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Roadtrip! Taking the Bus to the World Cup … Seriously

by Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq.

I thought he was joking. Several months ago, my cousin suggested that we fly to Kenya get a bunch of people together, rent a bus, drive to South Africa, attend the World Cup, and then sell the bus and go home. I was tempted. Very tempted. But at this stage in my life, and his, the trip was never very likely.

Turns out he wasn’t the only one with this brilliant idea. Seven days of travel through Eastern and Southern Africa and four border crossings is not too much to sacrifice for some.

But check this out. Akamba, a public bus company in Kenya, has put together a package costing US$ 2,500 (KSh 197,500) which includes transport, food and a seven day stay in South Africa. That’s how much some people paid for just a plane ticket. Not to mention, the trip includes stops on the Zambezi River and at Victoria Falls. For anyone trying to put that trip together themselves, you might just want to give Akamba a call to get a real African experience.

(Are there fake African experiences? Indeed.)

The stories of dedication are just beginning. As we come across more over the next few weeks, we’ll be looking forward to sharing them with you.

Interested in more details about the seven day overland trip from Nairobi of Johannesburg? Check it out here.

I thought he was joking. Several months ago, my cousin suggested that we fly to Kenya, get a bunch of people together, rent a bus, drive to South Africa, attend the World Cup, and then sell the bus and fly back to the States. I was tempted. Very tempted. But at this stage in my life, and his, the trip was never very likely to happen. Ten years ago, it definitely would have happened. In fact, I’d be on that bus right now making one bad decision after another. (more…)

Culture | Supporters
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Globalization

Samuel Eto’o’s Question: Is the World Ready for an African Champion?

by Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq.

He leans forward animatedly: “The question we have all the time is whether an African team is able to win the World Cup. But the real question is whether the world is ready for an African team to become champions?”

Does he believe some officials might still subconsciously favour the more traditional European and South American powerhouses over the six African teams? “I’m still a player,” Eto’o smiles. “I can’t say that sort of thing. We’ve covered a lot of ground in the last 20 years and in Europe so many leading players are African. If we prepare properly, then one of the African teams can do something special.”

He leans forward animatedly: “The question we have all the time is whether an African team is able to win the World Cup. But the real question is whether the world is ready for an African team to become champions?

Does he believe some officials might still subconsciously favour the more traditional European and South American powerhouses over the six African teams? “I’m still a player,” Eto’o smiles. “I can’t say that sort of thing. We’ve covered a lot of ground in the last 20 years and in Europe so many leading players are African. If we prepare properly, then one of the African teams can do something special.”

– Donald McRae’s interview with Samuel Eto’o (via The Guardian)

Interesting comments by Eto’o. Eto’o’s struggles with racism in European football have been chronicled. Unfortunately, the only reason his struggles have been chronicled is because he is a bone fide global superstar. (more…)

Globalization | Outside the Lines
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Culture

Rewarding Dedication With A World Cup: Randomness, Awesomeness and Identity In Africa

by Miriti Murungi

Rewarding love is a worthwhile endeavor. A reward signifies acknowledgment that the recipient is seen and appreciated. The South African World Cup is an exciting time for South Africans who have been loving soccer for decades. But if you look closely at how Africa has reacted since 2004 when South Africa was awarded the World Cup, you will notice that much of Africa has been acting as if they are co-hosts, as if this is the first communally-hosted World Cup. If this concept is difficult to grasp, just think of how excited Canadians would be if Mexico won the right to host the World Cup, or how excited the French would be at the prospect of an Italian World Cup, (more…)

Culture | Supporters
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Coaching

One Style Does Not Fit All: Deconstructing A Universal Football Style

by Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq.

Africa has some of the best footballers in the world dominating some of the world’s best leagues. Yet African nations tend to struggle when their players come together for internationals. What gives? The easy answer to this conundrum almost always begins and ends with what has become a familiar refrain; African football lacks discipline. But if that’s the case, someone needs to explain why African teams have dominated for years at the youth level. Consistently beating the best footballing nations must require a certain level of organization and discipline even at the youth level, no? Surely the answer to this age old problem is more complex than discipline. (more…)

Coaching | The Game
2 Comments So Far

Culture

Puma Football Commercials Keep Getting It Right

by Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq.

Puma somehow always seems to get it right. I mean you can hardly go wrong when you can capture Emmanuel Eboue dancing.

Here is a Puma commercial that takes you right into the African streets and stadiums. It’s amazing what can be captured in a minute and a half. This, my friends, is called storytelling. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Well done, Puma. (more…)

Culture | TV/Movies/Books/Web
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Coaching

Ivory Coast Provides Another Example of African Football’s Dependence Problem

by Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq.

So we’re still waiting on the announcement of the Ivory Coast job. Sven Goran Eriksson and Bernd Schuster are known to be on the shortlist. In the last couple of days, former Manchester City boss Mark Hughes has sadly surfaced as an option, probably because of his wildly successful stints at Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City. You already know how I feel about the African coaching selection process. But after this recent news of Mark Hughes’ inclusion on the shortlist for the Ivory Coast job, it is clear that someone is playing a practical joke. (more…)

Coaching | The Game
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Coaching

Nigeria Might As Well Hire Me Next: Systemic Problems in African Hiring

by Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq.

Nigeria has appointed Swede Lars Lagerback as their new national team coach on a five-month contract. I’m still trying to figure out why. I wrote an earlier piece about African nations’ perpetual need to hire foreigners to lead African teams. With the firing of Nigerian Shaibu Amodu, there’s only one remaining African coach poised to lead a side at Africa’s first World Cup, Algeria’s Rabah Saadane.

This isn’t about xenophobia. It is about understanding why African FAs always end up paying so much money to foreigners who, more often than not, end up turning in the same results as local coaches.

Over the past few decades, the Nigerian coaching job has been just about as stable as the Nigerian Presidency. (more…)

Coaching | The Game
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Uncategorized

Daily Banter – 3.2.2010

by Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq.

We’ll have a piece on this later in the week, but thought we’d throw this out now. Nigeria just appointed Swede Lars Lagerback to coach the national team on a five month contract, which obviously runs through the World Cup. Why do coaches with no experience in Africa keep getting appointed to lead African sides? Foreign coaches haven’t exactly had mind blowing results leading African sides, but they sure get paid a lot, and ultimately fired like everyone else.

Uncategorized
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