The burden of history rests on the unexpected semi-finalists of Afcon, who hold onto hope and miracles.

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The tournament of exceptional drama has produced two semi-finals, where each features a current powerhouse of the continent against a team with distant recollections of success. South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo did not enter the Africa Cup of Nations with high expectations, but on Wednesday, they will compete against Nigeria and the host nation Ivory Coast for a spot in the final.

The Ivory Coast, who had a successful team that came close to winning the trophy many times, is also aiming to win the tournament for the third time, just like their competitors. However, it has been 50 years since the Democratic Republic of Congo last took home the victory. They were once a dominant force in African football, winning the tournament in 1968 and then again in 1974 as Zaire. This was also the year they made history as the first sub-Saharan African team to compete in the World Cup.

The tale of Mwepu Ilunga’s infamous free-kick is well-known. While it is now recognized that he was attempting to waste time and avoid a potential defeat that could have led to repercussions from the Mobutu government, the comical nature of the event often overshadows the high level of football being played in Congo at the time. From 1967 to 1970, TP Englebert (now TP Mazembe) reached four consecutive African Champions League finals, engaging in a fierce rivalry with Ghanaian club Asante Kotoko. AS Vita of Kinshasa also faced defeat at the hands of Kotoko in the 1973 final.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is ranked as the 16th most populated country in the world. Despite this and its rich history, their national soccer team has only made it to the semi-finals three times in the last 50 years. The former leader, Mobutu, saw the value of sports and famously organized the “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match in 1974. However, his involvement in sports eventually became detrimental to the country. The location of the team’s base in Lubumbashi, a city associated with support for Patrice Lumumba, the first president after independence who was assassinated by Mobutu in 1961, caused tension within the team during the 1974 World Cup.

The ongoing turmoil under Mobutu’s rule has caused widespread devastation, not just in DRC, which is now heavily dependent on Chinese investment and ranks 186th out of 189 countries for GDP per capita according to the IMF. This chaos has also affected the country’s football scene, as many clubs are now owned by political and military leaders. Despite the UN peacekeeping mission’s withdrawal, conflict between government forces and the M23 rebels in eastern DRC has escalated, and attacks on civilians by Islamist groups continue.

In these conditions, soccer assumes a peculiar position, being both completely unimportant yet also a significant representation of life moving forward, of potential and involvement with the global community. “We understand the significance of the sport for us and for our nation,” stated Sébastien Desabre, coach of the DRC team. “It is our duty to bring pride to those struggling in the country. We have a responsibility to bring joy and hope.”

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It seems that Ivory Coast does not feel a sense of responsibility, despite spending over $1 billion on the tournament. It appears as though they only realized the possibility of elimination after losing to Equatorial Guinea. Even after barely making it through as the best third-place team, they have relied on last-minute goals to defeat Senegal and Mali. The head coach, Emerse Faé, who took over after the group stage, believes these close victories have given the team more mental strength. He stated, “Without the right mindset, we cannot achieve these miraculous wins.”

The upcoming semi-final will see the top two defensive teams in the tournament facing off. Both South Africa and Nigeria have managed to maintain four consecutive clean sheets. South Africa has a more recent history of success compared to DRC, winning on their home turf in 1996 and following it up with a defeat in the final and semi-final in the next two tournaments. Despite having a strong domestic league, it was expected that they would regularly compete for the title, but this is their first semi-final appearance since then.

It is probable that eight players from Mamelodi Sundowns, who have been champions of the league for the past six years, will make up the starting lineup. This could lead to unity in the near future, but the control of the team by Patrice Motsepe, who also serves as president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), may not necessarily indicate long-term success.

Nigeria are seeking a fourth title that would put them level with Ghana as the third-most successful side in African history, but no side has lost more than their seven semi-finals. And they may to face this one without Victor Osimhen, who didn’t fly to Bouaké with the rest of the squad on Monday because of “abdominal discomfort”.

The current record and situation suggests that the final of this tournament will be between Ivory Coast and Nigeria. However, very few things have gone as planned in this highly unpredictable event.

Source: theguardian.com