YOU HAD ME AT HELLO.

Muddo dheer waxaan rumaysnaa in uu jacaylku u jidbixin karo weydiintaas.

Waxaan qabay in haddii laba qof isu jeclaadaan si dhab ah oo buuxda, ay ugu dambayn heli doonaan meel ay ku wada noolaadaan. Ha se yeeshee, waxaa laga yaabaa in xaqiiqada ugu murugada badani ay tahay in weydiimaha qaarkood aan weligood loogu talagalin in jawaab loo helo.

Dad baa is hela oo is calmada xilli quluubtoodu ay isu bisishahay, balse noloshoodu ay taagan tahay isgoys khaldan.

Shimbirtu waxay kalluunka u jeclaan kartaa si kal iyo laab ah. Baal kasta oo iyada ka mid ah waxaa qoyn kara kalgacaylka kalluunka. Maalin kasta hoos bay u soo duuli kartaa ilaa ay hirarka baddu baalasheeda dhirbaaxaan. Kalluunkuna si la mid ah ayuu shimbirta u jeclaan karaa; subax kasta ayuu oogada biyaha u soo dabbaalan karaa si uu bariidinteeda uga jawaabo, si uu hal mar uga ilsugto ka hor inta aysan cirka ku libdhin.

Mid walba rejo iyo nayaayiro ayuu qabaa. Nayaayiro ah in goortii loo qoray midowgoodu ay iman doonto. In berri ay wax fududaan doonaan. In hal nafhurid, hal tanaasul ama hal ballan ay ku qaadanayso si ay ugu dambayn u soo afjaraan kala caagga iyo masaafada u dhexaysa.

Laakiin jacaylku mararka qaar wuxuu dalbadaa waxyaabo suuragalnimada ka fog oo aan la gaadhi karin.

Shimbirtu maalin kasta wax yar biyaha hoostooda way ku negaan kartaa, si ay xoogaa waqti ah ula qaadato jacaylkeeda, iyadoo iska dhigaysa inaan sambabadeedu gubanayn oo ogsajiin u baahnayn. Kalluunkuna ilbidhiqsiyo ayuu bannaanka biyaha u soo boodi karaa, isaga oo iska dhigaya inuusan ka baqayn in uu neefqabatoobo deedna nafta si yar ku waayo.

Labadooduba ilbidhiqsiyadaas way isu dhoollacaddayn karaan iyagoo xanuunsanaya, naftu hayso, oo tii u danbaysay taagan; maxaa yeelay, midkoodna ma doonayo inuu noqdo kii ku horreeyay ee qira in jacaylkoodu uu gaadhay heer dhaawaciisu uu ka bato bogsiintiisa.

Kani waa nooca qalbijab ee aan laga hadlin.

Waa qalbijabka ka dhasha inaad qof qalbigaaga oo dhan wada siiso, adigoo si tartiib tartiib ah u ogaanaya in wadajirkiinnu idinka doonayo inaad noqotaan dad aydan ahayn. Kuma kala tagaysaan in jacaylkii dhammaaday darteed. Waxaad ku kala tagaysaan garawsiga ah in aydaan is keenayn, meel dhexe isugu iman karin, haddii aad isku khasabtaan ka shaqaysiinta midhadhalka jacaylkana uu mid kastaa ahaanshihiisa luminayo, dabadeedna jacaylkii isna lumayo illeen qofkaas ahaanshihiisaad ku jeclayde.

Dad badan waxay u haystaan in iskeenid la’aantu ay ka dhigan tahay labo qof oo aan sidii ay ahayd isu jeclaan. Anigu waxaan qabaa in ay dhabtu inta badan taas ka soo horjeeddo.

Mararka qaar waxay laba qofi isu jeclaadeen si aad u qoto dheer, ilaa ay naftooda si weyn u hureen, ugu dambayna keliya wax yar oo naftoodii ka mid ahi u hadhay oo ay milmeen. Mid baa aamusaya oo waxyaabo ka hadal u baahan ka gaabsanaya si uu muran uga fogaado; mid baa culays weyn xambaaranaya si uu isaga dhigo mid tanaasulaya. Waxaas oo dhan waxay u marayaan sidii ay ‘isu keeni’ lahaayeen.

