You can’t trust black goalkeepers. So said the prevailing wisdom for much of the last century. Black players, the story went, are untrustworthy – fine on the wing but lacking in fight.…
Tag: africa
When Cameroon announced the appointment this summer of Clarence Seedorf as the new head coach of the national team, the choice of such a high-profile name grabbed the attention. It was seemingly a…
The name Pelé generally conjures a sense of wonderment – images of goalscoring exploits and breathtaking skill that rival even the greats of footballing history. For Nii Odartey Lamptey, it conjures an aching…
For the first time in 36 years, there was no African nation in the last 16 of the World Cup. It was a shock, perhaps, with star names such as John Obi…
As I write this article, and with every press of a keyboard, domestic football in Egypt is nearing the abyss. I do not aim to only entertain those reading, but I intend…
Green, white and orange seats encircle the parched playing field. Chalk lines, dusty and faded, sketch out the centre circle and penalty areas. At either end, goalposts with loosely tightened nets sway…
Ché Guevara stares down at you. Eyes stencilled in charcoal, hair dripping wet paint, his lips part to reveal a speech-bubble. “We come from Bab Jedid, the Kasbah and Sangherine,” the message…
As featured on Guardian Sport The busy intersection of 25th Avenue and Steinway Street was completely shut down due to the mass of people chanting, singing, cheering and screaming. Flags were waving high…
Ghana has come to the end of its own golden era in football. Over the past two decades, they’ve boasted world-class players and been guided by well-known managers, and Asamoah Gyan represents…
Few men in South African football have had impact of Jomo Sono. Fewer still had to endure the challenges that this gifted maverick did
These are heady times for the Egyptian national team. They have qualified for their first World Cup appearance in nearly 30 years and their talisman, Mohamed Salah, has been setting the world…
As part of the preparations for the 1986 World Cup, FIFA had arranged for the reception of each group, involving players and staff from all four participating teams. The reception of Group…
MWEPU ILUNGA, with an iconic and unexpected break from the Zaire defensive wall, blasted the ball as high up the Parkstadion pitch as he possibly could. A startled Rivellino had to take…
In arguably the worst foul in World Cup history, Cameroon’s Benjamin Massing took out Argentina’s Claudio Caniggia with all the force of a nation
Justin Walley: the English coach gunning for success at the CONIFA World Cup with Zimbabwe’s minnows
For Justin Walley, football has long been an all-consuming passion in many shapes and guises over the years: from long drives as a student to Southampton just to see Matt Le Tissier…
THE STORY OF Senegal’s 2002 World Cup campaign is well known. Yet the origins of their remarkable odyssey in the Far East goes back four months to a story told far less…
GEORGE WEAH IS UNDOUBTEDLY one Africa’s all-time greatest footballers. In a glittering 13-year spell in Europe, he played for the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Chelsea, winning Ligue 1 titles,…
A FOOTBALLER CAN ONLY JUSTIFY their transfer fee on the hallowed turf. The rationale behind their expenditure exceeds well beyond their remit, which in any case is a hollow argument. They can…