Argentina Feb/March 2012

A sixteen game trip mostly to the interior of Argentina.
Including visits to San Juan, Salta, Jujuy and Mar del Plata plus seeing Velez and Boca in the Copa Libertadores.

Beginning in Buenos Aires.

22nd February 5pm Sportivo Italiano 0 Flandria 0 Primera B 200

Sportivo Italiano play out towards the main international airport near Ciudad Evita on the 56 (or 8) bus route.

I relaxed in the nearby Holiday Inn before crossing over the motorway to the ground - an open wedge of terrace opposite a mix of seats and more terrace.

This was not great game with the only significant moment being when a Sportivo sub. gets a debatable red card for a mistimed tackle.
That only meant both teams tended to settle for a draw.

10pm Velez 3 Chivas Guadalajara 0 in the Copa Libertadores. 23,000

I took the no.8 bus from near the Sportivo ground to Liniers.
In the circumstances of the tragic train crash on the Once to Liniers line it felt better to avoid the trains at least for one day.

There was a short period of silence then applause for the victims before the game.
It happens a lot these days but it was no doubt warranted not least because many of the fans would have often travelled on that busy line.

Velez won this fairly comfortably in the end as the Chivas defence crumbled.
Federico Insua scored two of the goals.

But earlier Chivas had held their own with Omar Arellano especially dangerous.
Some 50 Mexicans made the trip to support their team.

The home fans were in good voice.

A short delay to let the visiting fans leave and I was able to get a taxi back to the centre by 00.30

Cordoba.

24th Feb. Belgrano (Cordoba) 1 Union (Santa Fe) 0 Clausura 25,000

A 8.5 hour bus ride to Villa Maria for a pleasant stop over before going on to Cordoba.

Belgrano’s ground is of the older, inner city, style being mostly open with good sized terraces at either end.
There was a good turnout on a cloudy evening with most areas well packed..
Union also brought about 700 fans, many of whom didn´t get in until after the first 30 minutes.

One opportunistic strike did it for Belgrano and they had their first win of the season (in what is being called the General Belgrano League)
Otherwise it was a typical Argentinian league game with plenty of midfield battling and misplaced longer passes.

The fans were as usual very noisy.

San Juan.

26th Feb. Sportivo Desamparados 1 River Plate 4 Nacional B 24,000

From Cordoba to Mendoza (11.5 hours) and a very pleasant night to enjoy the ‘city of wine’.
And this time not only a wine festival on the Saturday night but also a rock concert in the Plaza Independencia.

It is 2.5 hours from Mendoza to San Juan passing some more interesting countryside with mountains and a desert-like terrain on the way.

This match was played in the Estadio del Bicentenario, a Copa America ground.

The stadium comprises three sides of large terrace and a two tier ‘main stand’.
The fans were divided 50-50 although the visitors had the larger numbers, around 12,500 had travelled the 1000 km from Buenos Aires and places in-between.
Making it a big day for San Juan.

Los Borrachos produced their large flag and drove on the noise.

Maybe the result could have been different if Sportivo had been given a penalty early on for a possible handball.
But River probably would have won anyway.

They were certainly stronger, helped by some poor goalkeeping.
Their second goal was of a higher class involving a good interchange of passing and French star David Trezeguet came on to get a deflected fourth.

However Desamparados did score the best goal with a great dribble and shot by substitute Anivole.

So it wasn´t a famous win for well supported Sportivo and River returned to the top of the second division.

The programme included a history of the visitors and how they started in the La Boca region of Buenos Aires.
It also mentioned quotes from the Guardian and the Sun about the fame of the Superclasico.

I took the first bus back to the centre, the ground is 5/6 km outside of town, and struck up a conversation with some River fans.

do you like River or Boca ? River

what did you think of the fans ? Great (as were the Sportivo fans)

where do you come from ? England

we like Manchester City especially Sergio Aguero. Yes he´s playing well.

But not Carlos Tevez (ex-Boca) - he´s a ….r and a ...r

Reever ..Reever Plate

Back in the centre before midnight I enjoyed some wine in the pleasant warm ambiance of San Juan and watched the fans returning.

27th Feb. Juventud Alianza 1 Huracan Las Heras 2 Argentino B 700

Alianza play in Santa Lucia a ten minute or so ride from the centre of San Juan.
Their ground is a typical mix of older terrace and some slightly better seating.

