WORLDSCENE/African Nation's Cup: The Sacking of coaches, player disputes over money, political interference and worries about infrastructural shortcomings form a familiar background to the run-in to the 23rd edition of the African Nations Cup, due to start next Saturday in the Mali capital of Bamako, when host team Mali face Liberia in the brand new Chinese-built 26 March Stadium.
This 45-year-old competition has already prompted controversy in the host country, with many Malians questioning the wisdom of a poor West African country spending upwards of €150 million on a sporting extravaganza.
Organising committee president Ibrahima Makanguile admitted recently that he had not slept properly during the last three and a half years of preparations for the 16-nation, three-week-long finals. Among the problems he has had to face is the fact that one of the match venues, Kayes, is almost inaccessible by road.
Makanguile has been busy negotiating with South African authorities for help with transport, above all for planes to ferry teams, officials and journalists to Kayes.
The organisers have also spent an extra €1.5 million on a new boulevard at the 26 March stadium to avoid a repeat of the chaos that marred the stadium's inauguration last October, when over 20 people were hurt during mini-riots.
As for the football, the organisers obviously hope that home team Mali go as far as possible, thus stimulating local interest and filling the stadia. To that end, match tickets have been fixed at the modest price of 60 cent.
Despite all the concerns, Malian President Alpha Oumar Konare has promised that Mali 2002 will be a "beautiful party" launched with a ceremony "the likes of which Africa has never seen".
In footballing terms, he may well be right, since sides such as Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia can all play a bit. A cursory glance at squad lists shows how effectively the old European colonial powers have plundered African football talent.
Take Senegal, the side who will face holders France in the opening game of this summer's World Cup and who in these African finals have been drawn with Egypt, Tunisia and Zambia. Nineteen members of the 22-man squad play their football in France, and two in Switzerland.
African Cup holders Cameroon, who have a World Cup date with Ireland in June, have named an entirely European-based squad including players from English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Turkish clubs.
That the African players have learned a thing or two from their time in Europe was underlined last week when the Senegal squad threatened to boycott the tournament unless bonuses for their World Cup qualification were honoured. After being guaranteed €6,500 per player, plus a contribution towards renewing football infrastructures in Senegal, the players agreed to participate.
Perhaps the Senegalese players were wary of the sort of apparent political interference which led to the sacking last week of Burkina Faso's Argentine coach, Oscar Fullone. The communique announcing Fullone's dismissal was released not by the Burkina Faso FA but by Information Minister Theodore Kilimite.
As we write, Nigeria are threatened with having two players removed from their squad by way of punishment for a late submission of the squad list. Not, given the strength of Nigerian soccer, that a player or two matters much.Stand by for the "beautiful party" .