Waxay isku qancinayaan in sidani tahay waxa ay ka dhigan tahay daacadnimada xidhiidhku, balse ma oga inay dhab ahaantii baranayaan siday u kala badbaadi lahaayeen, in ka badan intii ay si dhab ah isu aqbali lahaayeen iyaga oo kala duwan. Midba wuxuu rabaa in kan kale uu noolaado oo faraxsanaado, laakiin halka uu lammaanihiisu farxadda ka helayo isagu wuu ku qarqoomayaa. Badda mid baa ku qarqoomaya, hawada bannaankana kan kalaa ku neefqabatoobaya.

Ta ugu daranina waa in midkoodna uusan khaldanayn.

Shimbirtu ma aha danayste in ay cirka u baahan tahay. Kalluunkuna ma aha danayste in uu badda u baahan yahay. Xin iyo xifaaltan kama dhexeeyo, guuldarraystayaalna ma aha. Si fudud, waxay ka kala tirsan yihiin labo adduun oo mid kastaaba dalbanayo wax ka duwan kan kale. Jacaylku meel dhexe wuu isugu kiin keeni karaa, laakiin ma awoodo in uu meeshaas dhexe guri idiinka dhigo. Shimbirta iyo kalluunku way ku kulmi karaan oogada biyaha, se halkaasi uma noqon karto guri lagu negaado.

Nolosha waxaa ka buuxa dad aad mooddo in adiga laguu qoray, se xaqiiqada ayaa ku xusuusinaysa in jacaylka keli ahi uusan ku filnayn xidhiidh taabbagala iyo helidda qofkaas ‘laguu qoray’. Xilliga aad isku soo beeganteen waa muhim. Riyooyinka aad leedihiin waa muhim. Bogsashada boogihii hore waa muhim. Noloshii uu mid kasta dhistay ka hor kulankiinnu si weyn bay muhim u tahay. Mararka qaar bay qalbiyada labada qof si dhammaystiran isu raaci karaan, laakiin yoolkooda nololeed iyo adduun-araggooda ayaa ku arooraya jidad kala duwan. Bad; hawo.

Jacaylku ma aha in uu qofka ku khasbo in uu ahaanshihiisa baabiiyo, nabaddiisa ka tago, riyooyinkiisa shiiqiyo, uu illoobo qofka uu yahay.. si uu xidhiidhku u sii jiro. Haddii wadajirkiinnu ka dhigan yahay in midkiin uu neefqabatoobo oo naqasku ku dhego ama labadiinaba, markaa waad is kallifaysaan ee wada joogistiinnu ma aha mid weligeed yeelan doonta dhammaad lagu tanaado.

Haddaba, haddii ay shimbir iyo kalluun is jeclaadaan, xaggee bay ku wada noolaan karaan?

Meelna.

Waxaa laga yaabaa in ay weligood ku kulmaan halka hirarka baddu ay ka taabtaan cirka; iyaga oo wadaagaya ilbidhiqsiyo aan waligood ku filnaan, kuwo ku kulma goob aan midkoodna si dhab ah ugu negaan karin.

Waxaa laga yaabaa in taasi ay tahay sababta sheekooyinka jacaylka qaarkood aan loo illoobin oo ay hadba ladh u soo kiciyaan; maxaa yeelay, waxay ahaayeen kuwo dhab u dhacay oo mid walbaa qalbigiisa kan kale guri uga dhisay, laakiin ay awoodi waayeen inay dhistaan hal guri oo ay wada leeyihiin.

Dhabbada gurigaaga aadda ayaad sii haysay markii aad dhimatay.

Waxa uu ahaa shil baabuur. Ma ahayn arrin si gaar ah loola fajacay. Qaddar bay iska ahayd. Waxa aad ka tagtay oori iyo labo carruur ah. Geeri sidaas u xanuun badan ma ay ahayn. Shaqaalihii gargaarka degdegga ahi waxa ay intii karaankooda ahayd isku dayeen in ay ku badbaadiyaan, kuma se ay guulaysan. Jidhkaagu si ba’an ayuu u burburay. Dhimashadaa kuu roonayd, i aamin.

Halkaas ayaad igula kulantay.

• “Alla! Maxaa dhacay? Xaggee baan joogaa?” Ayaad i weydiisay.

• “Waad dhimatay, warka oo kooban”, ayaan kugu idhi.

