I'm not a soccer guy per se, but I am an Africanist, so I'm following the news on the Cup pretty carefully. It was weird enough the Nigeria and South Africa failed to qualify, but now Senegal has been bounced after losing to Equitoreal Guinea and my team, the Chipolopo (Copper Bullets) of Zambia.
What does the failure of the big time teams mean? What do the soccer experts here think of the tournament.
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Africa Cup of Nations
Started by
jose melendez
, Jan 26 2012 09:14 AM
19 replies to this topic
#3
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Earl of Acie
Posted 30 January 2012 - 08:46 AM
the Chipolopolo of Zambia on to the knockout round! not bad at all.
#4
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Posted 30 January 2012 - 11:07 AM
What does the failure of the big time teams mean? What do the soccer experts here think of the tournament.
African football is totally unpredictable. Venues and facilities can be poor, travel can be difficult, fields are sometimes badly maintained. National federations usually aren't well-funded, which causes a variety of problems. All these things serve to level the playing field and consequently, anything can happen.
Egypt is the most successful country in the Africa Cup of Nations. They've won it seven times out of the 28 total. Despite their success, they've only qualified for the World Cup once -- in 1990 -- since the ACN came into existence in 1957. And of course, Egypt is currently the three-time reigning ACN champion....and they didn't even qualify this time around.
#5
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Earl of Acie
Posted 31 January 2012 - 09:47 AM
yeah, in the Zambia Libya match the field was a major factor, it was apparently basically a swamp.
#6
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Earl of Acie
Posted 10 February 2012 - 01:06 PM
I know I'm the only one that cares, but Zambia making the finals in Gabon is a really nice story. In 1994, the team's place went down in the Atlantic off the coast of Gabon on the way to a World Cup qualifier in Senegal. Cote' D'Ivoire should beat the crap out of them, but of course, Ghana should have too.
#7
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guilty of being sex
Posted 10 February 2012 - 03:34 PM
The plane had just taken off from Libreville, so the team playing there should have extra significance.
I heard Jonathan Wilson mention yesterday that one of the few survivors from the 1993 team (he played in the Netherlands and was traveling separately) became head of the Zambian federation in 2006 and decided to play the kids. He pulled the best players from the U17s, U19s, and U23s and had them play together as often as possible. So while Zambia doesn't have the most talent, they know how to play together to an extent that's very unusual in for international sides.
Sunday's match will be on Al Jazeera Sports USA, which I didn't know existed.
I heard Jonathan Wilson mention yesterday that one of the few survivors from the 1993 team (he played in the Netherlands and was traveling separately) became head of the Zambian federation in 2006 and decided to play the kids. He pulled the best players from the U17s, U19s, and U23s and had them play together as often as possible. So while Zambia doesn't have the most talent, they know how to play together to an extent that's very unusual in for international sides.
Sunday's match will be on Al Jazeera Sports USA, which I didn't know existed.
#8
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has the rich, deep voice of a god and the penis of a scouse
Posted 12 February 2012 - 09:01 PM
Zambia won the final 8-7 on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Both teams were successful with their first 7 spot kicks, missed their 8th, and finally Stophira Sunzu converted to win it.
Ivory Coast could have won it in normal time but Drogba missed a penalty in the 70th minute.
Ivory Coast could have won it in normal time but Drogba missed a penalty in the 70th minute.
Edited by SoxFanInCali, 12 February 2012 - 09:02 PM.
#9
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Fork You Schpors
Posted 12 February 2012 - 11:02 PM
I know I'm the only one that cares, but Zambia making the finals in Gabon is a really nice story. In 1994, the team's place went down in the Atlantic off the coast of Gabon on the way to a World Cup qualifier in Senegal. Cote' D'Ivoire should beat the crap out of them, but of course, Ghana should have too.
Zambia winning the Africa Cup is unbefuckinlievable.
I played with Kalusha a few times, and Zambia was beyond crippled football-wise less than 20 years ago. Of all major international tournaments, this rates as one of the highlights of all-time, along with Denmark in 1992
#10
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Posted 12 February 2012 - 11:31 PM
I didn't follow any of this tournament, but glad Drogba is the goat.
#11
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Berezovsky
Posted 12 February 2012 - 11:47 PM
I get the hatred for drogba the on field drama queen but he does so much above and beyond the call off the field, stuff like donating all of his endorsement money to build hospitals in his country, that should outweigh that.
#12
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Earl of Acie
Posted 13 February 2012 - 01:35 PM
I believe Zambia survived a penalty by both Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana now. According to my friends over there it's absolute bedlam. Lots of people walking 25km from Lusaka to the airport to meet the team.
I couldn't be happier for them. It's a small country, only 12 million, with such a total disaster with the plane crash, and they did it the hard way. Yeah, Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria weren't in, but beating Senegal, Ghana and cote d'Ivoire is no cruise for a team like Zambia.
I couldn't be happier for them. It's a small country, only 12 million, with such a total disaster with the plane crash, and they did it the hard way. Yeah, Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria weren't in, but beating Senegal, Ghana and cote d'Ivoire is no cruise for a team like Zambia.
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Earl of Acie
Posted 13 February 2012 - 01:36 PM
What's the backstory on the Danes ub 1992, just really unlikely or something more?
#14
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Earl of Acie
Posted 13 February 2012 - 01:47 PM
Huh, apparently that 1993 Zambia team had beaten Italy 4-0.
#15
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up to his ears in k-pop
Posted 13 February 2012 - 02:54 PM
They won the Euro, no?What's the backstory on the Danes ub 1992, just really unlikely or something more?
#16
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Posted 13 February 2012 - 02:55 PM
What's the backstory on the Danes ub 1992, just really unlikely or something more?
They actually failed to qualify, then got a last minute invitation after Yugoslavia were kicked out due to the civil war. Plus they beat
#17
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guilty of being sex
Posted 13 February 2012 - 05:17 PM
Huh, apparently that 1993 Zambia team had beaten Italy 4-0.
Well, sort of. I don't mean to minimize the feat, but Zambia beat Italy 4-0 in the 1988 Olympics. Olympic rules in the 1980s didn't allow European or South American players who had played in the World Cup to play in the Olympics, so most sides from those continents were U23 or B teams.
Anyway, that shouldn't take away from this feat. It's a great story, especially since Kalusha Bwalya got to lead the Zambian federation back to the top. Ask Nils about him--he probably banged in a few against Feyenoord.
#18
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Fork You Schpors
Posted 14 February 2012 - 10:01 AM
They actually failed to qualify, then got a last minute invitation after Yugoslavia were kicked out due to the civil war.
The Danish players were literally lying on beaches in Spain and France when they were called up to take the Yugoslavs' spot in Sweden. The beat the Netherlands in the semis (with Bergkamp and Van Basten playing together), and the Germans in the final.
#19
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leader of tebow zealotry
Posted 14 February 2012 - 03:54 PM
Ivory Coast team is welcomed home.
Anyway, there might be a lesson here. Your favorite team chokes and once again fails to live up to potential? Don't react like an escaped lunatic. It rarely helps.
#20
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Fork You Schpors
Posted 16 February 2012 - 09:01 AM
Anyway, there might be a lesson here.
Only losers wearing orange are treated like winners in their home countries?
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