Category Archives: African Football

Stephen Keshi: AFCON-Winning Manager Makes Us All Believers of Discipline

  By O-Posts Team | February 20, 2013 - 18:12 | , , ,
Leave a comment

The renaming of the Asaba stadium to STEPHEN KESHI was a fantastic decision by Delta State Governor,  Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan. Stephen Okechukwu Keshi took Nigeria from the doldrums of failure to the pinnacle of success in 6 weeks. The manner he did it is even more glorious than what Otto Rehhagel achieved with the Greeks. The former Mali and Togo manager proved all the doubters wrong by bringing home a trophy that has eluded the most populous black nation in the world for 19 barren years.

When assembling the Victorious team, he left out so many so-called stellar names like Osaze Odemwingie, Obafemi Martins, Victo Obinna Nsofor, Chinedu Ogbuke, Taye Taiwo, John Utaka, Yakubu Aiyegbeni to mention but a few. People growled, frowned and groaned regarding his stance on players who he deemed surplus to requirement because of their lack of respect, indiscipline, poor form and unpatriotic attributes.

Osaze was adamant that he was the right choice for the position of Super Eagles skipper which was never vacant in the first place. How he wanted to topple Joseph Yobo and Vincent Enyeama was inexplicable. His rudeness, arrogance and disregard for constituted authority simply exemplified his unacceptable behaviour.

Keshi made decisions based on what he thought best suited the team. He didn’t want a repeat of the mafia and sects that characterized previous squads. The ‘Boss’ Keshi is no saint. Judging by his antecedents when he was a player and skipper of the old Super Eagles. But his managerial career has been built on discipline, unity and oneness since it commenced and that has brought him the success he has garnered up till this present day.

His blend of home and foreign based players was seen as experimental to a lot of Nigerians. He paid deaf ears to criticisms, jeers and negative opinions to focus on the job of accomplishing his set objectives. The road to success is very narrow and thorny. The first two matches didn’t go well. Consecutive draws v Burkina Faso and defending champions, Zambia were crushing blows to Stephen’s ambitions. But he remained resolute, calm, and goal driven.

The final group match v Ethiopia was almost going to end in disappointment until a certain Victor Moses stepped up the gear and made himself an instant hero with two well taken penalties in the last 10 minutes of the game. 2-0 it ended and the Super Eagles were in the Quarters to face massive favourites, the Ivory Coast. Then the NFF struck.

The Nigeria Football Federation led by Aminu Maigari directed its Secretary, Mr Musa Amadu to book tickets back to base for the Nigerian contingent before the match v the Ivory Coast. The boss was furious on getting wind of this information, but decided to lead his boys to go all out v the Ivorians. At the end of the game, the unfancied Eagles dominated the highly favoured Ivory Coast team in a 2-1 win.

Keshi was ecstatic and told former Super Eagles goalie cum Super Sport analyst, Peterside Idah of his dream and objective to hoist the AFCON and afterwards tender his resignation letter. The semi-final was more straightforward. Mali were put to the sword. The 4-1 bashing of the Aigles sent shock waves round the African continent.

In the final, the Burkinabe met with a reinvigorated Nigerian team that couldn’t afford to lose. It ended 1-0 Nigeria and the 3rd ANC was sealed in exemplary fashion. KESHI and his CHOICES were VINDICATED!

It wasn’t only the Nations Cup win that made Keshi loved, adored and respected. It was his man management, timely substitutions and mastery of the game when it became difficult that stood him out as a man who was well groomed and brilliant.

For the first time since the 2005 WYC, Mikel Obi played extremely well much to the admiration of those who disliked him (including me) for his sluggishness and boring play. The midfielder was at his best at the just concluded Tournament and led the way in passes made and passes completed.

It was seen as a huge surprise when Jonathan Pitroipa of Burkina was named Player of the Tournament ahead of Mikel, Moses and Emenike. Perhaps the Technical Study Group of CAF had other ideas. Emmanuel Emenike bore the burden of being the main striker as Ikechukwu Uche failed to show up.

The former Getafe striker was useless and ineffective throughout the tournament. Sunday Mba, scorer of the winner v CIV and the Championship clinching goal v the Stallions of Burkina Faso warmed his way into the hearts of Nigerians who sang glory songs with his name after the final whistle was blown.

It was a successful journey for the BIG BOSS who resume is now intimidating. He made do his promise of resigning immediately after the Tourney ended. Nevertheless, after due consultations with Bolaji Abdulahi, the Minister for Sports, he rescinded his decision to resign and then re-signed.

