Mimi Fawaz is a sports journalist who is covering the Africa Cup of Nations for BBC Focus on Africa and BBC Sport. She has been in Cameroon since the commencement of the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON 2021.
In the course of her assignment, she has traversed the entire country, moving from one host city to another and has been stunned by the high level of competition witnessed in this edition of AFCON.
“It’s been very enjoyable,” she said, when asked about her impression, so far. “The tournament has been full of surprises, suspense, and very unpredictable. And that makes it exciting. Underdogs made a very strong statement here.”
Fawaz said while debutants, The Gambia and Comoros Island were having a wonderful tournament, pulling fantastic but unexpected results, erstwhile defending champions, Algeria were anonymous. “Algeria as defending champions were tipped as one of the favourites. They came to Cameroon as Arab Cup champions, with the longest winning streak of 35 matches but had the worst tournament,” she recalled.. Equatorial Guinea beat Algeria in their opening group match, the rest is history. “They were the biggest flops of the tournament.”
She also mentioned Ivory Coast as another tean that failed to live up to expectations.tean that failed to live up to expectations.
Fawaz who said she was pained by the ‘cruel’ exit of the Super Eagles from the tournament, praised the Nigerian team for her early success. “I was disappointed that they crashed out in the Round of 16 because they were the best team in the group stage. I always support the Eagles and they started well. I felt a personal loss when they exited the scene because I am of Nigerian descent.”
Of all the teams tipped as favourites, only Senegal and, to some extent, Egypt stood the test of time. Incidentally, the two countries have the best two African players today in Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah. While Mane and his Lions of Tarenga will be seeking their first continental title, Salah and the Pharaohs will be seeking a record-extending 8th title.
“It’s a difficult one to call.” Fawaz said, when asked to predict the outcome of today’s final between Senegal and Egypt. “Previous predictions have turned out to be useless. This is an encounter involving two of the biggest names in football and they are teammates at club level. Senegal will be seeking their first title, in their second consecutive final(three overall). If they win it, they will be worthy champions. Egypt are trying to extend their record. But for Salah, it will be more than that. If he wins it, he would have sealed his status as an all time great in Egyptian football folklore.”
Generally, she said AFCON has been an unforgettable experience for her as she has made ftiends with colleagues from other countries, football fans and locals. “It’s been a wonderful experience,” she enthused