{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Mathematical 7","provider_url":"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7","title":"Why I lost my appetite for CHAN 2016 - Mathematical 7","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"auWG0pL2c4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/why-i-lost-my-appetite-for-chan-2016\/\">Why I lost my appetite for CHAN 2016<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/why-i-lost-my-appetite-for-chan-2016\/embed\/#?secret=auWG0pL2c4\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Why I lost my appetite for CHAN 2016&#8221; &#8212; Mathematical 7\" data-secret=\"auWG0pL2c4\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/chan2016.jpg","thumbnail_width":285,"thumbnail_height":177,"description":"I wish I had followed my initial instincts not to watch any part of CHAN 2016 and not have any negative comments to pass on it beyond my misgivings the moment Rwanda were announced as hosts. That would have been my own silent way of registering my displeasure with an aspect of the championship that leaves me disillusioned!   I did not watch Nigeria\u2019s first match against Niger. But following the reports in the media after the first match, lavishly singing the praises of the Nigerian team to high heavens, I decided to sheath my misgivings and watched the second match against Tunisia. Every Nigerian (including the sceptics and the cynics) was now primed to believe there would be a whitewash of the North Africans. It was as if a new set of gifted players from another planet had been discovered from the Nigerian domestic league to herald the dawn of a new and authentic Super Eagles squad and era. Unfortunately, the promised whitewash never happened. Indeed, Nigeria was lucky to have escaped with a draw.   I should have followed my head instead of my heart by reminding myself that the simplest and highest standard of football can never be played on artificial turf. Now you know the source of my initial grouse with the entire championship \u2013 the playing turf. The moment I read that Rwanda would host the event using stadia with artificial \u2018grass\u2019 surfaces I lost my appetite for the championship. Why would CAF approve that its most important international domestic championship, designed to showcase the best local players from the domestic leagues in Africa, should be played on artificial grass turf instead of simple natural grass? Who does not know that these artificial turfs were introduced to take care of the peculiar situation of a few countries with the challenges of climate, topography or poverty? For some environments, it is a monumental challenge to build and adequately maintain lush green grass fields. So they embrace the option of plastic surfaces in extreme weather, or no financial and technical capacity to adequately maintain grass. Artificial grass surfaces, therefore, became an alternative to the very poor earth and grass fields across most Asian and African countries that were so bad they looked like horse racing tracks, made meaningful coaching and training impossible and rendered television coverage very poor and ugly."}