Angola’s Africa Cup of Nations burden

By Mark Chumba in Luanda

Angola, hosting its first major event since Independence in 1975, are believed to have put a fortune in Africa Cup of Nations by putting up facilities and organising their team.

"If Angola don’t win the cup, there will be no life here," remarked one of the CAF drivers who speaks English, French, Creole and Spanish spiced with Portuguese.

Silva Dos Alviera is one of the few Angolan volunteers hired for the event. He was enlisted by virtue of being able to speak a little English and French. But his main language is Portuguese and he really struggles to push his points across.

"For the past six years, all Angolans have been talking about CAN 2010 and it will be sad if we go out early," he said

Stretch meeting

Angola, seeking to avoid early elimination showed their tension in a pre-match meeting Thursday morning when they stretched the meeting to over one hour by placing many issues across CAF technical team.

The war of words were equally responded to by their opponents Malawi. Indeed, the tension is high in Angola camp and any mistake could put them in an extremely precarious position.

Logically, CAF top brass may want to appear neutral. But inward the feeling is that it will be a tragedy for Angola to be eliminated early. That would be a disaster to the hosts who have huge bills to settle.

Angola, who were due to play gallant Malawi last night must shape their destiny. Malawi’s 3-0 upstaging of Algeria has thrown Angola, coached by Portuguese Manuel Jose into a spin.

Staggering 4-0

Mali fancy their chances after picking a point from the hosts. And Mali’s Nigerian coach Stephen Keshi is glad that he has finished with the hosts - in a match that he will live to remember.

Staggering 4-0 up to the 78th minute, Keshi, formerly with Togo, was visibly beaten on the bench. Rarely did he give instructions and had slumped to his cushion in despair when Angola went 3-0 up and the entire stadium was in delirium.

If Keshi was half dead in the opener, his Algerian counterpart Rabar Saadane was fully buried by Malawi who ran off with a convincing 3-0 rout. Saadane yesterday blamed the scorching heat for his team’s nightmare. But sportingly, he admitted that Malawi deserved the victory - and even by a bigger margin.

But the World Cup bound side still celebrating knocking out their old protagonists Egypt from World Cup three months ago, have promised to rise to the occasion.