Cranes prepared for foul games
Sep 02, 2011
ANGOLS'S two main exports - oil and diamonds have plunged in the face of the current global recession.
By Fred Kaweesi in Luanda
ANGOLS'S two main exports - oil and diamonds have plunged in the face of the current global recession.
Just last week, the government cancelled the World Diamond Summit, branded as one of the most important gatherings of diamond producing nations, in an indication that the industry was losing its lustre.
A scene on the outskirts of the capital Luanda however defies the notion of scaling back in bad times.
In Camama town for example, where thousands of people live in shanty towns without running water or electricity, the main topic of discussion has been primary about Sunday’s Nations Cup qualifier against the Uganda Cranes.
Despite all hardships, nothing seems to get in the way of football - a sport the Angolans inherited from former colonial rulers Portugal.
The hype is understandable. Angola must beat Cranes to preserve any qualifying hopes while defeat or a draw could seal Uganda’s place at the 2012 finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea next year.
After their final training session at Nyayo Stadium yesterday, Kenya head coach Otieno Zedekia visited the Cranes camp and warned them to prepare for the worst reception in Luanda, where among other appalling tactics, the hosts will do everything to influence the match referee.
This week, already, there were plans to place the Cranes’ training base hundreds of miles away from the match-day Novembro stadium. “We have planned for all conditions,†Cranes boss Bobby Williamson said.
FUFA delegate Abbas Sendyowa arrived in Luanda days before the team and among his several assignments were to identify good accommodation, monitor the environment, find a training base and receive the team at the airport.
In June last year, neighbours Kenya accused Angola of foul play. Apart from being denied a training ground, the Harambee Stars complained of having been given food with plenty of oil and pepper, aside from being kept at the airport lobby for long.
The Cranes have also identified a translator as 99% of the population speak Portuguese.
Just one percent of the population understand a word in English.
Although Cranes outclassed Angola on a wet afternoon in Namboole last year, Williamson needs not to be reminded that the game in Luanda will be much tougher. “We still have a short distance to travel and the hard bit will be crossing the line,†he said.
“Angola is going to be a tough game because not many national teams win away in Africa. A point will see us through but I hope we can put our opponents on the back foot.
“I believe my players are sufficiently experienced and have had enough disappointments in the past not to falter again.â€
Luanda not a place for the poor
When you think of expensive places to live, Luanda would never come to mind. Yet a recent study placed the Angolan capital as the world’s most expensive city.
Luanda, a city rife with crippling poverty, has seen several multinational oil companies move to town in recent years, but it lacks the infrastructure, secure housing, and affordable services that many of their employees expect.
There is high demand and limited supply hence the high costs. For example, a bottle of water costs $10 (sh30,000), soda $20 (sh45,000) and a decent meal $40 (sh80,000).
Fans intending to travel for this historic game will have to budget for not less than $250 (sh600, 000) for accommodation a night.
ANGOLS'S two main exports - oil and diamonds have plunged in the face of the current global recession.
Just last week, the government cancelled the World Diamond Summit, branded as one of the most important gatherings of diamond producing nations, in an indication that the industry was losing its lustre.
A scene on the outskirts of the capital Luanda however defies the notion of scaling back in bad times.
In Camama town for example, where thousands of people live in shanty towns without running water or electricity, the main topic of discussion has been primary about Sunday’s Nations Cup qualifier against the Uganda Cranes.
Despite all hardships, nothing seems to get in the way of football - a sport the Angolans inherited from former colonial rulers Portugal.
The hype is understandable. Angola must beat Cranes to preserve any qualifying hopes while defeat or a draw could seal Uganda’s place at the 2012 finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea next year.
After their final training session at Nyayo Stadium yesterday, Kenya head coach Otieno Zedekia visited the Cranes camp and warned them to prepare for the worst reception in Luanda, where among other appalling tactics, the hosts will do everything to influence the match referee.
This week, already, there were plans to place the Cranes’ training base hundreds of miles away from the match-day Novembro stadium. “We have planned for all conditions,†Cranes boss Bobby Williamson said.
FUFA delegate Abbas Sendyowa arrived in Luanda days before the team and among his several assignments were to identify good accommodation, monitor the environment, find a training base and receive the team at the airport.
In June last year, neighbours Kenya accused Angola of foul play. Apart from being denied a training ground, the Harambee Stars complained of having been given food with plenty of oil and pepper, aside from being kept at the airport lobby for long.
The Cranes have also identified a translator as 99% of the population speak Portuguese.
Just one percent of the population understand a word in English.
Although Cranes outclassed Angola on a wet afternoon in Namboole last year, Williamson needs not to be reminded that the game in Luanda will be much tougher. “We still have a short distance to travel and the hard bit will be crossing the line,†he said.
“Angola is going to be a tough game because not many national teams win away in Africa. A point will see us through but I hope we can put our opponents on the back foot.
“I believe my players are sufficiently experienced and have had enough disappointments in the past not to falter again.â€
Luanda not a place for the poor
When you think of expensive places to live, Luanda would never come to mind. Yet a recent study placed the Angolan capital as the world’s most expensive city.
Luanda, a city rife with crippling poverty, has seen several multinational oil companies move to town in recent years, but it lacks the infrastructure, secure housing, and affordable services that many of their employees expect.
There is high demand and limited supply hence the high costs. For example, a bottle of water costs $10 (sh30,000), soda $20 (sh45,000) and a decent meal $40 (sh80,000).
Fans intending to travel for this historic game will have to budget for not less than $250 (sh600, 000) for accommodation a night.