Africa Cup of Nations 2013: The Elephants of the Ivory Coast

The Elephants are the favourites to win South Africa 2013

The 29th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Johannesburg (South Africa) on the 19th January 2013, with host nation South Africa facing Cape Verde. Amidst the controversy of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) hosting two Nations Cup tournaments within a year (2012 & 2013), as a result of the tournament being moved to odd-numbered years, the focus of attention will be on the football when Africa's showpiece event gets underway.

The Chipolopolo of Zambia stunned the entire continent by beating overwhelming favourites the Elephants of the Ivory Coast in 2012 . The Elephants and the Black Stars of Ghana were both highly fancied to reach the reach the final in the absence of other continental giants; Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria, but the Zambians threw a spanner in the works to claim their first Nations Cup title. The Ivorians have regrouped and head to South Africa with a hugely talented squad. Here is an insight into the enigmatic Elephants of the Ivory Coast.


The Elephants of Ivory Coast
Winners: 1992  
Runners-up 2006 & 2012
Predicted position: Winners

Key Players: Didier Drogba (Shangai Shenua),  Yahya Toure (Manchester City), Gervinho (Arsenal), Cheick Tiote (Newcastle United), Romaric (Real Zagaroza), Salomon Kalou (Lille) and Max Gradel (Saint-Etienne)

Talismanic captain Didier Drogba will lead the Elephants in South Africa

The Elephants were regarded as favourites to win the previous four tournaments, and once again they go into South Africa 2013 as the out-right favourites. The favourites tag has not been too kind to the Ivorians as they have failed to win any of the last four tournaments despite having a squad that is the envy of many nations on the continent. While some Ivorians have accused the players of lacking the mental fortitude required to win the Nations Cup, others have pointed to ill-fortune as the team reached two of the last four Nations Cup finals (2006 & 2012), but lost both on penalty shoot-outs.

Yaya Toure; the African Player of the Year 2011 & 2012

Despite failing to concede a single goal at the 2012 Nations Cup, the Ivorians fell short yet again as they faced a spirited Zambian team that was determined to honour the memory of the victims of the 1993 plane crash that took the lives of 18 Zambian team members. The Ivorians could have ensured victory had their talismanic captain Didier Drogba not miss a spot kick in the final, confirming the fears of some fans that perhaps fate has conspired against them yet again. Drogba's penalty miss was the catalyst for a final that was ultimately decided on penalty shoot-outs with the Zambians prevailing 8-7.

Yaya Toure being consoled by his President Alassane Ouattara folloing the 8-7 defeat to Zambia on penalties

The defeat sent an entire nation into mourning, and the team was inconsolable. When the dust settled, the Ivorian FA applied the typical knee-jerk reaction that is synonymous with most African Football Associations and fired local coach Francois Zahoui, despite going through the entire qualifying campaign, and the tournament itself without technically losing a competitive match. Zahoui was to be the fall guy for the team's failure to deliver the Nations Cup. His replacement was the inexperienced former French international Sabri Lamouchi, who ensured that the team qualified for South Africa 2013 with relative ease. However it must be emphasised that the current generation of players have breezed through the qualifying stages of the last four tournaments, nonetheless winning the tournament has remained elusive.

Gervinho

Lamouchi will be the fifth coach of the Elephants at the last five Nations Cup tournaments, with none of his predecessors getting a chance at successive Nations Cup tournaments. The likes of Henri Michel (2006), Gerard Gili (2008), Vahid Halihodzic (2012) and Francois Zahoui (2013) only had one shot at the Nations Cup. Lamouchi has selected an experienced squad for South Africa 2013, and he is counting on his players to finally deliver the Nations Cup. Time is running out for this golden generation of Ivorian players and this could be the last Nations Cup appearance for the likes of Didier Drogba, 34, and Didier Zokora, 32.