• “Waxaa jiray baabuur weyn oo dhankayga u soo salliiteeyay..”

• “Haaheey. Baabuurkaas baad eersatay.”

• “Dabadeed waan dhintay?”

• “Haa. Se wax weyn ma aha. Qof walba wuu dhimanayaa.”

Hareeraha ayaad daymootay. Waxba ma jiraan. Waa cidla’. Keli ah labadeenna.

• “Meeshani maxay ahayd? Ma aakhiraa?” Ayaad i weydiisay.

• “Kama foga, qiyaastii.”

• “Adigu ma ilaahay baad tahay?”

• “Haaheey. Ilaahay baan ahay.”

• “Ubadkaygii… ooridaydii.” Ayaad si fiigsani leh u tidhi.

• “Maxaad ka rabtaa?”

• “Ma fiicnaan doonaan?”

• “Waa sida aan jeclahay.” “Adiga oo hadda soo dhintay ayuu haddana welwelkaaga u weyni yahay qoyskaaga. Wax wanaagsan baa iiga kaa muuqda.”

Si yaab leh baad ii soo fiirisay. Kuulama aanan muuqan ilaah. Waxaan u ekaa iska nin caadi ah. Ama naag. Wax aan la fahmayn oo la qeexi karin. Bare iskuul garaamarka ka dhiga ayaan uga dhawaa alle-weyne.

• “Ha welwelin. Ubadkaagu way fiicnaan doonaan. Waxa ay kuu xusuusan doonaan sidii inaad ahayd qof dhan walba ka wanaagsanaa. Waqtigu kuma simin in ay gaadhaan da’ ay xarash kuu qaadaan. Islaantaadu korka way ka ooyi doontaa, se gudaha waxa ay ka dareemi doontaa nefis! Runtii, guurkiinnu wuu sii burburayay. Haddii se ay wax kuu tarayso, nefiskaas waxa ay ku dareemi doontaa dembi weyn.”

• “Haye. Hadda maxaa xiga? Ma jannadaan aadayaa mise naarta mise meel kale?”

• “Midna aadi maysid. Dib ayaad u dhalan doontaa.”

• “Waa koow. Oo Hindidu way saxnaayeen?”

• “Diin walba sideeda ayay u saxan tahaye, ina keen.”

Waad i raacday innaga oo dhex jibaaxayna madhnaanta aan dhammaadka lahayn.

• “Xaggee u soconnaa?” Ayaad i weydiisay.

• “Meel gaar ah uma soconno ee sheekadu socodkay ku fiican tahay.”

• “Ujeedka ii sheeg marka. Kolka aan dib u dhasho waxa aan noqon doonaa ilmo xalay-dhalay ah, sax? Oo waaya’aragnimadii iyo wax kasta oo aan noloshaydii hore sameeyay waa hal bacaad lagu lisay?”

• “Sidaas ma aha. Dhammaan aqoontii iyo waaya’aragnimadii aad nololahaagii hore oo dhan soo samaysay waad haysataa. Waadan xusuusnayn uun.”

Inta aan socodkii joojiyay baan garabka kaa taabtay.

• “Ruuxdaadu waa mid ka qaayo badan, ka qurxan, kana baaxad weyn inta aad qiyaasi karto. Maskaxda bani’aadanku waxa ay qaadi kartaa keli ah qayb aad u yar oo ka mid ah waxa aad dhab ahaan tahay. Waxa ay la mid tahay adoo fartaada galiya koob biyo ah si aad u ogaato in uu kulul yahay ama qabow yahay. In yar oo kaa mid ah baad weelkaas gelinaysaa, waxa aadna kala soo baxaysaa waaya’aragnimada nololahaagii hore oo dhan.”

• “Keli ah 48-dii sano ee u danbeeyay baad qof ahayd. Sidaas darteed weli si buuxda uma dareensanid baaxadda weyn ee ogaalkaaga iyo miyirkaaga. Haddii aynu halkan muddo ku sii negaanno, waxaad bilaabaysaa in aad wax walba soo xusuusato. Se labo nololood oo kasta dhexdooda in sidan la sameeyo looguma talagelin.”

• “Waayahaye, immise jeer baan hadda dib u dhashay?”

