Tag: news

An African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Every 4 Years?

On By Dr. Y.In Great MomentsLeave a comment
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) logo

On December 20, at the beginning of The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON / CAN), we were informed by the Confederation of African football (CAF)’s president Patrice Motsepe that the AFCON, Africa’s biggest international football tournament, will now be staged every four years following an edition planned for 2028 in a major change to what is currently a biennial showpiece. Was there a vote? A referendum? A poll? before this change was made?

Pierre Ndaye Mulamba playing for Zaire at the 1974 World Cup (Source: footrdc.com)

The AFCON, Africa’s most prestigious football competition, has been held every two years since its very first edition in 1957, but over the last 15 years it has struggled to find a convenient place in the global calendar. It used to be held on even years until 2013, when it switched to odd-numbered years, to please the European football clubs, and now it will revert back to even years. It has produced legendary moments and stars like Abedi Pele of Ghana, Théophile Abega and Roger Milla of Cameroon, Laurent Pokou and Alain Gouaméné of Cote d’Ivoire, Pierre Ndaye Mulamba of Zaire (now DRC), Rashidi Yekini and Nwankwo Kanu of Nigeria, Jacques Mamounoubala of Congo-Brazzaville, El Hadji Diouf of Senegal, Salif Keïta of Mali, Hossam Hassan and Essam El-Hadary of Egypt, Rabah Madjer of Algeria, Benedict McCarthy of South Africa, and countless others. Egypt is the most successful nation in the cup’s history, winning the tournament seven times, with Cameroon winning five times and Ghana four times. A total of fifteen countries have won the cup in the tournament’s history.

Teams qualified for AFCON 2025 (Source: CAFonline.com)

Motsepe revealed the change was made as part of a significant restructuring of the international game on the continent to help it fit better into a packed global calendar. “Our focus now is on this AFCON but in 2027 we will be going to Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, and the AFCON after that will be in 2028,” Motsepe told reporters in Rabat, on the eve of the opening game of this year’s Morocco-hosted Cup of Nations. “Then after the FIFA Club World Cup in 2029 we will have the first African Nations League… with more prize money, more resources, more competition. … As part of this arrangement, the AFCON now will take place once every four years.”

Map of Africa

For a lover of African football, this decision makes no sense. It is no secret that European clubs have constantly been against the organization of the AFCON, because once every 2 years, they “lose” African players who need to go play for their countries for one month. These clubs try to delay their African players’ departures, or in some cases block them. From the pressure of these European football clubs, the AFCON was moved to once every odd years, as opposed to even years; then to summer in 2019 in Egypt; then now in Morocco, it is taking place from half of December to mid-January, so as not to affect their schedules; and even then they still refuse to release some players or delay others. Historically, the AFCON has always taken place from early January to early February, for one month. There are usually heavy rainy seasons in many countries on the continent in the summer, from June to August, or it is winter for those in the southern hemisphere; hence the prior choice to hold it at the beginning of the year. Now the AFCON will be moving to once every 4 years,… drum rolls… in the summer! Where is the smarts in that? It is clearly to satisfy those big clubs!

AFCON Morocco 2025 (Source: CAFonline.com)

The AFCON is not just a soccer tournament or the opium of the crowds, but rather a way among others to develop the continent. Every country which hosts the tournament has to build roads, infrastructures, that help towards the development of the country, and the continent as a whole. One argument that CAF gives is that it is very costly… sure, but do we need to host the tournament in 10,000 stadiums? Wouldn’t 3 or 5 be enough? Then we are told that Africans are too poor, and their football quality is not that great. But isn’t that the point of this, to develop African football? Is the point only to be a talent pool for Europe? African populations are young, and we need to develop our own. If we cannot have those players who play in the European clubs, can’t we have locals play? We are told that there will instead be an African Nations League that will have more competitions and generate more revenues. Will the same big football clubs which currently have issues suddenly stop having issues then? It sounds more like a way to scout and retrieve sprouting talents more than anything else.

The current AFCON trophy (Source: theeagleonline.com.ng)

Without being pessimistic, this sounds more like the end of African football, unless something is done about it. At this rate, there is for sure no way an African team would ever win a world cup or aspire to be competitive enough to win. After the brain drain, now we have the football drain, which has been taking place for years. Let’s face it, Europe is the best place for a player, and European clubs can afford to pay them big bucks, but shouldn’t Africans have a say on their own Cup? Couldn’t their cup be about them? To those who say we live in a global world, that is true, but in order to have global stars or for the big clubs to find the next Maradona, or Pele, there needs to be a local and regular continental cup to develop the talent!

Pirates of the Caribbeans in Venezuela, or the Renewed Face of the Far West

On By Dr. Y.In Great MomentsLeave a comment
Flag of Venezuela

The year 2026 started with a bang! We were awakened in the wee hours of Saturday January 3rd with a thunderous slap across the face as we heard that the US military’s elite Delta forces had kidnapped the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro and his wife, from the heart of Caracas, the capital, and flown them out of the country. The news left us stunned, as it felt out-of-this world. The blatant show of force displayed by the American military and president seemed uncalled for. Yes… it showed amazing precision, all done within a few hours, over the weekend so as not to perturb the financial markets too much.

El Commandante de la Revolucion, Hugo Chavez

The excuse given by the Americans to strangle Venezuela and abduct its president, i.e. that it is a narco-terrorist state is simply that, an excuse. It is no secret that Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, and it is also no secret that American governments from right to left (from Bush to Obama) have been trying to topple the Venezuelan government since Hugo Chavez gave their oil companies the boot and nationalized the country’s oil reserves. Venezuela sits atop an estimated 303 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, about 17 percent of the global total and more than Saudi Arabia, whose reserves stand at about 267 billion barrels. Moreover, Venezuela, as a member of the BRICS was planning to trade entirely in other currencies, which would have signaled the end of the dollar!

