WHY THIS ANC WILL NOT MATCH MALI 2002
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WHY THIS ANC WILL NOT MATCH MALI 2002
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SPORTS
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SORRY, THEY WON’T BE THERE!
By Ademola Olajire
Saturday, January 17, 2004
The African Nations Cup finals, as the recognized continental football tournament of Africa, deserves the presence of the continent’s best ball jugglers. The leading artists of the African game also desire to be at the biggest footballing spectacle of this part of the universe. But for one reason or the other, it is not always so.
Either as a result of injury, loss of form or plain non-consideration by the coach in charge, some of the best find themselves watching the tournament on television at every edition. There are others whose teams fail to qualify, and they have no choice but to, while waiting for the next qualifying competition, marvel at what others do on the turf for those three weeks of pure celebration.
Here is a list of some of the continent’s best who for one reason or the other, will not be at the 24th African Nations Cup finals starting in Tunisia in seven days’ time:
KHALILOU FADIGA: One of the best midfielders to have come out of Africa, Fadiga is presently in ill-health, having been told by club doctors that he has a heart defect and must look for cure before he can realize his dream transfer.
The gifted Senegalese boy is running round the world looking for cure, just as Nigerian Nwankwo Kanu did in 1996. There will be prayers for him, as he misses what would have been his third Nations Cup. He was a pivotal member of the Lions team that reached the quarter-finals in Nigeria in 2000 and won silver in Mali in 2002, and also reached the World Cup quarter-finals the same year.
Fadiga is expecting to find a cure and return to the game he loves, just as Kanu did. But he would have to watch Tunisia 2004 on TV and hope he finds the cure to be able to make a presence at Egypt 2006.
AMDY FAYE: A member of the team that reached the final in 2002, Faye has been in fine form for his English Premiership club, Portsmouth this season. His exclusion from the final 22 by coach, Guy Stephan, was something of a surprise. But, is Faye paying the prize for being one of the Lions that missed a penalty in the shoot-out against Cameroun in the Mali final?
SUNDAY OLISEH: Nigeria’s captain to the last two finals, Oliseh was sacked from the set-up last year before the World Cup finals, and has not been there since. He has apparently been playing fine for his German club, Bochum, but neither Coach Christian Chukwu nor the FA has any time for him. Oliseh was a key member of the team that won the trophy for Nigeria in the same Tunisia in 1994, and this would have been his fourth finals and with a romantic notion for a repeat of 1994, with the only other surviving member of that squad, Jay-Jay Okocha.
But one man’s loss is another’s gain. Just as he did at the World Cup, Okocha leads Nigeria to battle, while Oliseh watches on TV.
FINIDI GEORGE: Another member of the 1994 side and member of the 2000 and 2002 side, George was in obscurity until a week ago when he teamed up with former Spanish club, Real Mallorca. He was previously with Ipswich Town in England, after captaining Real Betis also in Spain.
Finidi was a key member of the Nigerian senior team for a decade, and would have been going to his fourth Nations Cup. But he was dealt the same blow as Oliseh, for whom he was deputy. George, a quiet, gifted utility player, played in two World Cups and won gold, silver and bronze in the Nations Cup. But his dazzling foot-works and elegance would be missed in Tunisia this time.
IKE SHOROUNMU: Nigeria’s goalkeeper at the last World Cup, and at the past two Nations Cup finals. He opted out of international business despite being sought for his fourth finals. Was in the Nigerian team in 1994 but not registered. Shorunmu, now in Turkey, won silver and bronze in the last two finals.
OBAFEMI MARTINS: Still in his teens, Martins has turned down Nigeria countless times, including for this Nations Cup. No one knows his plans.
He has been in good form for Italian Serie A giants, Inter Milan in domestic and UEFA business. But he says no to Nigeria, who are not weeping though.
QUINTON FORTUNE: The best left-sided play-maker ever to come out of South Africa. Frosty relationship with Coach Ephraim Mashaba (now suspended) has prematurely aborted Fortune’s international career. It is not known if he would be willing to return if the SAFA calls him, following Mashaba’s exit.
Fortune was in the team that
won silver in 1998 and
bronze in 2000, and which lost out in the quarter-finals in 2002.
BENNI MCCARTHY: The joint top scorer at the 1998 finals with seven goals, Benni was named the best player of that tournament in Burkina Faso. He has won 51 caps for the Bafana and was expected to be one of the stars of these finals. But Mashaba’s sour relationship with his top players has ensured Benni would not be there to relive Burkina ’98. He pleaded to arrive the training camp late, but Mashaba would not hear of that.
