Sadio Mane & The African Cup of Nations: In need of evolution and World recognition.

Sadio Mane and Senegal were recently crowned Kings of Africa following their AFCON Final victory over Egypt, and it’s high time there’s proper respect given to the continent and its competition.

Nothing’s changed with African football. It’s the Africa Cup of Nations once again, and there was another winner from the tournament. A series of social media posts showing the victory lap or celebrations by players and fans, and that’s it. The euphoria evaporates into thin air, and Europe or the World will never speak of it again until it comes again two years later.

Most European clubs dread the biennial competition because it takes some of the top stars out for over a month, allowing them to miss domestic leagues. The Premier League’s newly introduced winter break somewhat offsets the damage to clubs missing their African stars, which was Arsenal and Liverpool this season. However, the off-field politics rather takes the charm away from the tournament itself.

Sky Sports decided to broadcast the tournament to its viewers, while most of the world relied upon social media to get a gist of what was happening in Cameroon. In all, the tournament needs the respect of the football fraternity and fans of the game worldwide, for the competition is easily comparable and somewhat equal to their Euro and Copa America counterparts.

Sadio Mane & Senegal deserve respect from Europe and the world.

Senegal beat Egypt in the African Cup of Nations Final on penalties, which was also the nation’s first-ever continental crown. Former Chelsea great Didier Drogba shared a video on social media signifying the importance of winning the continental title. A huge crowd gathered around the team bus to welcome their newly crowned Champion.

Drogba also mentions the words ‘Little Tournament’ against those who considered the AFCON that way. We will talk about it later, but for now, the focus remains on Sadio Mane and his Senegal side, who have collectively achieved their dreams of winning a major trophy for their country.

For years, AFCON winners have been constantly overlooked for FIFA awards. If a star player is to win the Euros, Copa America or the World Cup, they automatically take precedence over the AFCON, which has been consistently ignored over the years. This systematic overlook needs to stop as African stars deserve immense credit for their contributions to the game. 

George Weah of Liberia was the first and only African star the Ballon d’Or was bestowed upon. Since that eventful night in 1995, when the current Liberian president was awarded and named the FIFA World Player of the Year later, there has not been a single African representative there.

AFCON is equal to the Euros or Copa America

Premier League side Watford shamelessly posted a message for their player, Ismaila Sarr, upon winning the AFCON. The same club had relentlessly created havoc for Senegal before the tournament by initially blocking Sarr’s participation. They did everything in their power to stop the attacker from joining up with his country and eventual champions. Now they are joining up in the celebration.

Similarly, many other top European clubs and leagues lobbied to cancel the tournament altogether, claiming Covid as the major issue. In a video bashed those opposing the tournament condemned their actions, Former Arsenal star Ian Wright cited the Euros hosted by many European nations when the pandemic was at its peak.

It’s high time we treat the AFCON as we would consider the Euros or Copa America. They deserve respect for being one of the longest-running continental tournaments in the world. That said, there’s no bigger honour for a footballer than representing his nation, and the same goes for Africans.