• “Hayaaay. Marar ciidda ka badan iyo nololo kala duwan oo aan la tirin karin. Jeerkan waxa aad noqon doontaa bilcaan Shiinays ah oo beeraly ah, noolna sannadka 540.”

• “Yaa! Sug bal. Ma waqti horaad dib iigu celin?” Ayaad tidhi adiga oo shigshigaya.

• “Sidaas bay noqonaysaa. Sidan aad waqtiga u taqaan waxa ay ka jirtaa keli ah caalamkiinna. Halka aan anigu ka imid arrimuhu si kale ayay u shaqeeyaan.”

• “Halka aad ka timid oo xaggee ah?”

• “Waxaan ka imid caalam kale. Waxaana jira kuwo kale oo caynkayga ah. Waan ogahay in aad xiisaynayso in aad ogaato, se runtii ma fahmi kartid.”

• “Waayahay..” ayaad tidhi, adiga oo xiisihii lugugu badhgooyay.

• “Laakiin sug. Haddii la i soo nooleeyay marar badan, soo suuragal ma aha in aan mar uun isla kulmay aniga oo isku waqti nool?”

• “Dabcan. Mar kastay dhacdaa. Laakiin in aad isla kulantay weligaa ma ogaanaysid, maadaama oo ay nolol kastaa jiritaankeeda oo keli ah ku baraarugsan tahay waqtigaas ay nooshahay.”

• “Waxan oo dhan maxaa looga gol leeyahay markaa?”

• “Waxee? Ma kaa dhab baa oo waxaad i weydiinaysaa micnaha nolosha?”

• “Dee waa weydiin macquul ah?” Ayaad ku adkaysatay.

• “Micnaha nolosha iyo sababta aan caalamkan oo dhan u abuuray, waa in aad qaangaadho.”

• “Cidda qaangaadhaysa waa ayo? Ma dadka?”

• “Maya. Keligaa. Caalamkan oo dhan adiga ayaan kuu abuuray. Nolol kasta waad ku koraysaa, ku bislaanaysaa, oo ku noqonaysaa qof indheergarad ah.”

• “Ma keligay? Dadka kalena?”

• “Cid kale ma jirtaba. Caalamkan labadeenna oo keli ah ayaa joogna!”

Adiga oo dhakafaarsan baad igu dhaygagtay.

• “Wixii dad dhulka joogayna?” Ayaad i weydiisay.

• “Dhammaantood waa uun adiga. Waa noocyo kala duwan oo dib u dhalashadaada ah!”

• “Bal u kaadi. Anigu ma qof kasta ayaan ahay?”

• “Waa ku kaa. Hadda ayaad haysaa”, ayaan ku idhi inta aan dhabarka kaa gacal-dhirbaaxay.

• “Qof kasta oo abid noolaa waa uun aniga?”

• “Ama noolaan doona. Haaheey.”

• “Saa waxaan ahay Abraham Lincoln?”

• “Iyo John Wilkes Booth.”

• “Ma Hitler baan ahay?” Ayaad tidhi adiga oo argagaxsan.

• “Iyo malaayiintii uu laayay.”

• “Waxaan ahay Ciise?”

• “Iyo qof kasta oo raacay?”

Afkaagaa juuqda gabay.

• “Mar kasta oo aad qof ku xadgudubtay, waxaad ku xadgudubtay naftaada. Fal kasta oo naxariis leh oo aad fashay, naftaada ayaad u fashay. Raynrayn iyo murugo kasta oo uu abid qof dareemay, ama dareemi doono; adiga uun baa soo maray ama soo mari doona.”

Muddo ayaad fikir ku fogaatay.

• “Markaa.. waxan oo dhan maxaad ka waddaa?”

• “Sababtoo ah maalin uun waxa aad noqon doontaa aniga oo kale. Noocayga oo yar baad tahay.”

• “Ba’aa..” “Saa ma Ilaah baan ahay?”

• “Maya. Weli waxaad tahay uurjiif. Weli waad koraysaa. Marka aad noolaato nolol kasta oo qofi abid soo maray, waqtiyada oo dhan; markaas ayaad si buuxda ugu kori doontaa in aad dhalasho dhammays ah gaadho.”

• “Marka waxaad leedahay caalamka oo dhani waa..”

“Waa ukun.” Inta aan hadalka kaa boobay. “Hadda waa waqtigii aad u gudbi lahayd noloshaada xigta.”

