Afcon drama: what went wrong and what went right at the continent’s biggest football cup in Morocco

Chuka Onwumechili, Howard University The 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Morocco, produced thrills and several story lines, some good and others not so good. It ended in a victory for Senegal – their second Afcon championship. While the 1-0 victory over Morocco was deserved, the championship game ended on a sour note as fans invaded the field and the winning country abandoned the game for 16 minutes. I’m a sports communications scholar and an author of multiple books on football as it relates to Africa. The top four positives of the tournament were: quality matches played on impeccable surfaces expanded media coverage increased global interest higher attendance figures....