“Underdogs Malawi shocked fancied Algeria, thumping them 3-0 in a poorly-attended game in Luanda. Russel Mwafulirwa capitalised on a defensive mix-up on 17 minutes, lashing home from a tight angle. Elvis Kafoteka then powered in a header to finish off a smart move from the Malawians on the left.” (BBC)

Who Pays When a Football Player Is Hurt?
“The opening ceremony of the African Cup of Nations in Angola was supposed to launch a year of celebration for football in Africa. Instead, the tournament began in sombre mood Sunday as the hosts played Mali in the inaugural match. A heavy shadow hangs over the biennial competition following Friday’s deadly ambush of the Togo team bus that left three people dead and nine more injured. Five months before South Africa hosts the Fifa World Cup for the first time in the continent’s history, the atmosphere of jubilation has soured.” (WSJ)

Angola ‘arrests’ after Togo football team attack
“Angolan authorities have arrested two people over a deadly attack on Togo’s football team at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament, state media say. Angola’s National Radio reported that two suspects were arrested in the northern province of Cabinda – where Togo’s team bus was attacked on Friday. Cabinda has seen a low-level insurgency for many years.” (BBC)

A Big Part of Life, and Now Death
“World sports, and not simply African soccer, now have to face up to the reality that they can no longer presume they are immune from terrorism. On Sunday, even as the African Cup of Nations was set to kick off in Angola, there was rank confusion among the Togo players who survived the attack on their bus on Friday after it entered the volatile province of Cabinda. Three corpses and eight people reported wounded — including two in intensive care — yet the team was being pressured to play on.” (NYT)

Football retakes centre stage in Angola
“Angola had promised a glitzy opening ceremony to officially kick off the 2010 African Nations Cup and it certainly did not disappoint. Luanda’s 11 November Stadium was lit up by a colourful show of fireworks and music, which accompanied displays of traditional and contemporary dancing performed by people in elaborate costumes.” (BBC)

Angola Stunned in Draw with Mali
“It was a game that came within one goal of matching a 47-year-old record, but for all the excitement of a thrilling opening match at the African Nations Cup finals, the gloom over Angola only turned a shade darker. Hoping to set aside the grisly images of the Cabinda bus attack that left two members of the Togo delegation dead and the West Africans heading for home, Angola’s ‘Palancas Negras’ team looked set for some positive headlines when their side stormed into a four-goal lead against Mali in Sunday’s first game of the tournament.” (allAfrican)

Africa Cup of Nations results
(BBC)

“The lack of English managers at the very top level has been well and truly noticed now: last night, Radio 5 devoted ninety minutes to discussing the situation with the likes of Tony Adams, Steve McClaren, Terry Venables and Sam Allardyce. The programme went out live, it’s not clear how much any of the participants had prepared, and the comments rarely went beyond the obvious and the hackneyed. Top clubs won’t give an English coach a chance; clubs don’t give managers long enough; there’s no realistic career path in which to gain experience; chairmen think top players turn into top managers.” (More Than Mind Games)

“Host Kartik Krishnaiyer had the opportunity to sit down with acclaimed author and Financial Times columnist Simon Kuper in Miami this week and discussed among other things – The integration of the Dutch National Team with racial minorities – The future of Serie A – the legacy of World War II in Dutch Football – The financial stability of relegated clubs…” (EPL Talk)

“Brazil met Argentina in the second round of the 1990 World Cup, pummelled them for 80 minutes without scoring, and then fell to the sucker punch as Diego Maradona produced one of his turn and burst specials, drew the defence and slipped a pass for Claudio Caniggia to round the keeper and score the only goal of the game. Galvao Bueno, commentating on Brazil’s TV Globo, was not impressed at all. His post-mortem on the goal was along the lines of ‘why didn’t someone take Maradona out, come across and kick him?'” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

“When the players of Blue Square South club Lewes take the pitch at Aggborough against Blue Square Premier club Kidderminster Harriers in the Second Round of this year’s FA Trophy, they will do so with the knowledge that the match could be their last. The club faces a third winding up order at the High Court on Wednesday morning over an outstanding tax debt of £48,000, and the very fact that this is their third appearance at the court doesn’t bode particularly well. There is no finite number of occasions that insolvency proceedings heard at court can be deferred, but the likelihood that they will be able to persuade a judge of the merits of allowing them to continue to trade drops with every case.” (twohundredpercent)