Some clarification is required at the outset. Avram Grant, David Moyes, and Harry Redknapp, in particular, had better pay close attention. The African Nations Cup pre-dates the European Championship by three years. When the inaugural competition was held in Khartoum, Sudan in 1957, “EURO 60” was little more than a sparkle in Ebbe Schwartz’s eye. That fact, more than anything else, justifies the location of the tournament on the FIFA schedule. And then, of course, there is politics.

    It is commonly held in Europe that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) should adjust the dates of the African Nations Cup so as to accommodate the European club season. Imagine that. The big clubs of Europe, having already pillaged the likes of Ghana, Algeria, and Cote d’Ivoire for every little maestro they could get their hands on, unashamedly going about rewriting the calendar. It’s two hundred years of history in a nutshell. But politics can go by the wayside over the next three weeks. There will be enough written about it anyway. And that’s good. It’s important to see Africa for what it is.

    But it’s also important to celebrate the place – how far it’s come and where it’s going. And that’s what the next few weeks are really about. They’re about inclusion, competition, and color. Of course, defying Europe is just the icing on the cake.