THE 2012 Caf Africa Cup of Nations is barely in full swing in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon and already one of the tournament favourites has bitten the dust.
After watching the first and second group fixtures on Wednesday night, Reuters wrote that Senegal's much-vaunted team, made up mostly of players from clubs in the major European leagues, missed more than a dozen clear cut openings. So they became the first side to be knocked out and can expect a hostile reception on their return to Dakar.
Zambia and Libya began the afternoon with a 2-2 draw in appalling conditions, both sides agreeing the match should not have been played.
Groundsmen used brooms to try to clear away the water before more sophisticated equipment appeared. That afternoon downpours are common in Bata raises questions about the wisdom of staging back-to-back evening matches in the stadium.
To add insult to injury, the stadium was almost empty for the first game before quickly filling up for Equatorial Guinea's match. Ranked 151st in the world and playing in the tournament for the first time, Equatorial Guinea's players received one million dollars between them from the government for winning their Group A opener against Libya.
Once again, the co-hosts began the match with 11 foreign-born players in their line-up, unheard of in international competition.
The Teranga Lions, as the Senegalese national team is known, must wish they were Bafana Bafana. Nothing would happen to them or the coach - no hostile reception, no firing.
We have the best coach on the continent, we are told.
Pitso Mosimane has even challenged coaches who think they are good enough or better to raise their hands. At the time of going to press none had done so. Are they confirming what the arrogant Mosimane claims?
Why, he even went as far as saying he was not employed to read the rules. But was he employed to teach the boys how to celebrate - a mirage?
After complaining so much about the lack of some hot-shot South African-born striker, we would not be surprised if he also went the foreign-born naturalised players' route a la Equatorial Guinea. We can only hope Mzansi's own Special One (Mosimane) is also not employed to read newspapers. Information like this could be very dangerous when made available to the likes of the Bafana Bafana coach.
Safa's acting president Chief Mwelo Nonkonyane has advised Mosimane to build a better relationship with Premiership coaches for the sake and progress of the national team.
Mosimane has planted so many land mines everywhere that one is sure to blow him up sooner rather than later.
Beware of the land mines
THE 2012 Caf Africa Cup of Nations is barely in full swing in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon and already one of the tournament favourites has bitten the dust.
After watching the first and second group fixtures on Wednesday night, Reuters wrote that Senegal's much-vaunted team, made up mostly of players from clubs in the major European leagues, missed more than a dozen clear cut openings. So they became the first side to be knocked out and can expect a hostile reception on their return to Dakar.
Zambia and Libya began the afternoon with a 2-2 draw in appalling conditions, both sides agreeing the match should not have been played.
Groundsmen used brooms to try to clear away the water before more sophisticated equipment appeared. That afternoon downpours are common in Bata raises questions about the wisdom of staging back-to-back evening matches in the stadium.
To add insult to injury, the stadium was almost empty for the first game before quickly filling up for Equatorial Guinea's match. Ranked 151st in the world and playing in the tournament for the first time, Equatorial Guinea's players received one million dollars between them from the government for winning their Group A opener against Libya.
Once again, the co-hosts began the match with 11 foreign-born players in their line-up, unheard of in international competition.
The Teranga Lions, as the Senegalese national team is known, must wish they were Bafana Bafana. Nothing would happen to them or the coach - no hostile reception, no firing.
We have the best coach on the continent, we are told.
Pitso Mosimane has even challenged coaches who think they are good enough or better to raise their hands. At the time of going to press none had done so. Are they confirming what the arrogant Mosimane claims?
Why, he even went as far as saying he was not employed to read the rules. But was he employed to teach the boys how to celebrate - a mirage?
After complaining so much about the lack of some hot-shot South African-born striker, we would not be surprised if he also went the foreign-born naturalised players' route a la Equatorial Guinea. We can only hope Mzansi's own Special One (Mosimane) is also not employed to read newspapers. Information like this could be very dangerous when made available to the likes of the Bafana Bafana coach.
Safa's acting president Chief Mwelo Nonkonyane has advised Mosimane to build a better relationship with Premiership coaches for the sake and progress of the national team.
Mosimane has planted so many land mines everywhere that one is sure to blow him up sooner rather than later.
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