African Cup of Nations

[superfrank]

For those interested:

Ghana2008 on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ghana2008tv) (highlights only)
Live matches are available at Ghana2008 (http://www.ghana2008.tv) (Pay site)

There seems to be a lot of decent quality on show even in the lesser African nations like Mali and Benin, well, except for Namibia.

I think Ghana will win it.

[Schumi]

Some nice goals in the Egypt v Cameroon game today. The two from Mohamed Zidan were class.

There seems to be a lot of decent quality on show even in the lesser African nations like MaliMali made the semi finals in 2 of the last 3 tournaments.

[superfrank]

Some nice goals in the Egypt v Cameroon game today. The two from Mohamed Zidan were class.
I believe he's amazing player. 13 goals in 15 games from January til the end of last season, iirc, and Mainz still got relegated. Don't know how he didn't crack it at Werder but he's doing well at Hamburg.

Mali made the semi finals in 2 of the last 3 tournaments.
I can only name seven Malian players of the top of my head and they've never made the World Cup so they haven't registered on the radar before for me.

[Ceirtlis]

Frank in fairness the 7 players you can name off is probably 5 more than most people. Mali are decent enough though but they are highly enough rated in Africa.
I think Senegal could give it a good crack this time myself and i have bet on them. They are very much on the easier side of the draw.
Ghana were good going forward on Sunday but anytime Guinea attacked they looked dangerous which makes me think that Ghana wont be able to handle it against the big teams like the Ivory Coast who have will be much more organised than Guinea. Junior Agogo from Notts Forest was up front for them as well, in fairness he did well but against a shocking defence.
I wonder will any of these guys ever end up playing in the eircom league. I might be just ignorant but surely someone would prefer to play in Ireland as opposed to say Sudan. Some of them fellas that were playing there tonight could do a job for Gufc.

[superfrank]

One Sudanese side made the semis of the African Champion's League this year so that's pretty impressive.

I say work permits are a big problem for any African players playing in Ireland.

[ifk101]

Egypt's Zidan was a great prospect when he played in Denmark but went off the radar a bit when it didn't work out for him in Werder Bremen. He had a number of run-ins with the Danish garda siochana so maybe that was hanging over his head during his time with Bremen.


I thought Sudan had a few nice touches about them, the chap that came on midway through the first half looked a decent player. But there're a very poor side by European standards and I'd be confident that Cameroon will put 3+ goals past them.


Decent standard of football overall so far, except for Namibia :D. Goalkeeping remains a weak spot though for the majority of teams.

[Ceirtlis]

One Sudanese side made the semis of the African Champion's League this year so that's pretty impressive.

I say work permits are a big problem for any African players playing in Ireland.

Work permits are not really a problem for anyone wanting to play soccer in Ireland. All the Barbados imports that Gufc had would have needed work permits and if Ryan Lucas could get one im pretty sure anyone could.

The Sudan team comes from two teams one made it to the semi of the african champions league and the other made it to the semis of the african version of the uefa cup. One of the Zambia players last night was playing in the Finnish lower leagues. Alot of the players are playing in places like Denmark, Sweden, Israel etc. and its something that the Helsingborg manager(Stuart Baxter?) said that irish sides should be looking at doing after Drogheda played them last year. They have a guy called omotoyssi from Benin and i think they are hoping to get good money for him

[ifk101]

The Sudan team comes from two teams one made it to the semi of the african champions league and the other made it to the semis of the african version of the uefa cup. One of the Zambia players last night was playing in the Finnish lower leagues. Alot of the players are playing in places like Denmark, Sweden, Israel etc. and its something that the Helsingborg manager(Stuart Baxter?) said that irish sides should be looking at doing after Drogheda played them last year. They have a guy called omotoyssi from Benin and i think they are hoping to get good money for him

That's right about the chap for Benin - I'm not going to attempt to spell his name. Finished top scorer in the Sweden league last season. Helsingborg bought him from a club in Moldova, believe it or not.

[superfrank]

Razak Omotoyossi is his name. He's only 22 years old. He is actually Nigerian but switched citizenship.

He scored 14 goals in 23 league games, afaik, as Helsingborg finished eighth. He was join top scorer in the Allsvenskan. I can't find stats for Larsson but he scored more then him, not sure if he played more or less games though. He got six in six European games this season as well.

