African teams left out in the cold
By Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports Thursday, Jun 24, 2010
Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter at @mrogersyahoo
Two weeks into the World Cup and the most imaginative excuse for the struggles of teams from the home continent is in.
South Africa, apparently, is too cold for the Africans.
When the U.S. takes on Ghana in Rustenburg on Saturday, it will likely have the chance to end the last vestige of African involvement in the tournament. Cameroon, South Africa, Nigeria and Algeria all fell in the group stage, and the Ivory Coast needs a miracle to advance in Friday’s Group G finales.
Different reasons have been trotted out, from a lack of cohesion in the squads to a loss of traditional African flair due to most players plying their trade in Europe. Then there is the theory that seems to buck conventional thinking but may actually carry some weight.
“It is very cold here and it is something different to get used to,” said forward Asamoah Gyan, who has scored both of Ghana’s goals in South Africa from the penalty spot. “It is actually harder for the African teams and players because really we are not accustomed to this.”
Out of all the potential advantages for the Americans heading into this tournament, they would never have imagined that the conditions could provide an edge over an African side. Yet that may be the case.
Saturday’s match is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. local time at Royal Bafokeng Stadium, a venue that offers little protection from the wind. Ghana’s training plans at its base nearby even had to be amended as its practice field was twice covered in ice when they arrived for morning practice.
Most World Cups are held in the northern hemisphere, meaning the tournament generally takes place in the summer. Not since the event was staged in 1978 has it been accompanied by cold conditions.
South Africa is experiencing an uncharacteristically cold winter snap, taking both World Cup visitors and players by surprise. Ghana, though, is determined not to be left out in the cold against the Americans with a quarterfinals berth at stake.
“We are very happy to have qualified, even if we wanted to have other African teams come through as well,” Gyan said. “We are on the right path and we are representing our continent, which makes us very happy.
“The Americans, though, are a very good team. They expend a lot of energy and are strong physically. But we too have good players. It is for that that we have so much self-confidence.”
The U.S. will go into the game as a slight favorite after its dramatic late winner against Algeria to earn a place in the knockout round. However, with the pride of Africa at stake, the Black Stars must not be underestimated.
“I am very sad to see the other African teams eliminated,” Ghana defender John Pantsil said. “We are going to represent the continent. We are going to correct our mistakes and speak to our strikers so that they can be more effective. We believe in ourselves and we are going to score more goals.”