He and the Super Eagles were well received by the Government of Nigeria. National honours, land, and cash rewards were among the goodies doled out to the team after an amazing and successful two weeks of competition in South Africa which culminated in excitement, merriment and mission accomplished.

 

Written by Ohireime Eboreime

Follow Ohis on Twitter @ohiskaka1990

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Special Feature: An Analysis of the Beautiful Game’s Various Positions and Roles

  By O-Posts Team | February 14, 2013 - 17:05 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

Considered as the king of thrill and excitement, football has always been one of the most popular among all games. Almost all the countries of the world welcome football with a lot of enthusiasm and passion.

Apart from skill and techniques one of the most important things which is indeed the lifeblood of football is the physical fitness of the players. It is true not just for football only; but every single game requires a great deal of physical fitness from the players. With a right training and guidance, you can achieve this level of fitness.

But only the fitness won’t do your job. You have to become serious and dedicated towards the game in order to become a successful football player in the future. Every game has its own rules and regulations and other technical matters. You have to be acquainted with these things and abide by the rules of football. More familiarity with the rules will help you to become a more technically correct player.

There is one thing more which is extremely necessary in playing football- the position. It is natural that all the players will not play in the same position. So, to assign different positions for different players is very important.

But before that the person who has been given the charge of doing this job must be familiar with the individual capability of the players and by analyzing their playing technique the players should be assigned their positions.

Every position has its own importance from the perspective of the way the entire team performs. And a good team needs to have equally good players in all these positions.

Here under are given some of the positions extremely important in a football match which will also give you the contribution of them behind a victory.

Role of the Goalkeeper

He is the protector of the team. The ultimate of the defense line, goalkeeper of a team must be so good in his action and reaction that his team can get a comfortable victory. He must be very cunning and lively so that he can become a powerhouse of inspiration of the entire team.

He needs to have a presence of mind which will tell him when to go forward to stop the opponent and when to stay inside the penalty box. In these cases, a perfect reflex is very important.

 

Role of the Defender

Defenders are divided into three sections inside the field- the left back, the right back and the centre back. In order to prevent the attacks made by the opponent team, the defense of a team must be solid enough. He must possess the required skill to stop the striker of the opponent team but without committing a foul- especially inside the penalty box.

And like the goalkeeper a presence of mind is very important for them because it is their duty to assume from which direction the attack might come. So, they play according to that.

 

Role of the Midfielder

He is the engine of his team. He acts as the lifeline by creating the chances of goal and also by controlling the total performance of his team. As a connecting link between the defense and the attack, the midfielder actually does a double work- contributes to the defense to make it stronger and also adds to the attack to make certain chances of scoring.

What happens when the positions and roles get mixed up.

What happens when the positions and roles get mixed up.

Role of the Striker

The responsibility of scoring remains on him. If the striker does not possess enough skills to push the ball into the net of the opponents, the entire team suffers. So the striker must skillful, technically sound and intelligent so that no chances will miss.

The above mentioned points have given you some information on the importance of various positions in football. To win a football match one must give emphasis to all these things.

 

Author’s Bio

Diyana Lobo is one of the renowned authors writing on tempobet hakkında. In this article she has discussed about the importance of various positions in football. She is regular contributor to Bahis10.com.

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Feature: The Health Benefits of Football

  By O-Posts Team | February 11, 2013 - 18:57 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

Every sport has unique benefits, and soccer is no exception. It’s more than just a great cardio workout with balance and foot-eye coordination exercises. It also has many additional benefits that you might be unaware of. Football naturally has a semi-circuit setup with bouts of walking, running and jogging which helps keep the body guessing (and the metabolism high).

While running can be hard on the knees, it’s also a great way to build bone strength. Endurance is another important aspect of health that wanes as people age. While you might not be listing your football league on a federal resume, it’s still an important part of your life.

Check out these surprising health benefits your favorite sport is giving you.

 

Tight in the Right Places

The combination of sheer cardio and strength training can lower body fat and increase muscle tone. This lowers your risk for a host of diseases including diabetes and heart attacks. Cardiovascular health is a biggie, as heart disease is the leading killer in America. The best way to beat it is with regular cardio exercise.

You know that you’re unlikely to stick with a cardio routine that you don’t like. Football mixes things up, and there’s an end in sight (unlike epic runs on the treadmill). It’s also best to run outside whenever possible for more resistance with wind and natural differences in fields.

