adminmatch at the African Cup of Nations soccer finals.
The match kicks-off at 5pm.
For the fifth consecutive time, Didier Drogba’s Elephants are favourites to win the African Cup of Nations and the continent’s top-ranked team will be expected to dispatch Group D minnows Togo with ease.
With tricky Maghreb opposition in the shape of former champions Tunisia and Algeria ahead, the Ivorians will be anxious to get their 2013 campaign off to a flying start.
For 34-year-old Drogba, Africa’s most famous footballing son, this is the last chance to finally add the coveted crown to his over-laden trophy cabinet.
At the 2012 Nations Cup, Cote d’lvoire remained undefeated only to suffer an agonising penalty shoot-out loss to Zambia in the final in Libreville.
Ironically, Drogba’s missed penalty in regulation time set up the Zambians for victory.
The decision to switch the competition from even to odd years has offered the China-based forward one last throw of the Nations Cup dice.
On paper, at least, today’s Group D opener is a lop-sided affair, with Togo a yawning 63 rungs behind Cote d’lvoire on Fifa’s world rankings’ ladder.
With Drogba and the Toure brothers Kolo and Yaya from English Premier League champions Manchester City in their midst the Ivorians are oozing class — yet remain Cup-less.
This so-called “golden generation” has failed to emulate the class of 1992, which brought the Nations Cup title to Abidjan for the only time after winning a marathon shoot-out over Ghana in Senegal.
They lost the 2006 final in Cairo on penalties to Egypt, with the Pharaohs sweeping them aside 4-1 in the semi-finals two years later.
In 2010 they were undone by Algeria, who won a quarter-final thriller in extra-time, before going so close in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea last year.
Drogba, whose mother set up a street stall cooking food for fans in Gabon, is hungrier than ever to take the coveted prize.
“It would be great to win the trophy now. Honestly, we are getting tired of losing out each time,” says the striker who plans to make his international swansong at the 2014 World Cup should Cote d’lvoire make it to Brazil.
“This Africa Cup is undoubtedly my last. I want to pour my whole heart and strength into it.
“We have come so close to winning the trophy twice, but that doesn’t mean we should slow down. We have learnt from our failures and are returning to win the title.”
Cote d’lvoire are coached this year by inexperienced Frenchman Sabri Lamouchi.
Togo, back for the first time since the Cabinda attack in Angola in 2010 when two members of their entourage were killed by separatists in the oil-rich enclave, have nothing to lose.
Their return, though, was clouded by Emmanuel Adebayor’s interminable “will he compete, won’t he compete” saga.
The Tottenham striker has retired more times than Frank Sinatra, but finally decided to join up with his compatriots following a little arm-twisting from the tiny west African nation’s president.
Although he may have scored only twice for Spurs this term, Adebayor is undoubtedly the star of the national side, equalising away and opening the scoring at home against Gabon in the decisive qualifier.
Togo’s “reward” for making it to South Africa was being drawn with three of the top 10 teams in Africa, yet French coach Didier Six is undaunted.
“We are not afraid of these big teams. This group is difficult, but we have a new generation that want to make a name for itself. There is everything to gain and nothing to lose.”
Meanwhile, as South Africa coach Gordon Igesund seeks to reinvigorate his team after a dismal African Cup of Nations finals curtain-raiser, he has received an offer of help from an unlikely source — a herbalist.
Reuben Matewu, from the Eastern Cape province, is confident he can come to the rescue of Bafana Bafana (The Boys) after Saturday’s lacklustre goalless draw against Cape Verde in Soweto.
That has left the 2013 hosts facing a stiff task to extricate themselves from Group A with matches against Angola and former champions Morocco coming up.
“I can help Bafana Bafana for free if they want and I will do that for the first three matches,” Matewu told a regional radio station, The Star newspaper reported yesterday.
“I’m not like those people who use bad muti (traditional medicine), I will only use herbs which are easily available here in South Africa.”
Matewu says he will start charging for his services only “when” South Africa qualify for the knockout stages.
“Thereafter, I will charge them as they would have started winning,” he explained confidently. His offer is being taken seriously by misfiring South Africa.
“Let the man speak to me and we’ll see what we can do after that,” Mwelo Nonkonyana, vice-president of the South African Football Association (Safa), told The Star.
“We always welcome whatever help we can get to ensure Bafana Bafana do well,” he added. — AFP.
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