NeilMcD
02/09/2005, 1:39 PM
Africa abuzz as football regime changes
There's a tense and thrilling weekend ahead in Africa, where traditional heavyweights risk being toppled by emerging new powers. Paul Doyle sets the scene
Friday September 2, 2005
Hats off to the Ukraine, who seem set to reach the World Cup for the first time in their short history. And hearty handshakes to the plucky players of the Solomon Islands who somehow overcame New Zealand to set up a showdown with Australia for the right to be beaten by the fifth place team in South America. Those two stories apart, nothing extraordinary has happened on the road to next summer's jamboree in Germany. Oh wait, what's going on (cue Toto melody) down in Africa? Why, only the most extraordinary World Cup qualification campaign anywhere - ever!
Article continues
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Four of the five African qualifying groups are led by countries who've only ever experienced the World Cup on TV. Of the top seeds, only continental champions Tunisia currently lead their group. Regular World Cup participants Nigeria, Cameroon and South Africa all face embarrassing elimination and the sensation of the 2002 World Cup, Senegal, seem to have fallen victim to the complacency they so famously exploited against France three years ago. Africa, then, is abuzz as it awaits this weekend's qualifiers, the result of which could mean that the continent will send an unprecedented four debutants to next summer's ball.
Not since the origins of the tournament has any confederation sent so many newboys - Europe hasn't delivered more than one debutant since 1958, while the representatives of Asia, South America and Concacaf are so predictable you sometimes wonder why they bother with a qualifying round at all.
The competitiveness of all five groups vindicates Caf's decision to merge the qualifying campaigns for the World Cup and the African Nations Cup (the group winners go to Germany, the top three go to Egypt for the 2006 continental championship).
But the fact that Togo, Angola, Ghana and the Ivory Coast are all now favourites to qualify from their groups - and Zambia, Zimbabwe and DR Congo are still in with reasonable shouts too - also demonstrates the strength in depth that now exists in Africa. The continent is starting to capitalise on the playing resources that have always been abundant. If Ghana, Zambia or South Africa make it, they will pick squads featuring numerous players from their domestic or other African leagues.
The likes of Togo and Zambia represent Africa's increasing sophistication in another way, too: they are both managed by Africans who enjoyed successful professional playing careers, studied to be coaches and then returned to Africa to use their skills. Indeed, Kalusha Bwalya of Zambia and Togo's Nigerian manager Stephen Keshi (the most capped ever Super Eagle) took their coaching badges together in Holland and often talked about the impact they would have on the development of their continent's football when they went back. No doubt they would have preferred not to find themselves going head-to-head in Group 1, whose denouement is perhaps the tensest and most intriguing of all.
Group 1:
Togo 8 played/17 points
Zambia 8/16
Senegal 8/15
Congo 8/10
Mali 8/5
Liberia 8/4
Anyone who declared just over a year ago that tiny Togo would top this group would have found themselves the owner of a shiny new conical hat, featuring a large and incriminating letter D. Not only were the Sparrowhawks a non-entity in African football, but they lost their opening match 1-0 in Zambia, who also weren't expected to prove quite so pesky to star-studded Senegal and Mali. Even when Togo recovered from their reverse in Lusaka to trounce Senegal 3-1 at home, that was explained as a freak occurrence, certainly not something that could be sustained over a ten match campaign. Their subsequent win in Mali was put down to outrageous complacency by Fredi Kanouté and Co., whose displays were so lacklustre home supporters stormed the pitch and attempted to batter them.
