Air traffic controller directs Cape Verde football team to sporting glory

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jan/28/air-traffic-controller-cape-verde

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They have a population of half a million. Their coach had to take time off from his day job as an air traffic controller at the main airport. They are the smallest country ever to compete in football's Africa Cup of Nations.

Yet Cape Verde are living the dream, giant-killers in the grandest sporting tradition after a last-minute winner put them through to the quarter-finals of the tournament in South Africa.

Many people would struggle to find the tiny nation of 15 islands and islets on a map (it's off west Africa). But the scale of their celebrations after defeating Angola on Sunday night turned out to be in inverse proportion to their size.

The entire "Blue Sharks" team burst into the post-match press conference to chant and sing and dance in front of journalists. Lúcio Antunes, who has been coach since July 2010, sat in their midst with the blue national flag draped across his shoulders.

"My team and I dedicate this victory to the wonderful people of the Cape Verde Islands," said the coach, who himself sang a few bars of The Biography of a Crioulo, a local ballad of happiness. "It is a traditional song. I dedicate it to all the people at home. We achieved our objective, we knew it was going to be difficult but we kept at it."

A flag-waving Antunes, 46, had done a lap of honour around the pitch in Port Elizabeth after the final whistle. The air traffic controller shadowed his friend, Real Madrid coach José Mourinho, for a week before the tournament.

"It is far easier to be a football coach than an air traffic controller because you have enormous responsibility when there are so many planes flying around," he mused.

The website CapeVerde.com offers travel advice, live webcams and news: "Cape Verde rated second least corrupt African country," "Cape Verde sees five new species of cuckoo bees", "Cape Verde sees tourism growth by 27.4%."

It notes that the islands were created by magma rising through the ocean, explaining why they never were part of the African continent.

Cape Verde gained independence from Portugal in 1975. It joined Fifa, world football's governing body, in 1986 and only began competing in World Cup qualifiers in 2000. The team was ranked 182nd in the world a decade ago but rose to just outside the top 50 last year. Most of the players are based overseas.

"We've got beautiful players, talented players," veteran captain Nando said on Sunday. "Now we're trying to go as far as possible."

This is their first appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations. It began with draws against hosts South Africa and Morocco before the dramatic victory over Angola.