Football - the love affair

Football - the love affair

It's so easy to get caught up in the romance of football. Or maybe it's just me?

Every so often a team comes along, and their story just pulls on your heart strings.

Libya is a prime example.

The national football team qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) proper, despite a war going on in the country. They played most of their qualifying matches outside their own borders.

Sadly they didn't progress pass the group stages, but that won't matter. The mere fact they made it here - while teams like Egypt, the defending champions who failed to qualify, and South Africa, who failed to familiarise themselves with the qualification rule book - was enough for people to praise Libya's efforts.

Sudan won their first Africa Cup of Nations game in over 40 years last week. Remarkably, it was a victory that helped them book a quarter-final spot. I couldn't help but silently cheer for them in their last eight match against Zambia. Sadly Sudan lost, and it was the end of the AFCON road for them.

Then there was Gabon. They'd only ever reached the quarter-finals of the Cup of Nations once. And they were hoping to make it to the semis for the very first time. History would have been made.

I arrived in Libreville just a day before their quarter-final match against Mali. Already there was an air of excitement. Anticipation. Tension.

Thousands and thousands of Gabon fans packed the Stade de l'Amitie (French for friendship stadium - though I reckon they were in no mood to be friendly) to cheer on their team. The Mali supporters were completely outnumbered. Still they soldiered on. Their cheers drowned by the might of the Gabon faithful.

When Mali eventually won the match on penalties and marched into the semis - the cheers got louder. Maybe the fact that the disappointed Gabon supporters, who were leaving the stadium in droves and in an awful hurry, had something to do with it.

I must admit - I really wanted Gabon to win. I got completely caught up in the moment, in this belief that it would be so nice to experience Africa Cup of Nations history being made. It wasn't to be, of course.

Keita's peace appeal

Time for the next romantic football moment. Time for the heart strings to be tugged on a little, again.

Mali. A war ravaging the country. One of the country's most instrumental footballers, Barcelona star Seydou Keita, used the quarter-final post-match press conference to make a passionate plea for his country's people to stop killing each other. "It's not normal," he said. "Malians should not kill Malians. It's not normal!"

Ivory Coast, Mali's semi-final opponents on Wednesday, know all too well the effects of war. Their players made a similar plea for peace in their last Cup of Nations.

Ivory Coast, fondly referred to as the Elephants, are hoping to be crowned continental champions for a second time. While Mali - the Eagles (have landed?) - have ambitions of lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy for the very first time.

There will, quite obviously, be a lot of emotion attached to this last four match in Libreville.

I guess I'll just have to man up and stop the tears from coming at the sound of the final whistle.

I hope I'm not going soft. Well - not too soft, I mean!