The Cape Verde Independence Cup 2009 began with a three-group stage, in which each island would play twice. The first of each group would qualify automatically for the semi-finals, along with the best second placed.

On Group A, the host team, Santo Antão, secured the first spot, although only thanks to a superior goal-average. That’s because the other two islands also scored three points. Brava took the last place and São Nicolau was left waiting for other results to try to make it to the semi-finals.

On the last day of the group stage, the situation was tense, to say the least. On Group B, Santiago and Boavista, each with a win, faced off on the final match. A tie was enough to hand both teams a spot on the semi-finals. A win would give that same place to São Nicolau or to São Vicente. The current champions still had to win against Maio, on Group C.

The game started as expected and Santiago, one of the favourites, calmly made it to 2-0. Then, the team stopped playing. On the first of the second half, Boavista scored its first, while the game fizzled away. When the result seemed set in stone, on the 90^th minute, the Santiago keeper gives the ball away far too easily to an opponent. 2-2, a tie that suited both teams and kicked Santiago’s rival island, São Vicente, out of the competition.

The São Vicente team refused to play the final match against Maio and called for an inquiry on the Santiago-Boavista match. “Fraud”, claimed the São Vicente football chief.

As the night settled in, the plot thickened. The match official, Jorge Faial (who happened to be refereeing its last game), came live on the evening news. “I’m ashamed to have played a part, though unknowingly, in such a disgrace to football”, he said.

The Santiago and Boavista staff whistled away the controversy, while the Capeverdean Football Federation kept a strange silence. Santo Antão, who organized the Independence Cup and made it to the final, while surely remember this year’s edition with pride. Santiago, who won back the title with a 3-1 win, will probably keep a different memory.

But the rest of the islands were left watching on the stands, as political and regional rivalries reared its ugly head and took the shine from what should have been a national celebration of the Capeverdean football.

Cape Verde