It’s difficult to properly contextualize how incredibly angry the CAF made the sporting public yesterday. The decision handed down regarding disqualifying the Togo national team from the next two African Cup of Nations is mystifying and ridiculous. The tournament should now be considered as completely second-level, as it’s clear the organizers and governing bodies are short-sighted, corrupt and moronic. The final of this year’s tournament is today at 11:00 AM EST between Ghana and Egypt, and while I hope it’s a great game conducted in a safe atmosphere, this match is essentially the last one that I will ever bother to talk about, unless the CAF realizes the incredible stupidity they have displayed in the last 24 hours.
All eyes in England today are in two places, North London at the Emirates, and Manchester at Eastlands. Obviously, the Arsenal-Manchester United matchup is massive, as it sees second place United visiting third place Arsenal. Chelsea was victorious over a game Burnley side yesterday, so if there is a result in this match today, the winner will keep pace with the league leaders while the loser will find themselves with some work to do. There are some in England who think that this matchup is the biggest in the Premier League due to the titanic legends manning the sidelines, Sir Alex Ferguson of United and Arsene Wenger of Arsenal. The match kicks off at 11:00 AM EST and will be carried by Fox Soccer Channel.
Perhaps an equally interesting contest will be held at Eastlands in Manchester today, as the world’s richest club, seventh place Manchester City, hosts one of the Premier League’s most financially-challenged clubs in Portsmouth. With a victory by four goals or more, City could move into fifth position in the league today, so they will be looking to claim the scalp of the South Coasters. Pompey find themselves in the middle of a nightmare season, one that has seen their players go unpaid twice due to the financial difficulties at the club, players being sold supposedly behind the director and the manager’s back, and generally uninspired play. Currently, they sit in last place in the league with just four victories in 21 league contests. To say that it would be a miracle for them to stay up is an understatement.
Let’s see what’s on television for your viewing pleasure today:
PSV Eindhoven v Vitesse 0830 ESPN360
Manchester City v Portsmouth 0830 Setanta
AC Milan v Livorno 0900 FSC/FSE
Parma v Internazionale 0900 ESPN360
Ghana v Egypt 1045 ACoN
Arsenal v Manchester United 1055 FSC/FSE
Tenerife v Zaragoza 1100 DTV
Villarreal v Osasuna 1100 DTV
Xerez v Mallorca 1100 DTV
Auxerre v St. Etienne 1100 Setanta
Bayer Leverkusen v Freiburg 1130 GolTV
Atletico Madrid v Malaga 1300 ESPND/360
UNAM v Toluca 1300 Telemundo
Puebla v Queretaro 1300 Azteca
Corinthians v Palmerias 1400 GolTV
Juventus v Lazio 1430 FSC/FSE
Sevilla v Valencia 1500 GolTV
Lyon v Paris St. Germain 1500 Setanta
America v Indios 1700 Univision
Santos v Atlas 1700 Telefutura
Enjoy your Sunday and expect to see us in comments and on Twitter. I’d like to hear everyone’s reactions to the CAF’s decision regarding Togo, and obviously your thoughts on the matches today. Thanks for reading.
I dont think anyone is pleased with the CAF’s decision yesterday, nor do I think anyone really understands their rationale. It is sad that they did that to those players and that nation. I would hope the decision is reversed, but we shall see. Oh, and come on Arsenal.
Emmanuel Adebayor has called for the head of the CAF to resign if Togo win the appeal, and for once he’s said something that makes sense. That decision is so incredibly wrong, I’m still in shock.
Yeah, let’s go Arsenal!