African Cup of Nations - Most popular for 2007
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English Premier League clubs will not be too happy with Nigeria's plans ahead of January's African
Cup of Nations.
Nigeria plans to call up their players a full two weeks before the African Cup of Nations begins in
January. This will affect several English Premier League clubs.
Those set to lose their African stars for up to six weeks include Newcastle United, Portsmouth,
Chelsea, Manchester City, Sunderland, Everton and Wigan Athletic.
While doing some research today for the upcoming African Cup of Nations, I came across the
Wikipedia entry for South Africa's top flight league, the Premier Soccer League. The thing that
immediately stood out to me was the club crests. I couldn't help thinking if I was in the right
place or not, because some of the crests are so pathetic that I would be ashamed of them if I
played for a ten-years-old girl's side.
As the African Cup of Nations gets closer, the complaining from Premier League clubs gets louder.
Chelsea are bracing themselves for the loss of Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou and
John Obi Mikel, while Portsmouth might struggle to field a team when they lose the likes of Kanu,
John Utaka, Sulley Muntari, Papa Bouba [.
The chorus of people against the African Cup of Nations schedule continues to grow.
Today, a significant article in the BBC about the wave of African players leaving English shores
for the Cup come mid-January.
Portsmouth assistant manager Joe Jordan made it clear what he wants.
There's been a clamour in Nigeria for Berti Vogts to recall playmaker Jay-Jay Okocha for the 2008
African Cup of Nations. But the German boss of the Super Eagles is having none of it: "He is not
playing regularly with [English Championship side] Hull City, which means he cannot even get a
place in the [.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is reluctant to splash out cash during the January transfer window.
The Gunners will be without first-choice center back Kolo Toure for large parts of January and
February due to the African Cup of Nations, and it was speculated that the Arsenal manager would
purchase a short-term replacement for the Ivorian in January.
The 2008 African Cup of Nations will last from January 20 until February 10, calling up African
players from all over the Premiership. Arsenal looked set to lose Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, and
Emmanuel Adebayor for that period of time, and there were some concerns that we would be light both
up front and in central defense.
However, the effects of the ACN have been dampened by the fact that Togo has failed to qualify.
According to my eyes and ears in Africa, Mr. Mark Gleeson (respected Reuters journalist and African
football scribe, a.k.a. Man I'd Like to Become One Day) South Africa will become the first World
Cup hosts in more than 70 years to participate in its own qualifying competition, although they
will play in the finals regardless of their performance, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
So the draw is complete. Now that the dust has settled, who is in prime position to do well at the
tournament in Ghana and even win the prestigious cup?
Durosimi Thomas of the BBC analyzed the groups for their football website. Here's his expert
opinion:
Group A
So host nation Ghana should watch out in Group A despite being drawn in a seemingly easy group
alongside Guinea, Morocco and Namibia in Group A.
Chris spent the weekend lining up a European XI and a South American XI, and that got me thinking
about Africa. What would an African XI look like, and how would they fair against their European
and South American counterparts? The standard of African football gets better every year. More and
more African players are [.
We knew this would boil over at some point. The old 'club-vs.-country' debate.
Who is it more important to play for: the club that pays your bills? Or the country that feeds your
passions?
Word comes out of Spain today that Barcelona are looking to keep currently injured Cameroonian
striker Samuel Eto'o from playing in next year's African Cup of Nations.
Life has taken its toll and I haven't been posting as much as I want. Too much to do, not enough
time to do it.
But enough about me. Let's catch up with some news. This item comes from the BBC and writer Ben
Wyatt. It's about Portsmouth and their African contingent. To read the full article, please click
here! The following is an excerpt of the enlightening article.
Some Cup of Nations news as we inch closer to the January 20th start date.
First off, Nigerian defender Joseph Yobo thinks Nigeria's going to win it all in Ghana 2008. He
believes Nigeria will be crowned African champions.
The 26-year-old, who plays for Everton, said the timing is right for consistent third-place
finishers Nigeria to go all the way in next year's finals.
While Premiership managers like Harry Redknapp, Sam Allardyce and Avram Grant are sweating on their
players heading off to the African Cup of Nations in January, Blackburn boss Mark Hughes has no
such worries. Because Carlos Alberto Parreira has named his South Africa squad for the ACN, and
Benni McCarthy's name is nowhere to be [.
African countries will have to play their first four qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup on
successive weekends, FIFA said last Friday.
The first group phase of the qualifiers begin at the end of May and conclude in September.
The four weekends of June will be used for the first four rounds of group matches, presenting a
potential logistical headache for teams having to criss-cross the continent.
