adminCameroon and Cote d’Ivoire completed the line-up for the 2016 African Nations Championship (Chan) in Rwanda by achieving narrow qualifying victories at the weekend. Ronald Ngah scored on 72 minutes to give Cameroon a 1-0 win over Congo in Brazzaville after a goalless first leg two weeks ago. Boua Koffi was the toast of Cote d’Ivoire as his 33rd-minute goal brought a 1-0 win over twice Chan runners-up Ghana in Abidjan.
Cote d’Ivoire, who lost the first leg 2-1 in Kumasi, won the tie on the away-goals rule to secure a third appearance at the tournament for home-based footballers.
Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe are the other qualifiers. Rwanda, automatic entrants as the host nation, complete the line-up for the January 16 to February 7 tournament, which has a similar format to the Africa Cup of Nations.
A draw in Kigali on November 15 will divide the 16 countries into four groups with winners and runners-up advancing to the quarterfinals.
Defending champions Libya were eliminated from the region-based qualifiers after finishing bottom of a mini-league behind Morocco and Tunisia.
DR Congo won the first Chan in 2009, Tunisia the second two years later, and Libya triumphed in Cape Town last year, pipping Ghana in a penalty shootout.— Supersport.
Online Reporter