Many of the African countries have participated in numerous soccer world cups. Whenever you travel to the continent of Africa, you are likely to find the people playing this sport on the streets. From the country of Morocco to South Africa, the nations of Africa enjoy playing the game of soccer.
There have been some great soccer players who originated from the African part of the world. Some of the current best African soccer players includee the likes of Austin Okocha of Nigeria, Roger Milla and Samuel Eto’o Fils of Cameroon, Obafemi Martins and of course, Didier Drogba who plays for the country of Ivory Coast.
In Africa, it the men who have traditionally followed and played the game of soccer. But the sport is steadily becoming popular with the women as well. Some of the notable African soccer nations include:
Cameroon is one African nation which is blessed with natural soccer talents. Cameroon enjoys the unique distinction of being the first African nation to qualify for the finals of the World Cup in 1990. To date Cameroon had won 4 African Nations Cups and the gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in 2000.
Soccer in Cameroon is regulated and well organized by the Fédération Camerounaise de soccer. The Cameroon soccer team began their maiden world cup campaign 1982. The 1990 World Cup saw Cameroon attain a spectacular stature. They team was in the same group as formidable teams, including the defending champion Argentina, the Soviet Union and Romania.
In the opening match of the tournament Cameroon stunned Argentina with a 1-0 win. Romania also suffered defeat at the hands of the ‘Indomitable Lions’, as Cameroon players are adoringly known. However their dream run ended when England managed to pull up a close victory in the quarter finals.
Soccer in South Africa is placed under the governance of the South African Football Association. The domestic set-up of South African football is based on the Premier Soccer League (PSL). The PSL is split up into two independent leagues – the Castle Premiership and the Mvela Golden League. The former league is the major league sponsored by Castle Lager while the latter is sponsored by the Mvelaphanda Group, owned by eminent business tycoon Tokyo Sexwale.
Football in South Africa was banned from any FIFA competition from 1961 to 1992 due to the country’s Apartheid policies. This created a vacuum in the overall infrastructure and general involvement as well as awareness about this game. But spending 31 years in such hibernation could not curb down the strong spirit of the Africans as exemplified by their won the African Cup of Nations in 1996. Another success was the national team’s participation in the finals of the World Cup in 2002. In this tournament they beat the European superpower Spain by 3-2 but but didn’t advance to the second round. As a host nation South Africa is all set to play in the 2010 World Cup.
Prior to the 2010 World Cup, the country is ready to undergo major renovations. Thirteen venues have been shortlisted so far, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pretoria Bloemfontein, Nelspruit, Kimberley, Orkney, Polokwane, and Rustenburg. Johannesburg will be upgraded to the Soccer City.
Soccer in Africa
Many of the African countries have participated in numerous soccer world cups. Whenever you travel to the continent of Africa, you are likely to find the people playing this sport on the streets. From the country of Morocco to South Africa, the nations of Africa enjoy playing the game of soccer.
There have been some great soccer players who originated from the African part of the world. Some of the current best African soccer players includee the likes of Austin Okocha of Nigeria, Roger Milla and Samuel Eto’o Fils of Cameroon, Obafemi Martins and of course, Didier Drogba who plays for the country of Ivory Coast.
In Africa, it the men who have traditionally followed and played the game of soccer. But the sport is steadily becoming popular with the women as well. Some of the notable African soccer nations include:
Cameroon is one African nation which is blessed with natural soccer talents. Cameroon enjoys the unique distinction of being the first African nation to qualify for the finals of the World Cup in 1990. To date Cameroon had won 4 African Nations Cups and the gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in 2000.
Soccer in Cameroon is regulated and well organized by the Fédération Camerounaise de soccer. The Cameroon soccer team began their maiden world cup campaign 1982. The 1990 World Cup saw Cameroon attain a spectacular stature. They team was in the same group as formidable teams, including the defending champion Argentina, the Soviet Union and Romania.
In the opening match of the tournament Cameroon stunned Argentina with a 1-0 win. Romania also suffered defeat at the hands of the ‘Indomitable Lions’, as Cameroon players are adoringly known. However their dream run ended when England managed to pull up a close victory in the quarter finals.
Soccer in South Africa is placed under the governance of the South African Football Association. The domestic set-up of South African football is based on the Premier Soccer League (PSL). The PSL is split up into two independent leagues – the Castle Premiership and the Mvela Golden League. The former league is the major league sponsored by Castle Lager while the latter is sponsored by the Mvelaphanda Group, owned by eminent business tycoon Tokyo Sexwale.
Football in South Africa was banned from any FIFA competition from 1961 to 1992 due to the country’s Apartheid policies. This created a vacuum in the overall infrastructure and general involvement as well as awareness about this game. But spending 31 years in such hibernation could not curb down the strong spirit of the Africans as exemplified by their won the African Cup of Nations in 1996. Another success was the national team’s participation in the finals of the World Cup in 2002. In this tournament they beat the European superpower Spain by 3-2 but but didn’t advance to the second round. As a host nation South Africa is all set to play in the 2010 World Cup.
Prior to the 2010 World Cup, the country is ready to undergo major renovations. Thirteen venues have been shortlisted so far, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pretoria Bloemfontein, Nelspruit, Kimberley, Orkney, Polokwane, and Rustenburg. Johannesburg will be upgraded to the Soccer City.