Nations Cup goal-drought signals end of 'naive' African football

BAMAKO, Jan 22 -- A miserly goal-count at the African Nations Cup has left coaches and players scratching their heads and wondering whether football on the continent is starting to shed its reputation for naivety.

The steady flow of goals usually seen in the Nations Cup has been reduced to a trickle thus far, with the first round of eight group matches yielding a meagre total of five goals.

Compared with previous Nations Cups, that represents a steep drop-off. In the 2000 tournament 21 goals were scored in the first eight games, an average of 2.62 a match, while at the same stage of the 1998 competition 18 had been netted.

So is the age of African footballing innocence drawing to a close, or is Mali 2002 just a freak one-off? Zambia coach Roald Poulsen was left in no doubt as the tournament paused for a rest day Tuesday. "I have to be a bit careful what I say, but I think that 'naive' African football is over," said the Dane, whose team held World Cup qualifiers Tunisia to a 0-0 draw in Group D on Monday.

"Most of the teams have footballers from Europe who are used to being well organised and are used to the demands. So subtle areas like defensive positioning will of course see an improvement.

"So far I haven't seen any naive football and that's understandable isn't it? In a tournament like this only one thing counts and that's the result - you can't win if you entertain but lose 5-0.

"Having said that, I don't think the teams are setting out to play negative or defensive football. Many of the matches which have been 0-0 have had a lot of scoring chances," Poulsen told AFP.

"And it is also a worldwide trend in football: defences are getting more sophisticated. That's why clubs in Italy and Spain will pay so much for a striker who will score goals regularly."

The Zambia coach's words were echoed by his Nigerian counterpart Shaibu Amodu. Amodu's 'Super Eagles' are one of the few teams to have got on the scoresheet so far, recording a single-goal victory against Algeria in Group A on Monday. "What you are seeing is African players playing with a European or westernised mindset," Amodu said.

"Tactically they are playing a very disciplined sort of football - keeping it tight, playing close, not giving much away."

Amodu however also blamed a lack of adequate preparation for the slow start to the tournament.

"A lot of teams had problems getting together before we got here and they are still trying to find their best form," he said.

"I think as the competition continues and the best teams get stronger and other teams get weaker you will see games start to open up more."

Nigeria's experienced centre-half Taribo West meanwhile, whose defensive skills have been honed during spells in Serie A, the English Premiership and the Bundesliga, said the past decade had seen a steady improvement.

"About 10 years ago you would look at some teams defences and they'd be really disorganised. You don't really see that so much now," the Kaiserslautern player said.

Unless there is a sudden flood of scoring throughout the remainder of the tournament, the 2002 event looks like having one of the lowest goal averages ever.

That title presently rests with the 1988 edition of the competition in Morocco, when only 23 goals were scored in 16 matches, an average of 1.43 per game.