Many football players, even on intramural teams, also practice regular strengthening and stretching.

 

Social Health

Running, lifting and using elliptical machines might be great exercises. However, they’re also solitary and do nothing to improve your social health. Football is a team sport, and gives you an opportunity to meet people, engage and build a community. This can help with depression and anxiety.

You likely have different friends for different aspects of your life. Having a group that loves the same sport helps give you a community. It’s a great way to find a sense of belonging when you move. It also gives you the opportunity to share your passion with your children.

 

Prepping for Old Age

Soccer improves coordination, which can get shaky as people age. Of course, it also helps to get you outside. Gyms can be great, but there’s no replacement for the fresh air. Building healthy routines now can help cement the foundation for an active life in middle age and beyond. It’s much easier to get into the habit now than to try and pick up a new activity when you’re older.

There are many health benefits to football, and it’s important to keep them in mind the next time you head to the field. Is there something more you can do to improve your game and your health? Maybe you can lead the team in adopting new (or additional) strengthening exercises before or after practice.

It’s your game, and your health, so play it wisely.

 

Written by Michael Deaven

Follow Michael on Twitter @MichaelCDeaven

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

AFCON Final Preview: Nigeria vs Burkina Faso

  By O-Posts Team | February 10, 2013 - 18:08 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have against all expectations qualified for the FINAL of the 2013 African Cup of Nations. It has been an astronomical rise for the Giants of Africa as they were once known.

The young team put together by former Eagles captain, Stephen Keshi has proved all the doubters wrong by sending the Ivory Coast out of South Africa and dismantling Mali in the semis to earn a shot at a title which has eluded them for the past 19 years.

Coach Stephen Keshi who is affectionately called the ‘BOSS’ is aiming to become only the 2nd man to win the Nations Cup as a player and manager after Egypt’s Mahmoud Al Gohari. The former Eagles captain won the trophy in 1994 when Tunisia hosted it.

The Nigerian coaching crew have been sweating on the fitness of key players-Emma Emenike and Victor Moses who picked up injuries in the 4-1 humbling of the Aigles of Mali in the previous match. Other players are available and hungry to come back home with the trophy.

The Burkinabe were almost robbed by the Calamitous Slim Jdidi in the semi final showdown with Ghana. A series of astoundingly bizarre decisions went the way of the Ghanaians in the match including a soft penalty which should never have been and worse still, the RED CARD awarded to Star Stallion, Jonathan ‘Beninwende’ Pitroipa- a decision which has since been reversed.

Belgian tactician, Paul Put will be hoping to ‘put’ the name of Burkina Faso among Nations that have won the AFCON later today when proceedings end.

Both teams know a bit of each other. They were in the same group (C) and the game contested between them ended in a 1-all draw made possible by a last minute Alain Traore equaliser. The Lorient front man whose 3 goals ensured that the great Stallions qualified for the knockout stages.

The unlikely finalists will slug it out this evening at the beautiful soccer city stadium in Johannesburg with all eyes on the men on the sidelines who have somewhat contrasting fortunes. Paul Put the Belgian manager has been ostracised in his home country over allegations of match-fixing and bribery (The YE ZHEYUN SCANDAL) and cannot manage in his country unless a fresh license is given to him by the FA of Belgium.

He has found a new home in Ouagadougou and has surprisingly reshaped the football philosophy in Burkina. The former Gambia coach (2007-2011) affirmed that he gave his boys clips of Greece’s 2004 Triumph, Chelsea’s UCL win last season and Zambia’s road to success last time out, to show them that underdogs can come from nowhere and upstage the so-called cup favourites.

The videos have made the desired impact to his delight and he will be hoping to add his name to the Di Matteos, Renards, and Rehhagels of this World in a few hours. Stephen Okechukwu Keshi the 50 year former Super Eagles skipper is a man well respected and revered in Africa.

After guiding Togo to the 2006 World Cup against all odds and managing the Malian National team with considerable success, he has etched his name in the jistory books and expects to add a Nations Cup trophy to his burgeoning resume after today’s battle. It will even be more remarkable because of the number of so-called big boys he left out of his final squad list.

The likes of Osaze Odemwingie, Taiye Taiwo, Obafemi Martins, Yak Aiyegbeni, Obinna Nsofor, etc were overlooked for Kenneth Omeruo, Obaobana, Brown Ideye, Sunday Mba and co. Even Captain Joseph Yobo has been warming the bench for the past 4 games. It has reaped the desired results as the EAGLES have swept aside all before them in their quest for Continental glory. One more hurdle to scale.

