AC Vol 45 No 4
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www.africa-confidential.com 20 February 2004 Vol 45 No 4 AFRICA CONFIDENTIAL KENYA 3 SOCCER Fading Rainbow Some say the National Rainbow And now the world Coalition won’t survive much past Held back by political and economic crises, Africa’s football talent mid-year. The split between the shines through ‘Mount Kenya Mafia’ around President Kibaki and the populists President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali’s restrained applause after the national soccer team’s victory in the around Public Works Minister Raila African Cup of Nations on 14 February was, like many things in Tunisia, heavily controlled. Yet the Odinga looks irreparable. Kibaki’s Carthage Eagles had just defeated Morocco’s Atlas Lions 2-1. weakening position means that his In fact, it was just the latest piece of good news for Ben Ali – he’s standing again this year for yet another government is prepared to negotiate four-year term, with little visible protest, and he was due to fly to Washington on 16 February. There, with officials in the former KANU government, some of whom are he would meet President George W. Bush and successfully play the role of a key United States’ ally in accused of grand corruption. the ‘war on terror’. Ben Ali translates this locally into a generalised right to crush and control his Islamist opponents without Western censure. None of the Islamist cells or groups operating in the region managed to break through Tunisia’s security cordon to launch an embarrassing attack on an African Cup match. KENYA 4 Security and terrorism are critical issues for North African football when four states with armed Islamist opponents – Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia – are bidding to host the 2010 World Cup. Inquiries, no answers The African Cup delighted Ben Ali and was a personal success for the Chairman of the African Cup Allegations abound at the organising committee, Slim Chiboub. After a contretemps with Tunisia’s first family, Chiboub (who is commission of inquiry into the also Ben Ali’s son-in-law) is now back in favour. He is a keen soccer promoter: Chairman again of the Goldenberg scandal. President Moi is accused of illegally leading Tunis club, Espérance Sportive, he is on the Executive Committee of the Fédération Internationale transferring US$76 mn. to de Football Association (FIFA) and close to its President, Sepp Blatter. Goldenberg for imaginary gold and diamond exports. Tunisian triumph Tunisian officials had their best pan-African credentials on show – and few begrudged the Tunisia squad SOUTH AFRICA 5 its victory. Solid if not spectacular, the team had just enough luck to go through against opponents such as Senegal and Nigeria. It was compensation perhaps for Tunisia’s disastrous hosting of the African Cup Foregone conclusion in 1994, when it was eliminated in the first round. This time, a powerful attacking coalition headed by striker Ziad Jaziri in tandem with José Clayton and Fancileudo Silva dos Santos (who are both The result of the 14 April elections is a foregone conclusion – except Brazilian-born Tunisian nationals) organised the goals while Hatem Trabelsi (who plays for Ajax in the for the size of the ANC’s majority. Netherlands) marshalled the defence, ably backed up by the sure-handed goalkeeper, Ali Boumnijel. Health and the economy dominate Victory was sweet too for Tunisia’s French coach, Roger Lemerre, who took France’s national team people’s concerns and the ANC to victory at Euro 2000 but was swiftly dropped after its poor showing in the 2002 World Cup. would be vulnerable if it faced a There were plenty of goals, the second highest number in the tournament’s history, and surprises, credible opposition. including inspired play from newcomer teams and crass mistakes from Africa’s giants. There were world-class altercations in the Morocco-Algeria and Senegal-Tunisia matches but North Africa’s teams RWANDA 6 dominated the Cup, leading for the first time to an all North African final. Africa’s Cup of Nations would gain in status and sponsorship if its frequency were reduced from two Deadly anniversary years to four, like other major tournaments. Also awkward is its scheduling, for January-February – at Six months after his FPR swept the peak of the European soccer season. This prompts clashes between Africa’s national teams and the the board at last year’s elections, many soccer clubs in Europe, where Africa’s expatriate stars play. Rescheduling the African Cup for President Kagame is putting his Europe’s closed season (June-August) may win goodwill and bigger sponsors but Africa’s rainy season regime in order. Ten years after would make a tournament difficult in those months. the genocide, Kagame’s regime still has to try hundreds of African soccer is chronically under-funded. Pressure is mounting on the