August 29, 2022
The brief from today:
CHAN qualifiers ramp up
The next African Nations Championship (CHAN), a Confederation of African Football (CAF) sanctioned tournament, is set to take place next January, and to decide the participants, various countries are currently going through the last qualifying round. The hosts, Algeria, are already guaranteed a place, but the remaining contenders have to go through a final two-legged qualifier, which just saw the first round conclude this past weekend. CHAN is a tournament that seeks to promote local based players for each nation, unlike AFCON where the most senior, and experienced international players—who typically play abroad—usually make up the squads. Countries play in qualifying rounds that are divided into the various regions of the continent: Northern, Western (with two zones), Central, Central Eastern, and Southern. Along with hosts Algeria, the current holders Morocco, as well as Libya, will represent the Northern region since Tunisia and Egypt pulled out of the tournament. One of the prominent stories from the first leg ties was Sudan’s 4-1 win over Djibouti. With a three goal advantage going into this weekend’s second leg, Sudan looks primed for their maiden appearance at CHAN barring a major collapse. Other noteworthy results from this past weekend included: Equatorial Guinea’s 1-0 win against Cameroon, while the shock result of the round was Angola’s 2-0 victory over South Africa. The second leg ties are scheduled for September 2-4, and teams will be looking to either overturn, or consolidate, their first leg results to determine whether they will be in Algeria come January.
The current CHAN holders, Morocco, will look to retain their title in 2023
Adidas and Argentina highlight important issues
Adidas, Argentina’s shirt sponsor, unveiled the team’s second/away jersey that will be used at this year’s World Cup. The alternative to the classic blue and white striped home jersey has typically been a navy blue option, but this year it will be purple. While many fans, and manufacturers, are primarily concerned with just aesthetics when it comes to jerseys, Adidas and Argentina went a step further with this selection. The objective behind the purple choice is meant to draw attention to gender equality, as this has been a color closely linked with various Women’s Liberation efforts throughout history. The general manager of Adidas Argentina discussed the mission saying, “The new away shirt of the national side transmits a powerful message of gender equality, aligned with the values of diversity and inclusion that our brand promotes.” In addition to the socially conscious message behind the color of the jersey, the material used to manufacture it is also environmentally impactful. In 2015, Adidas signed a partnership with Parley for the Oceans, an organization that aims to protect the oceans from plastic waste. Parley for the Oceans, over the years, has proven to be quite adept at upcycling plastic waste found on islands, coastal communities, and beaches. It is through this upcycling process that a specific type of yarn was made, and used, for the new away kit ensuring that the jersey is environmentally friendly. With a recent report confirming that Argentina had commanded the highest ticket demand for the World Cup, perhaps similar interest in the new away strip will result in a spotlight on two equally important causes.