19 Jan 2017 19:42:35
Thanks ed02. I posted a reply earlier today but doesn't seem to have been recieved.
Wanted to know your views on the current state of African football compared to similar continents like Asia and the Americas?

{Ed002's Note - Somehow I missed that and I should say that I am by no means an expert. I assume from your original question that you are from South Africa and when attending sporting events, stand up with your chums and shout "Bokka" (excuse the spelling but I attended a Rugby International against England a few years ago - so evidenced by experience). I know little of South African football and that was the reason for my asking someone for some input to your question earlier. As a country it is one that I was banned from entering for many years but, remarkably, for the last couple of years I am apparently allowed to return - I won't be. I know little of the game there. In terms of Central Africa, they have sustained their ability to turn out fit and strong players of varying degrees of quality. But they have turned out some exceptional talents over the past 20 years or so and I suspect that they will continue to do so. The players I know from the central nations are pretty much all good and straightforward people who do put money back in to their old communities. For that I salute them. North Africa is a different paradigm altogether. Good players have appeared (and I will note many seem to have been wingers - but that may just be a false observation from me). They have all too often not settled and, without trying to be disrespectful, there are plenty of examples of North Africans who have failed to integrate citing religion - and that sends alarm bells ringing for many clubs. The Cotonou Agreement has given entry to Spain but it seems more as a footstep elsewhere. The al Bangura tale was overplayed in my view but I do recall a discussion with Ed001 who took it very seriously 18 months or so ago. I would however concede that there has been quite a big deal going on in Belgium about it for perhaps four years and there are risidual issues to resolve.

As you look at the AFCON, most watchers without a real interest will find it tedious and boring to watch and would rather see a couple of lower league sides punch it out on a muddy pitch in the Midlands on a Tuesday evening in February. As a showcase the AFCON is, I am sorry to say, disposable. If it were to stop tomorrow I doubt Europe would be objecting.

I am sorry if this seems a tad depressing - but it is my view as it were. I do appreciate that it is not Liverpool related and maybe the site should have a page for such discussions - I don't think that there is one right now. But I do appreciate the question.}

1.) 19 Jan 2017
19 Jan 2017 20:16:07
Not often i ask a question ed2, and not that i am owed an answer in any shape or form, but why were u banned from entering s. Africa?
Convicted ivory poacher?
Conolial slave trader?
Bad taste in music?
Or the simple fact of being convicted of animal cruelty to sparkey?

2.) 19 Jan 2017
19 Jan 2017 20:16:07
Not often i ask a question ed2, and not that i am owed an answer in any shape or form, but why were u banned from entering s. Africa?
Convicted ivory poacher?
Conolial slave trader?
Bad taste in music?
Or the simple fact of being convicted of animal cruelty to sparkey?

{Ed002's Note - (a) I was never convicted. (b) We don't call them slaves. (c) I have a wonderful taste in music. (d) Sparkey takes his chances.

It was actually just "stuff" that got me in to trouble with them back in the day.}

3.) 19 Jan 2017
19 Jan 2017 20:58:05
I use the word "stuff" with the wife to describe the next time we consumate the marriage. i hope you don't ise the word in the same context. or maybe that's quite cool a thing to get in trouble for?!?!

4.) 19 Jan 2017
19 Jan 2017 20:44:51
A great read Ed02! Thanks!

{Ed002's Note - You are welcome man.}

5.) 19 Jan 2017
19 Jan 2017 21:05:11
You a rugby fan then ed?

{Ed002's Note - No, I went with one of my wives on "membership" tickets and she had a cold. We were due to spend the night in London (as we were not living in England at the time) but she wanted to get off the train because it was packed. We got off at Richmond and wandered in to a quiet bar where only after a couple of drinks we noticed that they had a stripper the following day - Willie The Kid. We eventually got back in to town and back to the hotel. All in all in was not a great day. I should not that the game stopped for about 10 minutes in the first half - for reasons that were never explained to the crowd. It restarted with the pare official and the ref dealing with a curry from the previous night in the changing rooms.}

6.) 19 Jan 2017
19 Jan 2017 21:11:16
I can't agree more with Ed regarding the standards of the AFCON. As a Nigerian who grew up there till age 22, I've been watching the AFCON since I was 12 in 1988 till now and frankly, the standard have dipped tremendously. In the 90s, African teams like us, Cameroun, Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, and even Mali produced some of the finest talents the world has ever seen via this competition, that so many scouts used to come watch and had their fill of the best talents African football could offer.

