Nadia Saidu-Kamara CAMS®, CGAP®, EMBA’s Post

The year was 2012 and Christopher Katongo - an army sergeant then playing club football in China - was leading the Zambians at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Competition favourites, Ivory Coast, a team then made up of global stars like Yaya and Kolo Toure, Gervinho, Eboue and Salomon Kalou, was led by the immaculate Didier Drogba. In an unprecedented manner, the Copper Bullets of Zambia - a.k.a. Chipolopolo - defeated the Ivorians to clinch their first AFCON title. This year's AFCON has seen similar upset, just in greater proportion. Competition favourites, Senegal and Morocco could not make it past the round of 16. Also, none of the quarter finalists in the 2021 AFCON made it to this year's QF. Interestingly, none of the teams that represented Africa at the 2022 World Cup made it to the QF at the ongoing AFCON tournament. Let me add one more fact: none of the competition's past three winners - Cameroon, Algeria and Senegal - made it to the QF. What nonsense! A beautiful one, though. No football competition on earth sees this kind of turnover. This may have come as a surprise to many, but that's because they haven't taken time to appreciate the growth of African football. AFCON is the biggest sporting event on the continent and one that every participant inherently believe they can win. To achieve this, they have been investing strategically to develop local talents. That is the part many analysts do not consider. They often look at teams with global stars like Senegal, Morocco, Nigeria, and Egypt, and expect them to win because of that. Take Mauritania for instance, the team effectively knocked out Riyad Mahrez's Algeria, not by fluke, but because the football association since introduced better policies to drive players' development in the country. South Africa's national team is largely made up of home based players yet they confidently knocked out Hakimi and Amrabat's Morocco. The same can be said of Cape Verde, Namibia and Guinea. But this isn't just a football phenomenon, similar trajectory can be seen in how many African countries are consistently working towards growing their economies, improving their business environment, while also delivering on investment. Senegal, Benin, and Togo, to mention a few, come to mind. However, understanding how these countries operate requires a deep and concerted knowledge of the markets and the dynamics that make them respond favourably to investment. Finally, while AFCON has been a rollercoaster, it hasn't fallen short on excitement, which is what it was organised for. Tomorrow, the continent's oil giants - Angola and Nigeria - will clash, and while no one is certain about the winner, everyone is sure that there'll be a spill, not of oil this time, but of joy and disappointment. Picture source: goal.com #investmentopportunities #AFCON

🌍⚽ Exploring the Africa Cup of Nations ⚽🌍 Dive deep into the heart of African football as we unravel the fascinating history and evolution of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). 🏆✨ AnalyiSport has curated an insightful article shedding light on the journey of this prestigious tournament. 🌟 In 1957, the inaugural AFCON took place, with only three nations—Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia—gracing the competition. Fast forward six decades, and the AFCON landscape has transformed dramatically. Today, it embraces a staggering 52 countries in the qualifiers, leaving us with an elite 24 ready to battle it out in the main competition. 🌍 A Continent Unites Through Football The AFCON is not just a football tournament; it's a celebration of unity, diversity, and the shared love for the beautiful game across Africa. Organized by the Confêdération Africaine de Football (CAF), one of FIFA's six confederations, this competition exemplifies the spirit of collaboration and sportsmanship on a grand scale. 📖 Unlocking the Chronicles: AnalyiSport's Insightful Article Want to delve deeper into the intricacies of AFCON? AnalyiSport's latest article looks into the tournament's evolution, memorable moments, and the impact it has had on African football. Gain a comprehensive understanding of how AFCON has shaped the narratives of nations and players alike. 🔗 Read the Full Article Here: https://lnkd.in/ejrZzciF 🌟 Why AFCON Matters: A Sporting Spectacle Beyond Borders AFCON isn't just about football—it's about passion, national pride, and the sheer joy of witnessing the best talents from the continent showcase their skills. It's a platform where dreams are realized, and heroes are made. Join the Conversation: Share Your AFCON Moments! Have your own AFCON memories or predictions for the upcoming tournament? Share them in the comments and let's celebrate the vibrant tapestry of African football together! 🌍⚽ #AFCON #AfricanFootball #AnalyiSport #SportsInsights #FootballUnity 🌐✨