[Thunderblaster]

Tunisia 2-2 Senegal

South Africa 1-1 Angola

Lots to play for!!:D

[jmurphyc]

Group D looked to be the toughest to get out of and it seems to be that way judging by the results. It'll be interesting to see how qualifies from that group. How were the two games last night? I didn't get to see them.

[Thunderblaster]

Ghana 1-0 Namibia. Namibia are a woeful side, but nearly caught Ghana napping. If Ghana attacked at pace, it could have been 6 or 7-0. Watching the corners, there is this stupid tendency within African football of no one picking up the back post, defending corners.

[DaveyCakes]

The last couple of tournaments were awful, so this one has been a very pleasant surprise so far. I do suspect however, that things will take a nosedive once it gets to the knockouts, as seems to be de rigeur for any international tournament these days.

[geysir]

I'll upload the content of an article in the IT today, I wonder how long Roy K would have lasted in Ghana.

Great football, pity about the tournament

Matt Spiro says that the players are doing their best, but the organisers are doing their worst

The first week of the African Cup of Nations has lived up to the hype, serving up arguably more drama and excitement than was witnessed during the entire World Cup in Germany.

Games have often been high-scoring, nail-biting affairs and of the 37 goals scored in 10 encounters many have been exquisite. Sulley Muntari's last-minute strike for the hosts, Ghana, against Guinea would grace any goal-of-the-tournament competition, as would Egypt's breath-taking counterattack finished off by Mohamed Zidan against Cameroon.

Streets have been transformed into places of celebration, with children dancing, music blaring and everybody enthusing about their beloved national team, the Black Stars.

Thanks to the presence of so many fine players and the unbridled passion for soccer in West Africa, this is a fantastic tournament.

But it should be even better. The astonishing ineptitude of the African Football Federation (CAF) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) is unworthy of such an event and continues to cast a shadow over proceedings.

Everybody travelling to the tournament expected accommodation difficulties, given the warnings of hoteliers tripling prices, but few envisaged the Ghanaian team would be victims. They had reserved rooms at the luxurious Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, only to discover on arrival their booking had been cancelled and offered to their Group A rivals Morocco, who were willing to pay more.

The Black Stars have since moved to the more central Fiesta Royale, where they are hounded by fans night and day.

"People tell me the hosts usually have a big advantage at the Nations Cup," Ghana coach Claude Leroy mused this week. "In Ghana, it's the opposite."

Leroy is furious his team must play their group games on the worst pitch in the tournament. The surface at the Ohene Djan stadium is full of holes, covered only by the ridiculously long grass that organisers reportedly forgot to cut before the opening match.

Some damage was done by hundreds of volunteers rehearsing the opening ceremony on the pitch in the preceding days.

The ceremony, incidentally, was a wonderfully choreographed display of Africa's rich cultural diversity; it was an unmitigated success - or so it seemed, until information was leaked that a firework display had been cancelled at the last moment once organisers realised it would still be light.

Before the second game in Accra, the pitch was heavily watered. Players subsequently found themselves hopping over puddles, and sponges were brought on a half-time to soak up standing water.

Europeans are often accused of lacking understanding when they criticise logistical issues in Africa, but Leroy cannot be pigeon-holed so easily. The Frenchman has worked in Africa for 22 years, so when he labels the Accra pitch "the worst I have ever seen" it is really saying something.

Nigeria's German coach Berti Vogts is experiencing his first African adventure and was clearly shocked by the chaos of a post-match press conference, walking out after two minutes.

"It is extremely appalling to see journalists fighting among themselves," Vogts told Ghana's Graphic Sports in Friday's front-page story, headlined: "LOC under fire".

Squabbling has become part of the daily routine for media. Last Saturday, obtaining accreditation involved hours of pushing and shoving inside a tiny, packed-out room. The CAF media officer responsible for issuing the passes arrived three hours late, organisation was non-existent and several journalists had wallets stolen in the mayhem.
Even with an accreditation, getting into the press stand is far from simple. In Sekondi, there are 60 seats to accommodate several hundred journalists and most are occupied hours before kick-off by bogus photographers.

Interviewing players in the mixed zone after the game is fraught with risk: one French radio reporter was mugged at knife-point on his way there.

It is important to stress that the vast majority of people in Ghana have been refreshingly friendly and the nation, which is usually very safe, fantastically welcoming. Unfortunately, the tournament has attracted its share of opportunist thieves and security is lacking.

