AFCON 2015: By The Numbers
As far as AFCON tournaments went, this one was as good as any. Despite instances of fan violence, costly refereeing mistakes and a finale that almost fell short of its promise, this year’s Africa Cup delivered fantastic goals, a colorful audience and most importantly, underdogs. That fact was reaffirmed by the redemption of a 35-year-old […]
Les Elephants Raises AFCON Trophy after Epic Penalty Shootout
In the end, it came down to the giants: The Giants of African Football. Black Stars and Elephants. Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire. And in the end, it was goalkeeper Boubacar Barry and the Orange Men of West Africa who outlasted Ghana through 120 minutes to claim triumph on penalties in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations […]
Tunisian Football Chief Suspended for AFCON Remarks
BATA, Equatorial Guinea _ Tunisian football chief Wade Jary was suspended from all African football events until further notice Friday for his criticism over the refereeing during Tunisia’s quarterfinal loss to Equatorial Guinea. The Confederation of African Football tournament organizers Jary would be suspended until he submitted a letter of apology, or a letter “with irrefutable, […]
The Sonny Side of AFCON – II
A Sonny Side of Sports look-back at the violence-filled Ghana-Equatorial Guinea match, and the upcoming final between Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana:
Hosts Equatorial Guinea Fined for Semifinal Match Violence
Africa Cup organizers hit hosts Equatorial Guinea with a $100,000 fine Friday for not doing more to control the fan violence that erupted during Ghana’s semifinal trouncing of Equatorial Guinea. With Ghana leading 2-0 at the half during the match Thursday, home field fans began to get unruly, pelting Ghanian players with bottles and other […]
Redemption Song for Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana?
It was to the dismay of African football fans that Ivory Coast and Ghana were sent packing from Brazil at the earliest of stages last summer. Only one African team, Algeria, was left standing after the group stages, becoming Africa’s highest internationally ranked team since. That is very likely to change soon though, if FIFA’s […]
Ghana Heads to Finals After Downing Equatorial Guinea 3-0
Last summer, Ghana’s high hopes for World Cup glory were quashed during a decidedly unimpressive group stage performance, when they were outplayed not only by the eventual winners, Germany, but by the perennial upstarts, the United States. Now, they are on the verge of replacing that memory with a new one, as a decisive 3-0 […]
Les Elephants Trample DRC 3-1
BATA, Equatorial Guinea _ Yaya Toure saved the Elephants, as the Manchester City midfielder stepped up his game to defeat the Leopards of the DRC 3-1 to advance to the finals of the Africa Coup of Nations. . Toure, who had been unimpressive during much of the tournament, scored the first goal 20 minutes in […]
AFCON Organizers Demote Referee, Fine Tunisia $50,000
BATA, Equatorial Guinea _ Tunisians players upset at a disputed penalty during their quarterfinal loss to Equatorial Guinea badly damaged a locker room at a stadium, Africa Cup tournament organizers said, as they fined the Tunisian football federation $50,000. In a statement issued late Tuesday, the Confederation of African Football also said they had demoted […]
With Kabila, Song and Dance, DRC Preps For Semifinal Against Cote D’Ivoire
BATA, Equatorial Guinea _ The Democratic Republic of Congo takes on Cote D’Ivoire in the Africa Cup of Nations 2015 semifinals on Wednesday. By all accounts, the Leopards are the underdogs compared with the Les Elephants. But they’re lacking in spirit, optimism or support, thanks to a visit from DRC President Joseph Kabila and some […]
