While the tournament was not an unqualified success, Zambia’s continental title win was poignant and triumphant in ways that could have never have been expected, writes Paul Giess
With so many of Africa’s major footballing nations not qualifying for this year’s Cup of Nations, the big story of the group stages was the unexpected success of co-hosts Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Both qualified for the knockout rounds with a game to spare and both did it in dramatic style.
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Sunday, April 1st, 2012 - The Archive
Many previous winners will miss out on next year’s Africa Cup of Nations after a farcical set of qualifiers, reports Paul Giess
On the same weekend that the big guns of European football secured their places at Euro 2012, several major African teams were being eliminated from the corresponding Cup of Nations in 2012. Eight of the winners from the past nine tournaments failed to make it on a weekend of drama, disappointment and farce. The list of failures includes reigning champions Egypt, alongside the traditional powerhouses Nigeria and Cameroon, and World Cup 2010 hosts South Africa.
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Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 - The Archive
Despite the 2010 World Cup the South African Soccer League is struggling to draw crowds, writes George Thomson
The Cape Town Stadium might just be the most spectacular football arena in the world. Perched on the ocean’s edge between upmarket Green Point and the tourist-friendly Victoria and Albert waterfront, the location was earmarked specifically by Sepp Blatter, who felt the dramatic backdrop of Table Mountain would provide the defining image of the 2010 World Cup finals.
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Friday, October 21st, 2011 - The Archive
Dermot Corrigan tells of how a player more used to scoring in Drogheda and Derry made his full international debut in Tripoli
On the first weekend in June, most Irish football eyes were fixed on Macedonia, where the Republic of Ireland won 2-0 in a Euro 2012 qualifier. One head though – that of Dublin-born Eamon Zayed – was more interested in Group C of the African Cup of Nations qualifiers, where his Libyan team drew 1-1 away to the Comoros Islands to remain in the hunt for a place at next year’s finals.
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Thursday, July 21st, 2011 - Book reviews
With uprisings across the Arab world dominating the world press, can change be sparked in football’s most powerful regime?
The popular uprisings in the Middle East are now receiving more coverage than football in the UK press. Even the Arsenal v Barcelona Champions League tie, apparently regarded by some pundits as the most momentous event in the history of the game, couldn’t keep the revolution in Libya off the front pages. So it’s surprising that no one has yet asked the keen Tweeter Jay Bothroyd for his views on the implosion of the Gaddafi regime.
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Thursday, April 21st, 2011 - The Archive