Drogba will be seeking redemption following his crucial spot-kick failures at both the 2006 and 2012 Nations Cup finals. He has had a brilliant career characterised by his Champions League winning performance against Bayern Munich, but winning the Nations Cup has become the Holy Grail in his illustrious career.  The Ivorians can also count on Manchester City's Yaya Toure; the current African Player of the Year, Arsenal's Gervinho, Newscastle United's Cheick Tiote, Lille's Salomon Kalou, Max Gradel of Saint-Etienne and Romaric of Real Zaragoza. Lacina Traore of Anzhi has also been in good form this season and he could be a threat for the Ivorians, should he get the chance to play in this hugely talented team. The Elehpants are without doubt the continent's strongest team on paper, and they are yet again the overwhelming favourites, but as the last four tournaments have shown, the favourites tag might just be too heavy a burden for the Ivorians. They will be hoping to finally deliver the Holy Grail in South Africa.

2012 & 2013 Africa Nations Cup: Were Leone Stars unlucky or just ill-prepared?

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations gets underway on the 19th January in Johannesburg with tournament debutants Cape Verde facing the host nation South Africa. The Cape Verdeans stunned the football world by ensuring qualification at the expense of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. Cape Verde's feat is all the more remarkable, considering the fact that the Country's population is a mere 501,000 people, although some would argue that the size of a country's population does not necessarily translate to success on the pitch. As I ponder on the thought of tiny Cape Verde enjoying their moment in the limelight, I cannot help but pause for a moment of reflection on the fortunes of Leone Stars of Sierra Leone, and how they almost qualified for both the 2012 and the 2013 Cup of Nations.

Leone Stars

Qualification for the 2013 Cup of Nations would have sent the millions of passionate football fans in Sierra Leone into a state of euphoria, and it would most certainly have been a welcome development for a country still recovering from the brutal civil war (1991-2002). However unlike Cape Verde, the Leone Stars would not have been tournament debutants in South Africa as the previous generation of players, now regarded as the country's golden generation, had qualified for both the 1994 Nations Cup in Tunisia, and the 1996 Nations Cup in South Africa. The jubilant scenes in Freetown following the Leone Stars 2-1 victory over Burkina Faso at the 1996 Nations Cup, still ranks among the most awesome and awe inspiring moments I have ever witnessed. 

The 1996 Nations Cup was the last time Leone Stars qualified for the tournament and as the years go by, it has become almost like a distant memory, since they have now failed to qualify for the last nine tournaments. It is worth acknowledging the fact that the brutal civil war, and the ensuing recession badly affected the team's chances of qualifying, but their failure to qualify for the 2012 & 2013 editions was both painful and agonizing. On both occasions the team finished level on points with the group winners and eventual qualifiers (Niger & Tunisia), and only missed out either by the head-to-head rule, or the away goals rule. Millions of Sierra Leoneans were left to ponder on the thought of what might have happened had the team qualified, and whether a new approach was needed for the 2015 Nations Cup qualifiers. It was a case of so near, yet so far for Leone Stars.

Leone Stars captain Ibrahim Kargbo (Obreh)

The team suffered just one defeat in both the 2012 and 2013 qualifiers, and they were unlucky to miss out on both occasions. However as the saying goes; 'you make your own luck,' and there were some issues regarding organisation and planning during the qualifiers that raised serious cause for concern. These issues included; the Sports Minister (Paul Kamara) being at loggerheads with the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) which resulted in the team having two coaches and naming two squads at the same time; SLFA threatening to withdraw the team from the qualifiers; the team captain being banned for allegedly making 'inciting, derogatory statements and threatening remarks against the football authorities; the captain accusing the football authorities of abandoning the team; the Sports Minister interfering with the team by dropping Mohamed Kallon and many other issues. The players should be fully commended for getting results in the midst of such chaos, and the apparent poor planning and lack of organisation also affected the team's chances of securing qualification.

President Ernest Bai Koroma alias 'World Best' during the 2012 election campaign.

