By FRANCO PANIZO
The World Cup in South Africa is the international tournament everyone is waiting for, but over in Angola another prestigious tournament is ready to take place.
The African Cup of Nations (ACN) kicks off this weekend, providing 16 teams with the chance to raise the most coveted trophy in African soccer. From Didier Drogba to Michael Essien, to Emmanuel Adebayor and Samuel Eto'o, the ACN boasts a plethora of quality players looking to become the latest African champions.
The tournament will showcase the current as well as future stars of the African game, but that isn't all the ACN provides. Save for South Africa, the tournament will also give the African World Cup teams one final test to gauge themselves against before the big dance in June.
Here is a closer look at the 2010 African Cup of Nations:
Group A
- Angola
- Mali
- Malawi
- Algeria
Angola has to be favored to get out of the group due to its status as the home team, but Group A appears to be the most competitive, with no clear cut heavyweight in the ranks. Former Chicago Fire defender Bakary Soumare should see action for Mali, and American fans can also get a glimpse of Algeria before their 2010 World Cup bout.
Players to watch: Manucho (Angola), Mantorras (Angola), Adama Coulibaly (Mali), Bakary Soumare (Mali), Mamadou Diarra (Mali), Robert Ng'ambi (Malawi), Madjid Bougherra (Algeria), Yazid Mansouri (Algeria).
Group B
- Ivory Coast
- Burkina Faso
- Ghana
- Togo
Didier Drogba headlines a star-studded Ivory Coast team that is considered among the tournament's best. Ghana should also advance to the quarterfinals based on talent alone, but Emmanuel Adebayor and Togo will be looking to prove otherwise. Burkina Faso looks like a long shot to advance.
Players to watch: Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Emmanuel Eboue (Ivory Coast), Kolo Toure (Ivory Coast), Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast), Aristide Bance (Burkina Faso), Michael Essien (Ghana), Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo).
Group C
- Egypt
- Nigeria
- Mozambique
- Benin
Egypt failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, but the Pharaohs are among the tournament's favorites, having won the two previous editions in 2008 and 2006. Nigeria, which boasts talented attackers John Obi Mikel and Obafemi Martins, is also expected to get out of the group.
Players to watch: Mohamed Zidan (Egypt), Peter Odemwingie (Nigeria), Obafemi Martins (Nigeria), John Obi Mikel (Nigeria), Simao (Mozambique), Stephane Sessegnon (Benin).
Group D
- Cameroon
- Gabon
- Zambia
- Tunisia
Samuel Eto'o and Cameroon should cruise through this group, but just who goes with them into the quarterfinals is up for grabs. Tunisia might traditionally be considered the strongest of the remaining teams, but Zambia and Gabon will be hoping to to play the role of spoiler.
Players to watch: Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Idriss Kameni (Cameroon), Achille Emana (Cameroon), Rodrigue Moundounga (Gabon), Jacob Mulenga (Zambia), Karim Haggui (Tunisia).
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Here is the complete schedule for the African Cup of Nations.
What do you think of the African Cup of Nations? Who do you think will raise the cup? Which players will you be keeping an eye on? Upset your favorite club team is missing a player or two?
Share your thoughts below.
whatever i did to you and/or your family i apologize. i stand by basically everything i said and i think the tournament would reach more people with the things i said. also did you really add a (rolls eyes) in there? am i secretly on a sitcom?? i’m sure the tournament will survive despite my horrid laziness, but there is a reason this tournament doesn’t have nearly as much fanfare as other international tournaments and that reason IS NOT a lack of quality play, it’s the timing. (shrugs shoulders, cue studio audience laughter)
The police were absolutely involved. They had a shootout with the rebels. Had the Police not been there, everyone on that bus would have been killed.
The speculation regarding the affect this has on the WC is a bit far-fetched. This was in another country, It’s six months away, and we do not yet know the true motive.
looks like its the oil thats at the root of all this. rebels want control of this particular area. why they felt compelled to attack the Togo soccer team is beyond me. intimidation i suppose.
Horrible what happened today and FIFA has a huge decision to make on whether or not to let the competition continue.
Actually, Angola is in reasonably good shape. Oil money, amongst other things, has helped them out. Granted, that creates other problems, as does the whole civil war thing. But choosing them to host was not unreasonable.
yeah, great country to host a big tournament. Where next? Zimbabwe?
Sounds like at least Togo is going to withdrawl. What an effing mess.
Well, for whatever it’s worth, I’d say the players are always going to be at much greater risk than the fans.
This is terrible, senseless, and very sad. As an American that grew to love the Beautiful game over the past 4 years, I stand in solidarity with Togo, its team, and its citizens.
Best wishes to the victims and their families.
I’d prefer it if ALL confederations had their championships every 4 years.
mikel hasn’t been an attacking player for years….
This has to be canceled.
The fallout of this could be the downfall of the WC. If people are gunning down the actual teams, what will happen to fans.
