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Sports Characteristics of Thursday, March 28, 2019
Source: Goal.com
2019-03-28
Aubameyang could not lead Gabon to CAN 2019
The difficult qualifying campaign of the African Nations Cup of Gabon, which ended in a failure this weekend against the tensions surrounding their star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, must be a lesson for some of the biggest African teams.
As in the past, a superstar player found himself on a national team with the kind of players he would not normally compete with internationally.
It is a dynamic that has been experienced, to one degree or another, by all major African national teams, with many players simultaneously bringing together players who operate in local leagues, in some of the world's backwaters, and in some of the major divisions of the planet.
This is a difficult dynamic to manage, and although Florent Ibenge, for example, has managed to integrate players from all walks of life into his team in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon has never managed to create the same climate.
The Panthers have a lot of talented players. Midfielders Mario Lemina and Didier Ndong would compete for a place in any team on the continent, although both have their own problems, while Bruno Ecuele Manga was a key contributor to the city of Cardiff at the time. his return to the Premier League and to fight against the fall. .
For example, he was arguing for a spot in Nigerian defense and would certainly start with Ghana, Burkina Faso or Mali.
Andre Poko, Denis Bouanga and Lloyd Palun are also talented operators who should have had the strength to lift Gabon over Burundi. Yet this collective has become a prisoner of the whims of their star, Aubameyang.
While the attacker was originally praised for his decision to commit to Gabon before France or Spain, his relations with the local public have faded in recent years.
The tension with Fegafoot did not help – he would have been furious after the decision was made to demolish the coaching staff, including his father Pierre senior, and to nominate Jose Antonio Camacho before the 2017 Nations Cup on his soil.
Aubameyang played, but was largely anonymous, with his teammates devoid of Plan B beyond the mere attempt to give the ball to their featured man.
Egypt, whose collective quality is also reduced to nothing by a superstar of the form of Mohamed Salah, has also encountered this problem, but at least the Liverpool man has he been constantly engaged in the cause, with only a wound or fatigue preventing him from going on the field with the pharaohs.
Gabon did not have this luxury, it is Auba which was chosen and chosen when it appears to be part of the national selection.
While he was present against Burundi, he did not participate in the victory against South Sudan nor the decisive defeat against Mali, Gabon losing crucial points on the road to Egypt.
Preparations for the Burundi meeting have been overshadowed by concerns about the presence or absence of Aubameyang; he had missed a flight last Tuesday while he had been scheduled to join the camp, after stating that he was seriously considering whether to withdraw completely or not from the international match.
It was a disastrous accumulation for Central Africans. If Aubameyang was finally greeted by a hero when he arrived in his country, the fans turned to him the day after the draw.
As noted by The Sun, a supporter on Twitter pointed out that Gabon had won more games without the striker in the last three years than with him.
Indeed, against Burundi, Auba did not justify his position on the team, aimlessly sending a late free kick in a dangerous position in the arms of the goalkeeper, while a player of his quality, his experience and stature should have done better.
"I want football to become more professional in Gabon," said the attacker to reporters, according to the Express. "That's what the players deserve.
"That's what's missing, and that's why sometimes I do not come play."
He may be right, but his handling of the situation exasperates the problem rather than alleviating it. Contrast, for example, the actions of Aubameyang with those of Salah, who returned to the field even after criticizing the behavior of the Egyptian federation during the World Cup.
Aubameyang's indulgence by Fegafoot tacitly tolerated this uncompromising attitude, allowing him to ignite and ultimately undermine the Panthers' campaign.
Their internal problems must be a warning to both Ghana and Nigeria.
The former should know better, after their 2014 World Cup campaign was completely overshadowed by chills in the camp.
Prior to the tournament, Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng were all allowed to return to the group, although they stayed away from the team during the qualifying campaign.
It can be argued that their presence disrupted the camp, the last two having finally been expelled during the tournament – one that fell into a farce for the Black Stars – and gave unlimited bans.
It was yet another proof that superstar ego can have a devastating effect on national teams, hindering the team and harming the unit.
Yet this is a situation that threatens to breed for the Black Stars, with the return of the Ayew brothers – just in time for the tournament – after their last international exile; the duo only recently returned to the fold after being pulled out of the Ghana qualifier against Congo-Brazzaville in September 2017.
This was not the first time that the pair was taking leave of the national team; they both left the team in early 2013 – aged 23 and 21 – amid growing disagreements with Ghana's AF.
They are talented players, but the world is not overshadowed at the club level, and Jordan, in particular, has been the cause of internal conflict in the past.
Kwadwo Asamoah, who has just returned from an international absence of four, seems to be now angry at the Ghana Football Federation about a dispute over his best position.
Will the power of the players be winning again, and should it, in this case, Ghana having reached the Afcon finals and a semifinal without Kojo in recent years?
After missing last issue of Kwesi Appiah @ghanafaofficial team, ASAMOAH_GYAN3The hopes of a last Black Stars song at the Africa Cup of Nations may be shrinking … https: //t.co/0QTffBjFqR pic.twitter.com/I3cx56yOCV
– Ed Dove (@ EddyDove) August 27, 2018
Asamoah Gyan, Ghana's top scorer and current skipper, is in a similar position. Is he allowed to return – or even to be prosecuted – while he was a peripheral figure during Kwesi Appiah's second term?
Perhaps, as was the case for Essien in 2014, will the players' experience, team value and injury record serve as a pretext to justify their absences and allow them to return in time for the tournament itself.
For Nigeria, unhindered preparation at the Nations Cup is likely to be eclipsed by the question "will he want it?", This time about Captain John Obi Mikel.
Like Ghana, the Super Eagles booked their ticket for Afcon without Mikel, who has not joined the national club since the World Cup, when his father was kidnapped, in a traumatic incident for the player.
John Obi Mikel: Reaffirming its relevance to @Boro
Excellent overview of the first month of Mikel in Middlesbrough from @kfayiga https://t.co/4Fdqyrq96a#Naija pic.twitter.com/haYbeY8RaA
– Ed Dove (@ EddyDove) March 6, 2019
Clearly, there have been extenuating circumstances, but even now, despite playing regularly with Middlesbrough, Mikel is not joining his teammates to promote the unity and spirit of the game. team within the team and establish a field relationship with the most recent ones. faces such as Henry Onyekuru, Samuel Kalu and Paul Onuachu.
Nigeria, in the field, will be stronger with Mikel in the heart of the park, but by allowing Middlesbrough midfielder to give priority to a push of promotion in front of an international, the Super Eagles may invite a schism at the size of Aubameyang?
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