These days, well-behaved African heads of state are rewarded by Barack Obama with the chance to meet with him in groups of four and have their picture taken with him. It’s like meeting Beyonce, but you get to call it a state visit. That’s what happened on Friday when Malawi’s Joyce Banda, Senegal’s Macky Sall, […]
While the Ghanaian migrant community in New York City is centered in the Bronx, there is a smaller, yet equally as Afcon-enthusiastic population of Ghanaians in the Flatbush/Crown Heights neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Meytex Cafe on Flatbush Avenue is part social club, part Ghanaian restaurant, and part bar/party space that provides a social center for the […]
Writing in The Guardian, football journalist Jonathan Wilson noted that “… for the first time since 1992, there will be no north African presence in the quarter-finals.” He speculated as to whether this pointed to a “a significant trend of decline in the north African game.” Egypt, “the most successful team in Cup of Nations history, has […]
Like many Angolans on Sunday I was forced to eat my share of humble pie and admit the superiority of Cape Verde’s national football team, which, through sheer grit and determination, qualified their country to the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations at their first time of asking. Thus the tiny island nation of […]
Where the icy Benguela and toasty Agulhas currents collide, a rich, productive football ecosystem can emerge. This was especially true today where two stadiums, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth and the Moses Mabhiba Stadium in Durban, became a swirl of football performers, supporter rituals, a celebration of survival and success for some […]
Today we’re launching our series of Africa Nations Cup playlists — music to get you in the mood for the football, or to drown out the commentator if he’s annoying you during the game. First up is Cape Verde.
South Africa’s form has been dismal for a while now. Pre-Afcon, Elliot Ross concluded here that “they’re rubbish.” Johannesburg-based football writer Njabulo Ngidi basically confirmed as much in a preview for us of Bafana Bafana’s chances. After the aimless goalless draw against Cape Verde on opening day, that football sage Jonathan Wilson wrote (in Sports Illustrated, […]
South Africa’s Bafana Bafana were sloppy and did not take their opponents seriously. It was a woeful display. Cape Verde on the other hand were purposeful and deserved their point. The way coach Lucio Antunes cast a gimlet eye over the proceedings was impressive. He seemed to have a five bar connection to his players. […]
By Amílcar Tavares* Almost one fifth of Cape Verde’s population would fit in the stands of The Calabash, the 95,000-capacity stadium where the Blue Sharks will today play their first ever Africa Cup of Nations match. Being recognised as one of the 16 best African national teams is a milestone in the country’s sports history, and […]
I’ve long thought the UN or the OECD ought to measure, as a development indicator, nations’ musical (and cultural) influence per capita. Cape Verde (and Jamaica) would surely top the rankings, while Norway and Germany (Modern Talking, anyone?) would be straggling toward the bottom.
