AFCON roundup

The Mali and Sevilla forward, 30, edged out Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba, last year’s winner, and Ghana’s Michael Essien for the 2007 award.

Kanoute, who was born in France, is the first winner from Mali since Salif Keita won the inaugural award in 1970.

The former Lyon, West Ham and Spurs player helped Mali qualify for this year’s Africa Nations Cup in Ghana.

An ex-France Under-21 international, he also helped Sevilla to win last season’s Uefa Cup and King’s Cup.

“I dedicate this to my family, who could not be here, and to the people of Mali, Kanoute said. “I believe that sport can be used as a tool for development in Africa.”

The award is run by the Confederation of African Football, with voting by national coaches from 53 African countries.

Mali failed to reach the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, finishing third in Group B. Kanoute scored from the penalty spot in the opening 1-0 win over Benin, but then they drew 0-0 with Nigeria before losing 3-0 to Ivory Coast to bow out of the competition.  

GUINEA coach Robert Nouzaret took responsibility for his team’s 5-0 defeat by Ivory Coast in their Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.

With captain Pascal Feindouno and defended Bobo Balde missing, Nouzaret introduced some young players, who were unable to cope with the Ivorians.

“When you build a team and you get thrashed, you are responsible for it,” he said.

“I am responsible for this defeat. Robert Nouzaret is responsible.”

Guinea kept the game alive until the last 20 minutes, when four goals were scored.

“It is frustrating because their second goal came at a moment when we were causing them problems,” Nouzaret said.

The Frenchman coached Ivory Coast from 1996 to 1998 and between 2002 and 2004.

Ivory Coast coach Gerard Gili admitted that Guinea were not easy opponents.

“It was a very complicated match until our second goal,” Gili said.

“Guinea was causing us a lot of trouble and until we doubled our tally, there was a chance for Guinea to equalise in a counter-attack.”

“Somehow, we managed to be patient and my players held their composure.

“They were very thorough and I want to congratulate them for that.”  

NIGERIA legend Segun Odegbami believes that the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations is missing individual brilliance.

Odegbami scored two goals in the 1980 final, when Nigeria won their first Nations Cup title, and was then made team captain.

“The game is more technical now but we had some terrific individual players in those days,” he told BBC Sport.

“I think there’s too much passing in the game these days and that buries individual expressiveness on the ball.”

Odegbami believes that, with the exception of Samuel Eto’o, the current tournament has not yet produced a truly outstanding performer.

Cameroon’s Eto’o set a new all-time Nations Cup goalscoring record on Wednesday.

In those days there were so many superstars, like Abdul Razak and Mohammed Polo (both of Ghana),” he said.

“Eto’o has been here for so long and has set a standard for rest of Africa to follow.

“Freddie Kanoute (of Mali) didn’t really impress much – I expected a lot from him, that this would be his Nations Cup, but it wasn’t.

“Otherwise the rest of tournament will reveal the greats, but up to now I’ve only seen people who are tentative and not expressive.

“I see us lamenting the absence of so many of yesterday’s stars.

“We miss Jay Jay Okocha (Nigeria), Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia), El-Hadji Diouf – he’s a little tired now and may have played his last game for Senegal.”

Odegbami believes that the exodus of Africans to top European clubs has affected team performances at the Nations Cup.

“I think we played some decent football in those days because most of us were playing in our domestic leagues and we played more as a team,” he said.

“So to get a truly great superstar out of the championship takes a while these days.”  

THE son of former Ivory Coast coach Uli Stielike has died. Stielike resigned his post two weeks before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations to return to his native Germany after his son Michael fell into a coma.

“We regret to announce the death of coach Uli Stielike’s son,” said Ivory Coast media officer Eric Kakou said on Friday.

In Stielike’s absence, Frenchman Gerard Gili was appointed to take charge of the Ivory Coast team in Ghana.

TWO draws and a defeat in the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations may not sound like a springboard for success at the 2010 World Cup.

But South Africa’s Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Perreira is happy with the progress of the 2010 hosts.

It is at least an improvement on their record at the last Cup of Nations in 2006, where South Africa left without a point or a goal.

Parreira insists the squad he took to Ghana was largely experimental.

“We brought a young team here exactly to get the experience to build a team that will in two years time represent South Africa in the best possible way,” he said.

“We are in a process of learning, we brought a young team here. In this building process you pay a price, you don’t expect a wonderful performance. So that’s why we are satisfied so far but of course for the World Cup we will need to improve much more than we played here, that is very clear”

If the three games in Ghana provided Parreira coach with answers about the abilities of certain players then the Cup of Nations proved its worth.

There were signs of promise in South Africa’s performances. But the bottom line is that South Africa have exited the Cup of Nations at the group stage for the third consecutive tournament.

Parreira has little more than two years to create a side, which will not be embarrassed when the world’s elite football nations converge on South Africa.

Nobody expects him to mould a team capable of winning world football’s showpiece tournament, but the football-mad fans in South Africa will expect one that is competitive and dangerous.