Hopes multiply as World Cup woes in Africa continue – Punch Newspapers



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Africa has yet another disastrous exit at the 2018 World Cup, which has just ended in Russia, not thanks to several factors that have perpetually confined the continent to the backwaters of football, reports . The recent triumph of the French team, composed mostly of players of African descent, at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, has just highlighted, once again, the inability permanent Africa to turn the continent's huge talents into global drummers. 19659002] The French team had 14 players with African fathers, thus sparking debates and arguments that the continent has what it takes to win the World Cup despite its three quarterfinals as its best outings since 1934, when Egypt appeared at the tournament.

"The French team looked like an African team, in fact, it is Africa who won.France won thanks to African players or sons of Africans," he said. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

But former US President Barack Obama disagrees

"Ask the French team that just won the World Cup.These people looked like Gauls to me.But they are French They are French, "said Obama then in South Africa to commemorate 100 years of Nelson Mandela's birth.

However, crazy football Africans have been confined to misery every four years as their teams constantly fail to "

Indeed, they rejected Pelé's legendary prediction that an African team would support the World Cup. world before the end of the 20th century. None have approached with 18 years in the 21st century.

Final Quarter

The five representatives of Africa in Russia – Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal – all failed to stage group; away from the 2014 edition in Brazil, where Nigeria and Algeria have reached the round of 32.

With this performance, the continent has had its worst World Cup performance in 36 years, with none of its teams in the knockout phase. Since 1965, when Morocco became the first African country to pbad the group stage, at least one team from the continent had reached the second round until Russia 2018.

10 defeats, two draws and only three victories out of 15 matches of the five teams.

The best African fans had to be content to see their teams escape quarter-finals three times.

reached the last eight at Italia's 90, beating the reigning champions, Argentina, in their opening match with nine men. Roger Milla, 38, scored four goals on this memorable outing:

The impressive performance of the Indomitable Lions allowed FIFA to win Africa, which had two representatives, One Slot additional.

But African football fans had to endure a 12-year wait to see their team, this time Senegal, reach the quarter-finals again. Like Cameroon, they also beat defending champion France before the last eight.

Eight years later in South Africa, Ghana has had one of the best performances of an African team in the World Cup. the first semifinalists, only to have their dreams broken as Asamoah Gyan missed a penalty in the final minutes.

And that was the case.

Eight years later, there were stories of misery and misery.

Administrative Abandonment

Nigeria, with a range of talents, is widely regarded as an underperforming player, failing to reach the quarter-finals after six attempts and finding himself three times in the round of 16

The administration of the game has been largely responsible.

Indeed, the participation of Africa was especially tainted by a confrontation between players and administrators. Very often, the money for the preparations is diverted for personal purposes, the officials carrying family members, girlfriends and helpers on the competition sites, with compensation paid by these same officials.

which is generally among the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, previously it was destroying the unity of the team, which resulted in dismal performance on the ground.

At the 2014 edition in Brazil, Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon. Three years ago, our correspondent asked former Nigerian defender Taribo West why the Super Eagles were struggling to pbad the second round of the World Cup despite the huge talents of the team [19659004]. is under a curse, "in an interview in The PUNCH in February 2015.

" The administrators of the past committed many atrocities against Eagles players, and in anger, these players have cursed the team.

"Imagine a nation you served, you hurt yourself and nobody cares, they throw you in. Look at how a player like (Rashidi) Yekini served the team and died. "It should not have been … Someone must go to his family and compensate them."

"(Sunday) Eboigbe was paralyzed for years and no one went to see him. Would you say that such a man, who gave the best for his country, should not curse his country? "

Perhaps Taribo, former defender of Inter Milan, AC Milan, who participated in the World Cups of 1998 and 2002 things from the spiritual point of view, having turned into pastor since his retirement from the game

One of the highlights of Korea / Japan 2002 was to see Taribo, the fierce defender, caught on world television in tears after the Eagles collapsed in the group stage.