Around 200 fans of Les Heras made the trip from Mendoza and they brought their flags and drums.
As is often the case the fans made the entertainment with the Las Heras barra showing they could shake a fence with the best of them.

Both number nines scored, the first from Jorge Detona of Las Heras a shot the home goalie should have saved.
Inevitably that goalie was given a good write up (‘safe hands’) in the fan produced programme.

The visitors’ winner was a header which decided the contest between two teams in the middle of group 7 of Argentino B, the fourth, non-metropolitan, level.


Salta.

Via Tucuman after a 12.5 hour bus ride from San Juan.

I stopped in Tucuman - a cheap hotel near the bus terminal being more than adequate.
From there a four hour ride to the attractive city of Salta through some wooded valleys and mountain scenery.

There are hotels in the main square around which are some very attractive Spanish style buildings.
Salta is a popular location for backpackers and tourists.

29th Feb. 7pm Velez 2 Racing Trelew 0 Copa Argentina 600

Played in the Estadio Martearena (City stadium) that also hosted games in the Copa America.

This was the first game of a double header of Copa Argentina Round of 32 matches.

This is only the third ever edition of the cup (the second version was never finished)

And it has hardly captured the imagination of the fans.
Only 600 were at the first match and 200 at the second.

Velez had a few hundred fans though probably few made it from Buenos Aires (1300 km distant) and there were about a dozen from even further away Trelew (2000 km)

Racing did have a couple of good shots but each were well saved.

Velez scored twice in the first half, the second a well placed free kick.
That was enough for the win.

10pm Arsenal 2 General Lamadrid 1 Copa Argentina 200

Only a handful of Arsenal fans and about 30 or so supporting Lamadrid watched the second game.

The lower level team (B Metro) scored first via a well placed chip of the goalie.

Arsenal equalised just before the break also from a free kick.
And they got the winner in the last minute after Lamadrid had defended stoically.

As Argentinian fans don´t tend to watch neutral club games it would make more sense to play most of these cup games at the home of the lower level team.
Except of course when Boca or River come to town.

Staying in Salta I took a short bus ride to San Lorenzo and the Quebrada area which has some great views and very pleasant surroundings. The town is home to many of the richer local citizens with large houses that would not out be out of place in leafy Surrey.


2nd March 9.30pm Gimnasia Y Tiro 0 Racing Cordoba 1 Argentino A c. 12,000

The final game in the first phase of the league and it would mean GYT would finish in the bottom half of the table.

Their ground, El Gigante del Norte, feels much older than the apparent build date of 1993 with its old style main stand set back from the pitch and unusable terracing (because that’s where they hang the flags)
But as with most inner city grounds it has plenty of atmosphere.

Ultimately the home fans were reconciled to defeat as their team was well beaten.

Racing scored early from a far post cross and should have scored another two or three, hitting the post and bar.
About 20 hinchas had made the trip from Cordoba and they could celebrate a win and a place in the top six.

Before the game we had a Malvinas protest - given some support by the fans.
Somebody who did give his backing was Roger Waters (ex-Pink Floyd), at a concert at the Monumental in Buenos Aires.

But most locals seem indifferent - just politics said one to me.

Jujuy.

Two hours from Salta going north, passing some more impressive scenery, is San Salvador Jujuy.

4th March Gimansia Jujuy 1 Atletico Tucuman 1 Nacional B 8,000

It always seemed a bad plan to accommodate the two sets of ultras so close together.
And so it turned out as both started to bait each other finally leading to the visiting 250 or so being forced out of the stadium by the police.

They missed a good strike from Colombian Castillo just after half time.

But the home side´s captain, Luna, following a couple of earlier sighters placed a neat free kick over the wall for the equaliser.

Into the second period the heavens opened (mountains nearby a factor) and we had a bad storm continuing until well after the match had finished.

Buenos Aires.

Flight from Jujuy to Aeroparque and then a one hour bus ride to La Plata.

5th March Gimnasia La Plata 2 Chacarita 0 Nacional B 10,000

More heavy rain at this game and for a time it looked like that and the thunder would cause a delay but we carried on.
Not that that bothered the ultras much as they gave good support to the home side.

