Lessons from AFCON 2021 | MarketScreener

With all the trappings of high drama and frenzied expectations, the final game of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (labeled CAN 2021) came to an end last Sunday in the most interesting way as Senegal defeated Egypt 4-2 in a penalty shootout to lift continental football’s coveted trophy. Penalties followed a grueling full-time and extra-time contest that ended in a goalless draw.

This 33rd edition of the tournament organized by Cameroonlasted from January 9 – February 6, 2022, and featured the 24 teams that qualified from the preliminary group stage tournaments played earlier. Among the highlights of the tournament was a seemingly personal struggle for superiority of two of the africa best footballers of the moment – Mohammad Sallah of Egypt and Sadio Mane of Senegal. Both are currently playing for Liverpool Football Club in England but had to compete while playing for their respective countries. Finally, Mane and Senegal took the day.

Nigeria crashed out unceremoniously earlier in the first knockout stage after a 1-0 loss to Tunisia.

We congratulate Cameroon for successfully hosting the tournament despite the challenges of COVID-19. We also congratulate the various players who showed up for their country despite resistance from their clubs. Apart from football, there was also the richness of African culture which was worth showing to the world. And as usual, the tournament proved to be unifying as Africans came in large numbers, physically or on social networks, to support their teams.

With the tournament over and the winners as well as the losers returning home to celebrate or lament their fortunes or otherwise, many Nigerians continued to lament the dismal state of football in the country as demonstrated by the exit of the country to CAN. The media reports that many Nigerians rained swear words on the players over the country’s poor exit and the unimpressive exit he suffered. Nigeria had started on a promising note, having qualified as one of the last 24 teams and even progressed to top Group D, consisting of Egypt, Sudan and Guinea-Bissauwith nine points in three games.

However, he crashed out in the knockout stage of the round of 16 thanks to a single goal loss against Tunisiaa country ranked 30th in the world on Fifa rankings; 6 seats above Nigeria. However, the way of from Nigeria the exit was considered by many Nigerians to leave much to be desired.

Against the popularity of football in Nigeria and its role as the country’s most unifying factor, the country’s early exit from CAN The 2021 tournament has drawn strong reactions from various quarters, on the remote and immediate causes of the sad development. While it would be presumptuous to expect the country to win every football tournament, CAN is widely regarded by Nigerians as a tournament in which the country should come out on top at all times.

Indeed, some observers have noted that the country’s poor exit during the tournament could have impacted the sack by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) from the former coach, just a few weeks before the start of the tournament, Gernot Rohr and the appointment of a new foreigner José Peseiro, who would take over after CAN 2021. To fill the void, the NFF has appointed from Nigeria former international Austen Eguavon as interim coach for the continental tournament. This is precisely why many Nigerians have accused the NFF of being totally unprepared for the tournament and therefore destined to return early regardless of the initial brilliance the team had in the first three games of the tournament. the group stage.

Furthermore, and as has been pointed out on several occasions, from Nigeria the rather poor fortunes in local and international football tournaments in particular and in the development of sport in general stem from the low importance we place on the development of sport and our continued lack of early preparations for tournaments. Throughout the world, sports activities are guided by the spirit and philosophy of fair play and competitiveness. This requires effective development strategies and a commitment to preparedness. Yet this is an area where the country’s sport development regime has significant weaknesses.

The result is that Nigeria has often had to rely heavily on overseas-based Nigerian sporting assets to represent him in topical tournaments, often even without significant government support. This is a critical indictment of the country’s sports development regime. Therefore, we call on the NFF, the Department of Sport, federal and state governments to take the development of football – and sport in general – more seriously and to build from the ground up for the future.