So when Keshi's band of upstarts took on Zambia and Senegal within two weeks of each other last June, they were expected to be unceremoniously toppled. Instead, inspired as ever by Monaco striker Emmanuel Adebayor, Togo demolished the Copper Bullet Boys (or Zambia, if you prefer) 4-1, Adebayor netting twice. They then headed to Dakar, where Senegal's players and manager were under intense pressure to compensate for a drab start to their campaign (and a petulant showing at last year's African Nations Cup). Senegal were at full-strength, manager Guy Stephan for once not having to suspend anyone for breaking curfews or, in the cases of Habib Beye and Lamine Diatta earlier in the campaign, neglecting to turn up at all. Faced with the likes of Diouf, Henri Camara, Pape Bouba Diop and Mamadou Niang, Togo were expected to simply erect human walls around their goal and pray for a 0-0 draw. Instead, Keshi fielded three strikers and gave the order to attack at every opportunity. The result? 2-2. Meaning Senegal are two points behind Togo with an inferior head-to-head record. Such was the dismay in Senegal that Stephan, the head of the FA and even the Minister of Sport were sacked.
Keshi's adventurous approach should not really have surprised. His whole modus operandi since taking control in April 2004 has been about building confidence. Togo have been so desperate for success on the international stage, they recruited five Brazilians for their appearance in the last African Nations Cup. Keshi jettisoned this policy and concentrated on the country's talented youth, insisting they could be as good as anyone else in the continent. Infused with this faith, the Sparrowhawks play without fear - whether they're brazen enough to continue taking risks now that they're so close to a miraculous qualification remains to be seen. This Saturday's home tie against Liberia shouldn't be too taxing, but their visit to Brazzaville on the last match day will be nerve-shredding if all three points are required.
But they may not be. Because rivals Zambia and Senegal clash in Lusaka this weekend and if that ends in a draw and Togo dispose of Liberia, Keshi's crew will be through.
Even if Togo flunk at the finish, fans of fairytale endings could still cheer a Zambian qualification: coming, as it would, twelve years after 18 of the country's players were killed in a plane crash on their way to a World Cup qualifier in Senegal, which, if they'd won, would have virtually ensured their presence in USA 94. Coach Bwalya was in the squad that day, but due to club commitments was to take a later flight.
"The World Cup qualifiers will always be something special for our country and for me," he says now. "Those 18 people died for the World Cup and it is up to the players now to take up the mettle and take the country further."
Group 2:
Ghana Played 8/15 points
South Africa 8/15
DR Congo 8/12
Cape Verde Islands 8/10
Burkina Faso 8/9
Uganda 8/7
There's a tense and thrilling weekend ahead in Africa, where traditional heavyweights risk being toppled by emerging new powers. Paul Doyle sets the scene
Friday September 2, 2005
Hats off to the Ukraine, who seem set to reach the World Cup for the first time in their short history. And hearty handshakes to the plucky players of the Solomon Islands who somehow overcame New Zealand to set up a showdown with Australia for the right to be beaten by the fifth place team in South America. Those two stories apart, nothing extraordinary has happened on the road to next summer's jamboree in Germany. Oh wait, what's going on (cue Toto melody) down in Africa? Why, only the most extraordinary World Cup qualification campaign anywhere - ever!
Article continues
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Four of the five African qualifying groups are led by countries who've only ever experienced the World Cup on TV. Of the top seeds, only continental champions Tunisia currently lead their group. Regular World Cup participants Nigeria, Cameroon and South Africa all face embarrassing elimination and the sensation of the 2002 World Cup, Senegal, seem to have fallen victim to the complacency they so famously exploited against France three years ago. Africa, then, is abuzz as it awaits this weekend's qualifiers, the result of which could mean that the continent will send an unprecedented four debutants to next summer's ball.
Not since the origins of the tournament has any confederation sent so many newboys - Europe hasn't delivered more than one debutant since 1958, while the representatives of Asia, South America and Concacaf are so predictable you sometimes wonder why they bother with a qualifying round at all.
The competitiveness of all five groups vindicates Caf's decision to merge the qualifying campaigns for the World Cup and the African Nations Cup (the group winners go to Germany, the top three go to Egypt for the 2006 continental championship).
But the fact that Togo, Angola, Ghana and the Ivory Coast are all now favourites to qualify from their groups - and Zambia, Zimbabwe and DR Congo are still in with reasonable shouts too - also demonstrates the strength in depth that now exists in Africa. The continent is starting to capitalise on the playing resources that have always been abundant. If Ghana, Zambia or South Africa make it, they will pick squads featuring numerous players from their domestic or other African leagues.
