adminOf the 368 players named by the 16 participating teams for the tournament, 129 of them play in leagues in their countries of birth. The figure represents 35 percent of the total number of registered players for the 28th edition of the continental showpiece football event.
Only one team, Sudan has each member of their squad playing at home. Four years ago in Ghana, the Desert Hawks named a squad of entirely local-based players as they exited the first round. Whilst that team of
2008 was constituted by players from the two biggest clubs, Al Hilal and Al Merreikh; the trend has changed this term.
Sudan’s most successful football club, Al Hilal has 10 players, seven from bitterest rivals Al-Merreikh with Al-Hilal Kadougli, Al Mourada, El Neel, Al Ittihad Madani, Alnosur and Hilal Alsahel contributing one player each to Mohammed ‘Mazda’ Abdallah’s team.
Debutants Botswana have included 15 home-based players in their maiden attempt at the biennial championship with the remainder plying their trade in the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL). Libya has 14 home-based players, 11 apiece for Tunisia, Angola and co-hosts Gabon; Equatorial Guinea have in their squad seven of their members playing at home with Niger having six.
The duo of the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire and the Stallions of Burkina Faso are the only teams with no local-based players in their squad. For the Elephants, goalkeeper Daniel Yeboah was a perfect fit for the bill till he joined French side Dijon on the eve of the unveiling of the final squad.
While the Ivorian squad is made up of players from leagues in eight countries (Belgium, France, Germany, England, Turkey, Russia, Netherlands and Qatar); the Burkinabes have seven more. The Stallions, who boast of one of the youngest players at the tournament in teenager Bertrand Traore of English side Chelsea, have other players featuring in Belgium, Russia, Romania, Iran, Egypt, France, Moldova, Turkey, Qatar, Poland, Portugal, Gabon, Austria and Malta.
Outside the local domain, France has the largest number of representatives — 62, who play from the elite to the lower divisions. Mali is the team with the highest number of France-based players with 14. The Teranga Lions of Senegal has 10 players from the French Leagues whilst eight members of the Panthers of Gabon play in the land of their colonial masters.
England is represented with 15-players and three-less for the German Bundesliga and their other divisions. There also modest representation from European countries such as Netherlands, Belgium, Cyprus, Portugal,
Spain, Greece, Moldova, Malta, Russia, Austria, Poland, Belarus, Italy, Turkey, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Ukraine, Scotland and Serbia.
African leagues such as South Africa, Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Zambia, Guinea, Botswana, Mali, Niger, Sudan and Angola also have standard bearers.
There is also an Asian representation in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Iran and Oman as well as USA, Brazil, Colombia, USA. — Zoom.
Online Reporter