In the northern venue of Tamale, the fans were victims after only 10,000 tickets were issued for stadium that seats twice that number. Nobody was allowed in until 30 minutes before kick-off, and even then organisers refused to open the main gates, prompting an almighty scramble through narrow turnstiles that led to a dangerous crush.
Players have also encountered difficulties. Egypt's evening flight from Accra to Kumasi ahead of their first game was cancelled and rescheduled for the following morning.
When they returned to the airport, they were informed the plane had left carrying their opponents, Cameroon. It did not return until the following day, and the Pharaohs, having spent hours trying to find another hotel in Accra, jetted in on the morning of the match.
Despite those mishaps, the defending champions managed to turn in the best performance witnessed so far, disposing of the Indomitable Lions 4-2. For the moment, the players are doing Africa proud. The same cannot be said of the organisers.

[superfrank]

I was able to catch a few games over the weekend when I was in Scotland and what really impressed me and is extremely admirable is the spirit of the sides.

Benin were 4-0 down against the Ivory Coast but in the second half they were by far the better side. Same happened when Cameroon trounced Zambia 5-1.

It's great to see that sides will still compete even when the result is already clear.

[The Good Son]

I missed most of the first round of games but having seen most of the second round it's a breath of fresh air to watch. There's some good football and it's great to see good hard but fair tackles going in and the refs not blowing for a foul. There's also very little rolling around feigning injuries so far. The football might start getting a bit more cautious now that it's do or die time, but hopefully it'll keep going the way it has been.

[geysir]

I was very impressed by Egypt. I thought they would run out of steam after their early workaholic pace against Cameroon but they were class throughout the game.

Form so far points to an Egypt V Ivory Coast final

[The Good Son]

Form so far points to an Egypt V Ivory Coast final

I think they meet in the semi if, as seems likely, they both top their groups, so I'd go for an Egypt v Cameroon final, with Cameroon reversing the group fixture result and coming out on top this time.

[geysir]

That's put a spanner into my finals prediction.
Then I'll have a plonk for the home team to get to the final if Essien can survive the Moroccon attempts to hack him to pieces.
In the final I'll go for team wearing the green shirts.

[deecay]

Sulley Muntari is running the show,he is out on his own

[feo123]

was it him that chipped the ball into Essien for his goal?? what a move!

[endabob1]

I think they meet in the semi if, as seems likely, they both top their groups, so I'd go for an Egypt v Cameroon final, with Cameroon reversing the group fixture result and coming out on top this time.

Ghana will make the final, Home advantage counts for a lot.....
I'd be astounded if Cameroon get that far, my guess is Ivory Coast v Ghana Final unless Egypt grind a result out against the Ivorians in the Semis.

[superfrank]

Quick question, who's the shirt designer for Guinea, Benin and Mali? The keepers jersey has a lion's face on the front.

[placid casual]

I think egypt will go all the way again.
Ghana look to be labourring to victory and Ivory Coast flatter to decieve.

the cup will cross the sahara again i feel

[The Good Son]

Ghana will make the final, Home advantage counts for a lot.....
I'd be astounded if Cameroon get that far, my guess is Ivory Coast v Ghana Final unless Egypt grind a result out against the Ivorians in the Semis.

I didn't see Ghana yesterday, but watching their first two games I'd agree with Placid Casual about labouring to victory. Then again as you say, home advantage counts for a lot, even more so now that it's in the knock out stages.
I missed the Cameroon loss to Egypt but thought that their display against Zambia was the best I've seen so far.
With Ghana and Guinea already through and based on what I've seen, I'd go for the groups finishing as they stand now and Quarter Finals of:
Ghana v Mali
Ivory Coast v Guinea
Egypt v Angola
Tunisia v Cameroon.

Semi Finals
Ivory Coast v Egypt
Ghana v Cameroon

Final
Egypt v Cameroon

Champions
Cameroon

The fact that I've predicted the above now guarantees a Zambia v South Africa final.

[The Good Son]

A good start to my predictions anyway, Nigeria through instead of Mali.

[Ceirtlis]

Quick question, who's the shirt designer for Guinea, Benin and Mali? The keepers jersey has a lion's face on the front.

Airness.

[TheBoss]

Did anyone see Bikey push the stewart out of the way as he was helping the player on the stretcher and it was his own team mate on it. Misses the final and deserves it.

Mad Man.