"I was crying because we had no team, no preparation; there was nothing there. Football is a team work. I could not combine my work as a player with that of the administrators; it is not possible.

"England and Sweden were not exceptional.We knew we could beat both countries, it was very painful.The only strong team in our group was the only one in the world. Argentina, so I had no choice but to break down, "says Taribo.

While the versatile defender was himself expelled from the national camp, he says he's now overcame the pain.

look how I was sent to the national team. I spoke for the young players of the team, who had no voice and they even banished me. Why should not I be wronged? Since then, they have not had a good defense. "

Former Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto" shares Taribo's views on leadership issues in African football. "Eto", a veteran of the 1998, 2002, 2010 World Cups and 2014, was expelled from the national team for starting a boycott of unpaid bonuses in 2011.

"The only problem in Africa is our leaders who do not respect us. Until we are respected, other (continents) will have no consideration for us. "

Liberia's President, George Weah, who won the footballer's awards of the year The sport needs a redesign.

" Former players govern European football while those who do not have pbadion or knowledge of the game reign in Africa. Footballers rather than officials should travel in business clbad on flights because they are the ones who will play. "

Deficiencies on the field

The World Cup has constantly denounced the lack of tactics and technical discipline as well as players who do not have the conviction and the will to play at the world level.

At the last World Cup, the five representatives were guilty of the same sins.

They were technically and tactically behind their opponents In attack, they struggled to score while the middle The field lacked creativity and the defenses conceded goals at crucial moments – late goals, goals against goals and set-pieces goals – painfully sometimes because of horrific mistakes of schoolchildren. questioning the game management skills of foreign coaching teams of opposing teams.

Many of the players have failed to improve their game.

Senegal and Nigeria have the best chances of reaching the round of 16. but blew them up. After winning their first game, the Teranga Lions failed to beat Japan after being twice in their second game. They paid dearly in their last game, when they lost 1-0 to Colombia. Although they equaled all the other clues with the Japanese, they were eliminated thanks to the new rule of fair play, having collected more yellow cards than Asians.

Nigeria needed a draw The Argentineans caught the winner with only four minutes to play to break the Nigerian heart

"It was a problem." Mentality, African teams in Russia lacked self-confidence.For the fact that it was the World Cup, they felt that they could not do the job, "said Austin Okon-Akpan, sports journalist, who was in Russia,

"All Nigeria needed Argentina, and even when it was 1-1, they (Nigeria) had a chance to win the match but could not take their chance." Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli and goalkeeper Franco Armani arrogantly declared that they knew that they had qualified immediately after Nigeria had beaten Iceland.They were so sure to beat us and they l? did it.

"It was a bad campaign for Lionel Messi but his The goal in four games of the tournament was against Nigeria, an African team. France thought; they saw themselves with the Argentinean superstars and beat them. Iceland did not want to be overtaken by Messi and his teammates despite their first World Cup appearance and they drew 1-1. Croatia showed that they were better prepared and they beat the Argentineans 3-0. So, why was our case different?

"Senegal started well, but their poor mentality was their loss, they failed in the two games that mattered most, Russia and South Korea are not big names in football, but they are far away. to have hosted the World Cup due to their mentality, did it happen with South Africa in 2010 until African teams went to Africa? impregnated with the winning mentality, things will get worse. "

Second-clbad European coaches to the rescue

A foreign coach never won the World Cup 21 times A Like their national economies, African countries are still turning to the West to seek help, often resulting in the return of football.

Of the five Cup countries of the world, only Aliou Cissé of Senegal The Nigerian Football Federation has dismissed a local coach, the late Shaibu Amodu, who qualified the team for the 2010 tournament, in favor of Lars Lagerback, who had failed to qualify his country, Sweden, for the same tournament.

And Nigerians collapsed without winning a match. Lagerback did not return to the country with the team after collecting his salaries.

