By Tony Onoh

WORDS cannot express the immense satisfaction and sense of relief we African nationalists had when Spain trashed Netherland's dream of winning the world football highest title on African soil. Many Africans backed Spain in this battle to avert an imminent political disgrace which would have been exploited by the Western media for political and socio-cultural gains. How can the nation which unleashed the most atrocious deeds on African soil, particularly in South Africa, make history in the same land they so despicably desecrated? We have not forgotten the likes of Pieter Willem Botha and Frederik Willem de Klerk who ruled South Africa with iron fist and treated Africans with scorn and cruelty. For The Netherlands, to make a successful conquest of the football highest trophy in South African would have amounted to a mockery of the slow but successful emancipation of Africa from mental, economic and political slavery. The blood of Africans who died in the struggle against apartheid would have counted for nothing.

We were beginning to resent the entire festival of talents and beauties. We almost fell into desperation when the gods pitted Spain against the Germans, a side which had terrified and humiliated all their previous opponents with the most multi-racial and multicultural squad in the history of German football. Germany´s performance was outstanding and their victories over previous opponents were so humiliating that it created mixed feelings of love and hatred. Some thought that it was not deservedly and meritoriously achieved while soccer enthusiasts were overwhelmed with love for their consistent display of strength and skills. The likes of Klose, Podolski, Boateng, Khadil and the terrific lad Oezil were proof to the conventional wisdom which states that piano and musical keyboards produce beautiful tunes only when they have mixed coloured keys of black and white. However, their technical prowess was not enough to stop the dream-kids from Spain.

Spain had been highly favoured by African gods. These wonder kids from Spain knew what it takes to win a world football tournament in African and the gods smiled favourably at their ambition or quest. This connection was found in Nigeria when the most populous country in Africa hosted the Under-21 world football tournament. Spain won the world title in Nigeria and sealed what would later become an enduring pact with the African gods. They were the only next door neighbour capable of rescuing Africa from the shame and ridicule it had created and endured.

With the elimination of the host nation, South Africa, the disgraceful exit of Nigeria and the subsequent ejection of Ivory Coast, Algeria and Cameroon, Ghana was projected to carry the flag of Africa to a victorious end. However, Ghana exited the tournament in a dramatic display of idiocy during their quarter-final match against Uruguay. Not even a penalty in the last minute of the extra time was enough to see them through the African Mississippi in international competitions. Now Spain was designated by the gods to rescue Africa while in turn, they got the divine promise to make history and inscribe their name in the football book of the greats. It was a faithful alliance, much like a marriage which was blessed by the higher powers and destined for success. The fruit of the womb was the trophy and the satisfaction was that the press in the West was deprived of that despicable headline which would have read something like this: "De BOER´s Conquest in Africa". But the lights went out in The Netherlands, their stars were covered by the gloomy cloud of African heavy rain and a suffocating silence filled their cities. Sneider and his mates must have asked repetitively and rhetorically, what have we done wrong? Nothing guys! It wasn't meant to be! There was no feeling, no love from Africa for you! We have got our immortal beloved and our stylish heroes who have won our hearts with their unique game plan tagged "Tikki Takka". We were so in love to Spain that we even gave out three African territories to their King and Queen who always captivated us with their humility.

Spain owes nothing but enormous gratitude to African for the magical transformation of this great kingdom and its inscription into the history of great footballing nations. I hope they do not fall into the erroneous conception that it was their strength and dominion that won them the World Cup. After all, they lost their opening game to Switzerland. But they should remain committed and engaged in the African affairs and contribute politically and economically to the development of Africa.