The qualification stages for the forthcoming 2012 African Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea have finally been concluded, and we now know the teams that will be participating. While there are new debutants Botswana and Niger, it is the failure of the traditional powers Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria that has sent shockwaves around the continent.
The failure of these teams to qualify for the 2012 Cup of Nations has led to widespread discussions, specifically relating to whether the balance of power is shifting on the continent, or as some have claimed, it is an isolated incident aided by poor organisation and lack of planning by the failed giants of African football.
Egypt
Egypt's failure to qualify for the 2012 Cup of Nations stunned many football fans and pundits worldwide. The Egyptians have had remarkable success on the continent's most prestigious football tournament. Prior to the 2012 qualifiers, the Pharaohs had never failed to qualify for the Nations Cup in their entire football history. In addition, they had won the last three editions of the Nations Cup (2006, 2008 & 2010), brushing aside the likes of Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast, making them the most successful team at the nations cup with 7 titles (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010).
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| Egypt failed to qualify for the 2012 Nations Cup |
However the failure of the legendary coach, Hassan Shehata to rebuild an ageing team, coupled with the political unrest that had erupted in Cairo appeared to have cost Egypt the chance of defending their title. Egypt had an ageing squad comprising Essam El-Hadary , 38, Mohamed Aboutrika, 32, Wael Gomaa, 36, among others. Shehata also failed to build his team around the brilliant and much younger Mahmoud Shikabala, the most inform player in the Egyptian league at the time.
He decided to stick with the old guard who had been remarkably successful during his tenure as coach of the Pharaohs, and they finished bottom of a group that comprised Niger, South Africa and Sierra Leone, with just a solitary win. The political unrest which culminated in the resignation of long term president Hosni Mubarak further destablised the Pharaohs, as the league and other football activities were suspended. Nonetheless, Shehata has paid the price for their failure to qualify and a new coach will be at the helm as the rebuilding process gets underway.
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| Legendary Egyptian coach Hassan Shehata paid the price for Egypt's failure to qualify for the Nations Cup |
Cameroon
In relation to Cameroon, many issues have been raised regarding their failure to qualify, such as poor organisation, lack of unity among the players, corruption in the administration of Cameroonian football, Eto'o being given preferential treatment, and finally the fact that Cameroon were battling with Senegal for a place at the Nations Cup. Senegal is also an established team on the continent and many teams would have found it difficult winning a group that involved the Senegalese.
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| Cameroon failed to qualify for 2012 Nations Cup |
While the role of corruption is widely acknowledged in Cameroonian football, the impact of the lack of unity and infighting among the players cannot be underestimated. World renowned superstar and Cameroon's most influential player Samuel Eto'o was at the centre of various controversies. Firstly, he reportedly clashed with Arsenal's Alex Song at the 2010 world cup, and then the pair were involved in yet another dispute during camping for their decisive qualifier against Senegal in Yaounde. Song had refused to shake hands with Eto'o as he was still upset over the previous clash.
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| Samuel Eto'o was involved in various controversies |
The Indomitable Lions that went on to draw what was widely described as "a must win" game, with Eto'o missing an 87th minute penalty that was awarded in controversial circumstances. During the match Eto'o had appeared to prevent coach Javier Clemente from making a substitution. He was charged with indiscipline and missing a training session, but was subsequently cleared by the Cameroon Football Federation.
While the Cameroonians pick up the pieces and try to rebuild the Indomitable Lions once again, many questions will be raised as to whether the phenomenal Samuel Eto'o should retire from international football and give the younger players a chance to make their mark. It will be increasingly difficult to curb the influence of such an enigmatic player, without upsetting him. There will be a new coach in charge of the Indomitable Lions after coach Javier Clemente was sacked following the team's failure to qualify for Gabon & Equatorial Guinea 2012.
Nigeria
The Super Eagles of Nigeria went into their final qualifier against Guinea in Abuja needing a win to seal their place at Gabon and Equatorial Guinea 2012. Unlike Cameroon and Egypt, they went into their final group game with a chance of qualifying for the tournament. In spite of the match being played in Abuja, the Super Eagles still conspired to concede a stoppage time equaliser, sending shockwaves around the football world.
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| The Super Eagles will not be at Gabon and Equatorial Guinea 2012 |
Various factors can be attributed to the failure of the Super Eagles, such as lack of discipline among the players, tactical errors, and in some cases coach Samson Siasia being too heavy-handed with the players, thereby affecting results in crucial matches. Following the departure of the much criticised Lars Lagerback, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) appointed former player Samson Siasia as the coach of the Super Eagles. The NFF appeared to be under pressure in making the appointment as Siasia was immensely popular and the preferred candidate of many Nigerians.
Siasia had succeeded in his previous engagements managing Nigeria's youth teams. He won the African Youth Championship in 2005, and also reached the final of the 2005 World Youth Championship, losing 2-1 to a Messi inspired Argentina. He then managed the Nigerian team at the 2008 Olympics in Bejing and yet again lost in the final to an Argentina team involving Messi. He was widely regarded by some of his most vocal fans as "the saviour of Nigerian football", as a result of his meticulous preparations before matches.
However, clashes with key experienced players such as Odemwingie and Enyeama proved decisive in his failure to succeed with the Super Eagles. He left out Westbrom's Peter Odemwingie for the crucial qualifier in Addis Ababa, which astonishingly ended 2-2. Nigeria needed a late equaliser from Joseph Yobo to salvage a point. He also dropped goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama for the decisive game against Guinea in Abuja, which also ended 2-2, and many fans blamed the replacement goalkeeper Dele Ayenugba for conceding a late equaliser which they believed he should have saved. His decision to replace Inter Milan's Joel Obi when Nigeria were leading 2-1 also raised further questions regarding his tactical competence. While some have defended Siasia's ultra disciplinary methods, others have questioned the wisdom in leaving out his key players for absolutely crucial matches.
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| Samson Siasia was sacked by the NFF |
Nevertheless, the NFF fired Siasia for failing to qualify for the nations cup, and former Super Eagles captain Stephen Keshi has been appointed as the new coach of the Super Eagles. He is expected to embark on the difficult task of rebuilding the Super Eagles, and qualify for both the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa, and the 2014 world cup in Brazil.
Despite Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria failing to qualify for the forthcoming Nations Cup, Ghana and the Ivory Coast both qualified and are widely regarded as favourites to be crowned as champions in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. The Black Stars' qualification was secured in their final qualifier in Khartoum where they beat Sudan 2-0. Prior to kick-off, both Ghana and Sudan had 13 points a piece, and many will point to the fact that Sudan pushed the in-form Ghanaians all the way as further evidence of a shift in the balance of power in African football.
While it is difficult to emphatically state that the balance of power is shifting on the continent, it can be acknowledged that the gap between the traditional powers (such as Egypt, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria) and the other nations is closing. Other less traditional footballing nations have invested in football academies and the influx of agents seeking to get players on the cheap has also increased the chances of smaller nations exporting players to the top European leagues. One can only hope that while the traditional football nations continue their rebuilding process, the gap will be closed even further thereby leading to an increase in competition among the African nations.