MARK FISH: The major personality of South Africa’s 1996 triumph suffers the same fate as McCarthy. But he regrets nothing as he had earlier retired from international football. Would be concentrating on his club career with Charlton Athletic.
SHAUN BARTLETT: The top scorer at the 2000 finals, Shaun has retired from the international game, again due to Mashaba’s unusual ways. South Africa would indeed be wondering who would score the goals for them in Tunisia.
STEVEN PIENAAR: One of the most gifted play-makers in European football at the moment, a non-fortuitous injury has denied Pienaar his due of being South Africa’s main force in Tunisia. The Ajax Amsterdam ace is ruled out by a bad knee injury and would have to wait for Egypt 2006 for his Nations Cup debut.
MUSTAPHA HADJI: Sometimes, you wonder whether the 1998 African Footballer of the Year is still playing football at all. He has made the round from Coventry City to Aston Villa and back and forth, and still cannot re-discover the form that took him to the top of the African game. Hadji has expectedly not been called by Coach Badou Ezaki, the former goalkeeper who is building his team around young talents.
LAUREN ETAME MAYER: Cameroun would be hard-put this time without the steel of Lauren in midfield and the grit of the deceased Marc-Vivien Foe. Lauren would be doing it for Arsenal in England while Cameroon go out there in the Tunisia cold, hoping to become the first team to win the Cup three times consecutively. For sure, he would be missed. Lauren retired from international football after the 2002 World Cup.
ALIOUM BOUKAR: The top goalkeeper in the last two editions of the championship, Alioum has left the international stage for younger elements and Idris Kameni, the young man who was in goal when Cameroun won the Olympic gold in Australia in 2000, is the man you would be seeing. Boukar is having a holiday during the finals.
HOSSAM HASSAN: The man with the most international caps has called it quits with Egypt. He is on the last leg of his club career. He was joint top scorer at the 1998 finals with seven goals, and one of the true legends of the Cup with SEVEN appearances. The other person to have made so many appearances is the Ivorian goalkeeper, Alain Gouamene.
IBRAHIM HASSAN: Twin brother of Hossam Hassan, who also made more than a hundred appearances for the Pharaohs before going out the gate. The only Hassan that the Pharaohs would have in Tunisia is the diminutive Turkey-based Ahmed Hassan.
HANY RAMZY: The elegant defender was looking to equal the record for most appearances in the Cup when he was left out of the final 22 by Egyptian coach, Mohsen Saleh. It is agony for the veteran, who has played in every edition since 1992 and is the captain of his country. Injury has denied him this time around.
ABDELHAFID TASFAOUT: The best Desert Warrior in the past two editions of the Nations Cup. Tasfaout is remembered for the scare he caused in Mali when he swallowed his tongue in a game against the hosts in the group phase.
DZIRI BILLEL: Another star of the Algerian team that reached the quarter-finals in 2000. But he would not be going to Tunisia.
SHABANI NONDA: The captain of Congo Democratic Republic, but has been denied a trip to Tunisia by a terrible injury. He has been out for months and his French club sure have missed his prolific scoring feat. In his absence, the England-based Lomana Tresor Lua Lua captains the Simba.
BENJAMIN NWARUWARU: Usually called ‘The Undertaker’, Benjamin Nwaruwaru has been doing well for his French club, Auxerre, before injury knocked him out for the season, Now, there is no way he can make the Zimbabwean team to their first Nations Cup finals.
Nwaruwaru, a member of the Olympic team that narrowly failed to make it to Australia in 2000, has been influential in the Warriors’ team since then and was pivotal to the team gaining a first Nations Cup berth.
In his absence, Zimbabwe would have to rely only on the goal-scoring ability of England-based forward, Peter Ndlovu. If Ndlovu gets off form, then Sunday Marimo and the rest of this wards are in trouble..
CHOKRI EL OUAER: The talismanic goalkeeper and skipper of Tunisia, Chokri was still at the last Nations Cup despite his advanced age of 35. But weeks to the World Cup, he declared himself no longer willing to be on the international front.
Tunisia, the hosts, would have to rely now on the equally ageless Ali Boumnijel, who was in goal at the 2002 World Cup finals and plays in France.