The Africa Cup of Nations, also known as AFCON, is one of the most prestigious football tournaments on the African continent. With its inception in 1957, the tournament has captured the hearts and minds of football enthusiasts worldwide, showcasing the immense talent and passion for the sport in Africa. Every two years, this tournament attracts national teams from across the continent, competing for the coveted title of African champions. The 2023 African Cup Of Nations which started on the 13th January will be ending on the 11th of February. There have been moments of joy and celebrations for winning countries as well as moments of tears and sadness for losing countries, but in all, this tournament has been beneficial to Africans as a whole. Are you wondering how?🤔 I suggest you keep reading!📖 AFCON is not only a football tournament but also a powerful platform that can be harnessed to promote unity and diversity across the African continent. Leveraging sports and technology can go a long way in unifying Africa. Technology has made it easier for people who are unable to pay flight tickets or pay fares to physically watch these matches from anywhere in the world. This serves as a symbol of unity. People are coming together, irrespective of their countries, backgrounds, and socioeconomic status, to watch, support, and encourage their members to bring home the final cup. Sports have the power to transcend boundaries and bring people together in a way that few other things can. When we play sports, we become part of a team, we learn to trust each other, communicate, and work towards a common goal. By doing this, we create bonds that go beyond race, ethnicity, or nationality. we learn to appreciate the beauty in diversity and recognize that our differences are what makes us stronger. Through this, we can achieve our goals of unity, peace, and progress. Let us come together as a global community, hand in hand, and create a world that is characterized by love, compassion, and understanding.

#AFCON African Cup of Nations 2023 A wake up call for our African Countries! The ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament in Ivory Coast has brought light to many subjects that we as Africans have to put on the table when it comes to developing our football. We have cleary seen what "small footballing nations" such as Mauritania, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Namibia, Angola and the DR Congo have done. They have put out a marvelous and an unbelievable show by literally owning the regular West African and North African teams. Look at the passion, love, emotion and brotherhood this tournament is bringing out from the players and most importantly we the fans. Anyone with a footballing IQ and exposure would without a doubt say that our African football when played is just played with a colourful vibe filled with intense fighting spirit and pure love of the beautiful game. This tournament is also teaching us that it is high time we start also believing in players who play in our domestic African leagues and trusting our local football coaches. Sometimes our European based players just come to play for our national teams with a bag full of negative energy. The games are being played at the highest level with supreme quality. No one can deny that the talent is abundant in Africa. Therefore, it is high time that we as African football stakeholders start thinking about effective measures that would realise the true potential of our African football. This has to be a comprehensive action that will target all African regional football federations. I would be happy to see in the future that kids feel proud of playing for our local African football clubs. It is a challenging wake-up call but as long as football economics, management and responsible governance is implemented by the right people, then it will be possible. #AfricanFootball #FootballEconomics #AFCON #footballmanagement

Analysing physical data from the 🌍 African Women Nationalteams at group stages of #FIFAWWC 2023 and #FIFAU20WWC 2022 in comparison with the two current 🏆 Women's World Cup finalists Spain and England. 🇪🇸 Spain as title holder is in all four analysed 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 in top 1 or 2. 🇿🇲 Zambia leads the 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 of total distances, top speed, sprint distances & repetitions >23km/h. 📉 The U20 Nationalteam Players run in average 1.5km less 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 and 50m less 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 >23 𝐤𝐦/𝐡 than the A Nationalteam players. 📈 U20 Nationalteam Players are able to already reach 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 of A Nationalteam top level. But the 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 of the U20 Nationalteams are significant lower than the A Nationalteams. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏: 🏋♀️ To keep the physical advantage, we need to start much earlier in Africa with 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 of our Youth Nationalteam Players. 🏃♀️ Before Youth Tournaments a 𝐑𝐒𝐀 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥 should be followed over 6 weeks. More 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 in the club trainings could support the development of the endurance level. 📊 To detect the Nationalteam Youth Talents, we should integrate 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐩 & 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 in the early selections. #GhanaFA #BlackQueens #MissionVolta #PowerToWin FIFA Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) GFA - GHANA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football South African Football Association NIGERIA SOCCER FEDERATION INC 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 The Football Association Real Federación Española de Fútbol

