Nations Cup a mission for African players
Jan 19, 2008
ACCRA - Any European club manager who thought he could convince stars such as Didier Drogba or Samuel Eto'o to opt out of the African Cup of Nations, which kicks off tomorrow in Ghana, was delusional. For African players the tournament is more than just an opportunity to show off their talent and pi
ACCRA - Any European club manager who thought he could convince stars such as Didier Drogba or Samuel Eto'o to opt out of the African Cup of Nations, which kicks off tomorrow in Ghana, was delusional. For African players the tournament is more than just an opportunity to show off their talent and pick up a nice medal - it is a chance, almost a mission, to uplift their people.
“Many Europeans don’t understand how big this tournament is,†says Reading's Cameroonian defender André Bikey.
“To Africans this is as big as the World Cup. In England you have cricket and rugby and other sports but in Africa football is everything. For us players it’s a chance to give some joy to our people - our people don’t care what we do at our clubs, only what we do for our countries is important.â€
The former Sierra Leone player and manager Leroy Rosenior strikes a similar note. “For Africans, representing our country means much more than it does to England internationals. When we go out on the pitch we’re playing not just for money or our own reputations but for our families, our communities, for everyone. We’re also very concerned about the legacy we leave, and letting people down is not a legacy anyone wants to leave.â€
First held in 1957, the tournament predates its European equivalent but none of its 25 previous editions has stimulated as much interest as this one in Ghana. Not only have 16,000 journalists from all over the world been accredited for the event - more than double the number who attended the 2006 version in Egypt - but organisers have suggested that the four cities staging matches could welcome up to one million visitors over the next three weeks.
Previous Nations Cups have suffered from tiny attendances at matches not involving the hosts but this time, with six of the 16 competing countries being West African neighbours of Ghana, many of the teams will be followed by throbbing throngs of supporters.
Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali and even the underdogs Benin have reportedly sold official allocations of 3,000 tickets and are expected to be followed by many more who hope either to find tickets on arrival or, given that two of the four stadiums being used have capacities of less than 25,000, simply savour the atmosphere in the host country. Demand for flights to Ghana from Senegal has been so high that the country's president, Abdoulaye Wade, has made his jet available to the fans.
The influx is a boon for the country's hotel owners, with prices in the capital climbing above $300 (£152) per night. Even the Ghana team has been affected - when the Black Stars returned from a training camp in Abu Dhabi this week they were told that the Accra hotel they had arranged to stay in no longer had any rooms, a more lucrative offer having been received while they were away.
Agencies
“Many Europeans don’t understand how big this tournament is,†says Reading's Cameroonian defender André Bikey.
“To Africans this is as big as the World Cup. In England you have cricket and rugby and other sports but in Africa football is everything. For us players it’s a chance to give some joy to our people - our people don’t care what we do at our clubs, only what we do for our countries is important.â€
The former Sierra Leone player and manager Leroy Rosenior strikes a similar note. “For Africans, representing our country means much more than it does to England internationals. When we go out on the pitch we’re playing not just for money or our own reputations but for our families, our communities, for everyone. We’re also very concerned about the legacy we leave, and letting people down is not a legacy anyone wants to leave.â€
First held in 1957, the tournament predates its European equivalent but none of its 25 previous editions has stimulated as much interest as this one in Ghana. Not only have 16,000 journalists from all over the world been accredited for the event - more than double the number who attended the 2006 version in Egypt - but organisers have suggested that the four cities staging matches could welcome up to one million visitors over the next three weeks.
Previous Nations Cups have suffered from tiny attendances at matches not involving the hosts but this time, with six of the 16 competing countries being West African neighbours of Ghana, many of the teams will be followed by throbbing throngs of supporters.
Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali and even the underdogs Benin have reportedly sold official allocations of 3,000 tickets and are expected to be followed by many more who hope either to find tickets on arrival or, given that two of the four stadiums being used have capacities of less than 25,000, simply savour the atmosphere in the host country. Demand for flights to Ghana from Senegal has been so high that the country's president, Abdoulaye Wade, has made his jet available to the fans.
The influx is a boon for the country's hotel owners, with prices in the capital climbing above $300 (£152) per night. Even the Ghana team has been affected - when the Black Stars returned from a training camp in Abu Dhabi this week they were told that the Accra hotel they had arranged to stay in no longer had any rooms, a more lucrative offer having been received while they were away.
Agencies