The prying eyes of the world will be on Africa (for football reasons though) this weekend and throughout the month as its premier football showpiece kicks off. With the desirable record of being the first winners in a new decade firmly at the back of the minds of all participating teams; this biennial football fiesta which would take place in Angola promises to be keen, exhilarating and competitive.
Playing hosts for the first time in the history of the Orange African Cup of Nations, the Palancras Negras of Angola would be hoping to achieve what the Black Stars of Ghana failed to do in the last edition by winning the trophy on home soil. A stern test stands in the way of this dream from group competitors Mali, Algeria and Malawi.
Despite failing to make the FIFA World Cup, the Eagles from Mali go into this tournament as one of the must- watched teams. Coached by one of the present best African tacticians, Stephen Keshi, the likes of Frederic Kanoute, Seydou Keita and Mahamadou Diarra can turn the fate of matches the Malian way on any given day. Algeria would be seeking to prove a point that their qualification ahead of Egypt to South Africa in June was no fluke. A strong performance would not only reinstate their African football prowess but also go a long way in boosting their morale for the World Cup. Nations Cup whipping boys Malawi completes this interesting and unpredictable group.
It’s a West African affair in the Cabinda based Group B. Touted as the “Group of Death” of the tournament; the Black Stars of Ghana, the Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire and the Hawks of Togo would be battling for West African supremacy. Much as they would be battling themselves, these West African giants seek to win the coveted trophy that has eluded any West African nation since Nigeria won it in Tunisia in 1994.
The Didier Drogba led Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire come into the tournament as the huge favourites. And rightly so! Take into account the talents they have in Barcelona’s Yaya Toure, Manchester City’s captain Kolo Toure, Salomon Kalou of Chelsea and the many others who are performing creditably well in their respective European clubs. However, more often than not, this favourites tag has turned out to be a curse in disguise for teams in the past. The bulky nature and physical strengths of the Burkinabe would pose a threat and Togo would do what they love best: being the bogey boys. Much cannot be said of the Black Stars winning their fifth Nations Cup title in Angola because injuries to most of its key players, however, the hunger for success on the part of the bulk naïve players in the squad
cannot be underemphasized.
One would be right in easily picking Nigeria and defending champions Egypt to make it to the quarterfinals out of Group C that would be based in Angola’s second most famous city and self- appointed cultural capital, Benguela. Yet Mozambique and Benin would be no pushovers in the group. ‘The Mamba’ of Mozambique dramatically eliminated Tunisia from World Cup participation in South Africa on the last day of the qualifiers and with veteran players like Tico Tico still strutting their stuff for the national team, they look set in causing another stir in this tournament. In an interview with BBC, Beninois striker Razak Omotoyossi was quoted as saying the Nations Cup in Angola would be platform for the Eagles of Benin to upset the odds. Having not made it to quarterfinals before, he believes they are strong contenders now due to their team spirit, attacking football and the perception that they are minnows.
Group D concludes what is set to be an interesting tournament with four-time champions Cameroun battling it out with Gabon, Zambia and perennial contenders Tunisia. Gabon and Cameroun will rekindle their recent World Cup qualifiers rivalry where the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun pipped the Azingo National to qualification. Tunisia would be looking to get over their recent World Cup ache and add another title to the trophy they last won in 2004. Captain Rigobert Song would love to put his last Nations Cup nightmare (his mistake led to Egypt’s lone goal in the finals in Ghana two years ago) behind him as leads a young Indomitable Lions comprising the of enterprising Arsenal midfielder Alex Song, Stephen Mbia of Olympique Marseille and Nicholas Nkoulou of AS Monaco to glory.
Egypt would be seeking to achieve an unprecedented three consecutive Nations Cup triumphs. The five African teams who have qualified for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa would also be looking forward of being African Champions going into an African World Cup. The minnows as usual would be looking for significant upsets. With all these prospects expected to unfold this month in the land of the “Palancras Negras”, Angola 2010 would be more than interesting!
No comments:
Post a Comment