier kick-off times.

Nevertheless the atmosphere has still been frenzied and colourful, with pockets of fans keeping the atmosphere buoyant with their dedication to jovial song and dance. Not a game has gone by without the sound of trumpet fanfare filling the stadium, and many nations seem to have their own unofficial bands performing while their team plays, Senegal’s excellent collection of rhythmic drummers being a highlight. Low numbers, but the atmospheres are often electric all the same.

Let's get physical

Some of the challenges we have witnessed in the tournament so far have been nothing short of bone-crunching. The tackles have flown in and many of the games are as much about physical attributes as they are about strength. One thing is for certain if an English referee like Rob Styles or Steve Bennett was in charge, given their heavy-handed approach to officiating many of the games would end up having to be abandoned. A higher degree of leniency has certainly been shown by the officials in Ghana, but it has not been done at the expense of players' safety. Most of the challenges have been tough but fair, and throughout the tournament there have been very few instances of play-acting or excess feigning of injury - players seem to simply accept the physical nature of the sport, dust themselves down and get on with the game. Officials here appear to remember that football remains a contact sport, and the benefit of this stance has been an increased fluidity in games, with far fewer fussy stoppages of play. This has only added to the entertainment of what has so far proved a fascinating competition.