THE 29th edition of the Africa’s bi-annual tournament, Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) has not had the most exciting of starts, with goals not flowing so freely and most sides looking terrified of losing, as opposed to trying to win games. Report by By Brian Nkiwane
The tournament that is currently underway is South Africa has not been as popular as previous editions, probably due to an overdose of football in the same country that began with hosting the 2009 Confederations Cup, before staging the World Cup the following year.
This might have caused a lot of fatigue in many football fans as most stadiums are always empty, including when the host nation is playing.
The vibe and passion witnessed last year in the 28th edition of Afcon co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon is not felt in Mzansi.
In the history of the tournament, the match pitting hosts Bafana Bafana and underdogs Cape Verde was the opening match which did not produce goals.
Despite all this, there are certain matches that lived up to expectations.
One such game is when fans watching Ghana’s clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo were treated to a terrific comeback by the latter.
There was more drama to enjoy as Congo’s goalkeeper, Muteba Kidiaba, pulled out his trademark “Bum Bounce” celebration when Dieumerci Mbokani levelled the game at 2-2 from the penalty spot.
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It was a thrilling turnaround and Ghana, one of the pre-tournament favourites, were punished for failing to maintain their superiority.
This isn’t the first time Kidiaba has executed his bizarre celebration and a quick internet search can find you numerous examples of him excitedly bouncing in his backside for Congo and his club side, TP Mazembe. The dance looked like he was saluting their supporters that travelled with the team to South Africa.
His trademark celebration dance has placed him in the same port with other football greats like Roger Milla, Lee Sharpe and Ryan Giggs who were known for their trademark celebrations.
One of the iconic memories of the 1990 World Cup was the Cameroon striker Milla running to the corner flag and doing his trademark dance after scoring.
The expression of joy became a hit around the world as children (and some adults) copied the celebration, which was seen four times that summer in Italy, once against England.
As for Sharpe, his dance, quite similar to Milla’s, was honed in Manchester before he was usurped by Ryan Giggs.
Born in Kipushi, Zaire, the 1,82m tall goalkeeper who turns 37 this Friday rose to fame when he turned out for AS Saint–Luc before moving to his current club TP Mazembe.
He has made his way into the DRC national team where he has earned 25 caps to date since 2002, including six games in the Fifa World Cup qualifying match.
He played five games for the DRC in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
His “Bum Bounce” dance became popular when TP Mazembe played five matches in the 2010 Fifa World Cup were he left fans all over the world asking for more.
