Despite The Low Scoring, Afcon2022 Is A Giant Leap Forward For Football On The Continent

Football lovers follow the exploits of African superstars such as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keïta (Liverpool), Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City), Thomas Partey and Nicholas Pepe (Arsenal), Franck Kessié (AC Milan), Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester), among others Wycliffe W. Njororai Simiyu Until tragedy struck in the form of a stadium crush killing eight people at the start of the knock-out round in Cameroon, the headlines generated by the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament were mostly positive. Despite the fears from western media and football pundits about COVID-19 outbreaks and of players not being made available by international clubs, the 2021 Afcon tournament was running well. It launched successfully in Cameroon a year later than planned due to delays caused by the pandemic. On the field, the tournament has in fact taken big strides forward, being watched in more than 160 countries. And it has shown that the video assisted referee system is working. But the teams remaining in the tournament’s knockout stage must raise their technical and tactical execution on the field to entertain the fans. And the referees must step up a notch to avoid uncalled for controversies regarding their decisions.