Funmi Iyanda

Common people! I had hardly landed Muritala Mohammed airport yesterday
when people began asking me if I did “see” Rigobert Song with a wink
and lascivious grin. By this morning some where claiming I had either
run away with him or that I was silent because I blame him for the loss
to Egypt. First I will not run off with any man….not for less than
about £25 million (no dollars please) and not unless the geezer
involved is old enough to cause no investigation when he suddenly
expires in his sleep. Okay, all that is a joke don’t be asking me
questions when you see me with old, rich, white relentless, I’d rather
clobber myself with a jagged cudgel first. Second, I am a fiercely
loyal woman and I continue to support Song unflinchingly. Of course I
was at the stadium and saw that error (my mind registered that painful
goal 30 seconds before it appeared and in slow motion), he had a strange
off moment and the fact that it happened underscores my point because
the keeper (who had been excellent in the match) and the other
defender (can’t remember his name) also hesitated a nano second in
trust of Rigobert’s ability to hold the back until they realized too
late that the man had miscalculated. The rest is history but I ask you
why must the entire game rest on Rigobert’s strengths and weaknesses,
why didn’t any one else score before or after that, what happened to
Eto’o who admittedly didn’t get a lot of balls but didn’t aggressively
hunt the odd opportunities too, meanwhile, where did they find all the
fire and hunger with which they played the last minutes after the
goal, as my people say, no be medicine after death? Abeg give Song a
break, the man has had a brilliant career and the men who don’t agree
are just jealous of a superior figure of manhood.

Of course Egypt had a great team and on the basis of merit deserved to
win, as the giant who was with me at the stadium said, perhaps this
need to continue happening so that we as Africans can finally admit
that passion, will and individual skill can only get you so far,
lasting success belongs to those who assiduously plan, practice and
play as a team, maintaining focus on the ball always, whether it is in
football or development.

Now because Cameroon lost, the party was too far away in North Africa
for Sunday night in Accra to have been magical. I can only imagine
what it would have been like if the football mad Ghanaians had won. As
it is, Saturday night in Kumasi I hear was electric and in Accra I and
the giant can testify that the party never ended.
Ghana 2008 was the best AFCON finals in my adult experience, the
organization was almost seamless, the city and the match venues are
colorful and safe, the city is quaint, the people are civilized, the
traffic light and the hotels decent and efficient, even the night life
is hip in a laid back, free, guileless manner. In fact watching
Ghana’s strides to development is heart warming although I retain the
fear of the so-called African leadership curse and the consequences of
this but I can only tell you that right now Ghana rocks.

As per my Song quest, the giant and I erroneously decided to wait to
the end of the match to try and see him but of course you know how
that went, I’ll just have to settle for interviewing him in the near
future. In focusing on Song, I missed Mourinho (my heart bleeds), and
just missed the entire Ghanaian 3rd place squad at Monte Carlo (wink,
wink, wink, just go there and find out why I’m winking) we left before
they arrived. As we sat over wine and brilliant steak at El gaucho it
suddenly occurred to us to go after yet another hot male. So, for
those who were wondering why we delayed the flight from Accra a
little, it is because we were waiting for a certain delicious homemade
quality cheese burger from Melting Point and chasing after a certain
Jerry Rawlings.