 

PROBABLE LINEUPS:

NIGERIA:

Enyeama, Ambrose, Obaobana, Omeruo, Echejile, Mba, Mikel, Onazi, Ideye, Moses, Emenike

 

BURKINA FASO:

Diakite, Koffi, B.Kone, Koulibaly, Panandetiguiri, D. Kone, Rouamba, Pitroipa, Nacoulma, BANCE.
Aristide Bance is deputising for the injured Alain Traore who sadly, can play no further part in this tournament. Burkina Faso have been boosted by the decision of CAF to rescind the RED CARD awarded to Pitroipa and the suspension of Slim Jdidi who should not be handed a whistle again for another 2 years. Bance scored the leveller v the Black Stars and took his penalty well in the shoot-out.

Captain Joseph Yobo will watch from the bench once again as his guys try to win the AFCON for the 3rd time ever. The team leader is in his 1st ever final, alongside all his other teammates. Vincent Enyeama will lead the Eagles out, but it remains to be seen who will lift the trophy should the Nigerians emerge victorious. This is Nigeria’s 7th final-only Ghana and Egypt have appeared in more.

Old Stallion, Moumouni Dagano has appeared in 6 ANC (African Nations Cup) Tournaments, but has registered just 1 goal. An appalling stat.

 

Written by Ohireime Eboreime

Follow Ohis on Twitter @ohiskaka1990

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Special Feature: Match-fixing remains vague, but still a very clear issue

  By O-Posts Team | February 9, 2013 - 11:51 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

On Monday, Europol, the law enforcement agency of the European Union, announced the results of an 18 month inquiry of match-fixing in football to a reaction of immense shock throughout the game.

They revealed that a total of 680 matches across the world were fixed, including a Champions League tie that had been played in England which went someway to hinting at the seriousness of their findings. Not only would they concern a club close to home, but it gave a lucid indication that match-fixing was now festering in the very highest levels of the sport.

It was an investigation that originally only involved Germany, Finland and Hungary, but expanded to over 30 countries spanning right across the world. The European Police revealed that Asia had staged 300 corrupt matches while Europe played host to 380, including “several top football matches in European leagues as well as World Cup and European Championship qualifiers”.

Officials went to the extent of revealing the figures of corruption in Germany-based matches alone; £13.9 million in total was wagered to a profit of £6.9 million and very worryingly, as they voiced from behind a stall in The Hague, this was “just the tip of the iceberg”.

However, there was a slight sense of apprehension to the report that UEFA are now awaiting in detail according to Rob Wainwright, Europol’s director. The FA, reacting to the bombshell that one of the matches in question was a Champions League game hosted in England “three or four years ago”, said they were “not aware of an credible reports into suspicious Champions League fixtures played in England, nor has any information been shared”.

The match in question was quickly confirmed as Liverpool’s one-nil win over Hungarian side Debrecen back in 2009. Charges involved Debrecen goalkeeper Vukasin Poleksic for not informing officials that he was approached by fixers prior to a game with Fiorentina in that campaign, for which he was banned for two years. However, the charges only specified the Italian club and not Liverpool, who maintain they have never been told by any organisation that the match at Anfield was under investigation.

A case that concerned a goalkeeper who had previously been severely dealt with by European football’s governing body hardly fitted into the sensationalist headlines the investigation should have demanded, but it was clear as the revelation continued that the issue went far, far deeper into the heart of the game. They created a macabre of criminal syndicates, based mainly in Asia, using facilitators in Europe to bribe and corrupt all those involved in the game for financial gain.

Over 425 suspects were identified by an investigation that involved 50 arrests and 80 further search warrants. Wainwright portrayed a dark, eerie criminal network spreading itself into Europe from its epicentre out in the far-east.

It is believed that the betting syndicates are operating not only on results, but on certain events in matches similar to the no ball scandal that scourged the Pakistani cricket team back in 2010. That should be familiar to the everyday football fan who is exposed to in play betting and the plethora of markets now available to betting companies who have developed into a mass businesses on the back of such practice.

The wide-scale of Europol's match-fixing probe.

The wide-scale of Europol’s match-fixing probe.

With so many areas on which to place money in the sport, there is always a suspicion that a footballer can take advantage on an individual level, it was Southampton’s Matt Le Tissier who claimed he made a spread-bet, of which he failed, on himself to win the first throw-in in a game with Wimbledon back in 1995.

