The Zimbabwean African Cup of Nations Special with Simon Rusitu

Goalkeepers: Kameni Idriss Carlos (Espanyol, Spain), Hamidou Souleymanou (Denizlispor, Turkey), Janvier Mbarga (Canon Sportif)

Defenders: Rigobert Song (Galatasaray, Turkey), Andre Bikey (Reading, England), Timothee Atouba (Hamburg, Germany), Bill Tchato (Qatar Sport, Qatar), Benoit Angbwa (Saturn, Russia), Gilles Augustin Binya (Benfica, Portugal)

Midfielders: Geremi (Newcastle United, England), Alexandre Song (Arsenal, England), Achille Emana (Toulouse, France), Jean Joel Epalle (Vfl Bochum, Germany), Jean Makoun (Lille, France), Landry Nguemo (Nancy, France), Modeste Mbami (Olympique Marseille, France), Paul Tchamba Essola (Arsenal Kiev, Ukraine), Stephane Mbia Etoundi (Stade Rennes, France), Alain Nkong (Atlente, Mexico)

Forwards: Samuel Eto’o (Barcelona, Spain), Bertin Tomou (Excelsior Mouscron, Belgium), Mohamadou Idrissou (MSV Duisburg, Germany), Joseph Desire Job (Nice, France)  

*** Tunisia boss Roger Lemerre has named his final 23-man squad

Goalkeepers: Hamdi Kasroui (Esperance), Adel Nefzi (Club Africain), Aymen Mathlouthi (Etoile du Sahel)

Defenders: Wissam Abdi (Zamalek, Egypt), Sabeur Ben Frej (Etoile du Sahel), Karim Haggui (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany), Yassine Mikari (Grasshopper Club, Switzerland), Seif Ghezal, Mehdi Meriah, Radhouane Felhi (all Etoile du Sahel), Radhi Jaidi (Birmingham City, England), Wissem Bekri (Esperance)

Midfielders: Chaouki Ben Saada (Bastia, France), Jawhar M’Nari (Nürnberg, Germany), Mehdi Nafti (Birmingham City, England), Kamel Zaiem (Esperance), Chaker Zouaghi (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia), Majdi Traoui (Etoile du Sahel)

Strikers: Yassine Chikhaoui (FC Zürich, Switzerland), Silva Dos Santos (Toulouse, France), Issam Jemaa (Caen, France), Mohamed Amine Chermiti, Mehdi Ben Dhifallah (both Etoile du Sahel)  

*** IVORY Coast have temporarily replaced coach Ulrich Stielike, two weeks before the start of the Africa Nations Cup.

The German coach has dropped his duties with the team to attend to his son, who has fallen into a coma.

French coach Gerard Gili, who steered Ivory Coast’s under-23 team to their first Olympic Games in Beijing this year, is taking over from Stielike.

Gili was also part of the Elephants’ coaching team at the 2006 Nations Cup.

*** Senegal coach Henri Kasperczak has named his 23-man

Goalkeepers: Bouna Coundoul (Colorado Rapids, USA), Cheikh Tidiane Ndiaye (Creteil, France), Tony Sylva (Lille, France)

Defenders: Habib Bèye (Newcastle, England), Lamine Diatta (unattached), Souleymane Diawara (Bordeaux, France), Abdoulaye Diagne Faye (Newcastle Utd, England), Ibrahima Faye (Troyes, France), Guirane Ndaw (Sochaux, France), Mouhamed Adama Sarr (Standard Liège, Belgium), Ibrahima Sonko (Reading, England)

Midfielders: Malick Bâ (FC Basel, Switzerland), Pape Bouba Diop (Portsmouth, England), Diomansy Kamara (Fulham, England), Frédéric Mendy (Bastia, France), Pape Waïgo Ndiaye (Genoa, Italy), Ousmane Ndoye (Academica Coimbra, Portugal), Bayal Sall (St Etienne, France)

Forwards: Henri Camara (West Ham Utd, England), El Hadji Diouf (Bolton Wanderers, England), Mamadou Niang (Marseille, France), Modou Sougou (Uniao Leira, Portugal), Babacar Guèye (Metz, France).