El Ouaer was famous for his agility and tricks, and some unusual ways. But he conceded two goals in the opening match of the 1994 finals and Mali won 2-0, leaving the Carthage Eagles in serious trouble. Eventually, they failed to qualify from their group.
KAIES GODHBANE: Another credible name in Tunisian football in the past decade, Godhbane was in the thick of club duties for Etoile du Sahel of Sousse and saw the club to five African titles in the past eight years. His international forays did not meet with expectations, as Tunisia failed to win the 1996 Nations Cup even after reaching the final, and lost to South Africa in the third-place match at Ghana/Nigeria 2000.
FAILED TO QUALIFY
ANGOLA: Angola’s failure to qualify for Tunisia 2004 was foreseen by many after they were drawn in the same group with Nigeria for the qualifying series. Only one team could make it from there, and it was Nigeria.
But the Palancas Negras must have missed opportunities, drawing with Nigeria at home and losing to Malawi away. If they had drawn with Malawi in Blantyre, they could have grabbed the ticket, after a macho showing in Nigeria that saw them forced to a draw.
Their failure to reach the finals will deny the African football follower of seeing the precocious striker, Flavio da Silva, in action.
ZAMBIA: Two-time finalists Zambia have failed to make it to this one. The team that emerged runners-up on a tidal wave of global sentiment and support in 1994 (months after a plane crash wiped out the cream of the side), was ambushed by Benin Republic.
Zambia won silver at the 1974 and 1994 finals, and were bronze medalists in 1996 in South Africa. They had qualified for every finals since 1990, before running into Cecil Jones Attuquayefio and his non-respecting Squirrels.
The absence of Zambia also
means the absence of Dennis
Lota, the big-hearted play-maker, as well as Gift Kampamba, Evans Sakala, and the rest of the Chipolopolo. Are Zambia that bad, to have lost 3-0 to Benin Republic in their final qualifier in Cotonou? Yes, they must have been that bad that day!
COTE D’IVOIRE: It was always certain after the qualifying draw that either Cote d’Ivoire or South Africa would miss the party. How could such two powerful teams, both former winners of the Cup, have been lumped in the same pool? CAF must have an answer. The Ivorians did the best they could, but defeat in Johannesburg meant everything: they would not be in Tunisia, where they won the bronze in 1994. Imagine a team that won one of their games 6-1 not going to the finals?
The absence of the Ivorian Elephants also mean the absence from this tournament of some of the best players in West Africa, like the English Premiership side, Arsenal’s Kolo Toure, Marseille of France’s Didier Drogba, Belgium-based Aruna Dindane, Holland-based Bonaventure Kalou, Antonin Koutouan, Fadel and Abdelkader Keita, and so many young and promising players.
Remember the Ivorian team that went all the way to the Cup in Senegal 12 years ago? Diaby Sekana, Alain Gouamene, Arsene Hobou, Dominique Sam Abou, Serge Alain Magui, Aka Kouame, Didier Otokore, Gadji Celi, Joel Tiehi, Abdoulaye Traore, Kassy Kouadio and co?
GHANA: The failure of the Black Stars to qualify for these finals is a tragedy. The two other previous times that Tunisia had hosted, Ghana were there. They even went all the way to retain their Cup in 1965. Now, their place is taken by Rwanda, a team coming for the first time. The Black Stars would be blaming themselves for leaving it to the last game of the qualifiers, but now the focus is on World Cup qualifying, which gets underway after the Nations Cup.
It means that players such as Sammy Kuffour of German giants, Bayern Munich, Stephen Appiah of Italian giants, Juventus (recently named the second best African Player for the year 2003 by the BBC), Kwame Ayew, Emmanuel Kuffour, Ishmael Addo, Baffour Gyan and Otto Addo would be missing.
LIBERIA: It’s a pity that George Oppong Weah had to leave the stage in such a manner as he did in Mali. That’s probably why Liberia are not at this Nations Cup, and may not be for a long time to come. The war has not helped their case though.
TOGO: Togo’s failure to qualify for Tunisia 2004 was a shocker to the country’s football authorities. For everything was done to ensure qualification, including the speeding-up of naturalization process for FOUR Brazilian players!
Yet, the Hawks lost out to Kenya, in a group that also had Cape Verde and Mauritania. When they played in 2000, the team had four players of Nigerian origin in the side, including Seyi Adebayo and Johnson Olufade. Alongside these, the continent’s soccer buffs will also miss players like Massameso Tchangai, who scored against eventual champions, Cameroun in 2000 and Kossi Noutsodje, the slim-built striker.
