January 23, (THEWILL) – An unexpected 4-0 victory over tournament hosts Ivory Coast has seen underdogs Equatorial Guinea top their Africa Cup of Nations group. Following the surprise result on Monday, Equatorial Guinea’s president Teodoro Obiang Nguema declared Tuesday a national public holiday. He also promised the national football team a 1 million euro bonus for their exploits.
His son and vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, added to the windfall by pledging an extra 50,000 euros per goal scored against the favoured Ivorians. This took the team’s total bonus to 1.2 million euros. The rare positive headlines will be welcomed by the small Central African nation of around 1.5 million people.
President Obiang watched proudly as Equatorial Guinea humiliated their more fancied opponents. His nearly 43-year rule makes him the world’s longest-standing leader. Equatorial Guinea has only had two presidents since gaining independence from Spain in 1968. Obiang originally came to power by overthrowing his uncle Francisco Macias Nguema in a 1979 coup.
Despite now joining football’s biggest teams on the international stage, Equatorial Guinea continues to suffer from widespread poverty. President Obiang has often faced accusations of accumulating personal wealth as opposed to developing the country. However, this AFCON success will give citizens a rare moment of hope and unity to celebrate.
The feel-good story could continue with a strong quarter-final performance when Equatorial Guinea meet their next opponent in the knockout stage of the competition on Sunday, January 28. Yet, replicating their opening heroics may prove difficult going forward. The windfall can still incentivise them to go all out.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
