2010 African Cup of Nations Starts Today

2010 January 10

by Brian Quarstad

A tournament that is often hard to find coverage of in the US, but we hardcore soccer fans love to watch starts today, Sunday, January 10th. It’s the African Cup of Nations (ANC), this year to played in Angola.

This year’s Cup has been marred in tragedy before it even started. As I’m sure everyone knows by know, the team from Togo was traveling to the tournament by bus and attacked on Friday by armed gunmen. The bus was under attack for nearly 30 minutes and 3 on the bus were killed: the assistant coach, a team spokesman and the Angolan bus driver. The team goalkeeper, Kodjovi “Dodji” Obilale was wounded in the lower back and flown to South Africa for surgery which took place almost immediately after his arrival at Johannesburg’s Netcare Milpark Hospital. Everyone on the bus was certainly affected and many were said to be in a state of shock. Details of why the team were traveling by bus through a part of Africa that was known to have unrest for many years, is still unknown.

Initial reaction was that Togo would pull out of the tournament. On Sunday morning, though shaken and disturbed, the team members themselves reported to AP that they wanted to stay in the tournament to “honor the dead”. Later reports from AP now say that the Togo prime minister Gilbert Houngbo said the players were still in a state of shock Sunday and were not secure. He said that Togo’s presidential plane has been dispatched to Angola to take the team back to Lome.

“Angola and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have not taken adequate security measures to ensure the safety of the Togolese national team,” Houngbo said.

For much better coverage of the tournament including some very well thought out pieces concerning the politics of the coverage of the cup and the attack, I strongly encourage you to go to one of my latest favorite soccer sites on the web, Tom Dunmore’s, Pitch Invasion. Tom has penned an article himself that he is calling, World Reaction to Togo Tragedy that’s a MUST READ.

The official site of the ANC is here. IMS friend Bruce McGuire of duNord Futbol states that he strongly encourages you to find one of your own community’s “African restaurants and bars in your town” and go hang out there to watch the games. I agree with Bruce. You expand your world a little, most of the time get some great food and enjoy some fantastic soccer. I’m sure there’s more, but I know of Holy Land Deli on Central and Lowery and Marina’s Deli, on Lowery and University, both will be covering the games. The Sweetwater Bar and Grille in St. Paul, official viewing place for IMS soccer supporters, will also be showing the games.

Please click on read more for the entire schedule of the tournament (if) Togo remains in the games. Go here for the latest news and analysis of the games. Here is the official site of the games.

Group Stage Matches
-Sun Jan 10
Angola v Mali – 1pm Central
-Mon Jan 11
Malawi v Algeria – 7:45am Central
Cote d’Ivoire v Burkina Faso – 10am Central
Ghana v Togo – 12:30pm Central
-Tue Jan 12
Egypt v Nigeria – 9:45am Central
Mozambique v Benin – 12:15pm Central
-Wed Jan 13
Cameroon v Gabon – 9:45am Central
Zambia v Tunisia – 12:15pm Central
-Thu Jan 14
Mali v Algeria – 9:45am Central
Angola v Malawi – 12:15pm Central
-Fri Jan 15
Burkina Faso v Togo – 9:45am Central
Cote d’Ivoire v Ghana – 12:15pm Central
-Sat Jan 16
Nigeria v Benin – 9:45am Central
Egypt v Mozambique – 12:15pm Central
-Sun Jan 17
Gabon v Tunisia – 10am Central
Cameroon v Zambia – 12:15pm Central
-Mon Jan 18
Angola v Algeria – 9:45am Central
Mali v Malawi – 10am Central
-Tue Jan 19
Burkina Faso v Ghana – 10am Central
Cote d’Ivoire v Togo – 9:45am Central
-Wed Jan 20
Egypt v Benin – 10am Central
Nigeria v Mozambique – 10am Central
-Thu Jan 21
Cameroon v Tunisia – 10am Central
Gabon v Zambia – 10am Central