Wake Up Africa!!!

I have thoroughly enjoyed the FIFA Women World Cup going on in France. As a student of the game, it's been fascinating watching the steady development of the women game and the bridging of the gap between Europe especially, and the US, the dominant team in the women game.

What I have not enjoyed however, is the African participation. And by African participation I mean the whole gamut of participants, from players to officials and fans.

Suddenly African fans in their large numbers have become a bunch of whiners; whining endlessly at referees and VAR decisions, all the while clueless about the rules of the game, and apparently too lazy to get off their couches and learn the fvucking rules!!!

I don't know which is worse, the whining African fans or the sympathetic liberals on Western TV talking about how these women players may not have seen VAR in their lives, or how they have not been supported- true....

But can we get off this crap!

There is no conspiracy out there to deny African women of a chance to progress in the World Cup. How do I know that?

First there are a lot of serious things in the world that someone might want to conspire about. Football is just not one of them...

More importantly, African officials already conspired to short change the women (and men) anyways, and long before they arrived in France! As I write, the Nigerian women have not been fully paid their bonuses!!

People should educate themselves about the rules of the game. Yes, I too screamed in frustration at the VAR decision on the penalty kick retake against France.

But guess what? I calmed the fvck down and accepted the decision for what it was- a correct interpretation of the rules!

Now, did I like the rules? Hell no!

It is a prime example of mindless over-governance of the game. But it is the rule. So get on with it!

A lot has been written about the Scotland-Cameroon game, with African fans up in arms about everything, conveniently ignoring at least two red card worthy offences by Cameroon, a country with a long and rich history of agricultural tackles in men, women and youth football...

But let me be clear: those Cameroonian players, every one of them, including their officials, are a DISGRACE to their heritage. A disgrace to themselves and their families, and a disgrace to African football!

Those players need to be sanctioned seriously, especially the vile spitting player, if found guilty. They need to be made an example of, so nobody ever ventures in that direction again. The Cameroonian FA and officials, including the mealy mouthed Alain Djeumfa, need to be fined heavily for failing to control their players.

If the players do not understand the application of VAR, perhaps they should take a break from football, because VAR is not going away anytime soon. It is here to stay; thankfully! Hopefully; and I use the word advisably, we might be spared of Mike Dean or Jon Moss next season!!!

It is a sad spectacle watching and listening to my people hyper ventilate about VAR and refs, without a thought to how the women game is not developing in Africa countries like Nigeria, with a head start over several European countries, have now lagged far behind, to the point of being made a welfare case!!!

There is endless bloviation about how the media stereotypes African women footballers as "naive", "physical", "athletic", etc...

I'm sorry that the western media do not use the words "balletic" or "swan-like" instead to describe our players. Perhaps that would soothe your damn nerves!

But let me remind you that the US women have risen to the top of the women game and remained there on the basis of superior athleticism, work rate, power and tactical awareness!

It cannot be a stereotype if it is a fact! The African game is based on speed, power, athleticism and spontaneous creativity, like the "nkpokiti" rhythm and dancers.

True, many of these commentators do not truly understand the African game. True, many of them see the African game from their perspective.

But I have no interest in the words. Rather my interest is in our inability to use those qualities that are spoken about, yes- physicality, athleticism and power, to drive a coordinated team game.

How can we harness these qualities to advance the modern team game? That is what interests me. And if you are a serious follower of the African game, it should interest you too!!