UGANDA: The Cranes last here in 1978, when they lost 2-0 to hosts, Ghana in the final match. Those were the days of Philip Omondi. But they had a brilliant opportunity to reach the finals again this time, only to flunk it. There was no way to explain a home defeat by Rwanda, after holding Ghana to a draw away.
Their absence means the hugely-talented Hassan Mubiru would not be seen in action.
IN MEMORIAM
MARC-VIVIEN FOE: One of the best defensive midfielders to be found in any planet, Foe was a member of the Camerounian team that won the title in 2000 and retained the title in 2002 in Mali, both instances after going through the lottery of penalty shoot-out.
Against Nigeria in 2000, Marc-Vivien missed a penalty in the shoot-out and probably because of that, chose not to be one of the kickers in 2002. But Cameroun still won. Foe collapsed and died in the 72nd minute of the FIFA Confederation Cup semi-final against Colombia in Lyon on June 26 last year. At various times with West Ham and Manchester City in England, Lens and Lyon in France, Foe played in two World Cup finals for his country.
JASON MAYELE: A fine winger treasured by his country, and member of the Congo Democratic Republic squad to the 1998, 2000 and 2002 finals, Jason Mayele won bronze at the 1998 finals in Burkina Faso, after a dramatic third-place game that saw the Simba rise from 4-1 down at three minutes to go to equalize and win on penalty shoot-out.
He was impressive in the side that stunned Cote d’Ivoire to reach the quarter-finals in Mali two years ago. Few months later, in Italy with his club Perugia, Mayele was killed in an automobile crash. The whole of Congo DR team to Tunisia will miss him, what with the dearth of good strikers and the absence of team captain, Shabani Nonda through injury.
LESLEY MANYATHELA: A precocious talent, every South African fan would be willing to bet that Lesley Manyathela would be in the Bafana Bafana team to this year’s Cup of Nations, that is, until he was killed in a car crash outside Johannesburg in November while going to see his mum.
The 21-year-old Orlando Pirates ace was in the South African Olympic team for years and had just broken into the senior team the previous year. He was to be one of the big-splash guys of Tunisia 2004. But death took him away.
SPORTS
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SORRY, THEY WON’T BE THERE!
By Ademola Olajire
Saturday, January 17, 2004
The African Nations Cup finals, as the recognized continental football tournament of Africa, deserves the presence of the continent’s best ball jugglers. The leading artists of the African game also desire to be at the biggest footballing spectacle of this part of the universe. But for one reason or the other, it is not always so.
Either as a result of injury, loss of form or plain non-consideration by the coach in charge, some of the best find themselves watching the tournament on television at every edition. There are others whose teams fail to qualify, and they have no choice but to, while waiting for the next qualifying competition, marvel at what others do on the turf for those three weeks of pure celebration.
Here is a list of some of the continent’s best who for one reason or the other, will not be at the 24th African Nations Cup finals starting in Tunisia in seven days’ time:
KHALILOU FADIGA: One of the best midfielders to have come out of Africa, Fadiga is presently in ill-health, having been told by club doctors that he has a heart defect and must look for cure before he can realize his dream transfer.
The gifted Senegalese boy is running round the world looking for cure, just as Nigerian Nwankwo Kanu did in 1996. There will be prayers for him, as he misses what would have been his third Nations Cup. He was a pivotal member of the Lions team that reached the quarter-finals in Nigeria in 2000 and won silver in Mali in 2002, and also reached the World Cup quarter-finals the same year.
Fadiga is expecting to find a cure and return to the game he loves, just as Kanu did. But he would have to watch Tunisia 2004 on TV and hope he finds the cure to be able to make a presence at Egypt 2006.
AMDY FAYE: A member of the team that reached the final in 2002, Faye has been in fine form for his English Premiership club, Portsmouth this season. His exclusion from the final 22 by coach, Guy Stephan, was something of a surprise. But, is Faye paying the prize for being one of the Lions that missed a penalty in the shoot-out against Cameroun in the Mali final?
SUNDAY OLISEH: Nigeria’s captain to the last two finals, Oliseh was sacked from the set-up last year before the World Cup finals, and has not been there since. He has apparently been playing fine for his German club, Bochum, but neither Coach Christian Chukwu nor the FA has any time for him. Oliseh was a key member of the team that won the trophy for Nigeria in the same Tunisia in 1994, and this would have been his fourth finals and with a romantic notion for a repeat of 1994, with the only other surviving member of that squad, Jay-Jay Okocha.
