Ebi Egbe, the Managing Director of Monimichelle, a sports facility construction company, has tipped the Teranga Lions of Senegal to lift the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations trophy on Sunday.
Egbe said in Awka that the Senegalese were favoured because of their tactical and environmental advantage.
The West Africans defeated Burkina Faso 3-1 in the competition’s first semi-final match on Wednesday.
They will now square up with the Pharaohs of Egypt who beat the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 3-1 on penalty kicks in the second semi-final game on Thursday.
“I tip Senegal to win the cup on Sunday; the team is compact with quality individual players.
“Again, they have weather advantage and are more at home with the type of pitches in Cameroon,” he said.
Egbe lauded the talent of African footballers but blamed the seemingly poor quality of matches on poor pitches.
He said pitches are largely made of natural grass which are good in themselves but do not produce the best ball behaviour due to poor maintenance.
The sports facility expert said the games were slow because natural grass does not make for speed football like hybrid synthetic pitches that are predominant in Europe.
According to him, the hybrid synthetic pitch is the way to go for Africa. It is the future of football because it brings out the beauty of the game. It is easier to maintain and lasts longer.
“In Africa like Cameroon, our pitches are natural grass. It is difficult to keep them green at all times, and when you build a stand around the pitch, sunlight is limited and before long they wither and create problems for games.
“African countries should stop constructing pitches for tournaments, they should build for all seasons; this is where hybrid synthetic pitches come in.
“Hybrid synthetic is near-natural and you don’t need re-grassing or regular maintenance which is more expensive,” he said.
