The opening set of AFCON 2023 fixtures lived up to expectations, with plenty of upsets in a weekend that saw some special goals and nail-biting finishes to matches.
We caught up with 1994 AFCON winner and Bet9ja Ambassador Victor Ikpeba who told us the real reason why AFCON is so rife with drama and why smaller teams manage to pull off these big shocks so often, despite lacking the star power of more established footballing nations.
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Minnows no longer exist in AFCON!
One thing that has changed significantly in AFCON since I was playing is the quality of the so-called smaller teams. The Super Eagles’ 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea wasn’t a bad result – people used to assume that Nigeria would walk past teams like this, but that is no longer the case.
Even though they don’t have many notable players, their captain has extensive La Liga and English Premier League experience and will be able to draw on that experience to motivate his team. Another aspect that we can easily ignore is the weather conditions in Ivory Coast – it is really, really hot and a lot of top nations’ players will be more used to playing in the cooler parts of Europe. Small things like this make a big difference.
You can’t compare it to club football!
Another common misconception is that you can compare AFCON to club football or even other international tournaments. The tactical approach is completely different because of the limited time that players will have with each other over a year in comparison to club sides. This really levels the playing field for smaller nations, who often thrive in the chaos of AFCON.
Another point is that you rarely see players from African sides who are also teammates at club level. They can’t build up the same relationship on the pitch that they might do with their regular teammates.
Enjoy AFCON at the official partner of the Super Eagles’ “Let’s Do It Again” campaign!
