Equatorial Guinea in final rush to be ready for tournament it was never supposed to host Nick Ames, our man in Equatorial Guinea, says excitement is slowly growing as chaotic, last-minute preparations for the African Cup of Nations come to a close.The noise was enough to stir Malabo from its lunchtime stupor. Café owners and shopkeepers were sufficiently moved to step out onto the pavement; any hindrances on the road were quickly cleared away. Round the corner emerged a pick-up truck clad in yellow, red and green, packed with 20 or 30 singing supporters. Then came another, followed by two more. “Mali! Mali!” rang out the chant as the vehicles continued towards the city centre, preparing to visit their team upon its arrival, and this group of 120 or so migrant workers from the west African country had at last, from nowhere, given a feeling of occasion to this African Cup of Nations. [WATCH EVERY SINGLE GAME LIVE ON BRITISH EUROSPORT] Lunchtime or not, Malabo is a sleepy city – at least by African standards. It has been waking up slowly to the surprising prospect of this tournament, which was still Morocco-bound 10 weeks ago before the north African state pulled out due to concerns about the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone and Guinea. Cosmetic work is still taking place around the vast sports park in which the city’s principal football stadium is located. Banners are being mounted, insignia raised, fences erected – but, until the intervention from Mali, there had been little evidence that a groundswell of anticipation was gathering. You are, at least, under no illusions as to why you are here. The reminders began as you stepped off the aeroplane. The doctor to your right scanned your forehead as if processing a supermarket item. To the left, a handheld camera was trained upon you. Having passed that temperature test, several yards further on a large poster read ‘CAN sin Ebola (‘Africa Cup of Nations without Ebola’).
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 07:21:25 +0000
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