South Africa has a strong well-known track record when it comes to successfully hosting major continental and international sporting events.
Recently the country did not only successfully host an incident-free 2014 CHAN tournament, but it also set very high standards of the continental showpiece which took place in Cape Town, Mangaung and Polokwane.
The third CHAN tournament was open to the national representative teams of the associations affiliated to the Confederations of African Football (CAF), composed exclusively of players playing in the national domestic leagues.
Some of the successes of the third CHAN tournament were that it saw 73 goals scored (15 scored in the first 15 minutes and in the last minutes), more than 227 000 people attended the games at the stadiums, there were 1 117 volunteers and a further 1,138 security and disaster management personnel.
When the Local Organising Committee (LOC) launched the 2014 CHAN last July, CEO Mvuzo Mbebe promised a “a high standard and seamless tournament, an event that will set the a benchmark for future CHAN tournaments, a tournament that will provide a platform for Africa’s Home Championship to shine in front of more than a billion television audience”. That goal was achieved.
After the tournament, Mbebe said: “That is what we have delivered. We could not have asked for a better outcome than what this 3rd edition of CHAN has delivered for the continent and the world at large”.
The tournament really gave a good platform to up-and-coming young players who got an opportunity to display their talent on a continental stage.
Tournament highlights
Stephen Keshi’s boys, theSuper Eagles of Nigeria sensationally came back from three goals down to beat Morocco 4-3 to qualify for the semi-final.
The 2014 CHAN champions, Libya, reached the final after beating three opponents through the penalty shoot-out.
To reach the semi- final, Libya beat Gabon, and then went on to beat the warriors of Zimbabwe 5-4 before they defeated Ghana 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out to win the CHAN after the sides ended goalless after extra-time at the Cape Town Stadium.
Just like other football fans, I enjoyed the stellar performance of the Warriors. Whenever, Zimbabwe was playing, the vibe was always fantastic.
Despite their semi-final loss and the 1-0 defeat to Nigeria in the third-place playoffs, the Warriors did not only surprise many with their solid performance, but the outstanding display by skipper Partson Jaure and playmaker Kuda Mahachi, Ali Sadiki, Peter Moyo and Simba Sithole attracted a lot of local clubs.
Although, the hosts South Africa were booted out of the tournament at the group stages, top striker Bernard Parker is the showpiece top goal scorer with four goals.
When there was a debate over whether the CHAN tournament should be considered full internationals (A-status), world football governing body, FIFA conceded and granted the 2014 CHAN a full “A” status.
Here’s the CHAN Best XI picked up by a tournament Technical Study Group.
Goalkeeper: Mohamed Abdaula (Libya). Defenders: Ali Salama (Libya), Partson Jaure (Zimbabwe), Odunlami Kunle (Nigeria), Joshua Tijani (Ghana).
Midfielders: Kudakwashe Mahachi (Zimbabwe), Mohamed Elgadi (Libya), Jordan Opoku (Ghana), Christantus Ejike (Nigeria). Forwards: Rabiu Ali (Nigeria), Seidu Bansey (Ghana).
Substitutes: Stephen Adams (Ghana), Peter Moyo (Zimbabwe), Buhlebuyesa Mkhwanazi (South Africa), Mohsine Moutaouali (Morocco), Yahaya Mohammed (Ghana), Abdelsalam Omar (Libya), Ibourahima Sidibé (Mali), Hardy Binguila (Congo), Jean-Marc Makusu Mundele (DR Congo), Erwin Nguema (Gabon), Samuel Ainooson (Ghana).
What we can celebrate
During the period 1994 to 2005, Sport and Recreation South Africa built a total of 744 sport and recreation facilities throughout the country using the funds from the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) and the Building for Sport and Recreation Programme (BSRP).
In 2010, South Africans - black and white - together took a step towards liberating an entire continent from pessimism and doubt when the country hosted the FIFA World Cup
The World Cup did not only showcase Africa and the warmth of its people, but also left a lasting legacy, one that could be felt across the length and breadth of the country and the African continent.
According to research by Grant Thornton, the 2010 FIFA World Cup contributed R55.7 billion to the South African economy, generated 415,400 jobs and contributed R19.3 billion in tax income to Government.-SAnews.gov.za
