Nigeria under pressure

Host Mali faces Super Eagles showdown in Nations Cup

BAMAKO (Reuters) -- Hosts Mali's interest in the African Nations Cup finals could be over on Thursday after they face Nigeria in their second group A match.

A capacity crowd of some 60,000 is expected at the newly built March 26 stadium for Mali's make-or-break encounter, which follows a disappointing draw in their opening match.

Mali snatched a late equalizer to share the spoils in a 1-1 draw with Liberia last Saturday and will go into their second group game as underdogs against Nigeria, who beat Algeria 1-0 on Monday in their opener.

The home team need at least a point against the Super Eagles to stay in contention for a quarter-final place.

Nigeria showed glimpses of their potential but also several defensive lapses in their win over Algeria.

Julius Aghahowa scored the winner and his frontline partner Victor Agalim said he was confident of a further three points to clinch them a quarter-final place.

"If we can beat the Algerians, then I believe we can also beat Mali," said the striker, who plays for German club Schalke 04.

But he admitted the defense was of some concern to the team, despite Algeria failing to profit from the opportunities presented to them by a static Nigerian backline.

"We discussed this after the game against Algeria and I don't think it is going to happen again," Agali said.

Going forward

Mali showed potential going forward against Liberia, with Mamadou Bagayoko and Seydou Keita impressive and Dutch-based midfielder Mahamadou Diarra proving a quality competitor behind them.

Keita got the 87th minute equalizer, which saw Mali avoid an embarrassing defeat at the start of a tournament in which the country has invested over US$100 million.

Mali coach Henryk Kasperczak admitted his side had suffered from a little stage fright in their opener and feared there might be more of the same against Nigeria.

Another team through to the World Cup finals, South Africa, return to action on Thursday against Ghana, whose coach Fred Osman Duodu sent defender Samuel Osei Kuffour home on Tuesday for being a "disruptive influence."

The group B match in Segou follows goalless draws for both Ghana and South Africa in the opening matches against Morocco and Burkina Faso respectively.

Kuffour, who is favorite to win the African Footballer of the Year award in April, has now left Mali, further weakening Ghana's fragile defense.

But South Africa will need to improve their finishing to exploit any gaps left by the Ghanaians.

Bafana Bafana were poor going forward against Burkina Faso last Sunday and are still battling against time to get captain Shaun Bartlett fit for the match.

Bartlett, who plays in England for Charlton Athletic, suffered a calf muscle strain and limped off after just 17 minutes of his team's first match but officials said they were hopeful he would be available for the Ghana game.

Nigerian coach Amodu under pressure

Nigeria won its first game against Algeria 1-0 on Monday and faces host Mali in its next match in Bamako on Thursday.

"If we don't win tomorrow against Mali, I won't be surprised if I'm fired the day after," he was quoted as saying in Wednesday's edition of the Swedish daily Aftonbladet.

Amodu has been Nigeria's coach on two previous occasions (1994-95, 1996-97) and was dismissed both times. He became the coach for the third time last year.

Amodu said that the African Nations Cup taking place this close to the World Cup finals, which start on May 31, gave teams from other continents an edge.

"All European teams that have qualified into the World Cup have an advantage since they know more about the African teams playing there -- and they can study them here."

Nigeria has been drawn in World Cup group F with England, Sweden and Argentina.

Amodu has said he will step down in September regardless of how his side do in the World Cup or African Nations Cup.

Nonda undergoing hospital tests, says Monaco

PARIS (Reuters) -- Democratic Republic of Congo striker Shabani Nonda was admitted to hospital in Monaco on Wednesday after leaving his country's base at the African Nations Cup.

"He was ill and we advised him to have tests at the Princess Grace hospital," Henri Biancheri, general manager of Nonda's club Monaco, told Reuters.

"He will see the club doctor on Thursday morning."

Nonda left the Congo squad in Mali, the venue for the Nations Cup, earlier on Wednesday.

Louis Watunda, coach of the Congolese side, had said he had departed because of ill health and "personal circumstances."

He later insisted that the player had traveled to France to play for Monaco in a French first division match at the weekend, but that he would return to Mali for Congo's final Nations Cup group game against the Ivory Coast in Sikasso next week.

Other Congo team officials contacted by Reuters on Wednesday said Nonda would not be returning. "He wanted to go and he is an adult and free to do as he likes," one official said.

Nonda captained the Congo side in Sunday's defeat to Cameroon, their opening match of the Nations Cup.

His departure is the fourth since the tournament began on January 19, although the other three players have been sent home for disciplinary reasons.

On Tuesday, Ghana defender Sammy Kuffour was kicked out of his squad for alleged indiscipline. Both Egypt and Morocco also sent players home last weekend under similar circumstances.

Teenage exile

Nonda, who has played sporadically for the Congolese since his debut in April 2000, is his country's best-known player across Europe.

Born in neighboring Burundi, he chose to play for the Congolese rather than his homeland, which he left as a teenager to escape inter-tribal strife.

Nonda's father was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Nonda's performances in France for Rennes and Monaco have seen him dubbed "the new George Weah" by the French press.

The player told reporters before the tournament he had been looking forward to his African Nations Cup debut and a chance to stake a claim for his long-standing dream of winning the African Footballer of the Year award.

Congo next play Togo in group C in Sikasso on Saturday.

