Euro 2024: Major lessons AFCON organizers should learn from the Europeans

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) has come and gone, albeit, there are numerous lessons that the organizers of the competition can take from the ongoing Euro 2024.

The European tournament dubbed Euro 2024 kicked off in Germany on Friday, June 14 much to the fascination of football lovers across the globe. The aim and objective of the show, of course is to crown a new champion from the continent, albeit, to the Europeans, it is way more than that.

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It’s about connectivity, political and social advancement and most importantly, unity. Football is a sport renowned to bring people together and discuss controversial issues that will define the fate of Europe and other parts of the continent for decades to come.

To the African, AFCON is a contest where various African teams come together bi-annually to win a prize; to the European or Caucasian, the Euro competition is where they give hope to an emerging generation through the media and technology.

Without further ado, here are some pivotal lessons that AFCON organizers can curb from the ongoing Euro 2024:

1. Documentation of History

Organizers of the African cup of nations (AFCON) must begin to document history, either through print or visual presentation- YouTube, television, magazines, etc. Certain natives from Africa do not understand the history of the competition that goes on in their vicinity or environs. There needs to be a form of connectivity.

Without using a search engine, most Africans cannot tell the previous winners of the competition.

2. A User-Friendly Site

As I was scrolling the official EURO 2024 app, I realized how easy it is to get all the information, updates and history of the European contest.

The website is user-friendly and has enough content that documents the journey of each nation at the ongoing event in Germany.

During the AFCON competition, Africans only cared about their nation of birth and didn’t even know about other neighboring nations (as stated above). Sometimes, the AFCON site is difficult to meander and garner adequate information. Simply put, it hasn’t been updated.

With seasoned practitioners and skilled content strategists, the AFCON site would be fun for passive readers to scroll through and for active readers to garner adequate information. For now, the AFCON organizers need to fix the competition’s site.

3. Write Narratives Through Superstars

AFCON organizers need to take advantage of the stars the continent has in its possession. Write narratives around burgeoning superstars and legends, this would intrigue Africans and inspire the next generation.

AFCON isn’t just a competition designed to showcase nations from Africa, it ought to produce the next-big-thing and also unravel the exceptional crop of talents from our local leagues.

AFCON is the platform, while the stars are the primary characters; everyone has a role to play.

In the opening day match between, the Euro 2024 host, Germany and Scotland on Friday, youngsters, Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz were able to etch their names in the hearts of viewers across the globe disclosing what they are made of.

As for 39-year-old Portuguese legend, Cristiano Ronaldo, he has been able to captivate an entire generation with his enthralling career; this is storytelling at its finest. Also, stars such as Croatia’s Luka Modric and Germany’s Toni Kroos in their final Euro tournaments.

Who asked about our very own Ahmed Musa?

4. Promote African Culture And Values

At the rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament in 2021, the theme of homosexuality and gender equality was fiercely pushed through the organizers of the competition; that’s Europe, now what can Africa learn from this?

It’s time for Africans to speak again tribalism, nepotism, bribery and corruption, hunger and poverty that is ruining the wellness of the continent. Through the game of football, AFCON organizers can agitate for the betterment of Africa and her people. It’s not just about enriching the footballers and carving their names in stones, they must be able to wage way against injustice and the impecunious agenda that is ruining the affair of the continent.

It’s time for Africa to speak up and fight its own war.

5. Appeal To Africans

The AFCON tournament saw a lot of poor ticket sales and an attitude of indifference shown by the audience. It was observed by our correspondent that several matches that didn’t include the host nation, Ivory Coast (otherwise known as Cote D’Ivoire) failed to garner enough hype or attention.

Simply put, no one cared, understandably so. This is why the African Union (AU) must find methodologies to help promote collectivism and oneness among Africans.

Conclusion

The organizers of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) must understand the at the tournament is for Africa and by Africans, it can only be worthwhile when Africans are actively involved in it. Hence, the tournament must promote the essence of Africa and not treat the tournament like an afterthought.

The European competition is fun to watch primarily because the organizers of the contest have designed a system that functions ideally and showcases their strength (although, this might not necessarily be the case).

It is time for Africans to take care of their own creation.