At the Africa Cup in Egypt, many players complain about the heat. For the first time, he will be held in the summer, instead of, as usual, in the Winter. Also the security forces is likely to be hot.
Marcel Tisserand shuffled with heavy steps in the direction of the team coach. Almost an hour of the national players in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had been to the Africa Cup of Nations game against Uganda with his colleagues in the cabin. 40 degrees air temperature were measured at the stadium. “We were completely finished, had a lot to drink, water with minerals, many vitamins. It is already hard to play here,” said the defender of VfL Wolfsburg.
The son of a Congolese father and a French mother playing since 2016 in the Bundesliga. First of all, for FC Ingolstadt since 2017 at VfL Wolfsburg. While he was in Wolfsburg last usually only a substitute player, the 26-Year-old at the Congo like two years ago when the last Cup in Gabon a fixed size in the center of defense.
Europe-Legionnaires, the heat are not accustomed to
0:2 had lost Tisserand on Saturday at the International Stadium, Cairo with his Team against the underdogs from East Africa. The first tournament Surprise. During the Congo furnace of Cairo read in the embers, almost without exception, with the European-based armour, come, Uganda’s players mostly from the domestic League. “We have extremely played poorly. But the us has identified these unusual heat probably more than the opponents,” said Tisserand.
At the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, the heat is a big issue. Nigeria had to abandon in his first group game on Saturday against Burundi (1:0) attacker Samuel Kalu, the tags had previously collapsed during Training in the Training due to dehydration. While the organizers want to make the enormous amount of heat through two water breaks of three minutes during the games for the players bearable, the soccer Union Fifpro: “the health of The players is at risk. There are at least four breaks during the games will need to be established.”
Multiple Home Advantage Egypt
Particularly delicate is the games that are already scheduled at 16.30 in the afternoon. “This is of course questionable. But all Teams have equally their problems,” says Tisserand. Although he is not quite right, because the host of Egypt never play earlier than 21 o’clock home-field advantage.
Empty ranks, great heat. Bundesliga is a professional Tisserand (R) in the game against Uganda
Another issue in Cairo is the huge security package that was put together by the organisers. Officially about 100,000 security forces, players, officials and spectators to protect them from possible terrorist attacks. Felt it much more. Fan violence in football stadiums made for 2012 and 2015 for a total of approximately 100 deaths. A few weeks ago, was committed in the vicinity of the pyramids of Giza in Egypt, a bomb attack. The fear of an act of violence during the tournament is omnipresent.
No step is possible without the observation of armed soldiers, orange-clad security people, white police officers or Suit from the state security. The opening game between Egypt and Zimbabwe, three and a half hours was cordoned off before the start of the game the stadium area – no more. Tickets were bought in advance and online. In the stadium itself, the guard is complete. Pride, the organisers reported a Fully-Surveillance cameras: “Every visitor is scanned and can be tracked every step of the way.”
Empty stadiums, except…
So many do not have to be observed at all. With the exception of the sold-out opening game, the viewer’s interest is disappointing. Around 1,000 Fans were counted at the three games on Saturday. The cheapest Ticket costs ten Euro, which almost nobody can afford. So the Cup becomes, increasingly, to a television event. The private viewers a look into Egypt in the tube, because the games are only available on Pay-TV. The tournament device in the capital, Cairo, to a huge Public Viewing Event. At least, if Egypt plays.
The mood is omitted, and so far only positive. The home Fans expect of their Team is nothing more than winning the title. The centre of their hopes Mo Salah is. The FC Liverpool has swung to the icon of the Egyptian football up. He is revered by football-crazy Egyptians as the bringer of salvation and is in Cairo omnipresent. His portrait adorns countless billboards, in the supermarkets emblazoned with his face of each of the second product – sports apparel, detergent, biscuits, Cola, milk, mobile phone contract – with Salah everything sells better.