Sports

African Cup of Nation: Old Rivalries Rekindled

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Adeola Aderounmu

Ghana vs. Nigeria and Algeria vs. Egypt. These are classical games. On paper, Egypt and Ghana should be heading to the finals. This is because Egypt has won all the matches played so far. They are also out to prove a point that losing to Algeria in Sudan was an unfair result for them. The Algerians have emerged from being humbled by the Malawians to a great force after seeing to the exit of highly rated Ivory Coast.

Ghana has not been spectacular but they have shown more enthusiasm than their Nigeria counterparts. Nigeria struggled to beat Zambia and only after the penalty shoot out did Nigeria manage to scale through to the semi-final.

I hope that security are in place to prevent the ugly scenes from Sudan, Egypt and Algeria that we had 2 months ago during the world cup qualifiers that Algeria finally won by a lone goal in Khartoum. It will be shameful it the North Africans come to Angola to show their violent tendencies. We have had enough of that and please let us see some beautiful football and live in peace.

One also hopes to find a good centre referee. Officiating has been disastrous in this tournament. Ivory Coast got an equaliser against Algeria but it was wrongly ruled as offside by a careless linesman. The demoralising of Cameroun was completed by another catastrophic officiating that ruled for a goal when the ball didn’t even touch the line.

If FIFA has been reasonable to introduce TECHNOLOGY into this game, it would have taken less than 1 minute to verify these “2 disasters” among several others. Until then, cheating and useless decisions will continue to take the beauty of the game away.

May the better team win on Thursday and may we get a beautiful final.

FIFA says Footballers Can Play with their Hands

/ Adeola / 1 Comment

By Adeola Aderounmu

I’m hoping to see a new kind of foot-hand-ball in South Africa 2010.

FIFA says its okay for footballers to play with their hands as long as they don’t use their hands to prevent a goal. Fantastic!

This is what I gathered from the “Henry will not be punished” report. He was not seen by the referee and he didn’t use his hands to prevent a goal. According to FIFA, he only used his hands to aid scoring a goal. AND it’s ok to do that, they said.

So there you go-al footballers. Score with your hands but please don’t stop the ball from going into the nets with your hands.

Goodluck to the best foot-hand-ball team in South Africa. Let the celebration begin…!

Nation Cup Scandals: How Angola Messed Up the African Cup of Nations

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By Adeola Aderounmu

Angola is giving Africa bad image ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. These must be worrying times for the Organising Committee in South Africa. South Africa must continue to monitor the useless errors emanating from Angola and the world must be told in clear terms that whatever is happening in Angola right now is basically Angola and CAF’s problems and is not related in anyway to South Africa 2010.

Togo went home because Angola and CAF did not warn of the rebels in Cabinda. Togo lost key members of their national team to organised terror acts in Cabinda. Togo therefore went home to bury their dead compatriots while praying for the reserve goalkeeper undergoing treatment in SA.

Malawi has filed a fresh complain. The team has not been able to train since they beat Algeria 3-0 in their opening game. Ahead of their game to Angola which they lost, the Malawians were not allowed to train. Each time they got to the training pitch, they were turned back. Sometimes it was the Angolans training there and at other times they were being chased away by the police.

What a scnadal? The Angolans are lucky that everyone is not like me. This scandal is enough for the Malawians to withdraw from the competition. I mean if you are not allowed to train or practise ahead of your game, then you are like going to a war without weapons.

The Malawians did not get the chance to train on their tactics, and they had no time to exercise and charge-up for the game against Angola. That they lost is therefore no surprise.

Angola has messed up this year’s Nations Cup. Angola should never be allowed to host any competition in the next 20 or 40 years. They should learn to do their homework. I actually see this particular case as a way of demoralising the Malawians and making sure that they did not get the necessary time to plan the downfall of the Angolans. It worked perfectly well!

This is a shame-a BIG scandal by any magnitude. Angola is disgracing their country and Africa. Angola should bury its head in shame. This is nonsense!

