Guys:
Since there has been a serious outbreak of hypersensitivity on this forum
regarding my approach at times, I shall refrain from referring to Nigerians
as the "Ogas" and the Senegalese as "Grandes" in the hopes that this will be
the start of more "civility" emanating from this corner of the World.
Anyway my take on Africa's chances in the WC is as follows:
Senegal despite the gargantuan opening day with France couldn't have asked
for a better occasion to showcase its skills against the former colonial
masters. In fact, dailies like Le Soleil are simply ecstatic that Les Lions
Teranga will have the whole World from Kandahar to Casamance watching them.
It will be one of those moments when the hearts of all folks from the
Senegambian region will swell up and almost burst with pride as the Lions
file out in front of a capacity crowd in Seoul stadium as the PA system
announces last names which signify that our blood brothers are taking the
field onto the World stage. Names such as Coly, Diaw, Diatta, Diouf, Ndiaye
etc etc will be announced and certainly this moment alone will see many a
tear also shed in our part of the World.
The job which faces Senegal in a group with Denmark, Uruguay and France is a
tough task but not an impossible one. Ashjborn might dispute this, but
African teams have traditionally done well against the Danes. S. Africa
almost beat them during the past WC and Nigeria lost to the Danes because of
overconfidence and tactical naivety on the part of our Nigerian brothers,
since Oliseh, the only midfield defender during that game did not have the
range, support or speed to check a marauding Danish midfield led by the
Laudrup brothers. But this time around, things will be different, since our
cousins from Senegal cannot afford to be overconfident since they have been
deemed the weakest team in the group. Furthermore, they are certainly no
weaker than S. Africa which managed to hold a strong Danish team to a draw
during the past WC.
The Senegalese also know French football best by virtue of having the most
pro players in the French league. Additionally, because of the magnitude of
the occasion expect I expect them to battle to death, leaving their hearts on
the field rather than be humiliated by Zidane + CO. This opener will be an
interesting one and I would not be the least surprised if they cause the
biggest upset in the history of football. Uruguay will also be a tough test
for the team, but Australia which caused Uruguay some problems in the
qualifying round is certainly no better than Senegal, and while football is
not mathematics, this does bode well for the team.
As for our Nigerian brothers, like Senegal they do have a chance to right
some wrongs our colonial masters heaped on us by beating the overhyped kick
and rush boys, England. They certainly have the capability to beat them on
any given day since they have one of the most talented teams on the
continent. Sweden can also be had but Argentina will be the toughest side.
However, anyone who knows anything about our brothers will tell you they rise
to the biggest occasions. They have done it multiple times and the Olympics
96 victory plus the game against Spain come to mind. I have a feeling that
in this game, the true "Shakara" spirit will be manifested on the field on
that day and the S. Americans might be in for a great surprise. But the our
Nigerian brothers should get their house in order as it concerns money issues
and internal team squabbling should they exepct to make a good showing.
I shall stop here for today for a lack of time, but expect more comments from
me regarding the other African teams in due time.
Cheers!
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