Tournament organisers have told journalists to behave like sensible individuals. How out of touch are these people?
Please, no
A dispatch from the Confederaton of African Football (Caf) - the august body running the Africa Cup of Nations - says it has decided to take a tough stand against the pop-up fight clubs at matches between effervescently partisan journalists. The Caf added: "Going forward any media practitioner who is involved in wild celebrations and abuses other media colleagues will be immediately removed by security and his/her accreditation will be withdrawn." The same fate awaits anyone using vulgar language toward coaches or players. The review spots an opening here. Before the tournament we could run behaviour seminars in which reporters are encouraged to meet their national team's triumphs and adversities with the same raffish refrains. Repeat after me: "Top notch play. Jolly good show."
Watch
Aware of the clampdown on brutality, the review was on its best behaviour amid the sweaty mounds of nationalistic fervour - which we'll call the media tribune. We just got a running commentary from a couple of Nigerian hacks who were instructing the players where to pass and when. It wasn't at all telepathic. And it was really annoying. But we remembered, stay zen and count from 1 to our accreditation number 28347.
And the crowd at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan gave Ademola Lookman his due. When the 26-year-old Atalanta striker scored against Angola, there was general merriment and cheering. When he hit the target for his first goal against Cameroon in the last-16, everyone shouted for Victor Osimhen. Lookman is Nigeria's top marksman with three of their six goals. Osimhen has one and so does the skipper William Ekong. The other was an own goal. Time to rethink the chanting.
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Nice touch I
We thought it was a lovely gesture for the management at the Angola team hotel in Abidjan to pipe the country's national anthem Angola Avante into the lifts. Up and down the 10 floors you travel to the stirring sounds of the song which was adopted in November 1975 after the country gained its independence from Portugal. Perhaps it was a money-grabbing effort to make the team feel so at home they won't want to leave.
Nice touch II
As they emerged from the stadium to wend their way into the Abidjan evening, streams of Angola fans clapped the Nigeria supporters who reciprocated by chanting: "Angola, Angola." Rather taken by the camaraderie, the Angola fans joined their new best friends for a quick rendition of: "Osimhen, Osimhen." If the fans can do it, why can't the reporters?
