Turkish-African Nations Cup Kicks Off in Style

The 6th edition of the popular Turkish-African Nations cup kicked off in style on the 23rd of June 2012 at the Ferikoy Spor Club Sisli Istanbul. The tournament which gained popularity in the European part of Turkey Istanbul is organized  by African residents in the country to promote African talents in the country and project them into top flight clubs in Turkey.
Many years past had seen the tournament produce great names in the lucrative Turkish league and in Europe in general.
Previous editions were mostly won by the African giants, Nigeria except last year edition which Ghana became the only team to break the jinx and history maintained by the Nigerian team for five consecutive times.
The tournament which was previously sponsored by a foreign Turkish based bank, Finans Bank always start during the summer of every year (between June and July). This year's tournament is not an exception as fans were yearning earnestly for the kick off of the prestigious tournament despite the fact that former big name sponsors like Finans bank and Aikon global due to internal problems within planning committee of the African community responsible for the organization of the event, pulled out from the sponsorship.
This led to individual and underground companies springing up to sponsor teams of their choice. Due to lack of financial backbone or sponsors, some big teams like South Africa, Senegal, Mali, and Congo pulled out of the tournament at the dying minutes.
A Nigerian based company, Kalacci Investment Limited  owned by Mr. Collins Kalu Ejim, a resident of Turkey took up the sponsorship of teams like Uganda and Tanzania while other individuals and private investors took up other teams like Nigeria, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ghana (the defending champions), Guinea and Ivory coast.
The registered teams which are eight in numbers are grouped into two:

                                  GROUP A                                     GROUP B
                                  Nigeria                                          Uganda
                                  Ghana                                           Ivory Coast
                                  Ethiopia                                        Tanzania
                                  Cameroun                                     Guinea


The opening ceremony was like expected as fans from all works of life filled the semi standard Ferikoy Spor stadium. The atmosphere was awesome with tensions, expectations and happiness. Journalists, scouts, media houses, security men, companies, and top government officials from Turkey and other African countries, all came to see wonderful talents that Africans has.

The scheduled match for the day was between Ivory coast and Uganda. As we walk into the stadium, something got our eyes as it caught rest of the spectators. It was the beautiful pictures created by the Uganda team. They had a white sleeveless polo with red combinations on both side and a red short with black and yellow combination as they warm up for the match.


As we went around, we saw the other team warming up as fans chant and hail their players. Like, they say, jerseys does not play football and we cant wait to see what happens next.

Uganda teams warming up before the scheduled match

At exactly 18:00, the stadium became very lively as the teams move into the pitch for the first match of the tournament. The Ugandan teams parade names like Chijioke Athan also known as Drogba due to his adoption of the Ivorian style of play and his countless exploits at the eighteen yard box. Other big names that made up the Ugandan teams included Kelechi (the skipper), Traore, Kunle, Sulleyman, Chijioke Onyekwu, Alaoba and Joseph Okoye to mention but few.
On the side of the Ivorian teams, we could not ascertain their names due to our inability to communicate with them due to the fact that they all speak french and little turkey, most especially, they don't have names on their jerseys like the Ugandan team.
We found out that the Ivorian team had been together for a long period and most of them play in Turkish second division league. If all the information we have are something to go by, then the Ugandans despite their beautiful jerseys and flamboyancy, are in for a big surprise.

           " Due to lack of financial backbone or sponsors, some big teams like South Africa, Senegal, Mali, and Congo pulled out of the tournament at the dying minutes."

As the Turkish referee blew the whistle, one could hear the Ugandan and Ivorian fans shouting and urging their players on.
Everything was great during the first twenty minutes except for the commentator (Mr. SS), who was making jest of himself on the microphone. It was not funny as fans became nervous and were asking him to stop. It took an early interference of some prominent members of the organizing body to calm the fans down, else, we would have had a bad day. Thank God!

At exactly 35 minutes, the Ugandan team scored the first goal through an indirect kick outside the Ivorian eighteen yards box. The Ugandan skipper Kelechi, took his time to place the ball beyound the reach of the Ivorian keeper. The whole stadium was back to life as it was calm before the goal, no thanks to SS whose insults and abuses made the fans to feel unsettled. One could hear the Ugandan fans chanting the name of their sponsor "Kala, we love you!".

Kelechi (in the middle busy with his boot), the Goal scorer during the break

The Ugandan team maintained possession all through the last quatre of the first half.
The second half was more of 50/50 possession by both teams but Ugandan team scored once again. A great foot work by Chijioke Athan (Drogba) disorganized the Ivorian defense and gave him a space to lay a through ball to Sulleyman, who shoot the ball pass the Ivorian goal keeper. It was Uganda two and Ivorian zero after about fifteen minutes of play.

             " If all the information we had are something to go by, then the Ugandans despite their beautiful jerseys and flamboyancy, are in for a big surprise"

 

Just five minutes after the second goal, the Uganda striker Chijioke Athan got injured and was replaced by Traore, another striker while Sulleyman was replaced also and the Ivorian made use of the changes to dominate the play.
At about 20 minutes, to the end of the game, the Ivorian scored a great goal. A cross from the left hand side met an unmarked Ivorian striker who headed the ball pass the stranded Ugandan goal keeper. The whole stadium which was dominated by Ugandan fans was put to ice as only few Ivorian fans could make their tiny voices heard by making use of the little airways made available by the calmness of their opponent fans.

Just before yours sincerely could say "get me my pen", it was two at piece. A cross from the right side met the leg of the Ugandan defender which deflected the ball once again pass the stranded goal keeper. It was an own goal which brought the game back as it was about sixty minutes ago.
As time flies, both teams got chances to kill the game off but none of them made use of their chances and the game ended two goals at peice.

