Sports

Don't reschedule African tourney

In print | February 14, 2008

Last weekend marked the conclusion of one of the most exciting African Cup of Nations tournaments since its inception.

Though the highly anticipated final between Ivory Coast and Ghana didn’t take place, the encounter between Egypt and Cameroon proved to be highly entertaining despite the drab 1-0 score line. The competition produced 99 goals and only three red cards in 32 games, providing attractive attacking football throughout the three weeks. While there were a few complaints about food and lodging services, the tournament was an overall success.

Unfortunately, the African Cup of Nations coincides with the regular season of many of Europe’s domestic football leagues. Many club managers, prior to the tournament, complained about the conflict, explaining that the interruption could weaken team chemistry. This might be a fair point, considering many African players have cemented themselves as regular starters for their respective clubs, most notably at Chelsea and Arsenal, and their “exodus” could adversely affect performances. Some of these managers even went as far as suggesting the competition be rescheduled to the summer.

I find this slightly ignorant. First, they’re disregarding the importance of the cup. The ANC was first held over 50 years ago and is Africa’s main football competition. With so many good and emerging football playing countries on the continent, there must be so much passion and pride associated with winning the cup. Managers in Europe should be able to empathize, as I’m sure they’ll be fanatically cheering on their respective teams at this summer’s upcoming European Championships.

Second, they’re ignoring the will of their own players. Most players eagerly anticipate the tournament and dream of wearing their country’s colors. The prospective mouthwatering rivalries between Nigeria and Cameroon or Egypt and Tunisia would entertain all football fans. Finally, to hear Arsene Wenger and Avram Grant, managers of Arsenal and Chelsea FC respectively, bicker about losing their star players, is going lower than low. With the amount of talent at their disposal and depth of their bench, the behavior of these coaches truly seems infantile.

Looking at the results, it doesn’t seem as if the clubs’ performances were affected. Arsenal won all their EPL games from Jan. 20 to Feb. 10, the duration of the tournament, with Chelsea piling up impressive results with three wins and two draws against Liverpool and Portsmouth, another team that, despite having many players at the tournament, won most of its games. In December, Grant stated that he might purchase a couple more players to cover for the loss of key players. That is totally unnecessary as his bench has enough quality to field a competitive lineup, and the players are only gone for a month!

I believe the tournament can proceed successfully as it has and timing should not be an issue. Unfortunately, there will be conflicts with schedules and it might only augment the club vs. country debate. But playing for your nation and carrying the hopes of your compatriots should be the first priority for any professional athlete.

Dheeraj is a junior. You can reach him at dravi1@swarthmore.edu.