Africa Cup of Nations - blog

Predictions for the final, sandwiches and Mr Bad

by Paul Myers

Article published on the 2010-01-29 Latest update 2010-01-29 12:10 TU

Palestinians celebrate Egypt's victory in the African Nations Cup semi-final, in Gaza City
(Photo: Reuters)

And suddenly there was one big match left.

Where did those three weeks go? They can’t have all been spent in airport waiting lounges despite what my mind might tell me.

Ghana v Egypt will be Sunday’s final at the 11th November stadium. I got one out of two predictions correct.

Egypt did me well by getting their revenge on Algeria. Nigeria undermined my powers. They got their just desserts for not being able to score a goal for the second game running.

After a 0-0 quarter final against Zambia and outgunning the Copper Bullets in a penalty shootout (variation on a theme there), Ghana turned the Nigerians over 1-0.

Nigeria had the chances to avenge that defeat to Ghana in Accra two years ago but the Nigeria hit men (perhaps taking it too far here) were obviously thinking: ‘No, this hurting has got to go on.’

So for the third-place play off on Saturday, I make the Algerians the favourites as they are already in Benguela while the Nigerians have to deal with the Luanda airport vortex and board a plane for Benguela.

Good luck lads. That’s not going to be fun.

The prices in Luanda are no joke either. I remain amazed at how a cheese and ham toasted sandwich can cost 22 US dollars at the hotel.

Good thing breakfast is included in the room price.

The whole thing reminds me of a phrase that I heard years back while I was at university. During the run in to the final exams, my housemate Toby and I would spend the downtime from revision or even mealtimes watching TV programmes such as Knight Rider, the A-Team and Hart to Hart.

As far as I recall, Knight Rider was aired early on Saturday evening, the A-Team on Saturday night and Hart to Hart on Sunday evening.

Over the course of a few weeks a certain actor turned up in all three shows. He was never a nice man.

By the time he appeared in Hart to Hart one Sunday evening, he became known as ‘Mr Bad’. His evil role was to con the supersleuths Jonathan and Jennifer Hart out of millions of dollars on the stock exchange.

As the scam was going down, Mr Bad was on the telephone to his broker and, leaning back on his big office chair, he uttered the line: ‘I don’t care how much it costs just buy…’

Needless to say the Harts had circumnavigated his wickedness. Mr Bad was left penniless and unsheathed as a dastardly crook.

Every time I head towards the restaurant at the hotel I think of that great line.

It makes me chuckle and actually the food isn’t that bad.