By the tip of the group stage, the thirty fourth Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) was one of the vital thrilling and memorable Afcon tournaments in latest reminiscence. This was significantly true of the performances of the continent’s finest gamers on the sector.
As a scholar of sports activities communication with a concentrate on African soccer, I’ve adopted developments with curiosity, notably the 2021 choice to extend the variety of nationwide groups within the closing stage from 16 to 24.
There have been a number of critics of the growth of the event. They argued Afcon was being watered down and that extra groups would result in a number of poor video games at a time when Africa was attempting to develop its recreation. However opening the gates to a number of groups that might beforehand have discovered it troublesome to qualify resulted in a breathtaking group stage. A number of groups that have been assumed to be minor upset greater ones, and a powerhouse like Ghana failed to maneuver past the group stage.
The choice to develop has had a number of repercussions past the sector. The upsets additionally name into query the effectivity of the group ranking system and the significance of star gamers who compete in Europe. The outcomes have had a dramatic affect on coaches too.
Shock upsets
World soccer physique Fifa and the Confederation of African Soccer (Caf) each revised their event codecs to attempt to shut the hole between the highest soccer nations and the remaining. Each organisations have adopted a league system for qualifying phases which permits extra nations to play in a number of video games towards the top-ranked groups. The outcomes might be seen at Afcon this 12 months.
Learn extra: Afcon: everything you need to know about a record year for Africa’s biggest football event
The massive surprises within the new, expanded line-up have come on the very high. 4 of the six high ranked groups – Côte d’Ivoire (8), Egypt (5), Algeria (4) and Tunisia (3) – failed to complete high of their four-team teams. Worse, Algeria and Tunisia have been eradicated from the event. And 4-time champions Ghana (11) are additionally headed dwelling.
In the meantime, Cape Verde (14) and Angola (28) topped their teams regardless of being seeded third in them. One of many greatest shocks has been Mauritania, as soon as among the many worst ranked groups in Africa, who beat Algeria and are headed to the knockout stage.
Rankings uncovered
Analysing the outcomes not solely from this event but in addition from the earlier Afcon two years in the past and the continuing World Cup qualifiers signifies that the rating of African groups can’t be trusted as a way of figuring out their potential success. Many groups are extra carefully matched than the rankings replicate.
Caf makes use of the rankings to estimate the relative power of groups and to group them accordingly within the event. In different phrases, the highest ranked African groups, plus the host, are stored aside, in separate teams, at Afcon. However the outcomes have not supported the expectation that the rankings predict the highest group in every group.
Star gamers
One other fantasy steadily being debunked by the upsets is the concept that African groups with star gamers who play for high golf equipment in Europe will probably be victorious over groups with out such gamers.
Namibia, with most of their gamers labouring in African leagues, overcame extremely ranked Tunisia with a squad that included gamers from high European golf equipment. Mauritania, with seven gamers enjoying regionally in Mauritania and some others enjoying within the Center East, beat Algeria, who’ve gamers at high European golf equipment.
Proficient gamers will not be solely enjoying in Europe – they are often found enjoying on the continent and in numerous places in Africa.
Impression on coaches
Just some years in the past most African nationwide sides had international coaches. At this time as many as half of the groups at this 12 months’s Afcon are managed by coaches with native roots. A number of of those coaches have performed nicely within the event. Morocco’s Walid Regragui and Senegal’s Aliou Cissé come to thoughts.
Shock winners within the group stage embrace Equatorial Guinea, led by an area supervisor, Juan Micha, and Cabo Verde, led by native coach Bubista. The one group winner led by a international supervisor has been Angola, coached by Portugal’s Pedro Soares Gonçalves. What is evident is {that a} international coach doesn’t assure success – and the variety of younger native coaches with the experience to information African nationwide groups to success is rising.
Learn extra: Afcon demands global respect, opens a new chapter for African football
After all, the group stage upsets have additionally meant a re-evaluation of a number of managers. Already Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria and The Gambia have moved to sack their coaches. Côte d’Ivoire’s Jean-Louis Gasset, from France, was relieved even when his group nonetheless had a mathematical likelihood of transferring into the second spherical. Locals have been understandably upset by two consecutive losses, one a humiliating 0-4 defeat to Equatorial Guinea, ranked 18 in Africa. Côte d’Ivoire was ranked 8 this month by Fifa.
The group stage – and the hype round it throughout the continent – has justified Caf’s choice to develop the event and supply alternatives for a bigger variety of African groups to play in worldwide contests. If the pattern continues, African soccer is coming of age.
Chuka Onwumechili, Professor of Communications, Howard College