Europol’s findings have taken that suspicion and multiplied it to a grave worry that manipulation is taking place on the grandest of scales via a murky underground network of criminals threatening to send a game that has always prided itself on fair play and honest competition into a state of decay.

With the African Nations Cup taking place in South Africa, Paul Put, the Belgian coach of Burkina Faso, said he was not surprised by Europol’s findings, claiming the problem is pandemic.

He has had a previous run-in with the practice having served a three year ban in Belgium after being found guilty for fixing two matches while manager of Lierse, a con allegedly organised by Chinese business man Ye Zheyun and has led to forty people being charged. “Match-fixing has always existed in football” said Put, “that is reality but what can you do about it?”

Even stronger views came from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger who feared these revelations would form a “tsunami” that would overwhelm the sport. “I cannot accept this” said Wenger, “I was always aware there was a lot cheating in the game and we are not strong enough on what is happening”. These words were motivated partly by Wenger’s past with corruption that involved his Monaco team being caught up in the match-fixing scandal with Marseille in the early 1990s and he now calls for severe sanctions on those found guilty.

Wenger did allay fears over the domestic game though, remaining adamant that English football remains free of corruptive influence, “match-fixing is not a problem in England” said the Frenchman.

The football world will now await the next chapter of this saga, that will probably appear with the details of UEFA’s revision into the Europol investigation, with a great deal of agitation. There will be a hope that the more the governing bodies continue to peruse over the investigation with the finest of tooth-combs, the more information will gradually begin to come clearer in order to erode away the mystery that is shrouding this squalid world of corruption.

The European Police have gone a long way to confirming a fear that football is blighted by a darker-side but there is a sense that it has only scratched the surface, it now must delve further into the abyss in order to ensure football remains free of the disease lurking underneath.

 

Written by Adam Gray

Follow Adam on Twitter @AdamGray1250

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

AFCON 2013 Team Focus: Ivory Coast

  By O-Posts Team | January 18, 2013 - 16:25 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

Arguably, Ivory Coast are the best team in Africa, and they’ve been the best team in Africa for a long time. Didier Drogba’s age and impending retirement won’t change that with a variety of capable target men waiting in the wings.

They’re deep in midfield and on the wings, and while they’re not deep in defense, their starting back line is still one of the best on the continent. There’s no footballing reason to not pick them to win the Africa Cup of Nations.

It was a similar case last year, when Drogba missed a key penalty in the final against Zambia, who went on to lift the Cup. It was the case three years ago, when they were shockingly bounced out of the quarterfinals by Algeria.

Their 2008 loss to a Cameroon side led by Samuel Eto’o in his prime and their 2006 loss to Egypt in Egypt were more understandable, but they were probably the most talented side in those tournaments as well. It’s been nearly a decade since Ivory Coast weren’t one of the top sides on the continent.

And yet, the best generation of players their country has produced — and perhaps the best generation of players one African nation has ever produced — has failed to win a continental crown or advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup.

Not because of any obvious deficiency or lack of balance in their squad, or because of rumored locker room rifts, or because they’ve come up against bad matchups, but simply because they haven’t performed at their best for an entire tournament.

All of the key cogs from last season’s team have returned for another shot at the Africa Cup of Nations. Jean-Jacque Gosso and Kafoumba Coulibaly, a couple of defensive-minded role players from last year’s team, are the only contributors who haven’t returned.

Gervinho is possibly in the poorest form of his life, but Didier Ya Konan and Solomon Kalou are playing regularly for their clubs, while Arouna Kone, Wilfried Bony and Lacina Traore are in excellent form and give young manager Sabri Lamouchi options up top to compliment Didier Drogba.

Their midfield unmatched in athleticism and more balanced than any other team in the tournament. With Yaya Toure playing the most advanced role, in front of a double pivot of Didier Zokora and Cheik Tiote, the Ivory Coast should be able to dominate all of their opponents through the center.

While Les Elephants’ back line doesn’t quite boast the quality of their forward and attacking ranks, it’s still one of the best in Africa. While Sol Bomba has never performed at the highest level of the game, he’s been a solid defender for his country since 2008.

Kolo Toure is still one of the best defenders on the continent, but his lack of recent playing time at center back for Manchester City could be an issue for his team.

The fullback positions aren’t set, but the team has plenty of depth, and will probably start the tournament with Sahka Tiene and Emmanuel Eboue outside. The consistent, but not spectacular Boubacar Barry should remain in goal, though he’s been pushed recently by Daniel Yeboah.