The main Chacarita ultras were banned from travelling but there were 30 or so fans in the away section.

This was a comfortable victory for Gimnasia against the relegation threatened visitors and they probably should have scored more goals.

The ground is in the same park area as the old/new Estudiantes stadium and you pass it on the way.
It has an impressive main stand structure and wooden terracing but despite the lack of cover I´m sure most fans prefer playing here to the larger City stadium.

Tres Arroyos.

6th March Huracan Tres Arroyos 1 Union (Mar del Plata) 2 Argentino A c.800

Tres Arroyos is an upmarket city, a seven hour bus ride south from the capital.

Maybe because of the middle class profile there were not many ultras at this game even though those there did set off some fireworks.

On the pitch Union were the better team.
Their pacy forwards always looked too tricky to stop for the home side.

Even though the visiting goalie gifted Huracan a goal Union soon got back in the lead.

The result meant Union will play in the top group for the second phase of Argentino A.

Buenos Aires.

7th March Boca Juniors 1 Fluminense 2 Copa Libertadores. 45,000

Back on the bus to Retiro and a metro ride to the San Telmo area.

Where I stayed in a pleasant boutique hotel, relaxed for a while, enjoyed a mojito whilst watching some outdoor tango then strolled to the Bombonera.

Juan Roman Riquelme, the artist you might say, was more slow motion black and white rather than sparkling colour.
But even so he still has the touch, the perfectly weighted pass and the ability to deliver from free kicks.
As he did for the Boca equaliser.

But before that Fred had headed in from a free kick and the Brazilians won it when the promising young winger Wellington Nem beat his man and crossed for Deco to convert.

The atmosphere was great as the barra brava and the rest of fans drove on their team.
Fluminense also had their support, some 3,500 had made the trip from Rio.

The defeat, their first for 36 games, damages the chances of Boca in the Copa but neither side really looked likely competition winners.
New Uruguyan striker Santiago Silva didn´t have the best of nights for the home side.

I was able to get away quickly and was back in San Telmo for a late night beer by 00.30

Parana.

Reached via Santa Fe , well over six hours from the capital, and about an hour from there to Parana across the large river of the same name.

9th March Patronato 3 Instituto 1 Nacional B 14,000

One of the best games of this trip, especially for the first hour.

Both teams played some impressive football with Patronato taking the initiative early with two quick goals.
The first a free kick, the second a cross, return header and conversion.

The home side would add another just after half time and although Instituto quickly got one back the league leaders were well held.

There were some 800 from Cordoba behind the goal but they were outshone by the flares and fireworks from the locals.

I took the bus back to Santa Fe and had some wine and chips whilst waiting for the much longer overnight bus trip to Buenos Aires.
From there I took the 8am Plusmar service to Mar del Plata.

10th March Aldosivi 2 Boca Unidos 1 Nacional B 3,500

Mar del Plata is a large seaside resort and on this Saturday the locals were out enjoying the sunshine and the street musicians.

It was cooler in the breeze following the heat of Santa Fe.
Even so they still stopped for a drinks break after half an hour.

Aldosivi play in one of the old 1978 World Cup stadiums - a vast bowl of end terraces and open seating.
I doesn´t seem like it has been updated since that World Cup and retains the old (now non-functioning) scoreboard and camera tower.
It is clearly far too big for the home side unless River come calling.

Not surprisingly no away fans (visibly) made the very long trip from Corrientes.

The home fans did produce plenty of support and despite the relatively small numbers there was no shortage of fanatics.

Aldosivi probably deserved the win although they were pegged back by a Boca penalty.

The game neared the finish with a typical altercation caused by the home team time wasting.

Back to Capital Federal.

11th March Chacarita 1 Atlanta 1 Nacional B 13,000

You would not want to walk through the Chacarita hinchas lining Guitterez street on the way to the stadium wearing a blue and yellow shirt.

This was a relegation matchup and also a clasico.

No away ultras were allowed to travel although about 30 fans were in the visitors section.
Many would wish they never came as there was violence after the game and some ended up in hospital.

The Chacarita ground has been updated - that is in an Argentinian way - by changing the wooden terrace for concrete.
It now has three large slabs with nothing, except views of the city, along one side.

As you would expect there was plenty of atmosphere.

