As the balls came out and the fates of the teams at next year's Cup of Nations were revealed, it was impossible not to be underwhelmed
In the days and hours leading up to the draw for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (which will take place in 2022, mind), it was possible to synthesize a frisson of expectation.
Delay, after all, only whets the appetite.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, concerns over the preparedness of Cameroon and a late change in timing putting the kibosh on any notion of the tournament staying on schedule, fans all over the continent were reduced to twiddling their thumbs and earning their bragging rights on the internet.