jonews.ng | Latest Nigeria newsAFCON 2023: Teams to watch out for as competition begins this weekend The 2023 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will begin this weekend. West African giants, Ivory Coast, is the host nation for the 2023 AFCON. The competition will take place from 13 January to 11 February, 2024. Senegal are the defending champions after beating Egypt 4-2 on penalties in the 2021 AFCON final following a 0-0 draw in Cameroon. Egypt, meanwhile, are the most successful team in Africa that have won seven AFCON titles. In the 2023 AFCON, there are 24 teams set to battle for Africa’s biggest trophy in Ivory Coast. The 24 teams are Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, Mozambique, Ghana, Cape Verde, Senegal, Gambia, Cameroon, Guinea, Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mali, South Africa, Tunisia, Namibia, Morocco, Tanzania, Zambia and DR Congo. However, with a few days remaining for the 2023 AFCON, DAILY POST reports some of the teams to watch out for during the competition. Speaking with DAILY POST on the subject matter on Monday, Ochiba football coach, Emmanuel Brown, singled out the likes of Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria and Ivory Coast as the teams to watch out for. Explaining why he picked the teams, Brown said: “Talking about the AFCON this year, Africa has come of age and you cannot really point out any team to say this is an underdog team. “There is no longer an underdog in Africa. To start saying this team will win the AFCON, I don’t think it works that way. All the teams in the competition have come of age, they are all good. “But with the little surprise we saw in the World Cup, we must respect teams like Morocco. They are not walk-over, they are one of the teams that have been active for a very long time and trust me they are formidable. “Another team to watch out for is Senegal, their coach is not the person that can be a pushover, he has been with the team for a very long time now and he understands the team very well and the team also understands him. “Nigeria is also another team. With the couple of attackers they have in the team, in Africa, they cannot push Nigerian attackers away. They are doing very well all over Europe. “I think the problem with the Nigerian team is the midfield. It is not solid and the goalkeeping department. Since [Vincent] Enyeama left that team, that goalkeeping department has been a nightmare. “The host nation Ivory Coast is another team to watch out for, sometimes you cannot push away this home advantage. Whether we like it or not they are going to pull one or two strings. They are a formidable team to reckon with and then coupled with the home advantage, they might have an edge and you cannot push them away.” Brown added, “In overall, I will pick a team like Morocco, Senegal and Nigeria. I am putting Nigeria just because of their attacking department. “They can beat any defense in Africa but you know one thing is for you

Increase in prize money key to gap narrowing, says Caf boss Motsepe: An increase in prize money has contributed to the success of lower ranked teams at the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, according to the president of the Confederation of African Football (Caf). Patrice Motsepe was speaking ahead of the quarter-finals, which got under way in Ivory Coast on Friday. A number of pre-tournament favourites suffered early exits including holders Senegal, the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco and former winners Egypt and Algeria. On the eve of the Nations Cup, Caf announced that the overall winners will pick up $7m (£5.5m) in prize money – a 40% increase on the last Afcon. “Many of the players [at Afcon] don’t earn the same money, and I have learned over the last 20 years, if you increase the money that goes into the pockets of the players, and tell them ‘We have increased the prize money’ it inspires them immensely,” Motsepe told BBC Sport Africa. “There’s also more money going to academies into football development and some of the results of the investments we can see now but we will see many in future. So the future looks bright.” A number of so called “smaller” nations produced shock results in Ivory Coast including Namibia who beat Tunisia, Mozambique whose comeback draw led to Ghana’s departure and Equatorial Guinea who stunned the hosts 4-0 in the group phase. Of the eight quarter-finalists, only four have won the Africa Cup of Nations before, with this tournament producing 105 goals from the 44 games – an Afcon record. African football ‘must be respected’ Motsepe is proud that this Nations Cup has been so thrilling to watch. “For all of the nations in Africa, the quality of football has increased enormously,” Motsepe said. “We need to get the spectators to enjoy watching our football. It’s got to be appealing, it’s got to be attractive, it’s got to be exciting – because then it has a commercial value. “And we can use some of that commercial value to pay our players and our technical teams and the coaches and the administrators. “I must just say I’m proud, and I don’t know who’s going to win. I can tell you the 54 nations in Africa have each been a winner.” Aside from the entertaining football in Ivory Coast, much praise has also been levelled on the high standard of refereeing – with Motespe acknowledging the boost it gives to the reputation of African football. “The quality of our referees, the quality of our match commissioners, the quality of our linesman and the quality of our VAR (Video Assistant Referee) has been world class. “And the integrity, the independence, and the African referees – we are confident – are as good as the best in the world. “One of our important aims is that African football must be recognised and be respected because of what we do on the field of play to be as good as the best in the world. “There’s still…