We were machine-gunned like dogs,” Togo player Thomas Dossevi, who plays for French club Nantes, told Radio Monte Carlo. “They were armed to the teeth … We spent 20 minutes underneath the seats of the bus.”
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/01/08/togo.bus.ap/index.html#ixzz0c2zeRBPH
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I missed that. That’s even worse. I wonder if they were involved considering how long the bus was shot at.
Terrible news and horrible for the WC. If this continues, the whole of Africa will suffer if fans get too scared to head to Africa. SA is 100 times safer but sadly the world tends to think of Africa as a whole and not individually.
I read on the BBC Adebayor is uninjured but several players are seriously injured while others are wounded. I can’t imagine them continuing but perhaps they will for national pride.
Does anyone know of any divide between the two countries?
They say the people were robbers. It is a pity but African players who succeed always seem to have things happen to them or their families (see Essien).
It’s kind of ironic — looking at their group, it was clearly the closest thing to a “Group of Death”. I think it’s too early to count out the team. 2 players injured — the team can go on. They may decide that’s exactly what they want to do.
Not sure about implications for the WC, except that it might make travelers a bit wary of going into Angola.
Actually one of the players said they had two police cars with them. And it’s supposed to be a normally peaceful part of the country (though the place is still in civil war…)
What a tragedy…
I cannot believe they were traveling without security. can you imagine how afraid you would be, trapped inside a bus as it was sprayed by automatic fire for twenty minutes.
I hope the best for the injured players, and strongly suggest they cancel the tournament.
“How to Watch the African Cup of Nations in the USA and Canada”
http://www.worldcupblog.org/african-cup-of-nations/how-to-watch-the-african-cup-of-nations-in-the-usa-and-canada.html
I’m very saddened and upset by this tragedy. Best wishes and prayers to the familes involved.
John,
thanks for the correction.
They were shot at with machine guns for 20 minutes:
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sport/665961/TOGO-TEAM-BUS-ATTACKED-BY-GUNMEN.html
I’ve had trouble finding facts on-line. So maybe someone can help with a link. Yes, I wish it were on TV as well (FSC, GOL TV, ESPN Deportes). Are the rights fees too much? Is more money made off satellite/pay per-view? any link info would be apprecaited.
Copa America is every four years now.
Two players and two of the medical team were hurt:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20100108/twl-uk-soccer-togo-attack-bd5ae06.html
Oh, Christ… here’s some more info (it talks of 4 players injured and the bus driver dead):
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2800864/Gunmen-fire-at-Togo-team.html
I hope many of you can watch a few matches from this year’s event, if it’s anything like the last tournament, this will be some of the best football you’ve seen. The Final between Egypt and Cameroon was one of the best tournament finals I’ve seen in my 40 years on this planet.
I pick Cote d’Ivoire to win this event. When you have five of some of the world’s best players on your team and you can back it up with depth, the odds are damn good for you to win something. A name many people may not know who will play a HUGE role for them is their smallest player – Bakary Kone (Olympique de Marseille). This guy is incredibly fast and can finish.
Funny thing is that South Africa didn’t qualify for this year’s tournament.
The lack of TV coverage is not the travesty here.
This is terrible, tragic news. Togo will certainly withdraw. Will the competition go on? Implications for the WC?
But first, best of luck to those injured and their families.
It’s a travesty this tournament isn’t on TV. There seems to be alot of people interested in this competition now, worldwide. But our options here in the US is French/Arab-language television packages (if your cable/satellite carrier has that particular package) or watching it on a computer (the worst way to watch football IMHO).
I’m curious to how Algeria plays and looks. That is for sure.
A couple of things
When you have the magical powers to stop a thing called the rainy season then maybe they’ll switch the period in which they play the tournament. Most people think that the tournament is played this time of year due to heat in Africa. Not the case. Hell, Angola’s in their summer since they’re just below the equator.
Secondly, UEFA and AFC are the few confederations that don’t host their tournament bi-annually CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, CAN all host theirs bi-annually.
This event runs for an entire month, so if you truly wanted to pay attention to it, you would (rolls eyes). I’m sure they’ll survive without you making the effort to watch.
Gheesh!!!!
Dude, just read Richard UKs link. Not good. A bus carrying the Togo team was shot at with MACHINE GUNS, injuring two players in the process. Yikes!
Yup, Togo’s bus just got shot up by Angolan Rebels…
Uh oh…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8449319.stm
bugs me that AFCON is in the same year as the WC and mid-season. they need to adopt a format similar to the EURO tournaments, every 4 years and can go in non-EURO or WC years. i’d pay a hell of a lot more attention this way and wouldnt be distracted by the european club season, transfer window, US camp and MLS draft. i know the last two don’t matter at all for most people outside the US but i think AFCON would be a fun tournament to watch, if i wasn’t already preoccupied with everything else