By Fred Kaweesi in Nelspruit

THE 2013 Orange Nations Cup has produced a cocktail of drama and somewhat scintillating football to talk about in every corner of this rainbow country.

But equally of interest have been the crazy hairstyles sported by a majority of the players here.

I have found the hairdos fascinating. There is nothing wrong with playing with colour but some of the hairdos clash with the players’ complexions.

During the 2010 World Cup, no side beat the English, Dutch and Italians in fashion clamour. I admired their sense of fashion. The three countries then chose to make statements on fashion front rather than spot outrageous hairdos –all three opting for suits designed by Giorgio Armani, one of the finest labels in the world of fashion.

Africa’s representatives to the world showpiece chose all kinds of dreads. For a few it worked, while the others including Cameroonian defender Rigobert Song made spectacular bids for the award of worst haircuts in the tournament –the kind that Congolese goalkeeper Muteba Kidiaba, who is known for his bum-hop celebrations, would claim in the ongoing Nations Cup tournament.

It has been the most outrageous style of note. He left his hair grow only in the centre of his head, crafting a chiskop ponytail cut around it.

Kidiaba’s has been closely challenged by Burkina Faso’s Bance Aristide and Ghana’s Isaac Vorsah. Both Aristide and Vorsah opted for white dreads that are spiky on top, appearing like strands of spaghetti.

Niger are out of the tournament and...

Niger are out of the tournament and I am not sure many will miss defender Dankwa Kofi’s two-strip black and brown locks.

Congo’s Patau Kabangu had a blonde Mohawk. Mohawks are still the big trend of soccer players across Africa.

Ghanaian players have attracted attention for more than their superb football skills. A majority of them have gone the extra mile with their locks with bold colours and cuts.

Mubarak Wakaso, seems to have decided that having a blonde Mohawk wasn’t enough and engraved the first letter of his surname ‘W’ on the sides of his new hairdo.

For the next days, style enthusiasts will be licking their lips in expectation because footballers tend to change their appearance as a tournament progresses.