 

Projected Starting Lineup (4-2-3-1)

GK Boubacar Barry, LB Siaka Tiene, CB Sol Bamba, CB Kolo Toure, RB Emmanuel Eboue, CM Cheick Tiote, CM Didier Zokora, LW Salomon Kalou, CAM Yaya Toure, RW Gervinho, ST Didier Drogba

 

Key Player: Yaya Toure

Drogba is still a star and will still be a key player for the Ivory Coast, but the striking talent behind him on the depth chart has risen to the level where his country is no longer entirely dependent on his goals.

They are, however, very dependent on the all-around game of Yaya Toure. He is by far the most versatile midfielder on the continent and will shoulder a lot of creative and defensive load through the center for his team.

 

Prediction: Champions

Once again, this is the best squad in Africa. It’s not particularly close. But it didn’t matter in last year’s final when an organized, well-meshed and motivated Zambia team played a spectacular match to capture the title in an upset. That team is still together, with the stars of last year’s campaign no longer inexperienced.

Hosts South Africa will have similar motivation, and like Zambia have plenty of solid under-the-radar talent. Ghana and Nigeria are always dangerous.

There are plenty of different ways that the Ivory Coast could potentially slip up, but they really shouldn’t. They’re the best team on the continent, by far, and if they do not win the tournament, it will be because they didn’t bring their best. Again.

 

Written by Aniefiok Okon

Follow him on Twitter @soccerani

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Special Feature: Best Football Video Games of All Time

  By O-Posts Team | January 8, 2013 - 20:23 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

Over the years, many gaming companies have tried to cash in on the most popular sport in the world, football, and make a game that makes the player feel like he’s right there in the thick of the action. This has been attempted in many ways, from manager simulations to games where you control the team on the field and in many formats including arcade, console and PC games.

 

Championship Manager 01-02 (2000)

The Championship Manager franchise, (now Football Manager) dominated the manager simulation genre for years and peaked in the 2001 – 2002 season, according to many fans of the game. Later versions tend to be far more in-depth which does have obvious advantages, but detracts from the user-friendliness of the game. 01-02 has the perfect blend of difficulty, complexity and usability and is probably one of the most addictive games of all time.

 

Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (2005)

Each year since before the start of the century, the battle between FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer gets played out. While both have had their turn on top, in the middle of the last decade it was all about PES and in 2005, Konami out did themselves. Passing became more important making the game more realistic when it came to end of game results and tackling also changed with this version which added the need for higher skill levels amongst human players.

 

FIFA 09 (2008)

FIFA 09 is considered by many as the best ever installment of the most famous of all football game series and is the one that put the franchise back on top after a spell trailing to their arch rivals at PES. Over 250 changes were made to enhance the realism, gameplay and response times. Skill and ability stats became more important and even the more talented human players found controlling the players when performing tackles, passing etc. needed a little practice to perfect.

 

Kick-Off 2 (1990)

When Anco brought out Kick-Off 2 on the Atari ST, it was seen by many as the best football game ever. It had what was considered very accurate representations on the pitch and at least attempted to use real tactics and formations.

 

Sensible Soccer (1992)

 

In its day, Sensible Soccer by Amiga was the definitive football game. It had an innovative bird’s eye view and is still popular to this day amongst retro gamers. Stanford University compiled a list in 2007 for the Library of Congress detailing the 10 most important video games of all time and Sensible Soccer was the only football game on it.

 

Special Mention

Intellivision Soccer (1980)

Brought out by Mattel Electronics, Intellivision Soccer gets a special mention as it broke the mould and was way ahead of its time. It was the first to give the 3D effect, the isometric point of view and a scrolling pitch, all features that would be used extensively by other sports games for the next couple of decades.

 

Morgan is a Football lover and enthusiast. He also likes to bet sometimes in football matches. You can also find him writing in his personal blog called Free Bets.

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

AFCON 2013 Team Profile: Algeria

  By O-Posts Team | January 3, 2013 - 21:35 | , , ,
Leave a comment

Welcome to the first of 16, 1 a day, team profiles for every team participating in AFCON 2013. Then a blog every night, which will be a match reviews(s), depending on how many games there are a night.

 

Algeria

One of Africa’s 6 teams that participated in World Cup 2010, although they finished bottom of their group with Slovenia, England, USA. The highlight of their tournament was holding England to a 0-0 draw in South Africa, where – coincidentally- the African Cup of Nations 2013 will be held.

