By Eniola Olatunji reporting for Patmos Media Line
…There Are Too Many Unbalanced Acts and Decisions Against CAF
DOING A preview of who lifts the trophy of the 35th African Football Cup of Nations AFCON trophy between hosts Atlas Lions of Morocco and the Teranga Lions of Senegal on Sunday has become a Herculean task in view of off and on field acts as well as boardroom decision of the organizing body, Confederation of African Football CAF.
This view to be presented falls largely under the Hobson’s choice which is a legal view swearing to say the truth and nothing but the truth.
The road to this final has been laced with thorns, a junior brother to a road planted with bombs as there are protests galore and accusations that are disturbing when considered that a great competition like AFCON should be fair, objective and CAF that is in charge should think upon her integrity to organize and take decisions that are deemed to be fair to member nations no matter their status within the community.
Senegal is out with a list of complaints that CAF is shrugging at. That the security for them is unacceptable; the accommodation given in Rabat was like the INN where Jesus was born though when they refused to check in CAF quickly fixed that; that the ticketing is lopsided for the country to be given only two VIP tickets, no VVIP ticket as well as inadequate allocations to the supporters; refusal to train at the Technical Centre because training requests were not met. Even Egypt stopped training because a drone flew above their training ground while training.
CAF has been taking questionable decisions that stand logical reasoning in management decision making process on its head. Cameroonian President Samuel Etoo was banned four matches and to pay $20 k for alleged conducts that are embarrassing to CAF whereas the Moroccan FA President sitting with the CAF President in between them did exactly the same with evidences on video but nothing was said about the Moroccan FA President. Nigeria’s Goalkeeper, Bobo Nwabali is under investigation for alleged embarrassing gestures to the Moroccan fans, who twice took his towel used to clean his gloves. The fellows who did that distracted Nwabali while game was on which is against football rules anywhere in the world. They jumped the restriction barricade each time to commit their acts yet CAF is quiet about the sordid acts. They are yet to make a decision on Egyptian Coach Hossam who was alleged to have also made indecent gestures at Moroccan fans.
A French Journalist had pleaded with CAF not to waste our time before the semifinals, by going ahead to present the trophy to Morocco because everything in football organization including awards favored Morocco.
Now there is an oddity that whichever country wins the Bronze must wait till after the finals on Sunday to collect their medals and a Journalist advanced that the decision is to humiliate which ever country that wins the Bronze to be forced to make a mandatory guard of Honour for the Gold winners which by Boardroom calculation will be Morocco.
No one has told us why Egyptian Journalists walked out enmasse at the Press Conference of Friday.
The preambles have become an epistle. Is Morocco under severe pressure to take advantage of the goodwill before FIFA and CAF to win a trophy that has eluded her 50 years now?
Only time they won it was at Ethiopia in 1976 whereas last time Senegal won the trophy was five years ago at Cameroon 2021.
Both Morocco and Senegal met 6 times with Morocco winning four times and Senegal once and a drawn game. Morocco scored 10 of the 13 goals scored.
On current form, Senegal is better at scoring but excluding other extraneous variables most of which have been presented above; Morocco has a balanced team that plays mass attack and mass defence.
Morocco may not be second time lucky if the match goes into penalty kicks because Mandy is better known as a shot stopper even more than Nwabali who they fear and suspect is using ‘juju’.
To get into the grand finale, Morocco scored 9 goals conceding only a goal with 4 clean slates as the team won Comoros 2-0; drew 1-1 with Mali and beat Zambia 3-1 at the group stages; narrowly piped Tanzania by a lone goal in the round of 16 games; beat Cameroon 2-0 in the quarterfinal and edged Nigeria via penalties 4-2 after playing a goalless 120 minutes.
To reach the grand finale, the Teranga Lions of Senegal scored 12 goals conceding 2 with 3 clean slates beating Botswana 3-0; played 1-1 draw with DR Congo; drub Benin Republic 3-0 all at the group stages; trounced Sudan 3-1 at the round of 16 games; nipped Mali 1-0 in the quarterfinal and then saw off the mighty seven times winner, Pharaohs of Egypt by a lone goal in the semifinal.
The Atlas Lions of Morocco ranked 11 in the world appeared 20 times at the mundial winning the tile once in 1976 in Ethiopia, winning the Silver in 2004, never won Bronze but placed 4th twice.
The Teranga Lions of Senegal ranked 19 is in their 18th appearances and got their only title at Cameroon 2021. Senegal finished 4th position twice in 1965 and 2006.
Awards for the tournament will be announced after the final whistle on Sunday but in view of how CAF announced the continental honors for 2025 for example giving the BEST FEMALE COACH AWARD to a Moroccan Coach who team was 3rd Best at Continental Club Championship to a Nigerian Coach who won WAFCON back to back then, the tournament awards will be very interesting to hear and published.
#AFCON25 #CAF #FRMF #FMF #SAFA
#FAFA #EFA #NFF.