Dabadeedna waan ku diray.

With just three months remaining until the kick-off of the biggest sporting event, the FIFA World Cup, what was meant to be a global celebration of football has taken a sudden turn and the build-up to the tournament is becoming increasingly contentious.

The escalating conflict in the Middle East, in which a tournament host(U.S.) has attacked a participant(Iran), cast a shadow over the latter’s presence at the World Cup.

Iran, known as Team Melli, was among the earliest nations to book its place in the tournament, marking their fourth consecutive appearance. They’ve been drawn into Group G, alongside New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt.

The possibility exists that Iran could once again face the United States on the biggest stage, repeating their clashes at the 1998 World Cup in France and 2022 in Qatar. A potential encounter could occur in the round of 32 if both teams finish second in their respective groups. A matchup that would carry a meaning far beyond football.

The ongoing joint military strikes by the U.S. and Israel on Iran, resulting in the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, triggered retaliatory attacks spreading hostility across the Middle East.

In the wake of these developments, president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, suggested deep concern on Team Melli’s involvement at the World Cup.

“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope”, Taj said.

In a meeting convened by FIFA recently for all the nations qualified for the tournament, Iran was the only one not in attendance. That deepens the questions on whether Team Melli partakes in the competition.

Iran was among a dozen nations slapped with a travel ban imposed by Donald Trump in June. When asked recently about Iran’s participation in the World Cup, Donald Trump responded bluntly:

“I really don’t care. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes.”

FIFA hasn’t made a clear statement on the issue, but its secretary general Mattias Grafstrom has said it is ‘premature’ to comment in detail but the organization is closely monitoring the situation and remains committed to a safe tournament with all participants.

A more optimistic response came from FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, when questioned about this matter:

“I hope so much[that Iran will participate].”

Iran could be the latest nation to pull out of the World Cup due to political reasons, but it won’t be the first-ever nation to be doing so. Argentina withdrew from the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, citing diplomatic and sporting disputes with the host, neighboring nation.

Before and after Argentina, it was nearly a norm that nations boycott the World Cup. Even the continent of Africa collectively opted out of the 1966 tournament in protest of FIFA allocating only one qualifying spot for all of Africa, Asia and Oceana combined.

So, it is not unprecedented, but it would certainly be the first such case in the modern era.

What happens if Iran withdraws?

According to the official regulations of FIFA, withdrawal from the tournament is addressed by Article 6 of the FIFA World Cup Regulations and Disciplinary Code.

Several major consequences could occur if Iran boycott the World Cup:

• • Iran would lose a lot of money. The federation would forfeit at least about $10.5 million of World Cup payments that consist of participation prize and preparation funding.

• • Heavy financial penalties that may include fines and the reimbursement of financial support or preparation funds already provided to Iran for the tournament.

• • FIFA may impose sporting sanctions which can include suspension or exclusion from future competitions.

• • Finally, FIFA has discretion and contingency plans for a withdrawing team. The replacement would most certainly be somebody coming from the same Asian Football Federation and the nations in line would be the next-best teams in Asian qualifiers. Iraq is now in the intercontinental play-offs, which will take place this month. If it fails to go through, it emerges the most likely candidate to take that spot. The United Arab Emirates is another potential candidate.

Should Iran pull out before the intercontinental play-offs, Iraq could be directly advanced to the World Cup, with the UAE stepping in to inherit Iraq’s place in the play-offs.

As of now, Iran is scheduled to play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles before facing Egypt in their final group match in Seattle.

Whether those fixtures ultimately take place may depend less on football and more on the rapidly evolving geopolitical situation currently underway in the Middle East and beyond.

In the pre-dawn hours of Monday when the world ought to have been asleep, it instead descended into absolute chaos. But before getting into what happened, I want to reflect on a few points of my personal preview of the whole AFCON 2025  tournament, dividing those points into two main sections: eulogies and drawbacks.

Starting with the EULOGIES:

1. Morocco’s royal welcome

After a drastic twist made by The Confederation of African Football(CAF) in 2023, Morocco was awarded hosting the 35th edition of Africa Cup of Nations, taking over the supposed host Guinea, which was stripped of the right due to concerns about security, infrastructure and facilities.