To the point that in 1994, Pele and Platini came to watch that edition and some more afterwards. Even Mou went to watch the 2008 edition held in Ghana as a guest of Michael Essien. It used to be an honor to play this completion that players used to fight with their clubs just to play in it and enhance their reputations. That IMO, no longer exists.

Now, it has become quite tedious to watch and I've watched a few games in this edition and sorry to say, they are nothing to write home about. Some say players don't give their all anymore so as not to get injured and miss time with clubs. Some say there is a lack of interest when being held in "smaller" countries like Gabon. Who knows? But as for the standard? It has dipped massively.

7.) 20 Jan 2017
20 Jan 2017 08:20:58
Hamilton, interesting stuff, do you see it eventually being phased out through lack of interest? Commercially, is it as lucrative as the world cup for instance.

8.) 20 Jan 2017
20 Jan 2017 08:40:09
There are so many places around the world that if they had the right money available, they could produce some of the best talent we'll ever see.

For example, if The USA pumped the same amount of money into Football, like they do for Hand Egg (American Football) or Basketball, they would be world cup winners in 10-20 years.

Same with China and India. They have enormous pools of talent to choose from, but they lack the coaching and facilities (in some cases) to achieve top level talents. China seem to be changing that now, but I feel they're doing it the wrong way personally.

9.) 20 Jan 2017
19 Jan 2017 23:18:14
If eds 002 ever gets around to writing a biography, I'm pre-ordering and calling in sick for a couple of days.

10.) 20 Jan 2017
19 Jan 2017 23:50:00
"Stuff" eh ed 😉✊️

11.) 20 Jan 2017
19 Jan 2017 23:57:28
Brilliant read Ed, thank you for your insight.

12.) 20 Jan 2017
20 Jan 2017 00:42:21
Stuff ed? Haha
I think I can probably guess what the stuff is.
I was thinking it was the same stuff they have over at the emirates when bidding for strikers. lol

13.) 20 Jan 2017
20 Jan 2017 07:24:29
Sounds like quite an experience then ed

14.) 20 Jan 2017
20 Jan 2017 09:24:29
hsf - the other issue with countries like China and India is massive rural populations living in ways that are a long way from modern. Even if they had top level academy structures to bring through talents, for huge numbers of their population sport barely exists - an FA based even in the regional capital is no more reachable than our FA based in London. I'd like to think that China won't be pumping enough money into that to make it viable while 130m people still live in poverty

15.) 20 Jan 2017
20 Jan 2017 10:38:55
If they decided not to hold it every two years maybe it would seem more prestigious like all the other top competitions at international level. I didn't quite understand why the copa America was held in back to back years either (2015 then 2016).

16.) 20 Jan 2017
20 Jan 2017 13:02:17
The stripper in the bar was Ed 1 who was trying to earn some extra poke during his student travelling days.

Aka the sucked wotsit kid.

17.) 20 Jan 2017
20 Jan 2017 14:19:56
Of course hjikle, obviously the state of the population should take priority.

What I meant regarding China is that they are spending way too much on foreign talent, they should be investing that money into the facilities and maybe bringing in foreign coaches to start the process off. I mean if Chinese clubs can offer some players £30million a year or whatever inflated wages the media are saying, then surely that £30million every year would be better spent on academies and coaches in the long run?

18.) 20 Jan 2017
20 Jan 2017 13:55:10
Coming, phasing out of the AFCON will NEVER happen, period as that competition is the only prestigious international competition Africa has and there is quite a lot of money (by African standards) that the host FA garners from it.

I do believe that as Kman92 says, making it more prestigious and lucrative by making it every 4 years instead of two, would be a plus and could raise the standard. Will this happen? We shall see.