The Shooting of Togolese Footballers

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Adeola Aderounmu

I read with dismay the unfortunate shooting of Togolese Footballers as their entourage were driving through Cabinda to reach Angola.

If I was one of the footballers I would been long gone, home!

I mean they could all have been dead by now if they were seated in the first bus. The driver of the bus was killed but they were lucky to be in the bus coming behind. Still one or two players got bullets embedded in their bodies and losing consciousness.

This is very frightening. The Angola Government and the Angola Football Federation has not tried at all. What kind of nonsense and stupidity is this?

Why was there no warning of war or rebellion in parts of Angola or Cabinda? This is completely unacceptable in a world now dominated by terrorist activities. Yes terror and the fear of it has gripped the world whether we like it or not. This is why we now have to be stripped naked by machines especially if we are travelling to the US.

The Angola Government and the Football Federation, even CAF has a lot to explain to the world and to the Togolese especially. This could have been a much more devasting tragedy. It is still a serious tragedy because someone has been killed for no fault of his.

The terrorists who carried out this devilish act deserved to be hunted and captured by all or any means possible. What is the crime of the Togolese players that they made them the target? Absolute nonsense and unacceptable act of war on innocent people plying their trade and flying the flag of Togo.

Like I wrote earlier, I would be long gone if I survived such an attack. Morally and psychologically I would not find the strength to play any stupid game when my teammate is down injured and my driver is dead. If Togo goes ahead to feature in this African Cup of Nation Tournament, I wish them luck but they deserve a break from it-if only to send a strong signal that security is not a joking matter when you are a visitor of a certain government.

Angola has let African down not because they attack actually took place but because it didn’t provide any warning system that there are terrorists within its territory. Angola has failed even before the kick off because an entire entourage could have been massacred. If that has happened I am sure we will be talking about a cancellation of the entire tournament by now.

Well let this serve as a good lesson for nations all over the world. Give early signals and warn visitors to your country of the type of terrorists that you habour and the areas to avoid. The Togolese team was driving from Congo to Angola and it seems the the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is now shifting blame that the team should have flown (by air). Lame excuse! CAF should just accept responsibility for its failure rather than make useless comments at this time that Togo is experiencing pain and sorrow.

There is no point trying to paint the condition of perfection when your country is under siege from within by terrorists or rebels. Make is open, give warnings, offer maximum protection and provide adequate security that will avert the unnecessary lose of lives and property.

My greatest sympathy to the Togolese Team in the African Cup of Nation. To Nigerian-born Emmanuel Seyi Adebayor and his teammates I send my condolence for the lose of your driver. Surely the siege is over but the shock will stay for a long time. If you decide to play, we will understand if you don’t play your hearts out. Whatever happens, we have all learnt a new lesson, like we do everyday, and football is just another kind of sports. It should never be a do-or-die event and the earlier the perpetrators of this ugly event are captured and prosecuted the better for the global village.

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(The death toll has increased to 3: an assistant coach and the press officer are now dead from their injuries). Some players are receiving treatment and a goalkeeper is undergoing surgery in South Africa.

Thierry Henry is a disgrace to football

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BY Adeola Aderounmu

You could work hard all your life to achieve greatness and then mess it up with one stupid unbecoming act. This is what Henry has become to his fans worldwide-A very big shame!

I feel so sorry for him because I don’t know where he will find respite for his soul after cheating in that game against Ireland. Football is a game and FIFA has preached fairplay for ages.

Where is the FairPlay in carrying the ball with your hand when it wasn’t basketball?

Thierry Henry has become a disgrace and a huge shame to the game of football. I wish him well as he battles the open wound in his conscience.

I am not a fan of Ireland neither am I a fan of France. I just want to enjoy watching a game. I always hope the better team wins but it doesn’t always turn out to be so.

But when one team or a player clearly robs the other side in a significant way, I always wished I had the power to nullify the outcome.

If I could I would have ordered a replay of that match in less than 72 hours at a neutral venue just like the Egypt-Algeria match that was decided in Sudan.

Shameful, sad indeed, Henry!