adminPhineas Mukwazo
IT is now upon us and, at one stage; it did not even look likely to take place after the original hosts pulled out. But now it’s time to sit back and watch the drama unfold, albeit to most of us on telly.Yes, the 2015 African Cup of Nations is upon us.
Forget about Ebola and the missing African football stalwarts, continental kings Egypt and defending champions Nigeria, let’s brace ourselves for what promises to be another exciting event in Equatorial Guinea.
Morocco waived their rights of hosting this year’s biennial event due to concerns about the West African Ebola crisis. The Confederation of African Football took extreme measures in November by expelling Morocco from the tournament altogether since it would not host the games as planned in January and February, a move seen by the progressive many as grossly unfair.
Equatorial Guinea was the only country willing and able to step in after Ghana, South Africa, Sudan and Egypt all declined invitations to take on the event.
There were plenty of reasons to be excited about yesterday’s kick-off which saw the hosts take on the Republic of Congo.
The presence of nine past continental champions among the 16 competing nations demonstrates a tournament laden with pre-eminent African talent.
There is a relatively open field given the lopsided nature of the draw and the uncertainty of many of the favoured teams. The hosts, along with Burkina Faso, Gabon and Congo, comprise a relatively weak Group A with the top two going on to meet two of Group B’s Zambia, Tunisia, Cape Verde and DR Congo in the quarter-finals.
Giants will certainly fall in Group C that involves Ghana, whose misery stretches to more than 30 years, Algeria, South Africa and Senegal, as well as in Group D that comprise Cote d’Ivoire, who haven’t won the title in 20 years, Mali, Cameroon and Guinea.
There is a fresh new generation of talent ready to make an impression on this highly anticipated tournament. The World Cup in Brazil ended in disappointment for most of the African participants, but Equatorial Guinea 2015 offers a chance to put things right for those eliminated at the group stage.
Ghana hired former Chelsea coach Avram Grant and will hope the administrative problems which plagued 2014 lie behind them. Talents like Asamoah Gyan and Andre Ayew still lead the squad while Baba Rahman, a left back for Augsburg who has attracted attention from AC Milan, will be their player to watch. The Black Stars have reached the semi-finals for the last four tournaments running, lost to Egypt in the 2010 final, and will expect to go a step further this time.
Past champions Cameroon appear to be on the resurgent mood and Coach Volker Finke has overhauled the playing squad, with the troublesome Samuel Eto’o out of the picture, to find a successful strike force in the shape of Porto’s Vincent Aboubakar and Clinton N’Jie of Lyon. Franck Kom, the 23-year-old midfielder from Etoile de Sahel, is tipped to be their breakout star.
Will Cote d’Ivoire star studded squad finally break its title drought without their long-time captain and talisman Didier Drogba, who has now retired from international football, leaving a gaping hole in a squad that is always expected to win these tournaments, but always seems to disappoint.
Stepping into the breach will be new Manchester City signing Wilfried Bony. The most expensive African player in history at €36m, Bony should lead the Elephants to the latter stages. The challenge is now to win it.
Algeria were the best-performing African nation in Brazil, reaching the second round before being eliminated in extra-time by eventual winners Germany.
The Desert Foxes boast of the strongest unit in the competition and eased through qualification by virtue of Yacine Brahimi, the Porto player.
There is, in that case, excitement, unpredictability and star quality in store over the course of the next four weeks. Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria, Ghana, Cameroon are expected to lead the charge towards the title but Tunisia, Burkina Faso and even South Africa will have something to offer.
There is no Eto’o or Drogba to attract external attention these days and so the burden rests on a new generation of stars. Brahimi was the stand-out African talent of 2014 while Bony fills Drogba’s boots for Herve Renard’s Cote d’Ivoire. Gyan, Brahimi, Aboubakar, Bony and Gervinho will all vie for the top scorer title in a field loaded with individual talent.
But being Southerners, we pin our hopes on both the resurgent Bafana Bafana of South Africa and the Chipolopolo of Zambia, who are, both, ironically past AFCON Champions.
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Online Reporter