we’re going GLOBAL!!!!
CNN coverage as broadcast partner. it’s official. see www.score4africa.org
goal.com as global media partner
Roll on monday…
Going GLOBAL!!!!
November 26th, 20092 weeks to goooo….
November 17th, 2009score4africa awards in 2 weeks….
sheraton park lane hotel, london, on 30th november 2009
get nominating - www.score4africa.org
i’m betting that didier is going to win an award - giving away £3million from an endorsement to build a hospital & orphanage in cote d’ivoire is beyond impressive….
then again, i’m not a judge - and their decision is final….
vote for your favourite african player in the premier league
October 23rd, 2009you can vote for your favourite african player in the premier league. go to www.score4africa.org/nominate & get voting….
new website launched
October 15th, 2009the new - all singing, all dancing, with bells on - score4africa website has just gone live.
www.score4africa.org
phew! it was a struggle, but worth it
Drogba Disgrace - the hip hop remix
May 11th, 2009This is absolutely hysterical.
Everyone who has ever had a sense of humor failure should check this out….
Kudos to the person who created this…Drogba Disgrace - the hip hop remix….
A great City - Lagos
May 7th, 2009Just a few images to allow you to understand the scale of Lagos.
These images are all of the Islands - and Apappa, where the port is…..
The entrance to the lagoon. Apappa port to the right...
Looking towards Ikoyi. The lagoon is on the left hand side....
All Lagos Molueh drivers are outraged, too!!!!
May 7th, 2009
hOK. I admit it was a great football match.
Chelsea versus Barcelona 2nd leg Champions League Semi-finals had everything - goals, drama, sending-off, and perhaps most crucially, bad refereeing decisions.
Let me declare an interest. I really wanted Chelsea to win - particularly because our colleague Mike’s brother (Salomon) plays for them.
And a close run thing it was. Though Barca dominated possession, Chelsea were the more decisive - and Essien’s amazing dipping volley has to rank up there as a contender for goal of the tournament.
When the Chelsea goal went in, there was a wave of cheers all around Lagos. I think we might need to reassess which team is the more popular in Nigeria - Chelsea or Arsenal. The fact that John Obi Mikel plays for Chelsea possibly means that Chelsea is a nose ahead.
Exhibit A - The noise factor when Essien scored last night (I was in a drinking joint in Ikoyi - not a posh one this time, just a place where an entrepreneur had set up a satellite TV link inside a wooden shack, and charged 100 Naira for entry, and sold beer). Much louder than when Arsenal came close on tuesday (not that this happened a lot).
Exhibit B - The number of vehicles with Chelsea logos painted on them. I took this picture of one, thinking it would be a rarity, but drove past like 6 during a day on the mainland….
A final comment. That ref was blind & dodgy…..
Lagos Odyssey II - Arsrenal Vs Man U
April 30th, 2009Last night was the big one, as far as supporter numbers go. It’s Arsenal versus Man U, 1st leg Champions League Semi’s.
I’m off to the A Bar in Victoria Island. A little info about Lagos geography might be apt. There is the mainland & what is called ‘the Islands’ (3 of them in total - Victoria Island, Lagos Island & Ikoyi; plus a peninsula, Lekki). The Islands are where most businesses operate out of & where the Lagos middle class live, work and play…
The streets of Lagos are pretty empty for 8pm. Normally, even at this time, you’re likely to get at least a little spot of go-slow as you cross from one island to the next. Even the Area Boys (predatory street thugs who normally offer to protect your car when you get to most spots on the Islands) take the night off. Tonight, it’s all pretty dead.
The A Bar is packed - mainly Arsenal supporters - and I have to get a spot at the back. Of the 3 friends I’m with, surprisingly enough, 2 are Man U supporters & the other Liverpool.
So much for my earlier statistic!
However, the Man U guys have to try & keep themselves restrained as they cheer. The place is 90% gunners.
So, palpable sense of disappointment as the gunners lose 1 - nil. And to rub pepper into the wounds, the Man U boys are soon on the phone gloating….
I spot an Obama tee-shirt and ask, ‘Is this the audacity of hope?’.
‘There’s the next round to play, so anything can happen!’
Indeed…..
THe A Bar - during a big game.....
Lagos - City of Chaos
April 28th, 2009Lagos truly is one of the great cities in the world. It contains the good, the bad, and the ugly of human experience. It’s brash, brassy and bold. It has a frenetic pace of life - when you’re not stuck in ‘go-slow’, as traffic jams here are called.
I watched the Champions League QF between Chelsea and Barcelona yesterday at a bar in Ikoyi - one of the nicer (posher) areas of the city. Chelsea shirts abound. The couple of people wearing Barcelona kit were pretty much banished to the back of the room.
OK, it was a draw. But not totally unexciting. When Drogba came close in the 1st half, the roar which quickly changed to a sigh of disappointment was almost overwhelming.
But Man U versus Arsenal tonight should be really something. A little know fact - there are more Arsenal fans in Nigeria than there are in the UK (more in Lagos than in London). And while Man U has a solid support base, it’s nothing to compare with the gunners.
Should be an interesting spectacle for us neutral observers…..