The elephants seemed somewhat long in the tusk
What we learned from day four of the 2013 African Cup of Nations being held in South Africa.
SPORTS
Playing for the home team
Most national teams that made it to the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa play in Europe. Ethiopia is one of the few teams composed of mainly "home" based players.
Afcon 2013 Preview: Drogba’s last chance of Nations Cup glory with Côte d’Ivoire
By John James* One day Côte d’Ivoire will lift the cup, said captain Didier Drogba, shortly after the team’s arrival in South Africa, though I may not be in the team to see it. Côte d’Ivoire are used to the pressure, they’re used to being called favourites, they’re used to being the continent’s top under-achievers, and […]
Without too many hairy moments
What we learned from the third day, still deep in the first round, of the 2013 African Cup of Nations.
Afcon 2013 Preview: Can Zambia’s Chipolopolo do it again?
Guest Post By Charles Mafa* Zambian fans know what it’s like to participate in the Africa Nations Cup. Their national team take part in 15 tournaments (0ut of a total of 28) so far. The team twice lost in the final: first to Zaire (as the Democratic Republic of Congo was known) in 1974 and […]
Afcon 2013 Preview: Ethiopia finally back where they belong (including incredible archival footage)
Guest Post By Andreas Hansen for Addis Rumble* It has been a long time coming. The Ethiopian national team has been rare guest at the Africa Cup of Nations. In the years after the inaugural tournament in 1957 – in which only three teams took part and Ethiopia got a wild card to the final – the […]
They say a great player can play anywhere
What we learned from Day Two of the 2013 African Cup of Nations being hosted by South Africa.
The darlings of the continent
While fans of Ghana's Black Stars are confident in the 2013 team’s skills, until this team is able to win a major victory, a sense of historical foreboding will weigh on them.
Afcon 2013 Preview: Bamako expects experienced Mali team to go far
Guest Post by Samira Sawlani* We won’t be surprised if Malians don’t care much for football right now as conflict ravages through the country’s north and east (separatists and Islamists are occupying much of the north of Mali, engaged in a standoff with French and Malian government troops). So I asked a friend who lives […]
A team of quality players
Even if Morrocco does not get pass the first round of the 2013 African Cup of Nations, we should be happy that at least we qualified for the tournament.
Africa Cup of Nations Preview: Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks ready to make a big splash
By Amílcar Tavares* Almost one fifth of Cape Verde’s population would fit in the stands of The Calabash, the 95,000-capacity stadium where the Blue Sharks will today play their first ever Africa Cup of Nations match. Being recognised as one of the 16 best African national teams is a milestone in the country’s sports history, and […]
The Boys are doing it
South Africa's Bafana Bafana, the hosts, has to make it out of the group stage of the 2013 African Cup of Nations for this tournament to be deemed a success.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles are back
The writer is cautiously optimistic (for once) that Nigeria will win its third Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.
Our African Cup of Nations 2013 predictions
So first we gave you the back story. Now here’s our official predictions for the African Cup of Nations 2013. We’ll have more detailed team profiles by fans of each country coming up in the next few days, and if you think we’ve got it horribly wrong about your team don’t be shy about calling […]
A Very Short History of the Africa Cup of Nations
The big kick-off is nearly upon us. Just 11 months after that extraordinary Zambian triumph in Libreville, starting Saturday we have another month of football ahead as Africa’s top teams (and South Africa, there as hosts) fight it out to be Champions of Africa. We’ll be covering the tournament more intensively this time around, in […]
Futbol Is a Country
We want to present a more global, postcolonial (for want for a better word) take on world football.
Yannick Nyanga’s Tears
How a black French rugby player's crying during the playing of the country's national anthem was appropriated for all sorts of rightwing and reactionary politics.
Africa is a Jockey
Will the breakthrough of a Swazi jockey in British horse racing change the global stakes for Africa and its diaspora's riders?
Africa is a Horse
What is it with the long practice in British racing of adding an African appellation to a race horse's name. Most African countries now have at least one horse name after it.
John Terry’s African Alibi
We British like nothing more than a nice inquiry. The exorbitant jail terms meted out to last year’s rioters (whether actual or merely theoretical) are commonly supposed to have been a great disappointment to us all, a sad sign of a milksop rights-obsessed “democracy” that no longer has the stomach to chasten its miscreants with anything approaching the […]