If you're ready for a fashion show, the line starts behind me. Not missing an opportunity to
piggy-back on the African Cup of Nations in Ghana, Stephen Appiah is set to try his hand in the
clothing business. His line, StepApp, debuts next Monday throughout Africa, followed next month by
Europe and the U.S. One of my favorite players at Germany '06, Appiah becomes the first African
soccer
Life has once again intervened in my blogging endeavors.
But I'm back with some updates on South Africa's progress on the Road to the 2010 World Cup.
World Cup organizer Danny Jordaan (above) briefed the South African High Commission in London a few
days back and said the state of tournament organization is very good. Everything is on track for a
successful World Cup come 2010.
File this under old news, as it's been reported everywhere.
But also, file this under strange news, because things like this should not be happening.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich gave Ghana's Michael Essien tactical instructions at the end of
their 1-1 draw with Rosenborg last week, it has been revealed.
The Observer says employing striker Andriy Shevchenko as translator, the Chelsea owner instructed
midfielder Essien, player of the year last season, to hit passes wide rather than through central
areas where the Norwegians had compressed play.
Here is a full schedule of fixtures for the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana.
Only 90 days to go!
Group A
Ghana
Morocco
Guinea
Namibia
20 January:
Ghana v Guinea, Accra
21 January:
Namibia v Morocco, Accra
24 January:
Guinea v Morocco, Accra
Ghana v Namibia, Accra
28 January:
Ghana v Morocco, Accra
Guinea v Namibia, Sekondi
Group B
Nigeria
Ivory Coast
Mali
Benin
21 January
Nigeria v Ivory Coast, Sekondi
Mali v Benin, Sekondi
25 January
Ivory Coast v Benin, Sekondi
Nigeria v Mali, Sekondi
29 January
Nigeria v Benin, Sekondi
Ivory Coast v Mali, Accra
Group C
Egypt
Cameroon
Zambia
Sudan
22 January
Egypt v Cameroon, Kumasi
Sudan v Zambia, Kumasi
26 January
Cameroon v Zambia, Kumasi
Egypt v Sudan, Kumasi
30 January
Egypt v Zambia, Kumasi
Cameroon v Sudan, Tamale
Group D
Tunisia
Senegal
South Africa
Angola
23 January
Tunisia v Senegal, Tamale
South Africa v Angola, Tamale
27 January
Senegal v Angola, Tamale
Tunisia v South Africa, Tamale
31 January
Tunisia v Angola, Tamale
Senegal v South Africa, Kumasi
Quarter-finals
3 February
(1) Group A winners v Group B runners-up, Accra
(2) Group B winners v Group A runners-up, Sekondi
4 February
(3) Group C winners v Group D runners-up, Kumasi
(4) Group D winners v Group C runners-up, Tamale
Semi-finals
7 February
SF1: winner match 1 v winner match 4, Accra
SF2: winner match 2 v winner match 3, Kumasi
Third place playoff
9 February
Loser SF1 v Loser SF2, Kumasi
Final
10 February
Winner SF1 v winner SF2, Accra
The African Cup of Nations is coming soon (January 20th to February 10th 2008, in Ghana) and World
Cup Blog is excited. Plenty of big name players will be competing for the trophy and we want to
give the tournament the attention it deserves. To do this we need bloggers to captain the national
team [.
This, straight from the Reuters wire ...
Cameroon's Daniel Ngom Kome and Albert Meyong Ze will miss the 2008 African Nations Cup after being
suspended from international duty for six months for partying ahead of a qualifier.
Sports Minister Augustin Edjoa said in a statement dated Monday that the ban was for "indiscipline
shown on the occasion of the final qualifying match" between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon on
Sept.
It's a common theme among big-name coaches in Europe:
Most are against the timing of the African Cup of Nations.
This is a good and bad thing.
Good in that it means more Africans are infiltrating the dressing rooms of top world football clubs
like Barcelona and Chelsea.
Bad in that it's annoying to hear these coaches biting the hand that feeds them.
More news on the 2010 World Cup qualifiers as FIFA announced the African schedule today.
In October, Africa will be staging their first knockout matches - the first step on the road to
South Africa 2010. Since the host nation South Africa have qualified automatically, there will be
52 countries taking part in three qualifying rounds, all of them hoping to secure one of five spots
up for grabs.
- Ugandans are awfully suspicious this morning. Needing South Africa to either beat or draw with
Zambia in Capetown to qualify for the 2008 African Cup of Nations, the Bafana Bafana failed to do
either, losing 1-3 to the Chipolopolo. The South Africans beat Zambia, 1-0, at Lusaka in October of
last year. Does Uganda really have any right to complain?
Samuel Eto'o is one of Africa's brightest stars.
