This is one of my favourite World Cup moments, mostly because it features two iconic footballers. First there's the legendary Roger Milla. The 38 year old striker who came out of retirement to play for Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup, after receiving a persuasive phone call from Cameroon's President Paul Biya.

Soccer America have posted a really good article on Red Bulls New York's recent draft pick Tony Tchani that describes his youth growing up in Cameroon and how he made it to the United States.

It didn't take long for Arsenal to understand how much Alex Song is going to be missed. In their first game without the Cameroon International, the Gunners were completely dominated in midfield, as manager Arsene ...

Cameroon were 1-0 down to Zambia last night, and genuinely in danger of an early Africa Cup of Nations 2010 exit. Until. In the 68th minute, Geremi (who plays for either Newcastle or Ankaragücü, depending on who you ask) sprinted to prevent the ball going out for a throw and swung a hopeful ball in the general direction of the penalty area.

Japan is the second national team I am reviewing after Cameroon in my series about the 32 countries participating in the World Cup in South Africa. Japan is in Group E along with the Netherlands, Cameroon and Denmark. Japan doesn't have a long history in this competition having qualified only 4 times in 18 World Cups (counting the one in South Africa).

Cameroon midfielder Alex Song is on his way back to London after his National team were eliminated from the African Cup of Nations, but it is unclear whether the 22-year old will be fit to ...

The host country is Angola and the mascot looks a bit like Drogba when he is in a good mood.Since the first African Cup of Nations tournament was held in Sudan in 1957, host countries have failed to reach at least the semi-finals on only four occasions so Angola have that bit of history to deal with.

So, if the only time you've ever come across this tournament is when certain Premiership managers whine about it, let me welcome to you to one of World Football's best kept secrets. Over the years, the African Cup Of Nations has grown and grown to be one of the most respected tournaments in World Football.

It's right around the corner, you know. And by 'right around the corner', we mean that quite literally: turn the corner of this week into next week and you're there. The first game kicks off Sunday evening when tournament hosts Angola take on Mali.

So with time at a premium, let's get right down to ten things you need to know for the African Cup of Nations.

The Cup of Nations all-time top scorer - but can Eto'o add more silverware to the collection in Angola?
With the African Cup of Nations 2010 now but a few days away we turn our attentions to the final group preview, Group D:
Group D
Cameroon - Gabon - Tunisia - Zambia
Cameroon
Alongside Cote d'Ivoire Cameroon probably have the most talented squad in Africa, yet until Paul Le Guen took over as coach in July 2009 the Indomitable Lions were in real jeopardy of missing out on World Cup 2010 altogether.

Simple question and yet such a complicated answer:

- The bookies say it's going to be the on-paper favorite Ivory Coast.

- History says it will be Egypt, two-time defending champions.

- Your gut says it won't be either.

Then who will it be?
Everything, at least right now, points to two teams: Ghana & Ivory Coast.

The Togo football team, on its way to the Africa Cup of Nations, was shot at by Cabinda rebels nearby the Angolan border . This happened just a few hours ago and there are reports that 2 players and a bus driver are seriously injured. Cabinda rebels represent a separatist movement that is fighting for independence from the Angolan state.

Well, we're back in the thick of the football action as we gear up for the African Cup of Nations in Angola and most European leagues get back into the swing of their seasons. If you missed our end-of-the-year bumper quiz last week, follow the link and give it a go. On this week's show, we spotlight the four groups of four in the African Cup of Nations and choose the favourites and dark horses.

It didn't take long for Arsenal to understand how much Alex Song is going to be missed. In their first game without the Cameroon International, the Gunners were completely dominated in midfield, as manager Arsene ...

Photo Credit: Matt Riley/UVa Media Relations
University of Virginia midfielder Tony Tchani, a Generation adidas signee, looks certain to be a top five pick in next week's 2010 Major League Soccer SuperDraft after a strong showing at the league's combine.
Tchani answered some quick questions about Cameroon's chances at the African Cup of Nations, his penalty kick at the College Cup title game against Akron, and his thoughts on beginning his career with MLS before heading to Florida.

I didn't say it unfortunately, those where the words of Patrick MBoma yesterday on RMC'c After Foot show. Patrick Mboma should know, he was one of Cameroon's stars at the end of 1990s and beginning of 2000, participating in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002 as well as getting the gold medal in the 2000 Olympics.

Alex Song's Cameroon side made a poor start to the African Cup of Nations, after they lost 1-0 to Gabon at the Estádio Nossa Senhora Do Monte in Lubango. More to come.

74′ Angola 4 Mali 0
FT Angola 4 Mali 4
Malawi 3 Algeria 0
Ivory Coast 0 Burkina Faso 0
Cameroon 0 Gabon 1

(And if we were to get really technical, Egypt scoring their first two goals entirely against the run of play had to be considered an upset within the frame of the game as well.

Well we all know how the competition started but the tournament kicked off in earnest on Sunday evening with the host nation Angola entertaining Mali. Hopes were high after all the political wrangling that engulfed the weekend, football could return to the forefront. What no-one expected was a series of breathless games and major shocks that have turned the Cup Of Nations on its head.

Gabon pulled off a massive shock by toppling Cameroon in this African Nations Cup tie.

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By Ollie Irish

This game saw the biggest shock of the ACN so far, with Hull City striker Daniel Cousin's goal proving enough for Gabon to claim a famous win over Cameroon's not-so-Indomitable Lions.

The trend so far: the teams in Angola that have also qualified for this summer's World Cup don't seem to be giving their all, which is entirely understandable given the size of the prize in South Africa.