2025 may be the biggest year yet for African football. The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) has officially announced the dates for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), both of which will be hosted by Morocco. The Dates: AFCON - December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026  WAFCON - July 5 to July 26, 2025 ↓ Why the change?? This announcement comes after a lengthy delay due to complex negotiations involving international and domestic match schedules. [Insight: Players have also voiced concerns about scheduling because of player fatigue, conflicting commitments, travel demands, etc., so this will continue to be an issue in international football.] Initially, AFCON was expected to be held in June-July 2025, but the dates were shifted to avoid a clash with FIFA's expanded Club World Cup scheduled for the same period. This change aims to minimize disruptions for players involved in European club seasons, a recurring issue in past tournaments. 🇲🇦 Morocco has been investing in its sports industry, and there is no doubt that it will spare no expense to produce these tournaments, especially with such strong home football teams. Who’s planning on going? Because Playbook will undoubtedly be on the ground. For more news and analysis on the emerging sports economies of Africa and the Middle East, check out Playbook - Sports Business for Emerging Markets. __________ Photos: CAF #linkedinsports  #sportsbusiness #AFCON #WAFCON

Summary on the ban of Emilio Nsue: The top scorer of the AFCON 2024. ⚽️FIFA has stated that Emilio was never eligible to play for Equatorial Guinea due to representing Spain's youth teams in official matches previously. 🚩FIFA had already flagged Nsue's ineligibility in 2013, but he continued playing for Equatorial Guinea for like 11 years. ❌Equatorial Guinea’s Football Federation has been fined 150,000 Swiss Francs and will be stripped of World Cup 2026 qualifying wins against Namibia and Liberia.The opponents shall then be awarded 3-0 victories. ❌⚽️Nsue has been banned from international football for 6 months. I will quote a comment from Eby Emenike which I find very insightful: “For those wondering.... The problem here appears to be that he DID NOT hold permanent nationality of Eq. Guinea when he played his first official match for Spain. The Regulations state that, "....at the time of being fielded for his first match in an official competition in any kind of football for his current association, he already held the nationality of the association which he wishes to represent." Applying the law to the facts, his "current association" was Spain but he did not already hold the nationality of Eq. Guinea. He acquired that after he had already played his first official match for Spain I hope that helps.” -This topic, especially for those who will be willing to sit the next FIFA agent exam, needs a lot of keenness. I will recommend all to read the study materials well, and for additional/summarized content regarding such topics , one can check Eby Emenike posts.They are precise,and she has explained different topics using animated pictures. I find them informative and easy to grasp. And of course you can always inquire or check content from other great people whom are providing illuminating information too. “Like me”😉 #FIFA #AFCON

A new Professional Footballers Australia report published today reveals the experience of the Matildas during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The report arrives following the conclusion of a record-breaking A-League Women season and as the Matildas prepare to take on the world’s best at the 2024 Paris Olympics in July. The report presents four pivotal recommendations. These recommendations, if implemented, could significantly contribute to the ongoing growth and success of women’s football. https://lnkd.in/gZ_AFNTB #SupportingThePlayers #BuildingTheGame