Daily Archives: January 3, 2026

Paranoia and Mali get the better of timid, tetchy Tunisia


“There is perhaps no nation on earth whose football is as paranoid as that of Tunisia, and with so little reason. They qualified for a third successive World Cup with ease and forced a draw in a friendly against Brazil in November, yet their football is infected with fear. To watch them play is to experience a dystopian world in which imagination has been outlawed. In the end, they went out of the Cup of Nations on Saturday because their self-doubt proved even stronger than Malian self-destructiveness. …”
Guardian: Jonathan Wilson
YouTube: Mali vs Tunisia | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS AFCON 2025

Souleymane Coulibaly interview: Ivory Coast Under-17 star, Tottenham youth, legal disputes and non-League
YouTube: Senegal vs Sudan | HIGHLIGHTS AFCON 2025

Just touched down in Morocco

“Ahead of South Africa’s final group match against Zimbabwe, Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos sat down with a gaggle of South African journalists, and in a moment of candor sparked a debate that has since rippled across the African footballing world. ‘In the Ivory Coast and in Gabon, every second of the tournament you felt that you were in a tournament,’ Broos said. ‘When we went by bus to training, people were waving flags, running alongside us. Here, you see nothing. There is no vibe. There is no typical AFCON vibe. I don’t feel it here.’ The remarks proved divisive. Some echoed Broos’ assessment, while they angered others. Those who agreed with him drew comparisons between the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2023 edition in Côte d’Ivoire, arguing that the current tournament lacks some of the spontaneity, warmth, and energy that defined the last AFCON. …”
Africa Is a Country

‘My pie looked more like scoring’: Our writers pick the worst games they have ever attended

“It felt like The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke was speaking for many who had the misfortune to watch Brentford 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur on New Year’s Day. ‘I really hope that is the worst football match that takes place in 2026, in any league, at any level,’ he wrote on X. ‘If there’s anything worse than that, something’s gone wrong.’ That game was certainly bad — worse than bad, in fact — but how does it compare to some of the other horror shows our writers and editors have witnessed over the years? We asked for a selection of their lowlights. …”
NY Times/The Athletic