Libya, the Prey of the West
Libya, the Prey of the West

This show of force is nothing new, whether it is from the Americans or the Europeans… remember the joint NATO attacks on Libya in 2011 which destabilized the entire North and West regions of Africa and where we heard Hillary Clinton’s cackling after Colonel Gaddafi was killed; or the bombing of the Ivory Coast presidential palace in 2011 when the president and his wife were paraded in front of world cameras; or even the capture of Manuel Noriega of Panama by American forces which happened coincidentally (probably not) on January 3, 1990. It is good to note that, as admitted by HRC herself, Gaddafi was killed because he was about to launch the gold dinar, a currency that would have been adopted over all of Africa, thus providing an alternative to the FCFA in Francophone Africa, and eventually replacing the mighty dollar in trading. Thus, there are strong similarities between the fall of Gaddafi, and the abduction of Maduro: the end of the dollar as the mighty currency used by all to trade for oil.

The present kidnapping of president Maduro also makes us wonder how this could have been possible in just a few hours, without the presence of “The Cancer of Betrayal” our comrade Amilcar Cabral talked about. A Cancer of Betrayal which may have lingered in the heart of the Venezuelan security and state. After many years of embargo imposed on the country by the US and its cronies, money can sway many.

Far West Town

These actions highlight a few things. It is clear to ALL that the United Nations should either be dissolved or re-thought to serve ALL interests: it is an organization that only serves the West’s interests, the powerful North, against the South. In a statement, Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General said “Independently of the situation in Venezuela [Guterres has previously questioned the legitimacy of Maduro’s leadership – yet he never questioned our numerous leaders who were elected with numbers out of this world] , these developments constitute a dangerous precedent. The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect – by all – of international law, including the UN Charter.” It is also clear to ALL, that there is no international justice… that justice works only against those of the global south who serve the interests of their people. There is no such thing as “The International Community.” It is also clear that international diplomacy or the stick to beat the weak, has been exposed for all to see… There is no international law, no respect of territorial integrity, and definitely no political independence of states. We, Africans of the global South, already knew that we were not independent, but now, even the blind can see. We have entered the era of the Far West, where the strongest can claim justice for themselves, and use the MSM to fabricate lies and tarnish, and then abduct presidents of other places. There are so many bad presidents out there, but given that they are good puppets of the West, nothing happens to them.

There are quite a few articles on the events in Venezuela, including, The petrodollar at war, Petrodollar power play, Venezuela after Maduro, and US removal of Maduro has potential to reshape global oil market… and thousands of others out there.

The message to any sensible and respectful leader is clear: beware! and more importantly strengthen yourself… for no one can face a bully without protecting oneself. This is the era of the Far West, stay alert!

President Biden’s First Visit to Africa : The Lobito Atlantic Railway Project

On By Dr. Y.In Great MomentsLeave a comment
Angola President João Lourenço welcomes U.S. President Joe Biden on the day of his arrival on Dec 4, 2024, at Catumbela Airport in Catumbela, Angola 

What could a president who has just pardoned his son from crimes during thanksgiving weekend when everybody was asleep, be doing in a lightning visit to Africa in the ending times of his term? It sounds fishy right? As we have learnt in the past, the transition times are the shady times of an administration. So what was President Biden doing in Angola at this time? Why wait until the end of his term for his first visit to Africa? Why was he not then at the re-opening ceremony of the Notre Dame Cathedral in France with all world leaders at the end of the week? We are told that this lightning first visit to Africa is to cement a deal that will benefit Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Zambia: the deal called the Lobito Atlantic Railway project.

A map of the Lobito Atlantic Railway project (Source: LobitoCorridor.org)

The Lobito Corridor is connected by a stretch of railway infrastructure snaking through mineral (70% of the world’s cobalt is found in the DRC) and oil-rich parts of Angola, the DRC, and Zambia (70% of the world’s copper). Many of these minerals are considered critical for the energy transition adding an additional layer of urgency (The New Scramble for Africa, The Geological Scandal that is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), DRC and Zambia Sign Over Cobalt and Copper Resources Rights to the United States?, When Einstein Wrote to the US President about Congo for its Uranium ). The Lobito project provides a faster access route to the mines in these parts of the world and a pathway to the Atlantic Ocean. The rail route was established in the early 1900s and thrived until the mid-1970s. During the dark days of Angola, in the civil war era, the Angolan parts of the railway were destroyed. From 2006 to 2015, the Lobito project was resurrected/rehabilitated by the Chinese government in the region, who spent over $2 billion rail-for-oil program, but JLo as João Lourenço, the president of Angola is known, has decided to change hands from the Chinese to the Americans and Europeans. In 2022, the Lobito Atlantic Railway concession, a 30-year concession (extendable an additional 20 years), was awarded to a consortium of Western companies.

Lobito Atlantic Railway (Source: Angola24horas.com)

This investment represents the first alternative from Washington DC to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. As President Biden said in 2023 during JLo’s visit to Washington, “This [the Lobito railway project] first-of-its kind project is the biggest US rail investment in Africa ever,” … “A partnership between Angola and America is more important and more impactful than ever.” President Hichilema of Zambia said, “This corridor is of vital importance to opening up our countries, to opening up our regions, the continent, and truly the global economy,… This project is a huge opportunity for investment, for trade.”

Many see the Lobito Atlantic Railway project more as a West (US/Europe) vs. East (China) war interest on the African continent; while some imagine a money laundering scheme (after all Africa is known for its opacity in accounting) in the last days of an outgoing administration. You, dear reader, what do you think this is?

For more information, please read the Lobito Corridor, US News, CNN, and the White House press release.