Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final between the Black Stars of Ghana and the Pharaohs of Egypt in the Angola capital of Luanda is a typical case of the Biblical David versus Goliath affair. With their impeccable record and an array of seasoned stars, Egypt stands for Goliath and the Black Stars, parading a relatively inexperienced youthful side, can be conveniently called David. The story in the Bible is that Goliath was a giant with menacing looks, and David a rather frail figure but with tact he overpowered Goliath. more »

If the Angola 2010 Africa Cup of Nations will be remembered for the cruel armed attack on the Togolese team on the eve of the start of the tournament, Beninois FIFA referee Kodjo Kodja will also have a piece of the history as the man who turned a highly anticipated semi final thriller into a farce. more »

I tip Ghana and Algeria to reach the final of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. I expect the renascent Black Stars of Ghana to eclipse the Super Green Eagles of Nigeria in Thursday’s semi final and I also believe Algeria can confirm their superiority over Egypt in the other semi encounter. more »

And so soon the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola that was heralded by an unprecedented armed attack on one of the competing teams will come to an end this weekend. It has been days of battle of nerves and sinews involving 16 crack teams from around the continent and in the final analysis we are left with four teams in the medal zone, three of them upsetting the experts’ predictions. more »

Andre Dede Ayew, Ghana’s teenage football sensation can be described as a real chip off the block in every sense of the phrase. Son of the legendary Abedi Ayew Pele, easily the brightest Ghanaian soccer gem in the 80s, Dede has given every indication that he would like to step into the illustrious shoes of his legendary father who played for the Black Stars at the age of 17 in Ghana’s fourth Cup of Nations triumph in Libya in 1982. more »

The English Premiership and the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Angola are competing for international media attention apparently because of the many African stars now in Angola who would have ordinarily been in action in the English league.Analysts had been busy trying to figure out what the absence of the African stars from the English league would mean to their respective clubs particularly Chelsea who have four key players in Angola , namely Didier Drogba, Solomon Kalou (Cote d’Ivoire), Michael Essien (Ghana) and Mikel Obi(Nigeria). It did not take long for Chelsea to satisfy the curiosity of the analysts by whipping a hapless Sunderland side 7-2 at Stamford Bridge. more »

As the CAN 2010 in Angola enters the second phase of the sorting out series, the boys are gradually being separated from the men. Friday’s match between The Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana’s Black Stars was a clear case of the men against the boys as the star studded Ivorian side actually bullied their way through against the comparatively youthful Ghana side to become the first to reach the last eight. more »

The way Togo sent a Presidential jet to evacuate their traumatized national soccer team from the African Cup of Nations venue in Angola reminds me of the 1976 incident at the Montreal Olympics in Canada when Nigeria diverted a London-Lagos national airline to evacuate Nigerian athletes from the Olympic Village. more »

The violent armed attack on the Togolese national team by Angolan bandits is a real blot on the 27th African Cup of Nations due to start in the Angolan capital of Luanda on Sunday. The hosts must accept responsibility for poor security. The attempt therefore by Souleymane Habuba, spokesman for the organizers, to shift blame on the Togolese for traveling by road instead of flying, is completely misplaced. more »

Sports analysts often say football does repeat itself. No wonder that by irony of fate the Ghana Black Stars squad for Angola 2010 have a close resemblance to the 1965 line-up that successfully defended the cup in Tunisia. more »

The old folks who have followed the national soccer league of Ghana for the past three decades or so now look at the ongoing 2009/2010 league table and it looks like a fairy tale. The top three clubs are Kessben from Abramkese, near Kumasi; All Stars from Wa in the Upper Region and Aduana Stars from Dormaa-Ahenkro, Brong-Ahafo Region Kessben and All Stars share the top spot with 23 points apiece and Aduana follow with 22 points. more »