The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is a highly viewed soccer tournament that brings together the best national teams from across Africa. From many countries around the world, no matter the age, AFCON always captivates millions of fans with intense matches and memorable moments. The tournament is known for its vibrant atmosphere, passionate fan base and competitive matches, making it a significant event on the global football calendar. Many students at Park value this tournament because it serves as a showcase of Africa’s football talent and cultural diversity on a bigger stage. With many students getting invested in games and different teams, the idea of whether it affects students’ academic performance in school is raised.
Varsity soccer coach Anson Opara said kids often watch the tournament during school, which affects their learning.
“I have some kids that like to watch them online during the school day,” Opara said. “They are not paying attention all the time during the class, which is a distraction.”
Senior Pawell Habia said the tournament actually changes the quality of his day depending on how well his favorite team played resulting in mixed changes in learning.
“It depends who you are rooting for — if your team loses you’re going to have a bad day, so you can’t focus,” Habia said. “If your team gets far (in the tournament), you’re going to be so happy that you’re going to be doing better in school.”
Junior Milo Trebnick said it can take away from students’ learning ability if they are too focused on the match.
“It depends because if they are taking glimpses or listening to commentary they can still focus on class, but if they’re not paying attention it can affect their schoolwork,” Trebnick said.
Opara said his favorite team in AFCON was Nigeria and that the outcome of the tournament was fair.
“My favorite was definitely Nigeria, I’m of Nigerian descent and my father lives in Lagos,” Opara said. “Both two really good teams (Nigeria vs. Ivory Coast) tend to always be in the final.”
Habia said he was rooting for Ghana as it was where he originated from, and that he was upset with how they did in the tournament
“For me I had Ghana winning, but they ended up disappointing us,” Habia said. “It was my favorite team because I’m from Ghana.”
Trebnick said he really likes the sport and his favorite player used to play for the team he was rooting for in AFCON.
“It’s a pretty entertaining tournament, it’s fun to watch,” Trebnick said. “My favorite team was Ivory Coast because that is where Didier Drogba is from.”
The African Cup of Nations concluded with Ivory Coast defeating Nigeria 2-1 in the final. This result crowned Ivory Coast as the tournament champions adding to their record in the tournament’s history.