But Chaca have a moderate team lacking some quality and confidence.

Atlanta were better and took the lead and seemed like winners until defender Sebastien Pena showed good control to score from close in for a very late equaliser.
He had been the local hero also going close with a couple of headers.

That sparked some wild celebrations.

I exited quickly as the mayhem continued back at the ground.

In the centre I watched the last part of Boca v Independiente (4-5 !) while enjoying a Patagonia weissbeer followed by steak and wine.

12th March Huracan 1 Almirante Brown 1 Nacional B 15,000

Staying in Buenos Aires for the sixteenth and final game of this trip.

The start was delayed for 30 minutes because of a Presidential TV broadcast.

Almirante brought large numbers of hinchas and they outshouted the locals.

Their team was also superior although their goal was a gift from the home goalie who dropped a long cross.

The visitors passed the ball better and should have had another couple of goals.
But the longer it stayed 1-0 the pressure was applied by Huracan and they got the equaliser in the fifth minute of added time from a glancing header.

We were kept in for 30 minutes so that the numerous away fans could get away on their buses.

I was back in the centre by 10.30 to watched the later stages of Velez v Olimpo accompanied by more wine.

Summary.

Another memorable trip to Argentina with, this time, many days spent outside of Buenos Aires.

I took long bus trips (mostly on time or thereabouts) from the capital to Cordoba, onto Mendoza, San Juan, Salta and Jujuy.
Then further south to Tres Arroyos and Mar del Plata.

I saw some great scenery around the west of the country, towards the Andes and especially around the attractive city of Salta.

There were no really great games but as always there was plenty of atmosphere and interesting grounds.

Again the visits emphasised the strength in depth of the support for Argentinian football outside of the capital.


more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1187102752 and http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1187219830

Spain February 2012

A three game long-weekend visit to Spain including seeing Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Santander.

Though not a personal preference eating late sometimes works.
Arriving on an evening Ryanair flight from Stansted into Santander and settling into a hotel by 9.30pm might mean most restaurants are winding down, but not in Spain.

Where the action is just getting started.
So I enjoyed a typical local dinner of fish soup and steak washed down with the obligatory red wine.
Outside it is cold but dry.

11th February Racing Santander 0 Atletico Madrid 0

Earlier I had found an Irish pub to watch some of Man Utd v Liverpool before getting the bus to the El Sardinero.
The stadium is small but neat and reasonably cosy on cold night in northern Spain.

Atletico brought a few groups of fans and they were distributed near to the corners, as were the home ultras.

Atletico dominated the match but either failed with the final ball or the ultimate shot, a couple of times hitting the post.
When they did break through the home goalie, Tono, stopped everything.

How coach Diego Simeone might wish he had a Forlan or Aguero to convert the chances.
The result left Racing in the bottom three and Atletico in sixth.

I got the bus back to the centre and saw Barcelona lose to Osasuna on the hotel TV.

Madrid.

I took the early morning train from Santander to Madrid. Slow at first it got up to 250 km/hour on the stretch between Valladolid and Madrid.

12th February Rayo Vallecano 2 Getafe 0

A touch of Argentina ?
A 3 sided ground with apartment blocks behind advertising hoardings at one end and a decent group of flag waving ultras (for Spain) behind the other goal.

Rayo’s shirts could even be reminiscent of River Plate.

But I don’t remember anywhere in Buenos Aires having such a bitter wind blowing across the ground.

Getafe never really threatened not helped by having a man sent off in the second half.

Rayo scored one in each period and were convincing winners.

Real Madrid 4 Levante 2

My second visit to the Santiago Bernabeu and, from my seat in the central region, it looks as awesome as ever.
Somehow the five main levels and the steep sides and the colour perhaps make it more magnificent than (say) Wembley or indeed the Camp Nou.

But how they could benefit from magically transferring the ‘Imperial Guard’ or for that matter most other ultra groups from Argentina to make some serious noise.

Like at many European top clubs the fans wait to be entertained before warming up.

And we needed warming up - the roof heaters only barely doing their job.

In the end the game was another Cristiano Ronaldo masterclass.
But not before Levante had taken an early lead from a free kick.

Somehow you knew the relentless Real attacking would prevail, aided by the effortless passing of Alonso and the midfield skills of Ozil and Granero.

