Now, it is a moot point whether this has always been the case but a wonderful antidote to the ‘grey’, stodgy and flavourless fare currently being served up on the supposedly ‘a la carte’ menu of the English Premier League has emerged with the African Cup of Nations.

Here you can trade in the colourless and anemic ingredients of our domestic league, where the likes of Wigan, Derby and Sunderland produce predictable, bland and insipid football on up to a twice-weekly basis, for the energy, vibrancy and refreshing non-conformity evidenced in the biannual African tournament.

The competition, hosted by the ‘Black Stars’ of Ghana, has been characterized by free-flowing football, high-scoring matches, and by outstanding individual performance (witness, among others, Manucho and Flavio of Angola, Essien and Muntari of Ghana, and Kameni of Cameroon); by the painted faces, rhythmic drums and ‘joie de vivre’ of the supporters; and by the emerging global force of the Cote d’Ivoire, with their remarkably talented squad of players, from Drogba and Dindane to Kone, Toure and Zokora.

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It was very interesting watching Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton headline Super Tuesday with some amazing political rhetoric. All the world’s eyes were on the US Presidential election nominations, but let’s not forget the other big day this week, in the world of football at least.

No not Capello’s first match in charge as England coach. Not even Sunday’s tie between Chelsea and Liverpool. Think harder. Despite its lack of significant press coverage, the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations will no doubt mean that when the final is played on February 10th, it is guaranteed to be an amazing finish to a thoroughly enjoyable tournament.

The tournament has done well in many regards. There has only been two 0-0 bore draws in the tournament so far, emphasising that goals have been arriving in their numbers - 86 have been scored so far. They haven’t just been simple tap-ins either.

If the two free-kicks in the pulsating Cameroon-Tunisia match was anything to go by then clearly the quality of goals in this year’s competition has exceeded expectations. When the goal of the tournament panel meets up on the eve of Sunday’s final, they might want to wait until the final match is played out, with a stunner more than a possibility in the deciding encounter.

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When one says Africa, there are so many negative connotations associated with this word that one would forget that a major footballing tournament is currently taking place in the continent, or that the world’s biggest sporting event will be hosted by a nation in this continent.

Say Africa and one denotes poverty. Bono and Bob Geldolf travel around the world with white bands hoping to ‘make poverty history’. Say Africa and one may think of a war-savaged continent from Rwanda to Sierra Leone, from Chad to Sudan. Say Africa and one may think of Oxfam and Action Aid adverts projecting famine. But how many football fans think football and Africa have a link too? Why don’t we say Africa and think football?

Apart from the BBC and Puma’s mass advertising, this year’s African Cup of Nations has not received the same prominence it once did. But despite the lack of mass media coverage, the first few games of the 2008 tournament has already bought some beautiful goals, fantastic football, and quite rightly, scouting eyes on some of the ‘forgotten continent’s’ superstars.

The problem I find with the Africa Cup of Nations is that when it comes to the build up, the English Premier League clubs always finds themselves complaining about the host of African players they lose to the tournament.

This time around, the clubs have lost quite a few, Portsmouth being the most affected. Over the years I remember every January, managers would come out of their shell, criticise the timing of the tournament, the lack of importance of the Cup itself, and most vividly, questioning the conduct of the African footballing authorities. So let’s take away the problems first.

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