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! <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>