The ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament in Gabon is a pale shadow of what some of us knew back in the day.
After watching the openers, I was convinced the old boys of yesteryear raised the bar. Even with Afcon on air, I still wait to watch the repeats which was impossible around 1988 — when the likes of the late Nigerian forward Rashidi Yekini were the showstoppers.
We had to watch the matches live.
The current crop of players at Afcon cannot hold a candle to the likes of Nigeria’s Sunday Oliseh, Senegal’s El-Hadji Diouf, Cameroon’s Rodger Milla or Sierra Leone’s Mohamed Kallon, or DRC’s Lomano Lualua, Zambia’s Jack Chamangwana and Kalusha Bwalya, South Africa’s Doctor Khumalo, John ‘Shoes’ Moshoeu and Helma Mkhalele.
These guys were more adventurous and skilled. The world of soccer has really changed. Professionalism has limited the exhibition of raw talent.
Players conduct themselves as if they ‘are not ready to die’ for God and country. My hero Rashid Yekini would do anything to crash through ‘Mickey Mouse’ defenders. Woe unto those who tried to stop him.
Kenya participated in its first Afcon in 1972 in Cameroon. Before then, few knew how big the tournament was.
There was very little interaction within Africa. If one wanted to fly to say Gabon from Nairobi, you had to go through Paris before connecting downwards.
There were no regional flights between East and West Africa. The same thing with telephone calls. To reach someone in Accra, one was assisted by a telephone operator in London. That’s how far we have come.
And so it goes that few had an inkling of Afcon before Kenya took part. At the time, the Kenyan team had just lost German coach Eckhard Krautzun.
The late Jonathan Niva was named player/coach. His squad had among others; James Siang’a, Samson Odore, Charles Makunda, Daniel Anyanzwa, Peter ‘Pele’ Ouma, Allan Thigo, Jackson Aluko, John Nyawanga, William ‘Chege’ Ouma, Daniel Nicodemus Arudhi, John Chore, Arthur Okwemba and Steve ‘McQueen’ Yongo.
Kenya was pooled alongside Togo, Mali and hosts Cameroon. We drew 1-1 against Togo and Mali before losing 2-1 to Cameroon.
The eventual winners were Congo (Kinshasa) who eliminated hosts Cameroon 2 -1.
A majority of Harambee Stars players were drawn from Gor Mahia and Abaluhya FC now AFC Leopards.
The beauty of African football was better experienced in the 1974 Afcon in Egypt. Congo (Kinshasa), then renamed Zaire, retained their title.
They also qualified to represent Africa at the 1974 FIFA World Cup finals in (West) Germany.
Their spark was one prolific player Ndaye Mulamba; the ‘best player’ and top scorer with nine goals but now living, at 69, in abject poverty in a Cape Town slum. His record of nine goals has never been broken to date.
Afcon has come a long way.
Our own Dennis Oliech made his debut in Tunisia in 2004 when Mike Okoth played his last tournament. It was Oliech who took Kenya to the Cup of Nations after sinking a stubborn Cape Verde at Kasarani.
The current edition is a far cry from the days of Rashid Yekini who almost broke Mulamba’s goal record. Travelling to the venues is easier and convenient. Journalists have an easier time with satellite communication and online platforms.
Fans can get results in real time. Media houses are having fun with modern technology. A goal can be scored and in the next minute AFP, AP or Reuters would have dispatched the pictures before the keeper takes a goal kick!
The other difference is that most teams lack charismatic players who can singlehandedly haul a team from the jaws of defeat - iconic characters like Yekini, Kanu Nwankwo, JJ Okocha, Jules Bocande, Rodger Milla, Patrick Mboma, Ndaye Mulamba, Kalusha Bwalya, Hossam Hassan, Abdoulaye Traore, Cyrille Makanaky or Emmanuel Kunde.
These were the guys who could make you drive or walk distances to be near a television set. Not anymore.