But one man’s loss is another’s gain. Just as he did at the World Cup, Okocha leads Nigeria to battle, while Oliseh watches on TV.
FINIDI GEORGE: Another member of the 1994 side and member of the 2000 and 2002 side, George was in obscurity until a week ago when he teamed up with former Spanish club, Real Mallorca. He was previously with Ipswich Town in England, after captaining Real Betis also in Spain.
Finidi was a key member of the Nigerian senior team for a decade, and would have been going to his fourth Nations Cup. But he was dealt the same blow as Oliseh, for whom he was deputy. George, a quiet, gifted utility player, played in two World Cups and won gold, silver and bronze in the Nations Cup. But his dazzling foot-works and elegance would be missed in Tunisia this time.
IKE SHOROUNMU: Nigeria’s goalkeeper at the last World Cup, and at the past two Nations Cup finals. He opted out of international business despite being sought for his fourth finals. Was in the Nigerian team in 1994 but not registered. Shorunmu, now in Turkey, won silver and bronze in the last two finals.
OBAFEMI MARTINS: Still in his teens, Martins has turned down Nigeria countless times, including for this Nations Cup. No one knows his plans.
He has been in good form for Italian Serie A giants, Inter Milan in domestic and UEFA business. But he says no to Nigeria, who are not weeping though.
QUINTON FORTUNE: The best left-sided play-maker ever to come out of South Africa. Frosty relationship with Coach Ephraim Mashaba (now suspended) has prematurely aborted Fortune’s international career. It is not known if he would be willing to return if the SAFA calls him, following Mashaba’s exit.
Fortune was in the team that
won silver in 1998 and
bronze in 2000, and which lost out in the quarter-finals in 2002.
BENNI MCCARTHY: The joint top scorer at the 1998 finals with seven goals, Benni was named the best player of that tournament in Burkina Faso. He has won 51 caps for the Bafana and was expected to be one of the stars of these finals. But Mashaba’s sour relationship with his top players has ensured Benni would not be there to relive Burkina ’98. He pleaded to arrive the training camp late, but Mashaba would not hear of that.
MARK FISH: The major personality of South Africa’s 1996 triumph suffers the same fate as McCarthy. But he regrets nothing as he had earlier retired from international football. Would be concentrating on his club career with Charlton Athletic.
SHAUN BARTLETT: The top scorer at the 2000 finals, Shaun has retired from the international game, again due to Mashaba’s unusual ways. South Africa would indeed be wondering who would score the goals for them in Tunisia.
STEVEN PIENAAR: One of the most gifted play-makers in European football at the moment, a non-fortuitous injury has denied Pienaar his due of being South Africa’s main force in Tunisia. The Ajax Amsterdam ace is ruled out by a bad knee injury and would have to wait for Egypt 2006 for his Nations Cup debut.
MUSTAPHA HADJI: Sometimes, you wonder whether the 1998 African Footballer of the Year is still playing football at all. He has made the round from Coventry City to Aston Villa and back and forth, and still cannot re-discover the form that took him to the top of the African game. Hadji has expectedly not been called by Coach Badou Ezaki, the former goalkeeper who is building his team around young talents.
LAUREN ETAME MAYER: Cameroun would be hard-put this time without the steel of Lauren in midfield and the grit of the deceased Marc-Vivien Foe. Lauren would be doing it for Arsenal in England while Cameroon go out there in the Tunisia cold, hoping to become the first team to win the Cup three times consecutively. For sure, he would be missed. Lauren retired from international football after the 2002 World Cup.
ALIOUM BOUKAR: The top goalkeeper in the last two editions of the championship, Alioum has left the international stage for younger elements and Idris Kameni, the young man who was in goal when Cameroun won the Olympic gold in Australia in 2000, is the man you would be seeing. Boukar is having a holiday during the finals.
HOSSAM HASSAN: The man with the most international caps has called it quits with Egypt. He is on the last leg of his club career. He was joint top scorer at the 1998 finals with seven goals, and one of the true legends of the Cup with SEVEN appearances. The other person to have made so many appearances is the Ivorian goalkeeper, Alain Gouamene.
IBRAHIM HASSAN: Twin brother of Hossam Hassan, who also made more than a hundred appearances for the Pharaohs before going out the gate. The only Hassan that the Pharaohs would have in Tunisia is the diminutive Turkey-based Ahmed Hassan.
