USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: {ASRF} AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS

Brother Ike & SIR Toyin:

It is great to see that even in our 70s, in age, soccer is still hot in our bloodstreams! My young adult male children laugh and scream to see me, with ripe grey hair, dribbling a soccer ball with agility and skill on our backyard; in fact, as teenagers, I taught them soccer to become strikers and great goalkeepers at USA high school (or African secondary school) levels.

Honestly, the results of the final Africa Cup of Nations' championship soccer match -- Senegal 4 and Egypt 2 in penalty kicks-- showed clearly that Senegal and Egypt are, equally, the best two continental soccer nations today, although Senegal won. In fact, Sir Stanley Matthews (1915-2000), for example, was the great British soccer maestro of the 1960s,  who easily scored with "hat tricks", dribbling, and powerful shots. He often said, in interviews about penalty kicks,  in deciding soccer match outcomes, that they simply showed which side had either a more creative or a more disciplined goalkeeper, but not the better team. That is also why after spending some quality time watching the action-packed Senegal-Egypt continental final soccer championship match, my two sons (as soccer enthusiasts) and I concluded that -- just like both of your mixed feelings -- the match could have been better, although both countries can stand out  today as Africa's best two soccer nations!

By the way, can some of us form Grey Panthers' soccer clubs, in African capitals to start our own continental soccer league? If we do, my friends and  family will agree to donate the Grey Championship Cup, plus a sizeable part of the cash purse or award (i.e. $20,000 and the $15,000, respectively, for the winner and runner-up)! Any bait(s)?

A.B. Assensoh (the aspiring Manchester United or Liverpool United football or soccer player in the U.K. in the mid-1960s).

, with contributions from both of you as well as from other brothers as well as sisters!     

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From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Toyin Falola <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu>
Sent: Sunday, February 6, 2022 4:49 PM
To: asrfmail@googlegroups.com <asrfmail@googlegroups.com>; usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [External] USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: {ASRF} AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS

 

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Great Ike:

I watched the entire series….I am not sure we can describe the final as the "mother of all matches!" It ended in luck!! If the penalty in the first three minutes had produced a goal, perhaps the dynamics would have been different. He lost the penalty because he substituted brute force for skill. The second opportunity he had, where he used the well-tested kick to the upper corner, was a combination of skill, power and velocity.

On the whole, and without disrespect to your judgement, the quality is not impressive…the final is great.

We need to build local clubs, encourage fierce competitions, and stop the model of export-import, treating players as cocoa for chocolate.

Stay well

TF

 

From: asrfmail@googlegroups.com <asrfmail@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Emmanuel Udogu <udoguei@appstate.edu>
Date: Sunday, February 6, 2022 at 6:29 PM
To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>, asrfmail <asrfmail@googlegroups.com>
Subject: {ASRF} AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS

Congrats to Senegal! It was the "mother of all matches." It was Senegal 4, and Egypt 2, on penalty kicks. 

 

Ike Udogu

All-American (soccer)

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