Cymru and Africa (pt.6) – Gabon and Sierra Leone
With the African Cup of Nations 2023 now underway, part 6 of our blog series exploring links between Cymru and Africa sees us visit two countries who despite decent AFCON pedigree are not competing this time round: Gabon (The Panthers) and Sierra Leone (The Leones Stars).
Gabon
Bruno Ecuele Manga was already a Gabon international when he joined Cardiff City from Lorient in September 2014, and had played for the co-hosts of AFCON 2012 where Gabon made light work of their group before crashing out at the quarter final stage on penalties to Mali. In qualification for AFCON 2013 despite a first round bye and second round seeding they fell at their first hurdle to Togo.
Manga was selected in the squad for the 2015 edition held in Equatorial Guinea (who had stepped in after original hosts Morocco wanted the tournament postponed because of the Ebola outbreak in west Africa). They exited at the group stage as they did as hosts in 2017. Gabon failed to reach the 2019 edition but Manga, by now of Dijon and with French citizenship, was selected in the Gabon squad for 2021 where they exited in the round of 16 on penalties to Burkina Faso.
Sierra Leone
Ryan Giggs – It used to be a common sight. Far less so these days.
But every now and again in the wild one sees a Lesser Spotted Giggs Chose to Play for Wales.
Though he could have played for England under current rules (via the five year compulsory schooling rule) he was never eligible to at the time he was playing. He has more heritage from Sierra Leone than England!
Alongside Wilfried Zaha, another England debutant in that Sweden game was Steven Caulker. It was a goalscoring debut having impressed on loan from Spurs at Swansea City during the 2011-12 season. He never won another England cap but after an £8m move to Cardiff City he was courted by Scotland for whom he was eligible. After dropping into the Championship with QPR, then the SPL with Dundee and with addictions to alcohol and gambling affecting his form, he moved to Turkey where he opted to play for Serra Leone, the land of his paternal grandfather. He’s won 13 caps in total, including in each group game at AFCON 2021.
Malvin Kamara – Plumstead-born Kamara signed for Dave Jones’s Cardiff City in the summer of 2006 after MK Dons had been relegated to League One. With only fours starts in five months, and one goal, he was allowed to leave for Port Vale. At the end of the season he won his only Sierra Leone cap in a 2008 AFCON qualifier against Togo in Freetown, which Sierra Leone lost 1–0. Kamara is now a recruitment consultant.
