Benin takes a 4-1 loss, but no one's surprised

Julien — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:29:57 +0100

Not many people watched the match. Nobody really thought we could win.

The Benin squirrels were beaten 4 to 1. Even before the match, considering their performance in the opening match, it didn't seem overly likely that they would beat the Ivory Coast, the second-best in Africa. In town not many fans believed it; there weren't many t-shirts or banners to be seen. Only the household-appliances company ATC BEKO had put a banner in its window front. We watched the match on a giant screen in Cotonou. Even after the first goal and then more after the second people starting to walk away, cursing the players. The atmosphere was really depressing so we didn't take any photos and decided to head home. We watched the second half in a cyber café, where any interest in the game had completely disappeared, even when Razak Omotoyossi scored his ‘goal of honour'. There were a few claps here and there... Here, there's not as much passion as in, Togo, Ghana or Nigeria. I don't know what happened to the pride we felt when the Squirrels qualified, but I think a lot of people lost interest because they knew we were playing against the biggest teams...so there was no point in getting over-excited."

Our Observers follow the African Cup of Nations

Julien — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:32:58 +0100

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.