HANY RAMZY: The elegant defender was looking to equal the record for most appearances in the Cup when he was left out of the final 22 by Egyptian coach, Mohsen Saleh. It is agony for the veteran, who has played in every edition since 1992 and is the captain of his country. Injury has denied him this time around.
ABDELHAFID TASFAOUT: The best Desert Warrior in the past two editions of the Nations Cup. Tasfaout is remembered for the scare he caused in Mali when he swallowed his tongue in a game against the hosts in the group phase.
DZIRI BILLEL: Another star of the Algerian team that reached the quarter-finals in 2000. But he would not be going to Tunisia.
SHABANI NONDA: The captain of Congo Democratic Republic, but has been denied a trip to Tunisia by a terrible injury. He has been out for months and his French club sure have missed his prolific scoring feat. In his absence, the England-based Lomana Tresor Lua Lua captains the Simba.
BENJAMIN NWARUWARU: Usually called ‘The Undertaker’, Benjamin Nwaruwaru has been doing well for his French club, Auxerre, before injury knocked him out for the season, Now, there is no way he can make the Zimbabwean team to their first Nations Cup finals.
Nwaruwaru, a member of the Olympic team that narrowly failed to make it to Australia in 2000, has been influential in the Warriors’ team since then and was pivotal to the team gaining a first Nations Cup berth.
In his absence, Zimbabwe would have to rely only on the goal-scoring ability of England-based forward, Peter Ndlovu. If Ndlovu gets off form, then Sunday Marimo and the rest of this wards are in trouble..
CHOKRI EL OUAER: The talismanic goalkeeper and skipper of Tunisia, Chokri was still at the last Nations Cup despite his advanced age of 35. But weeks to the World Cup, he declared himself no longer willing to be on the international front.
Tunisia, the hosts, would have to rely now on the equally ageless Ali Boumnijel, who was in goal at the 2002 World Cup finals and plays in France.
El Ouaer was famous for his agility and tricks, and some unusual ways. But he conceded two goals in the opening match of the 1994 finals and Mali won 2-0, leaving the Carthage Eagles in serious trouble. Eventually, they failed to qualify from their group.
KAIES GODHBANE: Another credible name in Tunisian football in the past decade, Godhbane was in the thick of club duties for Etoile du Sahel of Sousse and saw the club to five African titles in the past eight years. His international forays did not meet with expectations, as Tunisia failed to win the 1996 Nations Cup even after reaching the final, and lost to South Africa in the third-place match at Ghana/Nigeria 2000.
FAILED TO QUALIFY
ANGOLA: Angola’s failure to qualify for Tunisia 2004 was foreseen by many after they were drawn in the same group with Nigeria for the qualifying series. Only one team could make it from there, and it was Nigeria.
But the Palancas Negras must have missed opportunities, drawing with Nigeria at home and losing to Malawi away. If they had drawn with Malawi in Blantyre, they could have grabbed the ticket, after a macho showing in Nigeria that saw them forced to a draw.
Their failure to reach the finals will deny the African football follower of seeing the precocious striker, Flavio da Silva, in action.
ZAMBIA: Two-time finalists Zambia have failed to make it to this one. The team that emerged runners-up on a tidal wave of global sentiment and support in 1994 (months after a plane crash wiped out the cream of the side), was ambushed by Benin Republic.
Zambia won silver at the 1974 and 1994 finals, and were bronze medalists in 1996 in South Africa. They had qualified for every finals since 1990, before running into Cecil Jones Attuquayefio and his non-respecting Squirrels.
The absence of Zambia also
means the absence of Dennis
Lota, the big-hearted play-maker, as well as Gift Kampamba, Evans Sakala, and the rest of the Chipolopolo. Are Zambia that bad, to have lost 3-0 to Benin Republic in their final qualifier in Cotonou? Yes, they must have been that bad that day!
COTE D’IVOIRE: It was always certain after the qualifying draw that either Cote d’Ivoire or South Africa would miss the party. How could such two powerful teams, both former winners of the Cup, have been lumped in the same pool? CAF must have an answer. The Ivorians did the best they could, but defeat in Johannesburg meant everything: they would not be in Tunisia, where they won the bronze in 1994. Imagine a team that won one of their games 6-1 not going to the finals?