 

Group

A tough group for Algeria with Ivory Coast, who have the likes of Yaya Toure, Didier Drogba and more. Tunisia have been one of Africa’s better nations though that reputation has been tarnished by their recent African Cup of Nations performances.

Togo, one of the nations with more unknown players but do a pose a threat with country legend, Emmanuel Adebayor.

 

Star Player: Sofiane Feghouli

One of the jewels ready to take centre stage in South Africa. At 22 year old, the young Valencia star will want to make people leaving this tournament remembering this fantastic player.

Earning respect from Emery and Pellegrino and interest from European Giants PSG. He said in an interview with Le Buteur, “Personally, I dream of reaching the final. I set objectives for myself, I am an ambitions person. People tell me: ‘on the pitch, you don’t leave any stone unturned and we like that! Keep up the good work!’ I have the sense of being appreciated.”

The PSG link is strong, with Nene the wrong side of 30, it would be of no surprise of this tournament depends on a move in the summer. Though already at one of Spain’s top sides, the mouthwatering prospect of moving to PSG will be too much for a young Sofiane Feghouli.

Whether or not Feghouli does live up to high expectations he has been given remains to be seen, but it’s certainly worth keeping a look out.

 

Written by Cain O’Bennett

Follow him on Twitter @goalCain

Check out his excellent blog on everything AFCON 2013, http://afcon2013.wordpress.com/

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

You can follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts

Confederation African Football in Fixture Jam 2012 – 2014

  By O-Posts Team | September 6, 2012 - 13:43 | , , ,
Leave a comment
AFCON 2013 in South Africa

2012 through to 2014 has and is going to be a very busy period for a number of countries within Confederation of African Football (CAF). First is the qualification rounds to the 2013 African Cup of Nations(ACN).

There will then be the 29th ACN final itself in South Africa. The winner from the South Africa finals will automatically be invited to play in the 2014 FIFA Confederation Cup Final in Brazil as CAFs sole representative.

Following this there is the small matter of World Cup qualification to Brazil 2014 with 5 CAF representatives going to be at Brazil 2014.

Topping all this off there is then the requirement for all CAF countries to ready themselves for the start of the qualification process to the ACN 2015 finals.

This mixed arrangement of events coming about because CAF did not want to be in a position where the final of their major show piece international tournament was clashing in the same year (2014) with the aforementioned finals in South America.

So from now on the ANC finals are going to run every 2 years on an odd number as opposed to the previous even based years.

This article tries to summarize the scale of activity CAF is dealing with over the next 2 years. It also provides an up to date position on where the various countries are at in the two main competitions running just now.

Finally it attempts to gauge just what the impact this might have on the African players employed in Europe and their respective clubs.

 

ACN 2013

Qualification to the ACN started with a preliminary round in January 2012 with the 4 lowest ranked countries in CAF participating in 2 leg knock out ties.

The winners of these ties then joined the 26 teams from CAF who did not qualify for the previous ACN finals. These teams again played a 2 legged knock-out 1st round set of ties home and away in February and then June 2012.

The 14 winners of this first round then entered a second round of ties with the 16 qualifiers from the previous finals now joining the competition. A complicated seeding process kicked in at this stage to help assist in the separation of the 30 teams into two pots.

The first rule of this seeding being how well each team had done in the previous 3 ACN finals. Within this each team allocated seeding points on their eventual placement in each of the finals and points they achieved. Finally for total points achieved in each of the finals a coefficient was factored in favour of the most recent to furthest away of the three finals.

So now in September 12 we are geared up for 15 first leg mouth-watering ties between some of the top teams in CAF (Egypt being the big miss at the expense of CAR). Return legs to be played in October 12.

List of ties are: Ethiopa vs Sudan, Nigeria vs Liberia, Uganda vs Zambia, Zimbabwe vs Angola, Algeria vs Libya, Togo vs Gabon, Malawi vs Ghana, Mozambique vs Morroco, CAR vs Burkina Faso, Cape Verde vs Cameroon, Sierra Leone vs Tunisia, Ivory Coast vs Senegal, DR Congo vs Equatorial Guinea, Guinea vs Niger and Mali vs Botswana.

Regarding the seeding of the nations it might be for the next ACN there is a need for the current system to be reviewed given the current model has drawn up Ivory Coast vs Senegal two of CAF’s big wigs.