On Tuesday, the departure of Kuffour caused a major stir at the tournament, which had already seen Egypt's Ibrahim Said and Morocco defender Abdesslam Ouaddou, who plays for Fulham in the English premier league, sent home.

Kuffour, the Bayern Munich defender and one of three candidates for the upcoming African Footballer of the Year award, was accused of being a disruptive influence by Ghana's coach Fred Osam Duodu.

He left Bamako for Accra on Tuesday and on arrival in the Ghanaian capital told reporters he had done nothing wrong.

Arsenal's Lauren stands by Nations Cup role

SIKASSO, Mali (Reuters) -- Cameroon midfielder Lauren stands by his decision to play at the African Nations Cup even if it means risking his place in Arsenal's title-chasing team.

Lauren, known by his full name Laurent Etame Mayer in Africa, has left Arsenal's premier league and UEFA Champions League challenge for three weeks for the sub-Saharan sun, where he is helping the Indomitable Lions to defend the title they won two years ago in Ghana and Nigeria.

"The Mister [Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger] has given me his confidence putting me in the team every time so that makes it difficult for me to leave but it's important to play in the Nations Cup," Lauren said on Wednesday.

Lauren has been a regular in Arsenal's first team since joining the London club at the start of the season and admitted that Wenger was far from happy with his absence.

But he stood by his decision to play for his country, one of the world's poorest nations, which is the only African side to have reached the World Cup quarterfinals and will compete again in this year's tournament in South Korea and Japan.

"I have a lot of desire to play for Cameroon," he added, speaking at the half-built athletes' village which Cameroon are sharing with first-round opponents Togo, Ivory Coast and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lauren, who was born in Cameroon but grew up in Spain, predicted his side would again reach the Nations Cup final, shrugging off their uninspired 1-0 defeat of the Democratic Republic of Congo in their opening game.

"Nobody played 100 percent," he said. "We are aware that we didn't play well, it takes time to adapt to the heat, the pitch and all the conditions here but the important thing is we won. We won despite not playing well and that shows we have a winning mentality.

"I think we will get to the final, I am totally convinced about that if we play to our capabilities, everyone 100 percent, everybody together.

"We have been together a long time, we know each other well, we communicate well."

Ghanaian captain protests expulsion

ACCRA, Ghana -- Ghanaian team captain Samuel Kuffour has protested his expulsion from the African Cup of Nations, calling it a "humiliation."

Kuffour, who plays for Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga, denied coach Fred Osam Duodu's accusations of "indiscipline" when he returned to Ghana on Tuesday.

He said the expulsion came after he complained on behalf of the entire team about the conditions under which they were being accommodated in Mali.

"I am surprised they have singled me out and asked me to leave," he told journalists.

He said the players were unhappy about the food they were receiving, and also complained they had been given beds without pillows.

Duodu did not elaborate on the reasons when he announced the decision Tuesday, though he has clashed with Kuffour in the past.

The expulsion came the day after Ghana drew 0-0 to Morocco in the first round of the tournament.

Kuffour's German club won the European Champion's League last season.

Influenza strikes down Zambian players

BAMAKO (Reuters) -- Nine Zambian players and their coach Raoul Poulsen have been stricken with influenza at the African Nations Cup finals and missed training on Wednesday as the team sought to prepare for a clash with World Cup finalists Senegal on Saturday.

The nine include goalkeeper Davies Phiri, who had an outstanding match on Monday when the Zambians held group D's other World Cup finalists Tunisia to a goalless draw in the Malian capital.

"The guys were too weak to train and we are all trying to get as much rest as we can right now," said Poulsen.

The Danish-born coach, brought in last month to take charge of the team after the suspension of Dutchman Jan Brouwer, said he was in a dilemma over the selection of players for the match against Senegal in Bamako.

Senegal were the early group D leaders after they beat Egypt 1-0 in their opening match on Sunday.

"I really have no idea what to do, we'll just have to wait and see and hope most of them recover in time," Poulsen told Reuters. "I have no idea how we all caught it."

Poulsen was planning another training session on Wednesday night to gauge the physical state of his players.

Zambian officials said midfielder Ian Bakala, who had a bout of malaria, was recovering but was unlikely to play in Saturday's match at the Modibo Keita stadium, the smaller of the two venues in Bamako.

Zambia were the first of the visiting competitors to land in Mali for the tournament, arriving just after New Year. They played a friendly against Mali in Kayes and then travelled to neighboring Burkina Faso for another warm-up match.

Algeria's fit-again Belbey could play in Liberia match

BAMAKO (Reuters) -- Algerian midfielder Omar Belbey has made a quick recovery from a potentially dangerous head injury and could play in his country's next African Nations Cup match against Liberia, officials said on Wednesday.

The Montpellier midfielder was hospitalized after a serious-looking clash of heads with Nigerian defender Ifeanyi Udeze in the match at the March 26 stadium in Bamako on Monday where the Algerians suffered a 1-0 defeat.

The Confederation of African Football reported he had suffered head injuries but Algerian officials said he had been discharged just hours after a routine scan showed no damage. He did receive three stitches for the head wound.

"He had to go to a second hospital for a scan but the doctor said he was OK to return to the camp and the next day he had a light run to make sure everything was fine," the official said.

Belbey will be considered for Algeria's next outing at the Nations Cup, which is against Liberia in Bamako on Friday.

 

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