It is truly strange, the state of football in our dark continent. While we wait for a footballing renaissance that matches the talent of our players, the governing bodies shock us with decisions that make “paradox” the law and “oddity” the daily norm.
The Blatant Contradiction: Prize and Penalty at Once!
What football logic allows a team to be crowned with the “Fair Play” award, only for the same federation (CAF) to later issue harsh penalties against them for failing to adhere to sportsmanship rules? This conflict doesn’t just reflect a breakdown in communication between CAF’s committees; it strikes at the heart of the credibility of honorary awards, making them seem like nothing more than “throwing darts in the eyes.”
Chaos as an Investment Project
The shocking part isn’t just failure to manage and secure a continental final from chaos, but the “financial profit” the organizers reap from it. When fine revenues exceed the million-dollar mark due to events that could have been avoided with tight logistical organization, the question becomes legitimate:
- Has chaos become a deliberate project
- Have organizational errors become an investment that pours money into the federation’s treasury rather than a lesson for development?
The Continent of Paradoxes
Addressing the “reaction” (fan riots or player protests) by imposing hefty financial fines while ignoring the “cause” (poor organization, weak planning, and provocative decisions) is a consecration of the policy of “looking forward.” In Africa, it seems everything has a price-even organizational failure has a bill paid by everyone except the person primarily responsible.
In conclusion, African football will remain trapped in a vicious cycle as long as “noise” generates profits, and as long as real reform remains hidden behind the curtain of financial profits, and as long as real reform remains hidden behind the curtain of financial penalties that change nothing of the reality.
