22/01/2008 > FOOTBALL
I watched
the game in a little maquis [bar]
near my home. We couldn't wait for Drogba, who's the one to watch out for in
the big competitions, to score. Everyone was moaning about Kalou for dribbling
too much and never passing. But in the end it was he who scored! Now he's
become a big hero here. All the papers are talking about him, the new superstar,
the Ivorian football genius. Ivory Coast-Nigeria was a really important match.
The Nigerians were really worked up about the game because we beat them in the
semi-final of the last CAN. But it's Egypt that we really want to beat."
(Egypt beat Ivory Coast
in the last ANC final.)
I watched
the match in the biggest cybercafe in Accra,
the Busy Internet. They'd installed a projector. The first half was tense. Ghana
didn't score and people started insulting the players. But in the second half
things eased up. The atmosphere was amazing. After the game, a group of
supporters played music in front of the cafe and everyone was dancing around. And
after that, I went to a victory party at a friend's house. It's just one big
party here."
It's a
good result; it'll scare the other teams in our pool, Ghana and Guinea. But here, everyone's
worried about Soufiane Alloudi, who scored three goals but got injured at the
end of the match. He's our best player at the moment, and he won't be recovered
in time for the game against Guinea
on Thursday. He became known in the Moroccan championship, in Casablanca. He's the most well-known player
here.
Our Observers follow the African Cup of Nations
The African Cup of Nations (CAN), which kicked off its 26th yearly edition on Sunday, is followed worldwide and rivals the UEFA Euro competition and the Copa America in popularity. The atmosphere is, of course, heating up most in Africa’s major cities, from where our Observers will be sending us post-match updates with photos and comments. Here are comments and predictions from Abidjan, Casablanca, Cotonou and Accra.
The contributors
"I watched the game in a little ‘maquis'"
Christophe Chechom, originally from Cameroon, has been working as a doctor in Abidjan, Ivory Coast since 1992.
His predictions:
Semi-final: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Egypt.
Final: Ivory Coast-Egypt.
His comment on the Ivory Coast's victory over Nigeria on Tuesday:
I watched
the game in a little maquis [bar]
near my home. We couldn't wait for Drogba, who's the one to watch out for in
the big competitions, to score. Everyone was moaning about Kalou for dribbling
too much and never passing. But in the end it was he who scored! Now he's
become a big hero here. All the papers are talking about him, the new superstar,
the Ivorian football genius. Ivory Coast-Nigeria was a really important match.
The Nigerians were really worked up about the game because we beat them in the
semi-final of the last CAN. But it's Egypt that we really want to beat."
(Egypt beat Ivory Coast
in the last ANC final.)
"It’s just one big party here"
Charles Amega-Serlom, Web master, Accra, Ghana.
His predictions:
Semi-final: Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Egypt.
Final: Ghana-Ivory Coast.
Charles's account of Sunday night, the opening match of the CAN:
I watched
the match in the biggest cybercafe in Accra,
the Busy Internet. They'd installed a projector. The first half was tense. Ghana
didn't score and people started insulting the players. But in the second half
things eased up. The atmosphere was amazing. After the game, a group of
supporters played music in front of the cafe and everyone was dancing around. And
after that, I went to a victory party at a friend's house. It's just one big
party here."
Photos by 'David' taken at the opening match on 20 January.
Street traders in Accra. Photo by Oluniyi David Ajao.
Flag store in Accra. Photo by Oluniyi David Ajao. See his site.
"We've scared Ghana and Guinea"
Mohamed Oulaich, our Observer for Casablanca, is a Web master for the site menara.ma.
His predictions:
Semi-final: Morocco, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Tunisia.
Final: Morocco-Ghana.
His commentary on his team's 5-1 win against Namibia on Tuesday night:
It's a
good result; it'll scare the other teams in our pool, Ghana and Guinea. But here, everyone's
worried about Soufiane Alloudi, who scored three goals but got injured at the
end of the match. He's our best player at the moment, and he won't be recovered
in time for the game against Guinea
on Thursday. He became known in the Moroccan championship, in Casablanca. He's the most well-known player
here.
Morocco is obviously one of the favourites to win. But winning in Ghana won't be easy - the players aren't used to the climate there and the public will be against them. But Morocco's asset is teamwork. We can make it."
Morocco's official supporters' song.
The title of the song is "Hamra Khadra" ("Red and White"), Morocco's national colours.
Predictions from our other ANC Observers:
Larbi, Morocco
Semi final: Morocco, Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon
Final: Ghana-Morocco
Henry Addo, Ghana
Semi final: Ghana, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Nigeria
En final: Ghana et Côte d'Ivoire
Adriankoto Ratoza, Madagascar
Semi final: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameron, Senegal
Final: Cameroon - Ivory Coast
Franco Hehou, Benin
Semi final: Morocco, Nigeria,
Ivory Coast, Cameroon
Final: Nigeria et Cameroon