A CR7 penalty, header and a superb right foot strike did the business.
Although Arouna Kone of the Ivory Coast did head in a second consolation for the visitors.

Benzema curled in a fine fourth and after that Real contained any fightback from by now ten-man Levante.

Outside I found a metro station and was back at the hotel by 00.15.

Despite not having the strength in depth of the Premier League when you see either Real Madrid or Barcelona in the Spanish League it feels like a privilege to watch exceptional teams.
And exceptional goalscorers - Cristiano has scored 27 goals in 22 league games and Real themselves 75 goals in total.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1138978862

Africa Cup of Nations 2012

Africa Cup of Nations 2012 in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Keep Calm.

Most visits to West Africa are best done in a state of calm.

Even before getting to Gabon and Equatorial Guinea patience and persistence are needed to get a visa.
In the end for your correspondent a Gabon visa proved fairly straightforward as long as you were willing to pay up front for a high-end hotel.
For Equatorial Guinea, despite promises of a joint visa being available in London, it never happened.

But on arrival in Libreville, following a delayed flight via Nairobi (caused by an overloaded plane), I was fortunate to get the combined 45-day ‘tournament’ visa fairly quickly with help from one of the organisers.

Arriving a couple of days before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations I got settled in Le Meridien hotel in Libreville.
Located near the sea with good facilities (but no beach to speak of) and prices to match the hotel hosted many CAF visitors and media personnel.
It also had an ATM that was usually functional, an essential feature in countries that mostly deal in cash only.

After travelling for about 24 hours I needed an early night so after one beer I went to a nearby Chinese restaurant for a decent sweet and sour plus a small pichet of red wine.

The next morning I took a shared taxi, joined by a guy from Niger who was going to the airport, to the stadium.

Some of the Stade de Angondje looked far from finished with the surroundings and access roads being worked on plus the interior of the stadium still needed substantial finishing.
With three days to there was plenty to do.

But I guess with some strategic blocking-off of certain areas and lots of work it was just about ready for the first Gabon game.

The stadium is in a modern Chinese built style with two large sides, curved roofs and two much smaller open ends. Not my favourite style of football stadium.
It is maybe 15 minutes or so from the airport which was as much as an hour from my hotel depending on the traffic.

Libreville.

23rd January 5pm Gabon 2 Niger 0

The first game of the tournament for me and the opening game in the new stadium.
Many fans had begun walking from near the centre at around 11am, for the late afternoon kick-off.

It was hot and humid and the traffic was typically dire.

Newcomers Niger had a couple of small groups of fans behind the right hand goal but as you would expect most were supporting the Panthers.

And it was the locals who went home happy as their team scored twice, both involving star man Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
He headed in the first at the far post and Nguema scored the second from close range after a Aubameyang header was parried.
Niger were limited, only having a few chances and some below standard players.

So it was a fairly easy start for the co-hosts.

8pm Morocco 1 Tunisia 2

The stadium was now about one quarter full for the 2nd game to see the Tunisians win this North African derby.
They had much less possession as Morocco attacked but failed to take their chances,Tunisia proving more clinical.

The game did have a hectic finish with Morocco getting one back and imposing late pressure.
But Tunisia held on having played a smart game in a watchable match.

Most of the traffic had dispersed & I walked up to the first roundabout, picked up a minibus to the airport and then a taxi to my hotel.

There was plenty of time for a beer before getting another taxi to the airport for the red eye, 3.50am, flight to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea.

Equatorial Guinea.

I arrived at about 5am and experienced the expected delay in getting into the country.
But with my passport stamped I got a ride into town to try to find a hotel.

‘Luckily’ I could get into the Tropicana, albeit for a price (£100 per night)

Malabo does have some pleasant colonial style buildings near to the port and a comfortable Sofitel hotel next to an attractive cathedral.
As you stroll around you can see the tropical forest in the distance.

Unusually, and uniquely for Africa, the first language is Spanish although many people also speak French and some English.

In the evening many visitors and football fans adjourned to the downtown Candy restaurant - I joined them.

Next morning another early 5am start to get the CEIBA flight from Malabo to Bata.