*** Cameroon’s Andre Bikey says the Indomitable Lions can win the African Cup of Nations now that striker Samuel Eto’o is fit again.

The defender, who plays for English Premier League side Reading, says the Barcelona forward is a talisman.

“Samuel Eto’o is very important for Cameroon because no other striker creates chances like (Eto’o) does.

The 22-year-old added: “We’ve got a great opportunity to win as (the squad) has everything; I can’t wait to play.”

Bikey signed a three-year contract with the Royals in April 2007 after impressing manager Steve Coppell during last season’s loan spell.

New Benin coach Reinhard Fabisch names Squad:

Goalkeepers: Valere Amoussou (Mogas 90), Rachad Chitou (Wikki Tourists, Nigeria), Yoann Djidonou (Red Star, France)

Defenders: Abdul Adenon (ASEC Abidjan, Ivory Coast), Anicet Adjamossi (Creteil, France), Damien Chrystosome (Casale, Italy), Mathieu Edjekpan (Mesagne, Italy), Alain Gaspoz (FC Bagnes, Switzerland), Noel Seka (FC Fyn, Denmark), Bio Ai Traore (Pantheres Djougou), Safradine Traore (Buffles Borgou)

Midfielders: Jocelyn Ahoueya (FC Sion, Switzerland), Romauld Boco (Accrington Stanley, England), Djiman Koukou (Soleil FC), Mouri Ogunbiyi (Etoile Sahel, Tunisia), Jonas Oketola (unattached), Oscar Olou (FC Rouen. France), Stephane Sessegnon (Le Mans, France), Sosthene Soglo (Energie FC), Seidath Tchomogo (East Riffa. Bahrain)

Forwards: Wisdom Aka (MSK Zilina, Slovakia), Abou Maiga (Creteil, France), Wassiou Oladipikpo (JS Kabylie, Algeria), Razak Omotoyossi (Helsingborg, Sweden), Abdoulaye Ouzerou (Buffles Borgou), Oumar Tchomogo (Portimonense, Portugal).  

Ivory Coast coach Ulrich Stielike has announced his final squad

Goalkeepers:  

Goubacar Barry (KSC Lokeren/BEL), Stephane Loboue (Greuther Fürth/GER), Tiassé Koné (Africa Sports/CIV)

Defenders:  

Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal/ENG), Kolo Toure (Arsenal/ENG), Arthur Boka (Stuttgart/GER), Constant Djakpa (Pandurii Targu Jiu/ROM), Steve Gohouri (Borussia Monchengladbach/GER), Abdoulaye Meite (Bolton/ENG), Marc Zoro (Benfica/POR)

Midfielders:  

Emerse Fae (Reading/ENG), Christian Koffi Ndri Romaric (Le Mans/FRA), Siaka Tiene (Saint-Etienne/FRA), Yaya Toure (FC Barcelona/ESP), Didier Zokora (Tottenham/ENG)

Strikers:  

Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea/ENG), Aruna Dindane (Lens/FRA), Kader Keita (Lyon/FRA), Arouna Kone (Sevilla/ESP), Bakari Koné “Baky” (Nice/FRA), Gervais Yao Kouassi “Gervinho” (Le Mans/FRA), Boubacar Sanogo (Werder Bremen/GER)  

*** Nigerian football fans face the prospect of not being able to see their team playing in the forthcoming African Cup of Nations.

Nigerian broadcasters say they cannot afford to buy the rights to the tournament, which starts in two weeks’ time in Ghana.

The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) says the company that owns the rights wants 3m euros ($4,4m).

More than 30% of Africa’s TV audience for football is in Nigeria, Bon says.

