Sonny Side of Sports

Nations Cup Mascot Takuma the Hippo

Reaction to Takuma the Hippo, the official mascot of the 29th Africa Cup of Nations football tournament in South Africa, has been generally favorable, judging by my mailbag.

Dominic Esifa, writing from Katsina, Nigeria, describes Takuma as “very South African in nature.” The huge hippopotamus is found in South Africa and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa. And while Takuma looks friendly, the hippo is regarded as one of the most aggressive and dangerous animals in Africa.

Kephers Gichana, writing from Kisii, Kenya, says Takuma is “a fine mascot,” while Terry Okomor in Benin City, Nigeria, says Takuma is “kind of cool.” Charles Jacob Kuria, writing from Nakuru, Kenya, says Takuma might even be responsible for the “lack of goals” in the tournament. Through the first eight matches, a total of 13 goals have been scored, an average of 1.6 per match.

Takuma was designed by Tumelo Nkoana, an elementary school student in Hammanskraal, a small town in South Africa’s northern province of Gauteng. Officials like Tumelo’s design so much they say after the Nations Cup, Takuma will become the mascot for all South African sports.

Ethiopia Returns to Nations Cup After 31-Year Absence

Ethiopian football fans are excited to see their national team return to the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in South Africa after a 31-year absence. The Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia are in Group C for the African football fiesta, along with Nigeria, Burkina Faso and defending Nations Cup champion Zambia.

Ethiopia will play Zambia January 21st in its opening match in South Africa’s northeastern city of Nelspruit. According to Ethiopia’s captain, defender Degu Debebe, his team has been inspired by the Zambians.

Degu Debebe

“We have seen how the Zambian team performed at the last AFCON,” said Degu. “No one expected them to beat the big countries and take the Cup. But they did. That is because they were playing as a team and they didn’t overestimate any team. They played their part and they gave their best. That is the secret. If you believe you can do something and give your best, nothing is impossible. Everything is possible. We can learn a lesson from them and make possible what seems impossible.”

It’s not impossible for Ethiopia to advance out of Group C, but it’s unlikely. Top African football analysts, including Sonny Side of Sports African soccer guru David Legge, are going with Nigeria and Zambia to reach the quarterfinals.

Coach Sewnet Bishaw

Ethiopia’s head coach, Sewnet Bishaw, realizes his players will be experiencing the Nations Cup spotlight for the first time, and he’s been trying to boost their confidence. “We have qualified after 31 years and our players are new at AFCON,” says the Ethiopian coach. “They are not new at the game, they are not new professional players, but they are new for the competition itself … But by playing different friendly matches I am sure we will make their psychology up.”

Ethiopia can get one psychological boost from being a Nations Cup pioneer. The team played at the inaugural Africa Cup of Nations in 1957, along with Egypt and host Sudan. Ethiopia won its only Nations Cup championship in 1962, when it hosted the tournament.

 

 

 

Nigeria Prepares For Nations Cup

Nigeria’s Super Eagles are hoping to soar at the 29th Africa Cup of Nations football tournament, which kicks off January 19th in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Super Eagles are based in South Africa’s northeastern city of Nelspruit for their first two Nations Cup matches. They will play Burkina Faso January 21st and defending Nations Cup champion Zambia January 25th, and then wrap up first round group play January 29th against Ethiopia in Rustenberg, South Africa.

African football analyst David Legge says the Nigeria-Zambia encounter will likely decide the Group C winner. He believes both teams will go through to the quarterfinals. “I don’t know anybody who is not going to select the Super Eagles and the Chipolopolo of Zambia for the final eight,” says Legge. “Nigeria-Zambia is a big match because the group winner will probably avoid Ivory Coast in the quarterfinals.”

Nigeria defeated Zambia, 2-1, in the final of the 1994 Nations Cup in Tunisia, and then reached the Round of 16 at the 1994 World Cup in the United States. The captain

Stephen Keshi

of Nigeria’s World Cup squad was Stephen Keshi, who now hopes to bring more glory to the team as head coach of the Super Eagles. Keshi is well aware that triumph in Tunisia was Nigeria’s second and last Nations Cup title, and success in South Africa could go a long way in boosting the spirits of Nigeria’s many football fans.

Nigeria did not qualify for last year’s Africa Cup of Nations, which was co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. It was a bitter blow for Africa’s most populous country, which also failed to win a single medal at the 2012 London Olympics. For both the Olympics and the Nations Cup, sports analysts blamed poor preparations.

Keshi has already pointed out problems in Nigeria’s preparations for South Africa 2013. The Super Eagles did some of their pre-tournament training in Abuja, Nigeria’s political capital, and Keshi harshly criticized the field. “The pitch is terrible,” said Keshi, “and nothing to write home about. It is hard and it is not good for us … some of my players are having leg pains and all this stuff because the field is hard.”

The fields are expected to be softer and in better condition in South Africa, and if Keshi can rally his troops and lift the trophy on February 10th in Johannesburg, that will surely soothe any leg pains and cause Super Eagles fans to rejoice.