Underdogs Gabon beat the indomitable Cameroon team 1 - 0 in the second shock result of the tournament.Football pundits are having to swallow their words as the underdogs have been going around beating their more fancied opponents.Ghanaian sports journalist Kofi Agyepong had the following to say "One thing is clear; matches played at this tournament so far have proven the pundits wrong.

Georges Ambourouet (Gabon) v Somen Tchoyi (Cameroon)

Well, isn't this just so considerate? The fine footy folk taking part in the African Cup know how busy our schedules are with Facebook-stalking, online shopping and other such necessities. To help out, they made sure to stay in the same photo frame for ease of judgment/appreciation in our Thigh-Off competition today.

Georges Ambourouet (Gabon) v Somen Tchoyi (Cameroon)

Well, isn't this just so considerate? The fine footy folk taking part in the African Cup know how busy our schedules are with Facebook-stalking, online shopping and other such necessities. To help out, they made sure to stay in the same photo frame for ease of judgment/appreciation in our Thigh-Off competition today.

Wait a minute, hold on, are these the teams that will Carry the hopes of more than 1 billion people when the attention of the sporting world turns to South Africa in June? All the teams who qualified for the world cup suffered negative results in the first week of Africa's premier footballing tournament the Africa Cup of Nations.

Anyone fancying a flutter on an African team to do the unthinkable and win this year's World Cup may be thinking twice about dipping into their pocket after the first round of matches in the Nations Cup.

So far, little Malawi - the tournament's rank outsiders - have managed to muster more points than the combined tally earned by World Cup finalists Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

So, the African Cup of Nations is well underway and, in between pretending to do some work, I've been watching a fair bit on Eurosport TV.And the conclusion I've come to so far: I don't think any of these teams is consistent or, frankly, good enough to even reach the quarter finals of the World Cup.Every time a World Cup Finals comes around, there is always media speculation about the potential

Firstly to the good news, Cameroon have lost their first match at the ACN to the mighty Gabon, meaning that if Cameroon lose to Zambia in their second game and Tunisia draw with Gabon, then Alex Song will be coming home early, that's what I'm hoping anyway.Song is so important to us, not only because the lad has been playing so well, but also because we have so little defensive cover in the

Alex Song has cemented his place in the Arsenal team as our defensive midfield rock but unfortunately for us he is away doing his duty for Cameroon in the African Cup of Nations.
Whilst he is in Africa Denilson was expected to replace him in the side. At the moment the little Brazilian is injured and will miss the game against Bolton tomorrow.

Cameroon secured a late win this enthralling African Nations Cup match against Zambia.

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With the ACON in full swing we thought we'd put together our top 11 African players of all time. It's true to say that the days of Mwepu the Zaire right back clearing a Brazilian free kick in a 1974 World Cup are long gone.

2010 could in fact, be the first time we see an African winner of the World Cup.

We're reaching the finale of the group stages at the 2010 Africa(n) Cup of Nations. Between now and January 21st, the top two from each group will be decided. Eight teams will go through to the quarters, and the other eight seven will go home.

Below you'll find all four groups as they stand before the final round of games, complete with a (mostly accurate) explanation of who needs what to happen in their final games.

Speaking as a neutral fan, the final round of group games at of the 2010 African Cup of Nations have been a little disappointing so far. Angola and Algeria played out that goalless draw to go through from Group A, Ghana eked out a 1-0 win over Burkina Faso to join Cote D'Ivoire as qualifiers from Group B, and last night Egypt and Nigeria each recorded expected victories to qualify from Group C.

Cameroon vs. Tunisia:
Indomitable Lions must win the game to guarantee progress
Gabon vs. Zambia:
Zambia eye last eight berth

By AVI CREDITOR

High drama captivated the final day of group play at the African Cup of Nations in Angola.

Group D concluded the group stage Thursday afternoon, with Gabon entering the day leading the group and playing against last-place Zambia.

But Cameroon's 2-2 draw with Tunisia combined with Zambia's 2-1 stunner over Gabon left all except Tunisia level on head-to-head and goal difference tiebreakers.

Zambia celebrate a famous win over Gabon (AFP)
Cameroon 2-2 Tunisia
Zambia 2-1 Gabon
Got your thinking cap on? Good. You're going to need it to work out the intricacies of Group D, which ended up about as complicated as a Matrix sequel, but far more entertaining. We'll start off with the basics.

In case you want an update (albeit a very minor one) from the African Cup of Nations tournament in Angola, here are the teams that advanced out of the group stage.
-- Group A: Angola, Algeria
-- Group B: Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana
-- Group C: Egypt, Nigeria
-- Group D: Zambia, Cameroon
Here are the quarterfinals matchups: Angola/Ghana, Zambia/Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire/Algeria, Egypt/Cameroon.

Cameroon progressed to the knockout stages at Tunisia's expense thanks to an equalizer from Celtic man Landry N'Guemo.

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On this week's predictions languagecaster takes a look at games from the Bundesliga, back after its winter break, and the big Milan derby in Serie. We also feature two of the quarter finals from the Africa Cup of Nations and an interesting North West England clash between Bolton and Burnley the former team's manager has just left Burnley, which should make for an interesting match.

The pairings have already set up some truly interesting match-ups
with Egypt against Cameroon the most interesting of all, a replay of the final at Ghana 2008. World Cup-bound Ivory Coast and Algeria will take on each other, while hosts Angola will entertain last time's hosts Ghana. Nigeria will play surprise Group D winners Zambia for the first time in the tournament since their 1994 final which Nigeria won 2-1.