The 15 finalists will then join the Bafana Bafana (themselves qualifying on the back of being final hosts) in South Africa where there will be 4 groups of 4 in round 1.

Following this the standard quarter final, semi final and final knock out rounds will ensue with an event which is scheduled to start in Soccer City on 19th January 2013 also finishing there on the 10th of February 2013

 

World Cup

For Brazil 2014 52 of the 53 CAF nations entered. Qualification started in November 2011 with a first round of 12 teams competing in a two legged knock out stage.

Teams selected for this initial round were recruited from the lowest 24 FIFA ranked countries in CAF. A standard 2 pot seeding system used in formatting the ties.

From this the 12 winners from round 1 joined the other 28 CAF countries with a four pot standard seeding system again based on FIFA ranking used to draw 10 groups of 4 countries. This stage of the qualification is ongoing and will conclude in September 2013.

Currently Ethiopia, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Congo, Nigeria, Egypt, Benin, Libya and Senegal lead their respective groups. All counties having completed 2 matches with 4 matches remaining at time of writing this article. At this stage it is worth noting that both Congo and Ethiopia came out of pot 4.

The winners of each of these 10 groups will then go into a standard FIFA ranked 2 pot system with 5 ties drawn and to be played October and November 2013; each team playing on a home and away basis with the usual regulations for such matches including away goals counting double in event of a draw employed.

Teams who need to get a move on in the remaining group stages who you would expect to be qualifying for the next stage in the CAF process being Cameroon, Burkina Faso, South Africa and Algeria.

Morocco drawing the short straw in what is a winner takes all group stage by being paired with Ivory Coast. So to get into the chosen 5 for Brazil it is clear countries are going to have to be able to last the pace, play to their maximum potential and carry a huge degree of luck.

 

Top African Players plying their trade in Europe

There are indeed a number of top players from CAF countries playing football in the main European leagues just now.

A very rough and draft (some players have possibly in the recent transfer window moved club since scribing this article) list of these include players such as:

Alex Song (Barca/ Cameroon), Steven Pienaar (Everton/ South Africa), CHEICK TIOTE (Newcastle/ Ivory Coast), MAHAMADOU DIARRA (Fulham/ Mali), SIAKA TIENE (Paris Saint-Germain/ Ivory Coast), AYMEN ABDENNOUR (Toulouse/ Tunisia), JONATHAN PITROIPA (Rennes/ Burkino Faso), MOHAMED ZIDAN (Baniyas (UAE)/ Egypt), MAME BIRAM DIOUF (Hanover 96/ Senegal), SULLEY MUNTARI (AC Milan) and BOUKARY DRAME (Chievo/ Senegal), SOFIANE FEGHOULI (Valencia/ Algeria), FORMOSE MENDY (Sporting Gijon/ Senegal), Yaya Toure (Man City/ Ivory Coast), KWADWO ASAMOAH (Juventus/ Ghana), Joel Obi (Inter and Nigeria), Peter Odemwingie (WBA/ Nigeria), Gervinho (Arsenal/Ivory Coast), Kevin-Prince Boateng (AC Milan/ Ghana), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea/ Nigeria), Adel Taarabt (QPR/ Morocco), Demba Ba (Newcastle United/Senegal), Papiss Cisse (Newcastle United/ Senegal), Samuel Eto’o (Anzhi/Cameroon), Andre Ayew (Marseille/ Ghana), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese/Ghana), Didier Ya Konan (Hannover 96/Ivory Coast), Moussa Sow (Fenerbache/ Senegal), Souleymane Diawara (Marseille/ Senegal), Efe Ambrose (Celtic/ Nigeria), and Alain Traore (Auxerre/ Burkino Faso).

The impact of the tough schedule faced over next couple of years for some if not most of these players will no doubt be felt in terms of their availability for clubs in their domestic fixtures.

Whether this unavailability is linked to playing internationals which clash with domestic fixtures and/ or more likely the impact of short and interim burn out from playing too many games and travelling large distances over short periods of time I am sure will have not been lost on the clubs. Contingencies will most certainly need to be planned for from now well into 2014.

Further articles will follow up on the qualification games and finals of CAF countries in the African nations, confederation and world cups as they take place over the next couple of years. It really is an exciting if probably best-avoided set of circumstances for CAF, players and affected countries/ clubs.

Good though for us neutrals who enjoy watching African football/ footballers.

 

Written by James Redfern

Follow him on Twitter @jaycraig1

Please like O-Posts on Facebook

Follow O-Posts on Twitter @OPosts