AFCON 2015: FORMER TOP FOOTBALLERS DISSECTING IT FOR YOU

by
Collins Okinyo
January 20, 2015

By Fredrick Naduli aka Razor,

Until recently,football analysis used to be a dull,dour affair that was treated with contempt and met with little or no interest.Audiences following live transmission more often than not regarded analysis as a boring chapter and unwanted distraction in a captivating match.Interestingly,prior to kickoff or during the break,not many viewers sat tight to listen to the experts dissecting the proceedings.The job used to be done by wannabe analysts who had some knowledge of the game,but who had hardly kicked a ball their entire lives,arm-chair experts if you may.
Then came former football players and the whole ground shifted.

BEEN THERE,DONE THAT

Supersport scored a first by enlisting the priceless services of former footballers to break down the action for viewers in a paradigm shift.In recent high profile tournaments,including but not limited to the ongoing Africa cup of nations in Equatorial Guinea,pre-match,half-time and post-match analyses have been done by familiar faces,people who have been there,done that.These former stars have invariably managed to capture and captivate erstwhile detached audiences and taken analysis to a whole new level.Their exploits make them command instant respect and admiration.

Samuel Osei Kuffour won countless accolades with Bayern Munich at a time when breaking through the hitherto dreaded German cultural barrier was a tough call.Benny McCarthy conquered Europe as a young professional with Ajax Amsterdam and later FC Porto.Neil Tovey and Aaron Mokoena are both former revered captains of the Bafana Bafana.Mark Williams won the nations’ cup with South Africa when they first hosted it in 1996.And to throw in a gender angle into the fray,top lady footballer Amandla Dlamini has been roped into the equation.

Expert analysis aside,Bradley Carnel and Andre Arendse,both retired internationals,double up as telestrators,breaking down the action from every angle possible.

All these are people who have been involved in the sport at the highest level.They have played before hostile crowds and know what it feels like to carry the aspirations af a nation.They know what it means when a striker misses from two yards out,when a defender gives away a penalty,when a goalkeeper lets an ‘easy’ ball slip through his fingers.They know what being labelled a scapegoat means.

Perhaps because of these factors and more,audiences now take football analysis more seriously.For instance,a layman viewer wants to hear from Benny McCarthy how a striker fails to score in an empty goal.Those are the dynamics of the game and only someone who has been in the same position can explain better.
More were at the last world cup in Brazil and did a sterling jobThe likes of Marcel Desailly,Austin Okocha and Sunday Oliseh,who also blogs for Supersport.com.

OTHER AVENUES

In essence,what this underlines is that former exponents of the sport have other numerous avenues to pursue post their active playing days,without necessarily walking away from the game altogether.Their experiences are something no amount can certainly buy.And thanks to that fact,global audiences are readily willing to lend an ear,in the full knowledge that they speak from an informed point of view.
Generation next can undoubtedly pick out many positives from this whole scenario.

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Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com