This time in the front seat of the taxi was a lady of the night having just finished her work.
We drove off down a bumpy, narrow track to her ‘house’ and (it did cross my mind about the possible danger) thankfully back again towards the airport.

This being Equatorial Guinea we had to go through visa checks, picture taking and fingerprinting even though we’re not leaving the country. For many, even the locals, moving around the country can be difficult.

Bata is the major mainland city and it certainly had many more police around as you pass from the airport through to the centre.

Having tried some hotel options along the way I settled for the ´Mister Bed´lookalike Federacione Hotel next to the stadium, paying the usual c.£100 a night.

At least Bata and Malabo were cooler than humid Libreville.

Bata.

My pre-game meal was an expensive salad followed by a stroll to the stadium.

I was inside when a torrential tropical downpour meant we had over an hour delay as they attempted to remove the water from the pitch.
For a while it seemed that a cancellation was possible.

25th January 6.15pm Libya 2 Zambia 2

Considering the difficult conditions - there were large patches of standing water - this was a very entertaining game.

Libya scored early in each half and each time the Zambians replied.
The North Africans, with less possession, did well to convert their fewer chances and showed spirit to get their first point.

9.15pm Equatorial Guinea 2 Senegal 1

By now the pitch though not really great, had got back to a decent state.

And what a night we had as the crowd rushed in (free entry for many I think) to pack the stands in what is a better, symmetric and atmospheric football stadium.

This was quite an upset as the lowly ranked co-hosts beat one of the favourites with a very late winner rifled in by defender Kily Alvarez.

Before that the Nzalang Nacional had generally restricted the much vaunted Senegal forward line.
Ba missed a very good chance but the unusual conditions did make it a more even contest.

Equatorial Guinea took the lead when Randy headed in a cross but Moussa Sow forced in a late equaliser and it looked like a still very creditable draw was on the cards.

Until the fourth minute of added time when Kily struck to send the crowd into raptures.
There were a few friendly incursions on the pitch but nothing serious.

Amazingly Senegal were out and Equatorial Guinea were assured of a place in the quarter finals.

No doubt all of the country was celebrating a great, unexpected victory.

I sampled too many beers with friends as the fans walked away, down the only exit from the stadium, many dancing as they went.

What started as a possible postponement finished with a exceptional night to remember in Bata.

Malabo.

Another fairly early morning CEIBA flight from Bata over to Bioko Island and a return to Malabo.
This time the experience was more chaotic due to the poor organisation (we were not given any boarding passes) and a crowded plane.
In the end I think everyone made it.

Back in the Tropicana Hotel I rested, had a sandwich for lunch and had a chat with an ex-pat. oil worker.

26th January 5pm Sudan 2 Angola 2

The Malabo stadium is by far the smallest of the venues and only a few thousand witnessed this entertaining encounter between the favoured Angolans and a decent Sudanese team.

Ex-Manchester Utd forward Manucho scored twice, the second a penalty, but each time Mohamed Bashir equalised for a side that comprised only locally based players.

It was a good effort by Sudan and the result would help their unexpected progress to the quarter finals.

8pm Ivory Coast 2 Burkina Faso 0

The crowd had built to around 5,000 to see the Nations Cup favourites, Ivory Coast, beat the Burkinabe with a strike from Salomon Kalou and an own goal.

The Elephants, with Didier Drogba winning headers, did enough and they moved efficiently into the last eight.
I managed to sample the hospitality which included chicken and, a first for me, antelope.

The Ivorians had a reasonable number of fans and I strolled back with them towards the centre.
As usual it was hot but downhill to the hotel - a small bottle of red meant a better night’s sleep.

Gabon.

A less chaotic flight back to Libreville this time and a return to my hotel in the Glass quarter of the city, near to the Le Meridien but a lot less pricey.

27th January 5pm Niger 1 Tunisia 2

A low key start to a magical night in Libreville.

The Tunisian goalie gifted the lowly rated Niger team an equaliser after Msakni had waltzed through for the opener.
But the Carthage Eagles secured the victory with a late goal.

8pm Gabon 3 Morocco 2

By kick-off the crowd had grown to near capacity for the second Gabon match.

Nobody who was there will forget the drama that was to follow.

Gabon started fairly cautiously going behind when Hossine Kharja was given too much space.