The group says it can only offer 1,25m euros ($1,8m) for the rights.

“They said our offer was not acceptable, so we said: ‘Fine, you can go and set up a TV channel in two weeks, we won’t deal with you,” Bon chairman Abubakar Jijiwa told the BBC Focus on Africa programme.  

*** Hosts Ghana have included Dutch-born striker Quincy Owusu-Abeyie in their final squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Owusu-Abeyie was only cleared to play for the Black Stars by Fifa, football’s world governing body, hours before the squad was announced.

The striker, who plays for Celta Vigo in Spain, had a superb showing for Holland as they hosted the Under-20 World Cup in 2005 but then applied to play for the Black Stars last year.

But Ghana coach Claude Le Roy has dropped in-form defender Francis Dickoh, while Matthew Amoah and Daniel Opare miss out through injury.

Ghana squad:

Goalkeepers: Richard Kingson (Birmingham City, England), Sammy Adjei (Ashdod, Israel), Fatau Dauda (Ashantigold)

Defenders: John Pantsil (West Ham, England), Nana Kwasi Asare (FC Mechelon, Belgium), John Mensah (Rennes, France), Alhassan Illiasu (FC Saturn, Russia), Harrison Afful (Asante Kotoko), Hans Adu Sarpei (Bayern Leverkusen, Germany)

Midfielders: Anthony Annan (IK Start, Norway), Eric Addo (PSV Eindhoven, Holland), Michael Essien (Chelsea, England), Bernard Kumodzi (Panionios FC, Greece), Laryea Kingston (Hearts, Scotland), Haminu Draman (Locomotiv Moscow, Russia), Sulley Muntari (Portsmouth, England), Andre Ayew (Olympique Marseille, France), Ahmed Barruso (AS Roma, Italy)

Strikers: Asamoah Gyan (Udinese, Italy), Baffuor Gyan (FC Saturn, Russia), Junior Agogo (Nottingham Forest, England), Quincy Owusu-Abeyie (Celta Vigo, Spain), Kwadwo Asamoah (Liberty Professionals)  

***Nigeria’s German coach Berti Vogts has named

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv, Israel), Austin Ejide (Bastia, France), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei-Yehuda, Israel)

Defenders: Onyekachi Apam (Nice, France), Taye Taiwo (Marseille, France), Joseph Yobo (Everton, England), Obinna Nwaneri (FC Sion, Switzerland), Danny Shittu (Watford, England), Rabiu Afolabi (Sochaux, France), Ifeanyi Emeghara (Steua Bucharest, Romania), Richard Eromoigbe (Levski Sofiaj, Bulgaria)

Midfielders: Mikel Obi (Chelsea, England), Seyi Olofinjana (Wolverhampton, England), Onyekachi Okonkwo (FC Zurich, Switzerland), Dickson Etuhu (Sunderland, England)

Strikers: Ikechukwu Uche (Getafe, Spain), Obinna Nsofor (Chievo Verona, Italy), Osaze Odemwingie (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia), John Utaka, Nwankwo Kanu (both Portsmouth, England), Obafemi Martins (Newcastle, England), Ayodele Makinwa (Lazio, Italy), Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Everton, England).  

*** Uli Stielike will not return to coach the Ivory Coast as he deals with the illness of his son.

Stielike’s 23-year-old son, Michael, is in a life-threatening condition and needs a lung transplant.

The German coach had already been replaced by Frenchman Gerard Gili earlier this month, for the Africa Cup of Nations that kicks off in Ghana on 20 January.

The Ivorian Football Federation had hoped that Stielike would be back to coach the Elephants in the future but he has now ruled out that possibility.

“After long talks with doctors, I’ve agreed with the Ivory Coast federation to end my contract retroactively as of 31 December,” Stielike said.

“I have to deal with my son Michael now and will need to stay the next three months in Hanover.”

Stielike’s contract was due to expire after the competition in Ghana.