Football: For the glory of a nation

The last couple of days has seen a flurry of international football on every continent; the football on offer has been something akin to gate crashing to several African, European and South American wedding banquets all at once. One would be spoilt for choice due to the range of exotic buffets on offer.

In Africa the usual suspects were marching towards the African Cup of Nations that nobody is certain will take place within its usual time frame.

For many years the African championship has been frowned upon by major European clubs as it comes in January, and takes away their best African players, at a critical time for teams pursuing both European and domestic glory.

Now this championship has a new enemy, Ebola. It remains to be seen whether indeed, Confederation of African Football will push through with their drastic decision to have the tourney held in Equatorial Guinea. CAF may put on a stern face but the minute one teams pulls out there is a likelihood of triggering a domino effect and a logistic mess of gargantuan proportions for the African federation.

Doubts about the tournament have been lingering and Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has voiced concerns about the threat posed to players and fans by the Ebola outbreak, questioning whether February’s African Nations Cup should go ahead. However, CAF has maintained that with or without Ebola, the show must go on.

So as we await the football high priests to determine if the show is on or not, qualifications remain the immediate concern for many.

One of the surprise results of the African qualification ties was the match across the border. Neighbours Uganda kept their 2015 Orange Africa Cup of Nations dreams alive with a 1-0 win over African soccer giants Ghana at the Namboole Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Savio Kabugo’s well-placed header off a corner in the 8th minute proved enough for the Cranes to silence the star-studded side. The win served as sweet revenge after the first group match ended in 1-1 following what many considered an unfair equaliser. But it remains to be seen if the Ssebos can actually make the trip to Equatorial Guinea next year.

Across the Mediterranean, a host of Euro qualifiers and friendlies were on offer. Perhaps one of the most significant was Portugal versus Argentina. This tie had undertones lying as deep as the depths of Lake Tanganyika, one of the deepest lakes in the world.

In one corner, there was Cristiano Ronaldo leading his band of Iberian footballers, while on the other was the diminutive Argentine Lionel Messi charging forward for his nation. These two footballers have competed on virtually every front from the Ballon d’Or awards to the Spanish title, Champions League, World Cup, global popularity down to sponsorship deals.

So Tuesday’s match was yet another opportunity for one to get the better of the other. As it turned out Portugal literally ‘stole’ the win.

Lionel Messi outshone his Ballon d’Or rival Cristiano Ronaldo but the latter’s team took the spoils as a late header from substitute Raphael Guerreiro snatched a 1-0 win for Portugal over Argentina in a disappointing friendly at Old Trafford.

The fixture had been billed pre-match as an unmissable showdown between Messi and Ronaldo - a spectacle that turned out only to last until half-time, when both players were substituted in somewhat anti-climactic circumstances.

Certainly, it was the Argentinian who had made the bigger impression, hitting a post and causing frequent problems, while ex-Manchester United man Ronaldo struggled to get into the game on his return to his old stomping ground, Old Trafford, with his only real chance of note being struck over.

Tomorrow, two mid-table Premier League teams (yeah, you read that damn right) will battle it out for little more than historic pride and the chance to claw themselves toward the European finals.

Five years ago, that fixture would have been Everton vs. Tottenham, but this weekend, it is Arsenal vs. Manchester United. Though these two mighty clubs have not yet fallen, they are both stumbling this season.

In the past 17 years, Arsenal have qualified for the Champions League on 17 occasions and United have been there 16 times, with last season’s post-Sir Alex Ferguson hell being their only failure. To say the two clubs are used to being at the top of the table is fair comment. So why do both look capable of missing out this term?

Southampton and West Ham currently second and fourth respectively, deserve huge credit for their sterling form and the inventiveness and endeavour of their football. Yes, even Sam Allardyce’s Hammers have been bold, ruthless and delightful at times this campaign. But can they really last the pace? Surely the form of United and Arsenal has to pick up soon.

After 12 games last season, Arsenal were top of the league with 25 points. Meanwhile, even under the doomed David Moyes, United had collected 20 points and sat fifth. A year on, they rub shoulders in sixth and seventh with 17 and 16 points, respectively.

Whatever is the result of tomorrow’s game both teams needs to worry more about a long term remedy to their ailing forms.