These include Gervinho, Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast, Emmanuel Adebayor of Togo, Younes Belhanda of Morocco, John Mikel Obi of Nigeria, Seydou Keita and Mamadou Sissoko of Mali, Asamoah Gyan of Ghana and of course, Zambia’s captain, Christopher Katongo.
Other African football legends like Stephen Keshi and Kwesi Appiah will also be there as a coaches, while 1988 African footballer of the year, Kalusha Bwalya, now president of the Zambian Football Association, heads the leadership of the defending champions.
Home soil winners
Ten of the past 28 winners are in South Africa, including four-time champions, Ghana’s Black Stars. Others are Morocco’s Atlas Lions, Nigeria’s Super Eagles, the Carthage of Tunisia, the Simbas of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Elephants of the Ivory Coast.
Home soil winners South Africa (1996), Ethiopia (1962) and Algeria (1990) and the Zambians, who scooped it at the last edition in the Equatorial/Gabon will also be in with a shout.
Four of the African representatives at the 2010 World Cup in the same country – South Africa, Ghana, Algeria, and Nigeria, are all spoiling for fights at the Afcon. The biggest question is, who will be crowned the champions of Africa come February 10?
Will it be the Elephants? The Black Stars, the Simbas and Bafana Bafana? Or will Chipolopolo make it two in a row? What about North African giants, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria?
It would be wrong to underestimate the strength and overall team spirit of the likes of Angola, Cape Verde, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Togo. The fact that they qualified, shows they are also in South Africa to challenge for the title.
Evolution of the game
There has been evolution in the game of African football and the so-called small teams like Cape Verde are proving that point. They are the reason why Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the 2012 edition of the tournament, having beaten The Warriors in the qualifiers.
The hosts are expected to rely on home advantage to do well in the tournament, while also having a balanced side whose attack is led by Ajax Amsterdam’s Thulani Serero and Mamelodi Sundowns’ Katlego Mpela.
But former Zifa board member, Francis Zimunya, did not give them a chance.
“They must surely come out on top of a group. Even if they do, they won’t go past the quarter finals,” said Zimunya.
South Africa, in the same Group A with Cape Verde, Angola and Morocco, are most people’s favourites to progress alongside the North Africans, while West African giants Ghana and the Ivory Coast are tipped to win the tournament.
The must surely come out of a group that also includes Togo, Mali and Niger, as they possess enough arsenal, as evidenced by their 3-0 destruction of Egypt.
Coach Kwesi Appiah will still count on Captain Asamoah Gyan, Sulley Muntari and Prince Boateng to carry the day for him.
The Ivorians have been favourites in the last four tournaments, which they failed to win. Their squad is, on paper, the strongest in the tournament, with the likes of Drogba, Toure and Gervinho. Captain Drogba believes this will be the Ivory Coast’s time, but the Elephants have to first negotiate
their way out of the tournament’s toughest group, which also has Tunisia, Algeria and Togo.
So close
The Elephants have not won the tournament since defeating rivals Ghana in Senegal 21 years ago, long before the emergence of the ‘golden generation’ of Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Eboue, Didier Zokora, Kolo and Yaya Toure.
They have come agonizingly close twice, losing the finals on penalties to hosts Egypt seven years ago and most recently, Zambia, in the last edition jointly hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. In between, two attempts in Ghana (2008) and Angola (2010) ended in semi-final and quarter-final exits.
Renowned radio personality, Ezra Sibanda, said past setbacks, combined with the fact that Africa’s top-ranked team boasts the strongest squad put the West Africans in good stead to clinch the gold in South Africa.
“Ivory Coast are a very solid side. They should win it. That team has experience and it has remained the same team for many years, which is helpful in building team spirit. Players know each other well and appear united. One must not forget that they lost to Zambia on penalties. As such, they are desperate to avenge last year’s defeat and will bounce back like wounded lions,” said Sibanda.
Former national team striker and sports show host, Alois Bunjira, also tipped the star-studded Elephants.
“Their ‘golden generation’ was unlucky last year, but they still have a strong side to easily win this tournament. They are too strong! This is the time for most of their stars to bow out of international football in style. South Africa may spring a surprise. Home support is always an advantage,” he says.
Post published in: Football