It is a common practice in the world of football. So much so that it has become a tradition: National teams which are colloquially called by nicknames.
If for most of them, the nickname has to do with the color of the jersey (the blues of France, the red devils of Belgium …), in Africa, it is more like nature, and more precisely the animals .
Usually, jersey colors and nicknames for national selections come from a cultural and historical aspect of the country. In the case of Africa, where nature is still present despite great modern advances, the reference made to it is to be found in several aspects of the lives of Africans.
The choice of animal names to nickname the national football teams certainly finds its origin in this influence, and the animal symbolizes, jumble, strength, cunning, courage, speed, skill… ect.
Below are the nicknames (and their meaning) of the 24 national football teams taking part, from January 9 to February 6 in Cameroon, in the 33rd African Cup of Nations CAN 2021.
Group A:
Cameroon: The Indomitable Lions (symbol of strength and dominance, known worldwide since the performance of Roger Milla at the 1990 World Cup)
Burkina Faso: The Stallions (Male horse generally dedicated to reproduction, symbol of sustainability)
Cape Verde: The Blue Sharks (or Os Tubarões Azuis, super-predators)
Ethiopia: The Walya Antelopes (The only goat in sub-Saharan Africa, found only in Ethiopia).
Group B:
Guinea: Le Syli National (Elephant in the Sousou language, a Guinean ethnic group)
Malawi: The Flames (“Malawi” means flames in Chiwa, a Bantu language spoken in the country)
Senegal: The Lions of Teranga (feline symbolizing power – Teranga means hospitality in Wolof)
Zimbabwe: The Warriors, (The Warriors. The country is one of the few that did not choose an animal symbol)
Group C:
Morocco: The Lions of the Atlas (For the “king of sports”, the “king of animals” reappeared in the 70s in the country)
Ghana: The Black Stars (taken directly from the country’s flag with a large black star)
Comoros: The Coelacanths (prehistoric fish reappeared off the Comoros)
Gabon: The Panthers (Very feared animal of the Gabonese forests)
Group D:
Egypt: The Pharaohs (Founders of the country, kings of ancient Egypt)
Nigeria: The Super Eagles (Symbol of strength, the eagle is present at the top of the coat of arms of Nigeria)
Guinea-Bissau: The Djurtus (Lycaon, an African wild dog, between the hyena and the wolf)
Sudan: Les Faucons de Jediane (Les Faucons du Désert) or Les Crocodiles du Nile (in reference to the main river in Sudan)
Group E:
Algeria: The Fennecs (Little fox in the sands of the Sahara)
Ivory Coast: The Elephants (already associated with the name of the country ‘Ivoire’)
Sierra Leone: Leones Stars
Equatorial Guinea: Nzalang Nacional (The national lightning, the word Nzalang meaning lightning in the Fang language)
Group F:
Tunisia: The Eagles of Carthage (The eagle emblem of Carthage under the Roman Empire)
Mali: Les Aigles (The name comes from an eagle on the back of shirts from Germany in the 60s)
Gambia: Scorpions (Animal symbol of combativeness. At the same time poisonous, clever and careful)
Mauritania: The Mourabitounes (in reference to the Almoravid dynasty of Moroccan origins who reigned over the Maghreb)
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