A former Nigeria coach, the late Stephen Keshi, was a big critic of the role of white coaches in African football

. come to Africa just for money. They do not do anything we can not do. I am not racist but it is like that. "Keshi, who won the Africa Cup of Nations as a player and coach, before qualifying and managing the Eagles at the 2014 World Cup, told the BBC 2013

Egypt, the most-titled football team in CAN history, has won the trophy seven times, mostly with local coaches. won the tournament four times, with a local coach who guided the team on all occasions.

In his article titled "Coaches exploit lazy African bosses" on www .iol.co.za, Matshelane Mamabolo, a South African football writer, shared his point of view on the influx of half-cooked European coaches into African football.

He said: "This (Africa) is the place where the nameless coaches come to teach the natives. how to play the beautiful game In fact, you do not really need to be coached before. After all, they (the leaders of African football) believe everything on paper – as long as your resume says you have done it, they accept it. And no, they will not bother to confirm what you tell them; research is a taboo subject for most of these Africans.

"If you have been coaching beach football in your native Brazil, all you need is to omit the word" beach "and you have a job in South Africa. is true, Emilio Jayr Mazzoni did it and he was the coach of Moroka Swallows at a glance. "

He added:" If you have been a physical trainer in Europe from the East, so much the better.Kosta Papic came to Africa and worked in the best football countries with the best clubs and was recognized as a hero for turning his players into super athletes who ran 90 minutes no -stop without gaining much. "

African and European coaches, but African federations still see expatriate coaches over African coaches and are happy to pay them a much higher salary. However, the continent's football has failed to improve under foreign coaches, and nothing says it will do it anytime soon, with the latest proof of Russia 2018. [19659002] Africa at the reception?

Africans have often expressed concern about being treated unfairly in critical situations at the World Cup.

The elimination of Algeria in 1982 is an example of an African team that is in the process of receiving decisions. After defeating West Germany and Chile, Algeria bowed to Austria, but still had a chance to move forward if it was not possible. 39, West Germany beat Austria 1-0 or 2-0

they realized how good the score would be. Despite calls for the game to be replayed or for both sides to be punished, FIFA has taken no action. It did have an impact, however, as the body of world football decided that in the future, the last pair of group matches should be played at the same time.

In Russia, the continent's football supporters felt that the Fair Play Rule was cruel Nigeria also complained of being deprived of a penalty by the referee video badistant during his crucial meeting against Argentina after the hand of Marcos Rojo intercepted the ball inside the surface

. But Okon-Akpan, shrugs his shoulders with a wave of the hand, insisting that it's the custom of African teams to complain after failing tournaments.

"We always put ourselves in a position where we feel stolen or not favored." I attended a press conference after the Nigeria-Argentina match and Pierluigi Collina (FIFA Referee Chief) has everything explained.We had a player to whom the ball fell after the foul.He complained only after throwing the ball away and wide.Hould he have complained if he had scored? ", A Political / Socio-Economic Factors

Outputs from teams could also be political and socio-economic factors Africa's brightest talents are often unloaded soon enough in Europe and in other parts of the world, and find it difficult to cope with the African environment and style when they return to the game.

"Africans must show the same desire John Barnes, who represented England at the World Cups 1986 and 1990, recently told SuperSport that the political and economic situation in sub-Saharan Africa has led to mbad migration of the continent, and children born to these immigrants would prefer to put on their boots for their country of birth.

No change in sight

While other continents began to prepare for the next World Cup in Qatar in 2022, as usual, African teams seem to have fingers firmly attached to self-destruct buttons

. Rather than begin preparations for the next edition, the NFF is already engaged in a new political debacle that divides the federation into two factions: FIFA-recognized Amaju Pinnick and Chris Giwa, supported by the federal government. Recall that in Brazil 2014, the same scenario was played after the Super Eagles reached the last 16 of the World Cup, which resulted in their non-qualification for the next two AFCONS.

Is this another recipe for the Qatar disaster in 2022?

"Instead of doing a good audit of the 2018 World Cup, work on our weaknesses and draw a path forward, we are in the midst of a political crisis. Is this the way to go? We may not have the right to a third CAN, "said Okon-Akpan

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