2008 Africa Cup of Nations preview

Look what's about to kick-off in Ghana. It's the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. In Africa, this is absolutely massive! Many African football fans will be totally glued to this tournament, & they are nuts about it. And really, who can blame them?? For them, this is THE trophy, the big one....

Everyone in Africa will be crazy about it. The African football fans, most definitely. The African footballers, too. To them, it is a major honour to compete in Africa Cup of Nations. The European clubs who have African players on their books won't be so crazy about the tournament, because they will miss the players who are on duty at the tournament. Some of those clubs have moaned about this tournament taking place in the middle of the European club football season. But if the clubs are not keen about releasing the African players every time the Africa Cup of Nations is happening, then why sign the African players? Because they're good, that's one reason.

But anyway, back to the tournament. The format: 16 teams divided into 4 groups of 4; the top 2 teams in each group advance to the knock-out stage.

The groups for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations are:

Group A: Ghana, Guinea, Morocco & Namibia.
Group B: Ivory Coast, Benin, Mali, Nigeria.
Group C: Egypt, Cameroon, Sudan, Zambia.
Group D: Tunisia, Angola, Senegal, South Africa.

Here's how I think the teams will fare:

Group A:

Ghana should finish top of the group. They have home advantage, & even more importantly, they have a strong & talented squad, one of the continent's best. They impressed in the 2006 World Cup in reaching the round of 16. Ghana look especially strong in midfield, where they can call on Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, & Laryea Kingston. It's a shame Stephen Appiah cannot play due to injury - with him alongside Essien & Muntari, Ghana's midfield would be even more formidable. And oh, there's also young Andre Ayew to look out for (he is the son of old Ghana legend Abedi Pele) & Arsenal's Quincy Owusu-Abeyie.

The other teams in the will look to finish second. I think it will be a straight tussle between Guinea & Morocco. Morocco's football is heavily influenced by their French colonial masters & they can call on a host of footballers based in France. One of them is danger forward Marouane Chamakh (ably assisted by Youssouf Hadji, Tarik Sektioui & Mbark Boussoufa), & his goals might just edge the Moroccans to second spot ahead of Guinea who have their own star forward in Pascal Feindouno. Namibia look set to be the whipping boys of the group, though it is hoped that they will be able to give a good account of themselves & avoid thrashings.

Group B:

I think Ivory Coast will top the group, ahead of Nigeria. Like Ghana, Ivory Coast impressed during the 2006 World Cup, even though they did not make it past the group stages (but that is because they had Argentina & Holland in their group). Ivory Coast looked to have built on from the World Cup, & their squad is impressive. Just look at the names: Didier Drogba, Solomon Kalou, Aruna Dindane, Arouna Kone, Bakari Kone, Boubacar Sanogo, Kolo Toure & Yaya Toure. The Ivorians have a lethal attack & strong midfield. OK, the Nigerians too have a strong cast: people like Jon Obi Mikel, Obafemi Martins, John Utaka, & Nwankwo Kanu. But Nigeria's defence is said to be shakier than Ivory Coast's, so that might decide first from second. The match between the Ivorians & Nigerians will be much anticipated & promises to be an absolute cracker.

Another thing is that Ivory Coast were unlucky to lose the Nations Cup final 2 years ago, so they have a strong incentive to go one better this year. Nigeria won the Nations Cup in 1980, & again 14 years later in 1994. And 14 years from 1994 is.....2008. If the pattern holds, Nigeria will win it this year. Nigerian fans will certainly hope so.

I heard that Mali have a decent squad, & they are expected to push the Ivorians & Nigerians hard. Some people even tip them to finish ahead of Nigeria. I tip them to finish third, ahead of Benin.

Group C:

Egypt are the defending champions. However, they are expected to struggle to hold on to their title. It is said that North African sides do not travel particularly well to other parts of Africa. So, it is questionable whether Egypt can cope against the tough Cameroon side, known as the Indomitable Lions. Nowadays, Cameroon may not be held in the same awe as they were in the past. But they still have some good players, & they have arguably Africa's best forward, Samuel Eto'o. And as long as Eto'o stays fit & is firing, Cameroon have every chance of topping this group, which I think they will. The Egyptians have won more Nations Cups than any other African side, & will be favoured to finish second in the group & join Cameroon in the knock-out phase.

The chances of the other 2 teams, Zambia & Sudan, cannot be dismissed. Some people still remember Zambia for the 1993 air disaster that killed their football squad at the time, though they remarkably recovered to reach the 1994 Nations Cup final (but lost to Nigeria). The current Zambia team may not be as highly regarded. But reports say they have impressed during the Nations Cup qualification matches, & have a very decent team, & so they cannot be totally discounted. Meanwhile, all of Sudan's squad are made up of players from Sudan's 2 leading football clubs. That suggests that Sudan should have strong team cohesion.

However, I think Cameroon & Egypt will eventually prove too strong & a little too experienced.

Group D:

This looks like the most evenly balanced group. No team in this group is significantly weaker than the others, & each team can make a case for going through the knock-out phase. However, if forced to pick the 2 sides to go through, I would say Senegal & Tunisia.

On the whole, I cannot see Senegal slipping up. They will be remembered for their quarter-final exploits at World Cup 2002, & they should win the group narrowly ahead of the Tunisians. Senegal hotshot Mamadou Niang is in fine form with French side Marseille, & the highly-rated striker should figure prominently among the goals at this tournament. His partner should be West Ham's Henri Camara.

Tunisia should edge out Angola & South Africa to the second spot. The North African side have considerable pedigree on the continent. They took part in the last 3 World Cups, & have always been thereabouts in the Nations Cup over recent years (winning the trophy in 2004). Tunisian club sides are strong, & the success at the African club football competitions have rubbed off on the Tunisian national team. However, reports say they may be bringing a younger team to this tournament as a few older players have been phased out. That is one reason why I tip Senegal to finish ahead of Tunisia.

Angola, like Tunisia, took part in World Cup 2006, & performed creditably even though they did not make it to the knock-out stage. Apparently, they have built on the WC appearance & have been improving. Though they may not have the big name players of the African heavyweights, they can certainly not be dismissed as pushovers. Angola will be keen to make an impact in this tournament as they will be hosting the next Nations Cup in 2 years time.

That is the same time that South Africa will be hosting the World Cup. Whether they can make an impression on this tournament is questionable. So far, their coach (Carlos Alberto Parreira, World Cup winning coach with Brazil in 1994) has not made much progress with the team. He will be taking a young, experimental South African squad to the tournament, presumably trying out new players & tactics with the World Cup in mind. South Africa could be headed for an early exit.


So, in summary, the teams I tip to progress to the knock-out stages are Ghana, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Senegal & Tunisia. That looks like a formidable line-up, though the chances of a North African team winning the cup are not high as the tournament is held outside North Africa. For that reason, it is unlikely that Morocco, Egypt or Tunisia will get to the final. With the other 5 teams, I think Ghana & Ivory Coast more balanced & stronger squads (though not by a huge margin) compared to Nigeria, Cameroon & Senegal. For that reason, I think Ghana & Ivory Coast are more likely winners than those 3 teams, & the Ghanaians & Ivorians should contest the final. Who will win? Home advantage suggests Ghana, but Ivory Coast have more firepower up front. If pressed, I will say Ghana will just win it. Only just.