At the table, Ivory coast is standing at the top of group A with Uganda immediately behind them, both having one point each. The next group match will be between Tanzania and Guinea on 30th of June 2012.

African Most Influential Celebrities

Forbes, an American Publishing and media outfit released names of most influential celebrities in what it called contemporary African pop culture from 7,500 nominations received on October 12, 2011.  The list which includes Musicians, Actors, TV personalities, athletes, movie producers, cerebral authors, and super models drawn all across the African continent was compiled according to number of votes received by any nominated individual.

Below are top ten most powerful icons in Africa according to Forbes:

                                                                    Number 1:

Name: Albert Chunualumogu Achebe
Nationality: Nigeria
Date of Birth : 16 November 1930
Novelist and a Professor

                                                                      Number 2:

Youssou N'dour
Nationality: Senegal
Date of Birth: October 1 1959
Musician

                                                                       Number 3:

Didier Yves Drogba Tébily
Nationality: Ivory Coast
Date of Birth: March 11, 1978
Footballer

                                                           Number 4: 

Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo
Nationality: Benin
Date of Birth: July 14, 1960
Musician

                                                                        Number 5:

Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam
Nationality: Senegal
Date of Birth: April 16, 1973
Musician

                                                                          Number 6:

Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka
Nationality: Nigeria
Date of Birth: July 13, 1934
Playwright

                                                                      Number 7:

Salif Keita
Nationality: Senegal
Date of Birth: August 25, 1949
Musician

                                                                       Number 8:

Yvonne Machaka
Nationality: South Africa
Date of Birth: 1965
Musician

                                                                     Number 9:

Oumou Sangare
Nationality: Mali
Date of Birth: February 25, 1968
Musician

                                                                    Number 10:

Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti
Nationality: Nigeria
Date of Birth: June 16, 1962
Musician

 The rest are:


 11:
Toumani Diabaté
Nationality: Mali
Date of Birth: August 10, 1965
Kora player


12:
Oliver Tuku Mtukudz
Nationality: Zimbabwe
Date of Birth: September 22, 1952
Musician


13:
Haile Gebrselassie
Nationality: Ethiopia
Date of Birth: April 18, 1973
Athlete

14:
Khaled Hadj Ibrahim
Nationality: Algeria
Date of Birth: February 29, 1960
Musician

15:
Samuel Eto'o Fils
Nationality: Cameroun
Date of Birth: March 10, 1981
Footballer

16:
Alek Wek
Nationality: Sudan
Date of Birth: April 16, 1977
Model


17:
Liya Kebede
Nationality: Ethiopia
Date of Birth: January 3, 1978
Model

18:
Dobet Gnahoré
Nationality: Ivory Coast
Date of Birth: June 17, 1983
Musician

19:
Genevieve Nnaji
Nationality: Nigeria
Date of Birth: May 3, 1979
Actress

20:
Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba (Koffi Olimide)
Nationality: Congo
Date of Birth: August 13, 1956
Musician

21:
Neill Blomkamp
Nationality: South Africa
Date of Birth: September 17, 1979
Movie Director

22:
Souad Massi
Nationality: Algeria
Date of Birth: August 23, 1972
Musician

23:
Baaba Maal
Nationality: Senegal
Date of Birth: November 12, 1953
Musician

24:
Hugh Ramopolo Masekela
Nationality: South Africa
Date of Birth: April 4, 1939
Musician

25:
Keinan Abdi Warsame (K'naan)
Nationality: Somalia
Date of Birth: 1978
Musician

26:
Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia
Nationality: Mali
Date of Birth: October 24 1954 and April 15 1958
Musicians

27:
Awilo Longomba
Nationality: Congo
Musician

28:
Eric Wainaina
Nationality: Kenya
Date of Birth: August 28, 1973
Musician

29:
Binyavanga Wainaina
Nationality: Kenya
Date of Birth: January 18, 1971
Author

30:
Ngugi Wa Thiongo
Nationality: Kenya
Date of Birth: January 5, 1938
Author

31:
Freshlyground
Nationality: South Africa
Date of Birth: 2002
Musicians

32:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Nationality: Nigeria
Date of Birth: September 15, 1977
Writer

33:
Rokia Traoré
Nationality: Mali
Date of Birth: January 26, 1974
Musician

34:
Innocent Ugah Idibia (Tuface)
Nationality: Nigeria
Date of Birth: September 18, 1975
Musician

35:
P-Square
Nationality: Nigeria
Date of Birth: 18 November 1981
Musicians

36:
Michael Collins Ajereh (Don Jazzy)
Nationality: Nigeria
Date of Birth: November 26, 1982
Music Producer

37:
Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo
Nationality: Nigeria
Date of Birth: June 9, 1980
Musician

38:
Nneka Lucia Egbuna (Neka)
Nationality: Nigeria
Date of Birth: December 24 1980
Musician

39:
Bukola Elemide (Asa)
Nationality: Nigeria
Date of Birth: 1982
Musician

40:
Patricia Amira
Nationality: Kenya
Date of Birth: 1978
Tv Personality

Statistics

Gender:  Females (13), Males (24), Groups (3)

Nationality:  Nigeria (11), Kenya (4), Mali (4), Senegal (4), South Africa (4), Algeria (2),  Congo (2), Ethiopia (2), Ivory Coast (2), Benin (1), Cameroon (1),  Somalia (1), Sudan (1) Zimbabwe (1), 

Categories: Music (27), Authors (5), Sports (3), Television Celebrities (3), Models (2),