Millions of Sierra Leoneans are passionate football fans, and even President Ernest Bai Koroma is popularly known as 'World Best,' in reference to Argentine superstar Lionel Messi. Football played a central role during the just concluded presidential election, as the president utilised his popularity and links with football by holding aloft a ball on numerous occasions during the campaign. Surely this is the opportune moment for the president to secure his sporting legacy and ensure that the team is well-prepared and adequately funded to secure the 2015 Nations Cup qualification. We can start making our own luck by being well-prepared with better organisation. In conclusion, the team was unlucky not to have qualified, but even the most ardent believer in fate cannot rule out the effects of infighting, lack of organisation and the various battles between the Sports Minister and SLFA.

African Nations Cup 2012: The Rise of Sudan

The Nile Crocodiles of Sudan

As the 2012 Africa Nations Cup unfolds in Gabon & Equatorial Guinea, the Nile Crocodiles of Sudan have been winning many plaudits for their performances in the tournament so far. Despite winning the tournament in 1970, the Sudanese had lost their way for decades, and were now largely considered as minnows on the continent. They had not scored a goal at the Nations Cup since 1976 and their victory in 1970 seemed to be a distant memory. Sudanese football was being affected by various factors such as; chaos and political instability, a bloody civil war, corruption and a lack of organisation.

The Sudanese went into the tournament with a squad entirely made up of home-based players plying their trades in the Sudan Premier League. They kicked off their 2012 Nations Cup campaign against the Ivory Coast, widely considered as favourites to win the tournament, and equipped with a plethora of well known stars. The Ivorians were expected to hammer Sudan and put down a marker for the rest of the tournament, but it took a brilliant header form superstar Didier Drogba to seal a 1-0 victory over the Sudanese. Sudan then played out a 2-2 draw with Angola, twice coming from behind. Finally, they secured a 2-1 victory over Burkina Faso, a result which coupled with the Ivory Coast 2-0 victory over Angola, was enough for Sudan to reach the quarter-finals.

Mohamed Ahmed Bashir scored both goals against Angola

During the 2012 Nations Cup qualifiers,the handwriting had been on the wall that the Sudanese are not pushovers as many had expected. They drew their opening game against a Ghana team that was already the toast of the continent, following their exploits at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The Sudanese were good value for their 0-0 draw in Accra, and many expected their campaign to falter along the way. Nonetheless they matched the talented Black Stars all the way, and both teams were level on points going into the final qualifying match in Khartoum. The Black Stars of Ghana eventually won the game 2-0 booking their passage to the 2012 Nations Cup, but Sudan deservedly qualified as one of the best runners-up.

Striker Mudathir El Tahir scored both goals against Burkina Faso

Their success at the ongoing Nations Cup is the culmination of the organisation and hardwork of the Sudan Premier League. There has been an influx of players going to the Sudan Premier League during the last 6 years, and huge sums of money has been spent on the league with Sudanese clubs acquiring  talented players. One such acquisition was the signing of Nigeria's Stephen Worgu by Al Merreikh for a reported fee of $US2.6 million. The Sudanese had gone back to the basics and developed their national league, where talented players can be identified thereby benefiting the national team. They have qualified for two of the last three Nations Cup competitions, and they are through to the quarter-finals of the ongoing tournament, where they will face Zambia.

Nigerian Stephen Worgu was signed by Sudan's Al Merreikh for $US 2.6 million

Sudan is not the only country reaping the rewards of investing in the national league, Egypt, winners of the last 3 Nations Cup (2006, 2008 & 2010), had a squad largely made up of home-based players and brushed aside the likes of Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria & Cameroon, countries equipped with well-known European based players. Surely there is wisdom in developing one's national league, and giving local players a competent platform to play, rather than depending on European scouts and European clubs to develop African players. Regardless of the out come of their quarterfinals, the Sudanese have had a successful tournament, and one can only hope that other struggling nations will try and emulate them by investing in national leagues and producing enough home-grown players.