Confederation of African thousands of suspects, most of Football (CAF), which celebrated its 47th birthday in Tunisia in January, to restructure. The re-election them through the grassroots of Cameroon’s Issa Hayatou (long time friend of FIFA’s Blatter) for another four years doesn’t augur gacaca hearings. well. Apart from questions about accountability and competence, Hayatou seems stuck in an era when African governments almost overwhelmingly paid for and controlled soccer. Even when CAF goes to POINTERS 8 private business for sponsorship, it is sold short. After much obfuscation, CAF officials told the London monthly African Soccer that they had signed SA/Iraq, Algeria/ a sponsorship contract with French sports company Groupe Darmon for six years to cover the African Cup tournament in Mali (2002), Tunisia (2004) and Egypt (2006). The contract’s value is said to be USA, Ghana & UK/ US$2.5 million, a pittance compared to what some fairly dull European clubs are able to raise from Africa corporate sponsors. Asia (a continent whose soccer skills are easily outshone by Africa’s) is able to raise more than $10 mn. a year for its continental soccer tournament. 20 February 2004 Africa Confidential Vol 45 No 4 CAF’s shortcomings discourage even the best African teams. In the dates from 1988, when Zambia beat Italy 4-1 at the Seoul Olympics, last African Cup, the winning Cameroonian team was given a prize of followed in 1990 by Cameroon’s defeat of Argentina. Famously, $320,000 but it had spent over $700,000 preparing for and playing in Nigeria’s junior team beat Argentina and Brazil at the 1996 Olympics. the tournament. Lower down the scale, CAF hands out a ten dollar South Africa’s failure to reach the second round of the Cup marks daily allowance to players at the African Cup. This is a bad joke for a low when it should be building its strength, backed by new talent and players such as Nigeria’s Nwankwo Kanu and Cameroon’s Patrick Africa’s best funding and training facilities. The damage looks Mboma, who earn about $50,000 a week from their European clubs. internal: the team has been through eleven coaches in ten years. Three of them (Clive Barker, Carlos Quieroz and Ephraim ‘Shakes’ African giants in trouble Mashaba) were sacked on the eve of international competitions. Sub-Saharan Africa’s giants – Cameroon, Nigeria and Senegal – were Besieged coach Styles Phumo received more sympathy than blame outshone in Tunisia. Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions were just a from South Africans in Tunis. Now the search is on for yet another shadow of the team that beat Brazil and Colombia last year, after coach: former international star Jomo Sono, who owns the Jomo winning the African Cup in 2002 and one of their rising stars, centre Cosmos local team, is favourite to get the job. forward Samuel Etoo (who also plays for Spain’s Real Mallorca), African politicians too know the symbolic power of soccer; their failed to impress much. continent is the most football-obsessed region after Latin America. Some attributed the Lions’ poor showing to the aftermath of the Half a century ago, leaders such as Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah and USA’s Confederations Cup tournament last summer, when midfielder Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser promoted soccer tournaments as a Marc-Vivien Foé collapsed in the semi-final against Colombia and means to continental unity. South Africans desperately want a tragically died. Three days later the Lions, in mourning for their winning soccer team; South Africa’s prowess in the (predominantly teammate, were forced to play in the final against France and lost only white) sports of rugby and cricket is seen as irrelevant by black South after a ‘golden goal’ from Arsenal’s Thierry Henry. Cameroon’s Africans. Saadi el Gadaffi, son of the Libyan leader, Moammar el football management has been notoriously bad. Gadaffi, has used his soccer interests astutely to build bridges between So Cameroon failed in its attempt to become the first African team Tripoli and Italy. And Libya’s soccer diplomacy was working long to win three successive African Cups. Sub-Saharan teams dominate before the Gadaffi regime started sharing secrets with the West on the Cup’s roll of honour: since it began in 1957, Egypt has won four Islamist insurrectionists and nuclear weapons salesmen. times, as have Cameroon and Ghana. The decline of Ghanaian soccer, A more direct political clash in Tunisia was Rwanda’s victory, in caused by political and economic crises, is mirrored elsewhere, although its African Cup debut, over Congo-Kinshasa. It looked like a the Ghana club scene is livening up again with Asante Kotoko metaphor: Rwanda’s Amavubi (Wasps) team was disciplined and (formerly chaired by President John Kufuor) toppling Accra’s Hearts effective and stung the Congolese giant badly.