Then we had a long period of relative calm before the last fifteen minutes when the mayhem unfolded.
Firstly star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang headed in at the far post then a couple of minutes later the experienced Daniel Cousin turned and shot in for 2-1.
The noise went from loud to deafening.

The announcer pleaded with the fans to 'keep calm'.

Some fans ran onto the pitch.

But as if a switch had been turned silence ensued when Morocco were given and scored a penalty in added time.
Even then the Gabonese were not to be denied when, in the seventh minute of injury time, Bruno Zito Mbanangoye of Dinamo Minsk executed a Beckham-like free-kick to send everyone back into ecstasy.

I left soon after and joined the large numbers of locals, shouting and celebrating as they went, in the chaos outside.
Amongst the many minibuses I managed to share a seat for an uncomfortable but thrilling ride back to the centre of town.
Along the way the locals, including the many police, came out to enjoy a special victory.

Back at my hotel I calmed down with some wine while trying to converse in schoolboy french, outside the noise continued.

Franceville.

Fortunately my flight was not until 12.30 so I could enjoy a good nights sleep, helped by the earplugs.
This was a charter trip organised by COCAN with Lithuanian staff.
And everything went to schedule.

I had made a reservation for the Mbaya hotel and after some tribulations got there, via the stadium, in good time.
The hotel was a new complex (including a training pitch) designed originally for one of the teams and although not everything worked 100% it was quiet and comfortable.

28th January 5pm Guinea 6 Botswana 1

The stadium is a mix of central VIP and media areas with larger partly covered ends.
A large part of the local population could fit into the c. 25,000 capacity and it was never full.

This match was a bad day at the office for Botswana playing in their first Cup of Nations finals.

It didn’t help that they had a man sent off just before half time.
But by then they were already well beaten with just a twice taken penalty as compensation.

Two late goals sealed their fate.
Guinea had a lively group of fans with the requisite drums behind one of the goals.

8pm Ghana 2 Mali 0

The crowd did increase, to around 7,000, to see the well established Ghana team score two fine goals.
Asamoah Gyan from a free-kick and Andre Ayew with a dribble and left foot shot did the business for the Black Stars.

The next day I arranged a driver and English speaking help to see some of the tourist sites in the nearby area.
We visited the rope bridge and the, inevitably, Chinese hydro project at Poubara.
Plus we saw some of the traditional pygmy houses along the way.

The countryside was undulating and somewhat like Europe except for the dwellings and the people.
I did notice that some of the pygmy are getting bigger especially the one who chased us when I took a picture when I shouldn’t have done.

We were also able to visit Bongoville and the Bongoville Hotel, the base for the Gabon players.
We had a tour around the impressive but well guarded facilities.

On the way back we stopped at the train station where the car gave out giving me time to check the Franceville - Libreville timetable.
I’d been given various, differing information as to the schedule and was none the wiser as the only timetable posted was from 2011. I would have taken a day train, to see more of the country, but had to conclude that they had only night trains.

Eventually the car relented and we made it back to the hotel

Franceville is certainly well spread out with a centre comprising the usual market and a statue of ex-president Bongo.
As with most of Gabon it is the scenery and wildlife that entices the visitor, apart from the odd football tournament of course.

That and the friendliness of the locals, one of whom gave me lift in his 4 x 4 as I was going into town.
He asked if we could stop as he wanted to greet his uncle. No problem and after a short interval I was invited in to share some lunch with his uncle, his wife and other cousins.

Home grown food from his farm, wine and brandy - some hospitality from someone who turned out to be a local notable.

31st January 7pm Gabon 1 Tunisia 0

The biggest ever night for football in Franceville with the president attending as he had done for all the Gabon fixtures.
And as always it was a holiday whenever Gabon played.

Franceville is an even poorer region than Libreville so many would struggle to afford the 5,000 cfa or 10,000 cfa (£6 - £12) prices for tickets.

So I thought the 22,000 who attended on a cool night was a decent effort. The noise was nothing like that in Libreville but they did enjoy themselves.

Again it was the Cousin and Aubameyang combination that decided the result.
Tunisia, with many players rested, battled away near the end but Gabon held on to take first place in the group.

I took the minibus, in convoy, to the airport for the charter flight back to Libreville.
Some others where seeing off the Gabon players for their flight to the capital.

