Menzi Magubane
Extra Time: African teams still don’t have the resources to compete with world powerhouses at the World Cup, but let’s at least hope for our first semi-final, writes Menzi Magubane.
Fifa World Cup 2022 is almost upon us and as an African I will always root for local teams. However, there is still a lot to be done by our national teams if they are to get out of the group stages, let alone compete with South American and European nations for the trophy.
African teams are always underdogs when it comes to this elite competition. No African team has ever made it to the semi-finals, with Cameroon, Algeria and Ghana being the only teams to reach the quarters (in 1990, 2002 and 2010 respectively).
One hopes that at least one of our five qualified teams – Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Ivory Coast – will do what none have done before this December and make it to the last four.
However, seeing six-time world cup winners Brazil dismantle Ghana in a friendly in France last week didn’ exactly fill one with hope.
It made me realise that as Africans, we shouldn’t expect anything much in this year’s competition.
Ghana is one of the powerhouses in African football. They may not have reached the last four in the World Cup competition but they are always a force to be reckoned with.
They have stars such as Thomas Partey in their ranks, but there’s no telling whether he’ll be fit by November when the tournament starts. Even if he is, he hardly compares with the likes of Neymar and Vinicius Jr. on the best of days.
Africa’s best hope may lie with Senegal. The current champions of Africa beat Bolivia at the weekend. They also boast a spine of Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and the indomitable Sadio Mane. These are some of the best players in the world, let alone in Africa.
Still, the fact remains that European and South American countries have vastly more resources at their disposal, and have the power to draw African players to play for their national sides. There are complicated geo-political reasons for this too.
Come November, the beautiful game will be entertaining – but as Africans we need to brace ourselves and not expect too much.