admin
COTE d’Ivoire ended a 23-year wait for their second Africa Cup of Nations title when they beat West African rivals Ghana in a pulsating penalty shoot-out marathon which they won 9-8 in a humid rain-drenched Estadio de Bata in Equatorial Guinea on Sunday night. The Elephants have their goalkeeper Boubacar Barry to thank for his heroics in saving Ghana keeper Brimah Razak’s effort before firing in the winner with the shootout in sudden death. The victory also cemented a historic achievement for Herve Renard, who became the first coach to win two Africa Cup of Nations with different countries, following Zambia’s success in 2012.
Billed as a dream final between two of the giants of African football, the match was largely a cagey affair in regulation and extra time and having ended goalless, the lottery of penalties was left to decide it. Just like in 1992 when the Ivorians beat Ghana 11-10 on penalties to lift their maiden African title, they did it the hard way this time around but will be pleased with their efforts.
The Ivory Coast were one of the favourites coming into this tournament with the team formed around the core of the golden generation of the likes of captain Yaya Toure, his brother Kolo, Gervinho, Wilfried Bony and Salomon Kalou. With the other ageing stars among them former captain Didier Drogba and midfield enforcer Didier Zokora having retired from international football without steering the team to an Afcon title, it was left to the Toure brothers to lead a largely youthful looking side to the Promised Land.
The Ivory Coast started the tournament sluggishly with tepid draws before hitting top form in the knock out stages where their chief striker Bony came to the party. With quicksilver winger Gervinho returning to the side after serving a two match ban for a needless red card earned in a moment of madness, the Elephants hit their stride and glided into the final after dispatching the Democratic Republic of Congo 3-1. Their crowning moment capped the end of a month-long football extravaganza that captivated the hearts and minds of the African continent.
Afcon 2015 was largely flawless with the only blemish on the tournament coming in the semi-final match between hosts Equatorial Guinea and Ghana. The ugly scenes witnessed in Malabo when angry home fans pelted their Ghanaian counterparts with missiles as their team was trailing the Black Stars 3-0, was a bad advertisement for African soccer and we commend the Confederation of African Football for acting swiftly and coming down hard on Equatorial Guinea by handing them a hefty $100,000 fine.
Apart from the behaviour of the home supporters in that match, the Equatorial Guinea authorities deserve praise for coming to the rescue of Caf and offering to host the tournament following the withdrawal of Morocco at the last minute. There was a danger of the Afcon finals being hosted away from the continent for the first time after Qatar offered to bail out Caf by staging it on its shores. Kudos should therefore go to the Guinean government for hosting a successful tournament in such a short space of preparatory time.
Although Zimbabwe’s Warriors were not part of the football jamboree, there was a Zimbabwean flavour to Afcon with local security agencies part of the contingent in that country. Officers from the military, police and intelligence services were part of the detail tasked with ensuring a smooth running of the tournament. This followed a request from the host nation to the Zimbabwean government cementing already strong bilateral ties between the two countries.
The success of Afcon 2015 is a result of the unity of purpose displayed by African nations who came together to rescue a tournament that was in danger of being postponed due to the fears over the spread of Ebola — the main reason advanced by Morocco for seeking to defer the finals.
The quality of the football on show in Equatorial Guinea also confirms that football on the continent is progressing in leaps and bounds. There are no more so called minnows in African football as evidenced by the impressive displays of small nations such as Cape Verde and Equatorial Guinea. The only worrisome development is the continued dominance of the game by North and West African countries.
Authorities at Caf should also consider changing the format of the Afcon from being a bi-annual showcase to one that is held once in four years. This will not only improve the quality of the football fiesta but will likely give breathing space to players and the organisers alike. Afcon would also fall in line with other major football tournaments like the European championships and the World Cup.
In the same vein, we feel Zimbabwe and other nations in Southern Africa should up their game and match their counterparts from North and West Africa pound for pound. The starting point in the case of Zimbabwe is cleaning up the mess at Zifa which lies at the core of everything that is wrong with the country’s football.
Online Reporter