Africa Cup of Nations 2012 – Zambia answer the call of destiny
In my final Africa Cup of Nations 2012 column for FourFourTwo I took a look at Zambia’s triumph on penalties in a final of incredible drama, tension and, ultimately, joy for the Chipolopolo and despair for Côte d’Ivoire: When he saw the shot sail wide he could take it no more. Already on his knees [...]
Africa Cup of Nations final preview – Zambia are winners regardless of result
With the final today, here is my latest Africa Cup of Nations 2012 column for FourFourTwo.com on Zambia and their remarkable journey to the final: Together they walked slowly to the coastline, singing in unison. Once there, and despite the entourage, a gentle ocean breeze and the swish of waves kissing sand were the only [...]
Heartbreak for Gabon and Aubamayeng but a bright future awaits…
In my latest column for FourFourTwo I take a look at co-hosts Gabon and their exciting but ultimately heartbreaking Africa Cup of Nations campaign: After the laughter comes tears. The star of the show stood emotionless, a mix of resignation and yearning in his eyes. A stadium held its breath. Belief melted into hope. Seydou [...]
What’s stopping you, Kenya?
Sudan aside, there’s a glaring geographical gap at this year’s African Cup of Nations. Andrew Crawford has a few ideas why: Watching the current African Cup Of Nations (ACON), it is somewhat tellingly awkward how there isn’t a stronger presence from countries from East Africa, although the same could be said for almost every ACON [...]
Why Senegal failed at Africa Cup of Nations 2012
My latest African football column for FourFourTwo looks at Senegal, who slumped to bottom of their group and an early trip home despite being one of the pre-tournament favourites. Why did they fail? To really grasp the nature of Senegal’s spectacular failure at this Africa Cup of Nations you need only look at the teams [...]
Tunisia – The team to beat at Africa Cup of Nations 2012?
My latest African football column for FourFourTwo looks at Tunisia and whether they are the team to beat at this year’s AFCON: For a team that could just as easily be sitting at home watching on TV, they made a pretty good start. Tunisia were seconds away from going the way of Egypt, Cameroon and [...]
One year on: Egyptian football after the revolution
January 25th 2011. One year ago today, the revolution began. Making his debut for Just Football, Adam Moustafa reports on the changes to Egyptian football in the year since: Prior to the Egyptian revolution, football was one of the main sources of bliss for Egyptians. The past few years were deemed the golden age of [...]
Africa Cup of Nations 2012 – Team of the Round, Matchday 1
We have seen 15 goals in 8 opening games of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, with some fascinating fixtures and a few hints as to how the tournament might unfold. Only one game was separated by more than one goal, co-hosts Gabon beating Niger 2-0, while there have been no heavy defeats for any [...]
African All-Stars: 7 Players to watch at Africa Cup of Nations 2012
“I think it is a responsibility for every proper club in Europe to go to the Africa Cup of Nations to see what the market brings and what hidden talents are running around in Africa,” Hoffenheim scout Lutz Pfannenstiel told the BBC on the eve of the African Cup of Nations 2012. Here are a [...]
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