The likes of Togo and Zambia represent Africa's increasing sophistication in another way, too: they are both managed by Africans who enjoyed successful professional playing careers, studied to be coaches and then returned to Africa to use their skills. Indeed, Kalusha Bwalya of Zambia and Togo's Nigerian manager Stephen Keshi (the most capped ever Super Eagle) took their coaching badges together in Holland and often talked about the impact they would have on the development of their continent's football when they went back. No doubt they would have preferred not to find themselves going head-to-head in Group 1, whose denouement is perhaps the tensest and most intriguing of all.
Group 1:
Togo 8 played/17 points
Zambia 8/16
Senegal 8/15
Congo 8/10
Mali 8/5
Liberia 8/4
Anyone who declared just over a year ago that tiny Togo would top this group would have found themselves the owner of a shiny new conical hat, featuring a large and incriminating letter D. Not only were the Sparrowhawks a non-entity in African football, but they lost their opening match 1-0 in Zambia, who also weren't expected to prove quite so pesky to star-studded Senegal and Mali. Even when Togo recovered from their reverse in Lusaka to trounce Senegal 3-1 at home, that was explained as a freak occurrence, certainly not something that could be sustained over a ten match campaign. Their subsequent win in Mali was put down to outrageous complacency by Fredi Kanouté and Co., whose displays were so lacklustre home supporters stormed the pitch and attempted to batter them.
So when Keshi's band of upstarts took on Zambia and Senegal within two weeks of each other last June, they were expected to be unceremoniously toppled. Instead, inspired as ever by Monaco striker Emmanuel Adebayor, Togo demolished the Copper Bullet Boys (or Zambia, if you prefer) 4-1, Adebayor netting twice. They then headed to Dakar, where Senegal's players and manager were under intense pressure to compensate for a drab start to their campaign (and a petulant showing at last year's African Nations Cup). Senegal were at full-strength, manager Guy Stephan for once not having to suspend anyone for breaking curfews or, in the cases of Habib Beye and Lamine Diatta earlier in the campaign, neglecting to turn up at all. Faced with the likes of Diouf, Henri Camara, Pape Bouba Diop and Mamadou Niang, Togo were expected to simply erect human walls around their goal and pray for a 0-0 draw. Instead, Keshi fielded three strikers and gave the order to attack at every opportunity. The result? 2-2. Meaning Senegal are two points behind Togo with an inferior head-to-head record. Such was the dismay in Senegal that Stephan, the head of the FA and even the Minister of Sport were sacked.
Keshi's adventurous approach should not really have surprised. His whole modus operandi since taking control in April 2004 has been about building confidence. Togo have been so desperate for success on the international stage, they recruited five Brazilians for their appearance in the last African Nations Cup. Keshi jettisoned this policy and concentrated on the country's talented youth, insisting they could be as good as anyone else in the continent. Infused with this faith, the Sparrowhawks play without fear - whether they're brazen enough to continue taking risks now that they're so close to a miraculous qualification remains to be seen. This Saturday's home tie against Liberia shouldn't be too taxing, but their visit to Brazzaville on the last match day will be nerve-shredding if all three points are required.
But they may not be. Because rivals Zambia and Senegal clash in Lusaka this weekend and if that ends in a draw and Togo dispose of Liberia, Keshi's crew will be through.
Even if Togo flunk at the finish, fans of fairytale endings could still cheer a Zambian qualification: coming, as it would, twelve years after 18 of the country's players were killed in a plane crash on their way to a World Cup qualifier in Senegal, which, if they'd won, would have virtually ensured their presence in USA 94. Coach Bwalya was in the squad that day, but due to club commitments was to take a later flight.
"The World Cup qualifiers will always be something special for our country and for me," he says now. "Those 18 people died for the World Cup and it is up to the players now to take up the mettle and take the country further."
Group 2:
Ghana Played 8/15 points
South Africa 8/15
DR Congo 8/12
Cape Verde Islands 8/10
Burkina Faso 8/9
Uganda 8/7