The absence of the Ivorian Elephants also mean the absence from this tournament of some of the best players in West Africa, like the English Premiership side, Arsenal’s Kolo Toure, Marseille of France’s Didier Drogba, Belgium-based Aruna Dindane, Holland-based Bonaventure Kalou, Antonin Koutouan, Fadel and Abdelkader Keita, and so many young and promising players.
Remember the Ivorian team that went all the way to the Cup in Senegal 12 years ago? Diaby Sekana, Alain Gouamene, Arsene Hobou, Dominique Sam Abou, Serge Alain Magui, Aka Kouame, Didier Otokore, Gadji Celi, Joel Tiehi, Abdoulaye Traore, Kassy Kouadio and co?
GHANA: The failure of the Black Stars to qualify for these finals is a tragedy. The two other previous times that Tunisia had hosted, Ghana were there. They even went all the way to retain their Cup in 1965. Now, their place is taken by Rwanda, a team coming for the first time. The Black Stars would be blaming themselves for leaving it to the last game of the qualifiers, but now the focus is on World Cup qualifying, which gets underway after the Nations Cup.
It means that players such as Sammy Kuffour of German giants, Bayern Munich, Stephen Appiah of Italian giants, Juventus (recently named the second best African Player for the year 2003 by the BBC), Kwame Ayew, Emmanuel Kuffour, Ishmael Addo, Baffour Gyan and Otto Addo would be missing.
LIBERIA: It’s a pity that George Oppong Weah had to leave the stage in such a manner as he did in Mali. That’s probably why Liberia are not at this Nations Cup, and may not be for a long time to come. The war has not helped their case though.
TOGO: Togo’s failure to qualify for Tunisia 2004 was a shocker to the country’s football authorities. For everything was done to ensure qualification, including the speeding-up of naturalization process for FOUR Brazilian players!
Yet, the Hawks lost out to Kenya, in a group that also had Cape Verde and Mauritania. When they played in 2000, the team had four players of Nigerian origin in the side, including Seyi Adebayo and Johnson Olufade. Alongside these, the continent’s soccer buffs will also miss players like Massameso Tchangai, who scored against eventual champions, Cameroun in 2000 and Kossi Noutsodje, the slim-built striker.
UGANDA: The Cranes last here in 1978, when they lost 2-0 to hosts, Ghana in the final match. Those were the days of Philip Omondi. But they had a brilliant opportunity to reach the finals again this time, only to flunk it. There was no way to explain a home defeat by Rwanda, after holding Ghana to a draw away.
Their absence means the hugely-talented Hassan Mubiru would not be seen in action.
IN MEMORIAM
MARC-VIVIEN FOE: One of the best defensive midfielders to be found in any planet, Foe was a member of the Camerounian team that won the title in 2000 and retained the title in 2002 in Mali, both instances after going through the lottery of penalty shoot-out.
Against Nigeria in 2000, Marc-Vivien missed a penalty in the shoot-out and probably because of that, chose not to be one of the kickers in 2002. But Cameroun still won. Foe collapsed and died in the 72nd minute of the FIFA Confederation Cup semi-final against Colombia in Lyon on June 26 last year. At various times with West Ham and Manchester City in England, Lens and Lyon in France, Foe played in two World Cup finals for his country.
JASON MAYELE: A fine winger treasured by his country, and member of the Congo Democratic Republic squad to the 1998, 2000 and 2002 finals, Jason Mayele won bronze at the 1998 finals in Burkina Faso, after a dramatic third-place game that saw the Simba rise from 4-1 down at three minutes to go to equalize and win on penalty shoot-out.
He was impressive in the side that stunned Cote d’Ivoire to reach the quarter-finals in Mali two years ago. Few months later, in Italy with his club Perugia, Mayele was killed in an automobile crash. The whole of Congo DR team to Tunisia will miss him, what with the dearth of good strikers and the absence of team captain, Shabani Nonda through injury.
LESLEY MANYATHELA: A precocious talent, every South African fan would be willing to bet that Lesley Manyathela would be in the Bafana Bafana team to this year’s Cup of Nations, that is, until he was killed in a car crash outside Johannesburg in November while going to see his mum.
The 21-year-old Orlando Pirates ace was in the South African Olympic team for years and had just broken into the senior team the previous year. He was to be one of the big-splash guys of Tunisia 2004. But death took him away.
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Chief Ogbunigwe
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Chief Ogbunigwe
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Chief Ogbunigwe
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sunshinestar
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