I am always carried away watching good football, good display of soccer skills especially those found in European leagues and Champions league competitions. The legendary exploits of soccer giants like 'Pele', Maradona, Okocha, Cantona etc are appreciated worldwide very much like pugilists like Muhammed Ali, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and wrestling greats like Hulk Hogan, StoneCold Steve Austin and the whizzkid John Cena etc. I should have included Samuel Peter in the boxing category but the boxing nightmare of the 'Nigerian Nightmare' experienced in Germany makes it impossible for one to contemplate celebrating mediocrity or a flash in the pan.

While the European Champions league competition is still going on from Rome to Paris, London to Madrid the African equivalent was concluded last Sunday (16th November) in Garoua town, northern Cameroun, in an epic battle that opposed Al Ahly of Egypt to CotonSport of Cameroun. In the first-leg final match that took place in Cairo Al Ahly defeated CotonSport 2/0 in a match that they dominated from every department. And in Garoua before Camerounian dignitaries including the Prime Minister and the CAF President the Egyptian 'red devils' refused to be beaten holding CotonSport to a draw that confirmed them as Champions of Africa clubside-wise. It was a pulsating match played at 2 pm GMT under a scorching sun, a strategy the Camerounians thought would be to their advantage.

The Egyptians have dominated soccer in Africa for some time now. With huge resources deployed towards the development of the round leather game Egypt takes organisation and results seriously; that is why their national soccer team, the Pharoahs, effortlessly won back to back the African Cup of Nations staged January this year in Ghana. The Indomitable Lions of Cameroun featuring Samuel Eto'o Fils, Rigobert Song and other stars were dominated.

Two of the Egyptian clubsides, Zamalek and Al Ahly, were among the eight teams that participated in the final phase of the Champions league tournament. Other clubsides that took part included Sudan's Al Hilal, Enyimba of Nigeria, ASEC Mimosas of Cote d'Ivoire, TP (Tout Puissant) Mazembe of Congo, Dynamos of Zimbabwe. With these teams falling by the way side in the elimination series of the competition the stage was set for a final onslaught between the Camerounians and the Egyptians. Note that the President of CAF (Confederation of African Football) Issa Hayatou is a Camerounian and the headquarters of CAF is located in Cairo Egypt.

Al Ahly is a formidable club that boasts of talented ball jugglers including the legendary Abou Treika and the Angolan brothers, Flavio and Gilberto. In arch-rivals Zamalek's side you have the Ghanaian Junior Agogo playing his professional career in peace. Almost every club in sub-saharan Africa has had to contend with the intimidating standard stadia in Cairo. The difference in sophistication mocks our vision and mediocrity; it's always clear as day is to night and darkness to light.

One of the memorable highlights of the 2008 Champions league soccer contest was the despicable eyesore in Aba Township Stadium when TP Mazembe visited the city to keep a date with Enyimba. Having rained heavily the pitch was flooded to the extent that the drab match was nothing but an exhibition of our lacklustre attitude towards infrastructural development. The visiting Congolese boys were 'swimming' inside the field with their hosts and in a couple of minutes their white jerseys turned to black! It was a bizzare spectacle, one that had shame woven around it.

Enyimba FC of Aba has won the championship twice back to back few years ago when their chief mentor and motivator, Orji Uzor Kalu was still in power in Umuahia as the Abia State Governor. Kalu, a soccer enthusiast, made sure the boys broke the Champions league jinx afflicting Nigeria. His investment and faith paid off handsomely. Since the diadem is worth one million dollars Kalu, a shrewd businessman doing well in politics, must have thought it wise re-positioning Enyeama and co for ultimate victory. Today most of the big boys that lit up the soccer glory has gone abroad for greener pastures. The good old days are remembered with nostalgia and hope in the future, a better future of better results.

And in Abidjan the visiting Dynamos FC held ASEC Mimosas (coached by a French soccer junky called Patrick Liewig) to a one-goal apiece draw as the end of the game drew nearer. And surprisingly, in fact shockingly, an ASEC defender committed a huge professional blunder as he left a ball for his goalkeeper to catch. Due to communication breakdown, miscalculation or stupidity the defender allowed the on-rushing Dynamos striker to overtook him as he looked on speechless and took control of the ball before the helpless ASEC goalkeeper could sieze it scoring a decider that technically knocked off ASEC even though they went to Cairo to hold Al Ahly to a 2-2 draw.

The Abidjan Dynamos last minute 'miracle' threw the mainbowl of FHB Stadium into a soccer melancholy of some sort. While the ASEC officials were contemplating whether to read sabotage meaning into the action or inaction of the lanky weeping defender the fans were yelling for his blood. When the center referee blew his whistle for the end of the match ASEC fans, heads bowed, filed out of the stadium with some perhaps feeling that the god of soccer preferred Dynamos. It was a dramatic anti-climax!

In Garoua, a northern town in Cameroun with majority muslim population the stadium was always filled to capacity in each match involving the local soccer warriors. The field of play itself advertised its 'beauty' by the powder or chalk with which the sidelines, the penalty and kick-off spots were demarcated. When a player kicked the ball near these designated white-lined areas one could see sparkles of powder releasing itself and protesting! It was an ingenious way of replicating what could be found elsewhere.

In the beginning of the competition I had supported openly the Dynamos team simply because the boys played soccer with passion; and because of some feeling of social solidarity toward the situation at home. The Zim boys gave a good account of themselves until the Garoua boys spoilt the fun for them thus halting their march towards continental soccer glory. In the semi-final first-leg clash in Harare the Mugabe boys allowed themselves to be subdued if not humiliated before their teeming fans by the Biya boys by losing 1/0 at home soil. And the return leg match was even more traumatising as they were disgracefully (albeit predictably) bundled out of the trophy chase in Garoua town with many goals scored against them.

The missed one million dollars reward for Mugabe's Dynamos remains a thing of disappointment, of regret. Personally I would have loved them lifting the trophy and rehabilitating themselves in a national atmosphere of political turmoil, economic collapse and social deprivations in Zimbabwe. President Robert Mugabe represents everything bad news, bad luck in Zimbabwe. The sooner he answers the supernatural call of no return the better for the fortunes of short-changed suffering Zimbabweans.

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About the author: Sunny Chris Okenwa is a U-K contributor based in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire.

Email: soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr

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