It is a tournament that easily riles coaches and club owners in Europe. For some within the continent, the biennial competition has for long periods been seen to be hopelessly veering off course.
From the insipid displays to poor crowds, the Africa Nations Cup has been slowly losing relevance over the years. It has been a far cry from the editions featuring continental icons like Roger Milla, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, Jules Kounde, Doctor ‘16V’ Khumalo, Hossam Hassan and many other outrageous yesteryear talents.
First held in Sudan in 1957, CAF’s flagship competition remained dear to the hearts and souls of Africans, gaining global appeal and popularity. To a larger extent, the tournament’s success saw an exponential increase in the number of African players signing contracts overseas, particularly in European leagues.
The expectation was that there would be corresponding excitement, but by and large, national team matches’ attendances have waned against a background of swelling interest in the European matches, in particular, the English Premier League. European clubs pay their players handsomely, which gives rise to their irritation when the AFCON is held mid-season, as is the case with the ongoing tournament in Cote d’Ivoire. Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp infamously called the Nations Cup a ‘little tournament’ in 2021, with his side losing key players in Mohammed Salah of Egypt, Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Naby Keita of Guinea midway through a crucial campaign.
The tournament’s failure to thrill and attract crowds only accelerated widely held global narratives questioning the timing and relevance of the competition. It is only at knock-out stages that the AFCON usually blasts to life with improvement in crowds, and in 2019, more than 90 million were glued to their television sets to watch an engaging final between Riyad Mahrez’s Algeria and Senegal led by Mane.
The tournament broke viewership records as the most watched, with 800 million following the action on television. But if there is a tournament that is leading a change in the negative narratives around the continental showpiece, it is the finals in Cote d’Ivoire. Played across five cities, including the capital Abidjan, the tournament has provided nothing but spills and thrills from the first whistle.
Namibia, making their fourth appearance in the competition, set the tone for what has been a David’s paradise as one Goliath after the other fell to the power of the sling and the stone of the underdogs. The Brave Warriors floored Tunisia 1-0 in the group stages to register the biggest shock of the round. From then on, it was shock result after the other as the action drew millions closer to their television sets. Only eight teams remain in Cote d’Ivoire and none are ranked in the continent’s top five. All the top teams have packed their bags and are now safely home to lick their wounds.
This has left the door wide ajar for the likes of Angola, Cabo Verde, DR Congo, Mali and Guinea to land their first ever AFCON titles. Only three of the eight sides still domiciled in the West African country have tasted success. Nigeria is the most successful of the remaining sides, with three trophies to their name while the hosts, Cote d’Ivoire have two and one to South Africa.
The fans are bracing for exciting quarter-final clashes starting tonight, with the tournament, surprisingly without a representative from the 'Arab World' or North Africa for the first time in ages. But that has been according to the script as the tournament is tailor-made for under-dogs, with Cabo Verde preparing to cause an upset against a resurgent Bafana Bafana of South Africa, while Angola starts as the David in the clash against Nigeria. Match officials have also come to the party to add to the excitement.
The refereeing, in contrast to the VAR-induced madness in Europe, has been top-notch, with the only blemish the failure by referees to send off Senegal’s Mane for a dangerous tackle in the early stages of the round of 16 clash against the hosts. While eyes have been firmly fixed on the enthralling action, the aesthetics of the six facilities in use have not gone unnoticed.