There was a typical scramble to get on the plane but again I think everyone managed to do so.

Fortunately they had kept my room available in my Libreville hotel so I could relax and chat to some Algerian reporters until about 1am.

Libreville.

1st February 7pm Mali 2 Botswana 1

After a stormy night of wind and rain the day dawned hot and humid for my final game.

At least there was a good few thousand Mali fans to give the match a decent atmosphere.

Those fans would eventually celebrate qualification for the next phase despite going a goal down when a Botswana counter attack saw Ngele convert a cross.

Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita scored the classy winner with about fifteen minutes remaining.

I was back near the hotel in time for a final Chinese meal and some wine.

The next day my trip home was again via Nairobi this time accompanied by the Botswana players as they belatedly joined the flight.
Their fans, many female, were also on the flight and you could imagine many of them in the Botswana No.1 Detective Agency.

We arrived late into Nairobi (far from the most comfortable airport terminal) not that it mattered as I had about a four hour transit before the flight to London.
Eventually arriving into Heathrow at 7am I had adjust to a 30 degree difference in temperature.

Postscript.

Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are countries few people visit unless you are in the oil business and so the opportunity to go there, albeit at a price, to see some football was a rare experience.

Both countries can offer exceptional scenery and wildlife that I saw only briefly.

But to be present at two particularly dramatic matches involving the host countries in Bata and Libreville made this tournament special.
As usual there were mistakes and some wild shooting but every game had at least one goal and nearly all were closely fought.

The logistics were a mix of some chaos and serenity but there were always a plethora of volunteers, many able to speak English, to help you along the way.

And as ever at these tournaments you meet people from all over Africa, all passionate about football.

So to conclude not many people stayed calm in Bata and Libreville on those special nights and not many will ever forget the joy they experienced.

more pictures can be viewed at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1125916419

Spain December 2011

A three game visit to southern Spain including seeing Granada defeat Real Zaragoza in La Liga.

Elche 3 Barcelona II 0 9,487

Elche have a good sized two-tier stadium decked out in the club colours of green and white.
For this match against Barca ‘reserves’ there was a reasonable turnout to fill most of the lower tiers.

Actually it was more Barcelona lite than regular Barcelona as they struggled to create chances despite the inevitable well honed passing game that no doubt pervades every level of the Catalan club.

Two strikes from Danish forward Bille Nielsen and a neat left footed free kick from full back Edu Albacar and Elche had it done by half time.
The home side were ultimately stronger and more direct than the visitors.

The result meant Elche moved up to second in the Segunda league.

I strolled back to my hotel and chose a substantial Asian buffet whilst watching Spain play Argentina in the Davis Cup.

Ejido 0 Melilla 2 300

Ejido are rock bottom of their group in Segunba B (3rd level) and they had a hard time making progress against a solid Melilla defence.
The away team had scored early after a defensive error and they added a header just before the break - both scored by the useful striker no.9, Chota.

This early kickoff was played in bright sunny conditions though it did get cooler later as I watched from the main stand (with views to the mountains)

The ground has open seating opposite and at one end, where there were a couple of small local ultra groups.
The ‘African’ visitors did have some support and Ejido were particularly egged-on by an elderly cheerleader who constantly berated the officials, all to no avail.

So I drove on towards Granada.

Granada 1 Real Zaragoza 0 22,000

I had planned to see three games on this Sunday but due to some rental car trouble going over the Sierra Nevadas I never made it to my planned second game, at Jaen.
Instead I settled for a double with the late game in Granada.

Where the home side secured an important win against one of their fellow strugglers.

Nigerian Ighalo scored the winner from close range just before the break after a period of home dominance.
The visitors did sustain some late pressure giving the home side, and their fans, some concerns but Granada held on for the three points.

It left Zaragoza bottom of La Liga but judging by this game both teams may well struggle during the rest of the season.

The home supporters, in what seemed like a sellout crowd, provided decent noise led by a couple of ultras groups.

The ground itself does somewhat resemble a real life subbuteo stadium with its three smallish tiers plus the addition of temporary looking filled-in corners.
However it is fairly cosy, at least in the ‘main stand’ which helped on a cold December night in Granada.

Tired after a late finish I had an early night.

more pictures at http://pod46.photobox.com/album/1023703422