But he doesn't know if he'll play in next year's African Cup of Nations.
"I will play where they tell me to. I am not the boss," Eto'o said in an interview with Spanish
daily Sport on Friday.
"I can't do anything. I understand the club's worries but I also understand my country's concerns.
- A group of MLS executives are set to visit Portland, Oregon, to assess the feasibility of placing
an expansion franchise there by 2012. The committee will meet with Merritt Paulson among other
local officials and businessmen to determine whether they have the proper facilities to maintain a
club. The startup cost of an MLS franchise is $20m.
- The International Olympic Committee has placed their support behind UEFA President Michel Platini
in his quest to take football out of the hands of profit for the better of the sport.
A wonderful article from today's BBC concerning the football fever sweeping through Ghana ahead of
next year's African Cup of Nations.
Here's a small quote from the article. For the full text, please click the link above.
In fact, so contagious is the passion for the tournament that it seems to affect
everyone, even those who are not necessarily football fans.
Ah, the African Cup o Nations. Not only is it joyous to watch, it's even more joyous to see all the
rich European team squirm as they come to terms with losing their star African players. And none of
them are squirming quite like Chelsea right now. See, Chelsea need Didier Drogba. They need him
[...]
The Nigerian FA are a demanding bunch aren't they? Manager Berti Vogts has been told he has "no
excuses" for not winning the African Cup of Nations, which starts next month. Their argument seems
to be that they've done their job by offering the players $49,000 each to win the tournament, now
he has to [.
The shortlist for the 2007 African Player of the Year is out, and current holder Didier Drogba is
in contention again. The five players shortlisted are: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
Michael Essien (Chelsea and Ghana) Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal and Togo) Frederic Kanoute (Seville
and Mali) Mahamadou Diarra (Real Madrid and Mali) The coaches of all 53 nations in the [.
Cameroon's Pierre Achille Webo had an operation on his right foot Tuesday and will be sidelined for
up to four months. This is bad news for the Cameroon squad ahead of next month's African Cup of
Nations.
Webo was injured during a game with his Spanish club side Real Mallorca, a goalless draw at home to
Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
A graduate student using seismometers to trace earthquake activity in Cameroon was apparently
mystified by eight unexplained squiggles on his chart in late January and early February of 2006,
which occurred simultaneously around the entire country. Being a good student, Garrett Euler got
his girlfriend to do some Googling and she found the mysterious squiggles [.
The 2008 African Cup of Nations begins exactly one month from today people. To get you in the mood,
here are the top 10 goals fom the 2006 tournament. Unfortunately the goal-scorers names aren't in
English, but after a bit of research I can tell you that the brilliant lob at number 6 is [...]
Thirteen countries booked their tickets to Ghana 2008 this weekend as qualification for the African
Cup of Nations neared the finish line.
Guinea, South Africa and Zambia sealed their places on Sunday.
They join Angola, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia and
hosts Ghana, who already secured their places.
Save the date: October 19th.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced today the 2008 Cup of Nations Finals draw
will take place in Accra, Ghana on October 19th.
The 16 qualifiers will be drawn into four groups of four teams for the tournament, which runs from
January 20th to February 10th.
Two days before the draw, a CAF inspection team will look at the facilities at the four venues -
Accra, Kumassi, Sekondi and Tamale.
El Hadji Diouf is back with the Senegal team after quitting a few months back.
Now, he's saying the 2008 edition of the African Cup of Nations will be the toughest one yet.
Can't say I disagree ...
"We have so many good teams in this year's tournament," he said.
"I think this is the hardest African Nations Cup ever to win because every team has good players.
The 2008 African Cup of Nations begins exactly one month from today people. To get you in the mood,
here are the top 10 goals fom the 2006 tournament. Unfortunately the goal-scorers names aren't in
English, but after a bit of research I can tell you that the brilliant lob at number 6 is [...]
Back from the holidays with some grim news from our friends in Ghana.
As the nation prepares for the 2008 Cup of Nations, it seems the Ghanaian government doesn't want
the visiting supporters and journalists to see the horrible poverty in their cities.
Their answer to getting rid of the poverty?
Ghana midfielder Michael Essien has called for a rethink on the timing of the African Cup of
Nations.
Chelsea are poised to lose Essien, Didier Drogba, John Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou for up to a
month during next January's tournament in Ghana.
Essien thinks that switching the tourney to the end of the European season would have the support
of players.
This, another in our long line of commentaries about the African Cup of Nations and its scheduling
issues.
I don't have a proper grouping of articles, but please click the link on the right to see more
articles pertaining to the continental tournament.
Today, Ghana coach Claude Le Roy insisted that all his European-based players are expected to join
his African Cup of Nations squad on time.
