Africa Cup of Nations Notebook - Day 5

What you need to know:

  • Euphoric and eager to watch Harambee Stars play the fancied Algerians, they were left angry and frustrated after being denied entry to the stadium. Reason?
  • They did not register for a Fan Identification that would have allowed them to acquire match tickets which Caf announced that any fan travelling to Egypt for Afcon had to acquire.

Cairo drivers seem to have a death wish

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And here I was thinking the worst, most reckless, dare devilish drivers were our very own infamous matatu drivers. You need to be driven on the roads of Cairo to quickly change your mind. Egyptian drivers are worse than 20 Ummoinner Sacco drivers put together.

They speed dangerously, perilously change lanes suddenly, riskily stop suddenly, many times bang in the middle of a busy road, and text and talk on their cellular phones with the vehicle in high gear.

I have lost count of the number of accidents I have witnessed.

More than 80 Kenyan scribes wanted passes

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According to a source in the Confederation of African Football communication department, the continental football body received over 80 media accreditation requests from Kenya.

“That was a high number from Kenya and we were not sure of what to do in terms of who we accredit or not. But we called someone in Kenya who helped us out,” said the Caf officer.

Eventually, some 40 accreditations were approved for Kenyan media. Dozens are here in Egypt, including yours truly.

Senegalese media catch eyes of many

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Still on the subject of media, the Senegalese are several steps ahead of their colleagues when it comes to camaraderie and collective purpose. In Sunday’s opening Group “C” match between the Teranga Lions and Taifa Stars, they came in branded T-shirts emblazoned with “Senegal Presse”.

They move many times together and organise for their meals at the media centre. And you can notice the spring in their walk whenever they appear for a function. What would you expect; Senegal is the number one ranked nation in Africa according to Fifa.

Travelling Kenyans denied entry

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Imagine travelling some 5,000km from Nairobi to Cairo for the purpose of watching a football match but end up not even seeing the pitch. Well, several dozen Kenyan fans found themselves in this very situation.

Euphoric and eager to watch Harambee Stars play the fancied Algerians, they were left angry and frustrated after being denied entry to the stadium. Reason?

They did not register for a Fan Identification that would have allowed them to acquire match tickets which Caf announced that any fan travelling to Egypt for Afcon had to acquire.