Day: February 17, 2012

I’m a fan of international football tournaments on the whole, regardless of quality (regular readers may have spotted this long ago). And the 2012 “edition” of the African Cup of Nations certainly put that philosophy to the test. Take out an extraordinary second round of group games and the uplifting climax and you were left with a series of not very good football matches, spoiled by wild shooting, woeful set-pieces, shocking referee’s assistants, poor sportsmanship and crowds which gave all the grounds the look of an Isthmian League matchday… and a cold Tuesday evening at that. Yet I was sorry to see it finish. Eurosport’s commendable and comprehensive coverage of the event got me involved very quickly. But it was often a relief to get away from the stuttering football and constant injury stoppages, even the Johnstone Paint Trophy occasionally felt more like “proper” football. The indifferent displays of the top-ranked nations are well-documented. The struggles of strikers such as Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan and Senegal’s Newcastle front two – so much more effective and exciting against Aston Villa than Equatorial Guinea – spoke volumes; and the fact that a 34-year-old Hull City reject with next-to-no top-quality match fitness was the most impressive forward said the rest. Gabon’s Daniel Cousin (for it was he) won a Rangers contract with his displays (though the Glasgow club’s little local difficulties have scuppered...