BBC reporters will be deployed in all five host cities – Johannesburg, Durban, Nelspruit, Port Elizabeth and Rustenburg – following the progress of all 16 teams from the group stages through to the final.
BBC World Service will bring commentary to African listeners in English on the opening game between South Africa and Cape Verde at the National Stadium, with commentary on other key matches including the quarter finals, semi-final and final in English, French on BBC Afrique, and Kiswahili on BBC Swahili.
BBC reporters will be linking up with BBC World Service’s rebroadcasting partner stations across Africa to give expert analysis on the competition.
Regular updates will be broadcast by BBC World News as well as the BBC’s TV programmes for Africa – Focus on Africa in English and BBC Swahili’s Dira Ya Dunia as well as BBC Arabic – on TV, radio and online.
Lee James will present the weekly Sportsworld live from South Africa throughout the tournament, while special reports will run throughout the week on radio programmes such as Sport Today, World Football, Focus on Africa, as well as on BBC Afrique, BBC Great Lakes, BBC Hausa, BBC Somali and BBC Swahili sports programmes.
Between Saturday 2 February and Sunday 10 February, Ben James will present from Soweto the nightly chat-show, Talk of the Nations, featuring players, ex-players, fans and the best writers about African football.
The BBC’s global debate programme, BBC Africa Debate, will be in Durban to ask whether satellite TV is tolling the death knell for league football in Africa – or if it could be a lifeline for local teams. Presented by Peter Okwoche (Focus on Africa TV programme) and Lee James (Sports World), on Friday 1 February, the programme will explore the problems faced by local football in Africa and asks what needs to be done to re-invigorate it.
BBC Africa’s social-media teams will be engaging with reporters, fans and footballers via #BBCAFCON (Twitter page @bbclovefootball), a new LoveAfricanFootball Facebook page as well as the Google+ community page Love African Football.
BBC Global News Sports Editor for Languages, David Stead, says: “This is an exciting Cup of Nations for the BBC, and we are providing a great range of coverage across both our global English and language services. Not only do we have two new television programmes, Focus on Africa and Dira Ya Dunia, which will both have reporters in South Africa, it is also the first time we are sending a social-media producer to the tournament.
“With Zambia keen to show that last year’s victory was not a one-off event, and with Cape Verde and Ethiopia determined to make a good impression, this should be a great competition. Our huge audience in Nigeria should also love seeing the Super Eagles back in action.”
Audiences can follow the tournament daily at bbc.com/africanfootball as well as the BBC’s African language sites: bbcafrique.com, bbcgreatlakes.com, bbchausa.com, bbcsomali.com and bbcswahili.com.
Post published in: Football
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