AFCON, you stole my sports-loving heart

…In addition to the stolen towels

The Africa Cup of Nations. The main reason we visited Morocco before heading to Lagos this winter. A giant tournament where all the best African football players compete for their countries to hoist a kinda undersized cup (seriously football, your trophies are too small) to be titled the best team on the continent.

So excited for AFCON in Morocco! This cup is very much not to scale.

Hello from Stade Foot Fès!

What a win for Nigeria. What a win for us watching these games.

Now, when I tell you this tournament is out of control, believe me. We watched it on TV while in Lagos a couple years ago and I was instantly hooked. No one brings drama like Africans. Mix all that drama with sports. Blood of Jesus!

The players, the refs, the coaches, the fans, they all go freaking nuts. Like, for example, in a World Cup qualifier Nigeria’s coach, Éric Chelle, blamed DR Congo for using voodoo (“juju” in Nigeria) in a penalty shootout. No, seriously folks, he did that. Calmly. And he was not joking. So I assumed I knew what I was getting into at this tournament.

And yet, it was so much more…

Players arrive in the most extravagant fits and sing and dance to their matches. That’s AFCON.

Fans wear lots of knock-off gear because there is literally nowhere to purchase official merch. We tried! That’s AFCON.

Getting to know the Moroccans who seem to love Nigerians.

This fan is GOLD!

Arguing over the AFCON matches in the medina.

Two European lads “lapping” in our transport to the match.

Meeting a Senegalese fan.

The biggest Ugandan fan. He was the best.

High-fiving Nigeria’s win with this nice Moroccan boy.

Two very happy Africans.

FYI – The Moroccans were not cheering for Algeria, like they HATE each other.

The stadiums are like half-full sometimes (100% due to reseller gouging ugh), and yet one of the loudest environments I’ve been in. That’s AFCON.

My small umbrella gets confiscated by security, but a fan can dress in full tribal warfare gear no prob. ok. That’s AFCON.

Yes, there are vuvuzelas. Yes, they are still annoying af. That’s AFCON.

She like to move it move it.

He like to move it move it.

We like to move it move it. MOVE IT.

Yes, there is coordinated dancing, singing and drumming by fan groups. They never stop. EVER! Even when they are losing, they are vibing. That’s AFCON.

And yes, the football is fantastic. And hard hitting. And all over the place. An exciting mix of drama, athleticism and skill. With terrible, sometimes suspicious, reffing added to the mix. That’s AFCON.

It was POURING. AND COLD.

Ref looked like Denzel Washington circa 1996.

This stadium is beautiful.

This whole game was a vibe.

There is no concussion protocol in AFCON.

Watching Senegal practice.

Every photographer moved to this side after halftime hoping to capture a Mané goal.

And are all those athletes (and coaches) ready to clear the benches for a fight? Yes, very much so. That’s AFCON.

No, they don’t seem to have concussion protocol. The energy is very much, “Are you a weak man? Go wrap your head and get back in there ASAP!” That’s AFCON.

There are folks from all over the world having the best time ever at quite an affordable sporting event. We spent around $550 Canadian TOTAL (not each) to attend four matches. That’s eight tickets! That’s AFCON.

The rain greets us at Tangier’s new stadium

Wet and red

This game was so damn fun. And then the Algerians tried to pick a fight with the Nigerian players. lol, don’t pick fights with Nigerians.

The neon lights flying around the stadium are stunning.

There’s not many places in the world where you can enjoy traditional music and dance before watching a match with thousands of others in one of the most historic market places in the world. That’s AFCON.

Listening to traditional Moroccan musicians while getting ready to watch Morocco play in the FanZone of Marrakech.

This was so fun. The fans were pretty stressed and silent tho. Cameroon usually wins against Morocco.

The best-playing and most cohesive team on the field, which was Nigeria (yes, I’m biased, but it’s true), didn’t even qualify for World Cup. That’s also AFCON somehow. And it’s a damn shame. 🇳🇬💚

Ready for our first AFCON match.

Hello from Grand Stade de Tanger!

Hello from the very cold and rainy Nigeria vs Mozambique match at Fes stadium!

The look of a man who was goading the Algerians all game.

Hello from the Grand Stade de Marrakech!

It’s pretty fun to be green!

And then came the Final…

A match that hit a level of insanity I’ve never seen before in a final game of anything. There were players walking off the field into the locker room in protest. There were Morrocans stealing the goalie’s towels. Like, WTF? The Senegalese fans were fighting security. One iconic player (Mané!) took it upon himself to go get his teammates (and coach, geesh, do better guy) and tell them to get their shit together and get their asses back on the field to finish the game. There was a “karma” penalty kick that was seriously so laughably lame, that I’m not sure the guy (Diaz) who kicked the ball — slowly and directly at the keeper — will ever recover. And then they topped that moment off by awarding Diaz the golden boot of the tournament. So, salt meet wound. (I mean, look at him. He is destroyed.) Then the team that walked-off ends up back on the field and scores the winning goal for Senegal, which put the Moroccan and FIFA “dignitaries” (or “corrupt organizers,” choose your title here) into a complete and utter foul mood that they refused to actually hand the cup to the winners and made someone else do it.

Yeah. That’s AFCON.

As a sports fan, it was glorious and it was everything.

We would attend again in a heartbeat. 🌍⚽♥️