A Football Report

ASEC Mimosas: Ivory Coast’s Football Factory?

By John Ray, follow on Twitter.

“Les Elephants”, the footballers of the Ivory Coast, help captivate and enthrall a nation while playing against Madagascar: large outdoor television flicker and the metropolis of Abidjan rustles. Arouna Kone (PSV) crosses to Salomon Kalou (Chelsea) at the edge of the area; the supporters swell in deliverance as he belts the ball into the Malagasy net. There are chants and dances to the djembe drum in the stands and in Abidjan; life in the country is good. A month later the stadium is empty, except for a smattering of people around the halfway line. ASEC Mimosas, the Ivory Coast’s most successful team, are playing a match, but no one seems to care. Ivorian international football has always had the capacity to unite and excite the nation, but interest in domestic football has gradually shrunk to null as the push for Europe has consumed the clubs. ASEC and its academy provide a perfect example of the effects (good and bad) of what is, for the lack of a better term, player commoditization.

Zambia win the African Cup of Nations, honor those lost 19 years ago in plane crash

After taking off from Libreville in Gabon 19 years ago, a military plane carrying most of the squad crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. All 30 people on board, including 18 players, were killed. Before the crash, it was a golden era for Zambia’s football team. Their squad was expected to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, but of course things took a turn for the tragic.

19 years later, there are celebrations all over Zambia. And for good reason. Zambia, for the first time ever, are the Champions of Africa. Where did they win it? Libreville. Accepting the role of underdogs going into the final against the Ivory Coast, a team filled with world class talent like Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure, and Gervinho, the Zambians, led by coach Herve Renard, played fearlessly. There were no goals in regulation, so penalty kicks decided who would would be crowned the best team in Africa. Against all odds, Zambia won 8-7 on penalties in what was one of the most dramatic shoot-outs in history. Throughout the shoot-out, the Zambian players and staff were singing, creating a surreal environment that transcended the events partaking on the pitch. The trophy doesn’t make up for what was lost 19 years ago, but tonight a feeling of vindication will fill the air throughout Zambia.

Football can go to hell if this is the situation.

Those were the words of Al-Ahly’s star player Mohamed Aboutrika in the wake of the tragedy in Port Said, calling for the Egyptian league to be suspended indefinitely. “Crowds are dying in front of us, and there aren’t any police or security forces,” he said.

The clash between rival fans of Al-Ahly and Al-Masry in the Egyptian city of Port Said killed at least 74 people and injured over 1,000 others in the deadliest incident since the country’s autocratic president was ousted a year ago. The bloodshed brought into sharp focus how much security has deteriorated over the past year as the revolt and its continuing ripples have chipped away at the pillars of the police state that Egypt once was.

Read more on the tragedy here (Wash Post), here (NYTimes), and here (Reuters). (posted by Elizabeth Cotignola)

The Powerhouses of Amputee Football - Liberia’s “Lone Stars”

Used as a tool to help overcome the discrimination against amputees and the disabled, the Amputee Football Championship is a tournament dedicated to appreciating the athleticism and skill of those who often feel unwanted by their surrounding society and even struggle to survive, as profiled by Chicago Tribune photographer Kuni Takahashi. The Guardian did a wonderful profile on Liberia’s amputee footballers last year, in which an amputee footballer so vehnemently stated that playing amputee football is “like psychological counselling. Before we played most of us never accepted our condition. Now we accept it.”

This tournament is a celebration of the human spirit, of human dignity. Liberia, the winners of the 2011 African Cup of Nations of Amputee Football, will go to Iran for the world championship of Amputee Football after beating Ghana 4-2.

Learn more about Amputee Football here.

The Africa Artist Series. Created for the African Cup of Nations.

In an effort to truly harness the identity of different African nations participating in the upcoming 2012 African Cup of Nations (co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea), PUMA called upon local African artists to symbolically represent their nation’s essence by designing respective football shirts for the tournament.

All of the artists took inspiration from their own country, culture and traditions and created something truly unique. Something much more than just a graphic. The result is that for the first time in football, the Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Namibia, Senegal, Togo, Gabon, Burkina Faso and South Africa kits have been designed by a local artist. The new kits fuse the worlds of sport, art and culture by identifying their shared values and communities.

To take a closer look at the creative process, which is the most enticing part in my opinion, below is Gabonese artist Owanto’s interpretation of the Gabonese people and their energy.

Local artists creating an audacious coat of arms, can this become the status quo?

Money Football

By Kaushik Lakshman

Last week we saw a bizarre transfer when Al-Ain announced that they will be signing Asamoah Gyan on a one year loan at ridiculous wages. Gyan obviously took the option. Many questioned the move, accusing him of being a money grabber, accusing him of making a terrible move with respect to his career and what not.

Truth be told, in the modern world, only a fool would let go of an opportunity to make such money, especially that most footballers come from pretty humble backgrounds, and at the end of the day, football is their living. Sure we can all see sense from the footballers’ perspective, but take a moment to think what might be the thought process behind the clubs that make these sort of transfers. Why do they pay such outrageous sums of money?

Egyptians don’t care who Bob Bradley is. And that’s progress.

By Eric Beard

In the ever-elusive environment that is African football, Egypt are the winners. They may not be the best, but they’re winners. They may not have the talent to match the Ivory Coast or Ghana, but the 7-time winners of the African Cup of Nations won’t back down against anybody. That’s precisely why if you’re an Egyptian football fan, these past few months (and even years) have been rough as can be. Egypt’s success on the continent has been nothing more than a tease for those hoping to see the best of African football on the world’s stage. Winning back-to-back-to-back African Cup of Nations in 2006, 2008, and 2010, their failure to perform on the biggest stages in international football has left even the most passionate supporters incredulous.

Just two weeks ago, minnows Sierra Leone knocked Egypt out of the African Cup of Nations qualifiers, so the Pharaohs can’t even defend their title. Before that? A failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Before that? A failure to advance out of the Group Stage of the 2009 Confederations Cup despite a brilliant 1-0 victory over Italy. Perhaps the Confederations Cup, as well as the objective values of motivation and a winning mentality, is where this story begins.

A Football Report

ASEC Mimosas: Ivory Coast’s Football Factory?

Zambia win the African Cup of Nations, honor those lost 19 years ago in plane crash

The Powerhouses of Amputee Football - Liberia’s “Lone Stars”

Money Football

Egyptians don’t care who Bob Bradley is. And that’s progress.

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