African football will be on a Jacob Zuma-like face-saving mission when the World Cup kicks-off later this year.

Just like our lusty commander-in-chief is once again apologising for his lively libido, our football desperately needs to make amends for the recent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Angola 2010 was sadly a PR nightmare, which failed miserably in its mandate - namely to serve up a football feast and raise the profile of a struggling country and continent.

Of course the tragic gun attack on Togo's team bus, which led to their withdrawal, instantly cast a morbid shadow over the entire event. Three deaths before the opening ceremony would always eclipse any possible on-field heroics.

And while the subsequent acidic avalanche of Afro-pessimism was expected - some of it clearly misinformed - the greatest gaffe was yet to come from our continent's own footballing body.

CAF - displaying all the empathy of a disorientated child soldier - decided to ban Togo for four years and fine them $50 000 for returning home early.

It beggars belief. Never mind CAF's startling insensitivity, you would think if anything, a shell-shocked Togo would be the first to issue fines either against them or the Angola Football Federation in the form of a spectacular tort case.

Unfortunately, there were other unsavory incidents, which damaged Team Africa. One of which was an outraged Ghana accusing the hosts of intimidation ahead of their quarter-final clash.

The Black Stars lodged an official complaint with CAF after a Ghanaian journalist and supporter were beaten up in separate incidents by Angolan security forces.

Add to that the infamous goalless draw between Algeria and Angola, which saw both countries progress to the last-eight at the expense of Mali and one got the feeling that Scandal at 19:30 had less to offer on ETV.

Ill-feeling aside, the quality of football produced by hyped-up heavy-hitters such as Ivory Coast and Cameroon was especially disappointing. Both teams bowed out in the quarter-final stage and did very little to justify their arguably romanticised reputations.

Fellow World Cup representatives Nigeria and Algeria were likewise lackluster, although less was expected of the defensively suffocating Desert Foxes.

Ghana were similarly jaded although to their credit they reached the final with an injury-ravaged squad.

Worryingly for any fans of aesthetics, flair and raw playmaking ability were rarely on display this past month. The new breed of dominatrix destroyers such as Seydou Keita, Michael Essien and Didier Zokora - while exciting in their own respects - have seemingly over-run the Arshavinists of this continent.

Notably, iconic hitmen such as Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto'o failed to hit top gear - possibly due to the dearth of creative energy - and while it is harsh to expect divine theatrics every time they lace-up, the overall class of football naturally suffered.

Of course there were special moments that deserve mention such as Mali's sensational comeback draw with Angola in the opening game, Rigobert Song setting a record for most AFCON appearances and Egypt becoming the first country to win a hat-trick of titles.

But really these highlights pale in comparison to the farcical bumblings of an ill-prepared host nation who were shown diabolical leadership by Issa Hayatou and co. Lets hope if anything this inspires our World Cup ambassadors to raise their game when it counts most come June/July.

By: Stephen Kihn