With an eye on co-hosting the 2030 World Cup, Morocco grabbed this golden opportunity and made the most of it. They built world-class stadiums, pitches and above all set a new commercial benchmark for African football. CAF confirmed it as the most lucrative edition in the tournament’s history, with sponsorship partners flooding from all over the world underling the competition’s widened international appeal.

From the very twinkling lights of the exquisitely choreographed opening ceremony to the last shuffles of Sadio Mane before hoisting the trophy to the heavens was, I may say, an absolute cinema.

In this context, Morocco deserves all the commendation. No one is taking that away from them. Dima Maghreb.

2. As a tactical analyst;

I was keen on the philosophies displayed by the real tacticians. There were moments I was in an awe of a small nation’s build-up like Benin or other’s attacking flair like Mozambique; moments of bedlam like those involving Equatorial Guinea and Burkina Faso and;

Moments I became overly emotional. Seeing Sudanese supporters tear up to bits because they’ve just watched their national team defying logic at the biggest continental stage, daring to believe and making them proud despite the turmoil. It was an emotional release for them. So it was for me: east African, living in a turmoil.

3. Egypt PL and SPL

This tournament to some extent enhanced the reputation of the domestic leagues in Egypt and South Africa. The rise of these leagues was evident in the number of locally-based players selected for their national teams: 22 players for the Pharaohs and 17 for Bafana Bafana.

The quality of these leagues is also apparent in the biggest continental club competition which is the CAF Champions League. Last season’s semi-finals consisted of two teams from each league: Al Ahly and Pyramids(Egypt); Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates(South Africa).

DRAWBACKS:

1. No giant-killings

As the tournament marched on, my biggest surprise was that there weren't any surprises at all. AFCON has a history of weaker nations causing upsets by knocking some of the ‘big dogs’ out of the competition, but this term that wasn’t the case. 

The main reason there were no upsets or underdog stories in this edition, I believe, was the high-quality pitches. How? Most of the big footballing nations have players who compete in Europe or countries with top-class playing surfaces, while the smaller nations’ players mostly play in leagues where conditions are not always ideal. In the past, this difference in pitch quality often favored smaller nations but this time, it was the other way around.

All of the heavy-hitters went deep into the tournament. Out of the nine(9) of FIFA’s highest ranking holders were in the quarter-finals. It was a new feat set by this edition.

2. ‘Woke’ AFCON

Another subtle difference in this AFCON from the past tournaments was the lack of free-will in the battlefield. We missed those jaw-dropping goals you can’t help but watch them on loop with constant awe and applause: screamers, bicycle kicks, long-range free-kicks, banger after banger coming from every corner of the field. Dribbling and free-styling, proper African celebrations, etc. 

Let me be clear. I’m not a big fan of the mere motive of meme-ficationing of AFCON. However, vibes are an innate pleasure that runs through our veins. This time around, vibes were missing. This AFCON looked somewhat robotic. A bit westernized.

3. Lack of fan engagement

Fans in AFCON have always been the driving force. They ignite raucous atmospheres, thunderous chants and songs, drums, dances and devotedly paint their bare bodies in their nation’s colors. That’s a striking display of support. They are the lifeblood of the event. Each brings a different culture and flavor to the tournament. They engage and also banter. 

And while it seems to be as a glaring matter to all, South Africa’s head coach Hugo Broos is the biggest name to candidly deliver an assessment and express a deep nostalgia for the previous editions of the tournament. 

“I don’t feel the same vibe I felt in Ivory Coast or Gabon, where every second of the tournament you felt like you were truly in a tournament. There is no vibe here; there is no typical AFCON atmosphere,” Broos said.

He added:” No body is coming to watch the game. When we went with the bus to train[in the last edition in Ivory Coast], the people were waving and carrying flags. Here, you see nothing.”

4. East Africa is so bad at football

My biggest takeaway of the tournament was that we east Africans, as much as it hurts to say it, are far behind in football than the other regions.

We rarely manage to qualify for major tournaments and on the few occasions we do, registering a positive result is an equal task of climbing the Kilimanjaro mountains barefoot. Our only win this whole tournament came courtesy of Sudan.

Why is east Africa so bad at football? Is a lingering question to me that refused to leave my mind for the length of this tournament, prior and after. A question vast like an ocean. Entire books could be written about it. There is not a single definitive answer. Many things piling up at once, but I’ll try to outline the three main reasons in my opinion:

A) Poor Governance: football federations in the region plagued by corruption, mismanagement and lack of planning.

