Since Cameroon knocked over Maradona’s Argentina in the opening match of Italia ’90, African football has been the next big thing. Twenty years later and we’re still waiting.
The continent has never boasted more than a single representative in the second round of a World Cup and only one nation has achieved that feat more than once.
Despite the Cinderella stories, World Cups are still dominated by the powers of Europe and South America. Africa has long led the race to upset the balance of power, but the inability of any one country to compete consistently has been their downfall.
When South Africa kicks off against Mexico in June it will be the first time an African nation has played a world cup match on home soil, and possibly their best opportunity for success.
In every chapter of the African World Cup story so far a new and equally unlikely hero has emerged, while the team with the credentials has crumbled. After 1990, Cameroon’s ‘Indomitable Lions’ followed up their quarter-final appearance by finishing bottom of their group at USA ’94.
That left Nigeria to take up the mantle as Africa’s next great hope and the ‘Super Eagles’ too looked to be the real deal. They arrived at France ‘98 as Olympic champions and proceeded to knock Spain out of the tournament, before again falling in the round of 16.
But they too faded, struggling in the ‘group of death’ in 2002 before failing to qualify for Germany 2006.
At Japan/Korea 2002 the African surprise packet was Senegal, who matched Cameroon’s triumph in defeating the reigning world champions, this time France, in the opening game. Like their 1990 counterparts, these ‘Lions’ reached the quarterfinals before succumbing to Turkey in extra time.
In 2006, Senegal, Nigeria and Cameroon all remained at home as four of the five African qualifiers went to Germany as debutants. This time Ghana was the lone side to escape the group stages, only to meet Brazil in the following round.
In 2010 the front runner is unclear. The powers of the 90’s, Nigeria and Cameroon, will both return to the game’s biggest stage and will be joined by Ivoirian and Ghanaian teams laden with European based talent. Algeria too will present a challenge for their group opponents having seen off African Cup of Nations champions Egypt in order to qualify.
The home team, South Africa’s ‘Bafana Bafana’ (The Boys), have only qualified for two previous World Cups but the advantage of familiar surroundings has propelled many host nations in the past to results beyond their ability.
History and form offer little help when it comes to predicting just who will push the African angle at this world cup or how far they might go but a surprise is always on the cards.
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