As the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) comes to an end it is time for the continent to take off its rose-tinted glasses and be brutally honest about admitting that the game has not progressed since the last tournament. Commercially, tactically and in overall appeal, we are where we were at the end of the last century.
First, the uninspiring football on the pitch. Hosts Tunisia needed two set pieces to overcome debutants Rwanda in the tournament’s opening 2-1 victory. Nigeria, Cameroon and Senegal did not fire off the mark either. There were times when the football fired with sporadic bursts of imagination, but overall it was bland and tepid.
It is only as the tournament progressed that the juggernauts clicked into place, but even then they never quite hit top gear. For Cameroon to concede three goals in their 5-3 victory over first-timers Zimbabwe was criminal.
And Senegal should never have allowed their emotions to run away with them in their 1-0 quarterfinal loss against Tunisia.
If this was a World Cup year this tournament would have provided little evidence to suggest that an African country can improve on Senegal and Cameroon’s feat of reaching the quarterfinals, or even reach the second round.
Nigeria and Cameroon must still answer the question of how they respectively allowed Sweden and the Republic of Ireland to qualify ahead of them, along with England and Germany, in the last World Cup. On the evidence of their Afcon performances it is hard to see where improvement will come from to make an impact in 2006.
Hosts Tunisia, of course, were an embarrassment in the 2002 World Cup, failing to advance from a group that was the easiest of the five African countries. Yet now they contest the Afcon final, albeit on home soil.
This tournament remains important, ask the 300 000 Rwandans who lined the streets from the airport to the stadium to celebrate their country’s qualification for the first time. Afcon brings hope to war-torn nations and a sense of glory to countries that do not have a chance of qualifying for the World Cup.
Yet it needs a rethink, primarily because it disrupts the schedule of Europe’s leading leagues, where an increasing proportion of African players ply their trade. The tournament will have to be rescheduled, possibly to June of the odd-numbered years.
But that will clash with the inconsequential Confederations Cup. This would mean Afcon would have to be held every four, not two, years and it would have to alternate with the Confederations Cup, just as the European Championships alternate with the World Cup in the off season of even-numbered years.
That way you will have a better selling point for TV rights and avoid a situation where the Afcon final competes for an audience with the Manchester derby in the FA Cup, as will be the case this weekend. You will also have the cream of African stars fit and fully focused. This will hopefully bring improvement to the quality of football and take Africa’s game to the 21st century.