B) Weak Domestic Leagues: Living in Mogadishu, I don’t even know when the local league starts and the schedule(because there’s no one). I bet no one else does.

Definitely the most deficient but the neighboring leagues don’t raise the bar much. Underfunded, lack of infrastructure and investment, low quality and facilities.

C) Nonexistent Youth Development. Nonexistent.

5. Substandard officiating

I was profoundly disappointed by the standard of officiating at this tournament, given the progress made in recent years. We witnessed constant ambiguity surrounding refereeing decisions, formal complaints from nations, and most baffling of all, omission of some of the continent’s finest referees from tournament’s biggest fixtures.

Take Omar Artan, for instance, Africa’s Referee of the Year. He was reduced to only two matches, both in the group stages of the competition.

He was also initially appointed to officiate the match between Algeria and Nigeria but was relieved of duties a day before kick-off, with no official explanation provided yet.

Farcical is an understatement for what happened in the final. And to be fair, given how dubious the officiating had been throughout the tournament, it was about time something like that happened for the sheer incompetence of referees.

Since the very first kick, there was a narrative floating around that the hosts were being given favorable treatment by the officiation. The controversy gained momentum after Morocco was in the right end of several refereeing decisions as the tournament went on.

6. Pandemonium in the final

A day before the final, Senegalese Football Federation raised concerns and lodged a complaint to the CAF regarding a number of issues such as security of the players, hotel and training facilities. They also complained about the ticket allocation for fans that was only 2,850 tickets when the capacity of the stadium is nearly 70,000!

That was such a psychological blow for them already and it definitely was enough to flip the form.

After the final, Morocco’s head coach Walid Regragui accused his Senegalese counterpart, Pape Thiaw, of having brought shame on African football. While I’m not against that claim at all, this seems to me as a pot calling the kettle black. 

Regragui himself, his players, squad and fans produced moments of classless and twisted behaviour during this AFCON.

Surely, I’m not the only person with the idea of Morocco’s conduct in this tournament substantially contributing to the ‘shame’ that has gone down.

Amid remarkable scenes on the pitch, involving refereeing decisions, Senegal somehow survived a slaughter after their veteran goalkeeper kept their hopes utterly alive and saved Brahim’s panenka penalty in the closing seconds of the game that caused the Senegal players to storm off the pitch threatening a forfeit. Some saw that act as a funny and entertaining matter while I felt a fair share of disgust in my guts.

The clash advanced to extra-time. This time right here, Moroccan fans and, even more astonishingly, players engaged in a remarkable piece of unsporting behaviour and hostile actions as the match neared its conclusion.

Edouard Mendy was repeatedly targeted in an attempt of disruption and efforts to unsettle him at crucial moments. Footage showed Morocco substitute players urging their fans to take Mendy’s equipment and an even more appalling act, however, was the sight of some players throwing the keeper’s towels into the stands. Among those players were Achraf Hakimi, the holder of Africa’s most individual award(Africa Footballer of the Year) and PSV midfielder Ismael Saibari.

The matter escalated when Senegal’s reserve goalkeeper, Yehvann Diouf, interfered and stepped in to protect his teammate and his equipment. But Moroccans aren’t stopping there.

Diouf was tackled to the ground and dragged around on the turf by ball boys! He is a continental finalist and a professional footballer! Let that sink in bruv! For what though? For an aim of stealing Mendy’s towel mid-match. That player was standing in the rain, fighting and confronting Moroccans to protect them from taking the towels away. It is not only in this game. It also happened to Nigeria’s goalie, Nwabili.

After all the mayhem, final over. What could have been a laudable edition of AFCON ended in utter commotion in the final. Senegal victorious. Morocco beaten in their home soil. One of the most incredible pieces of drama you’ll ever see came to an end.

With Atlas Lions’ 50 years long drought on winning AFCON extended, that was a golden chance for them to get their hands on the trophy, but they squandered that opportunity in an unedifying manner.

And, with CAF and FIFA alike condemning Senegal’s disruption of the game and breach of regulations; fines and suspensions are likely to follow. Nevertheless, one of their players stood out as a hero and, surely, has mortilized his legacy in African football: Sadio Mane.