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African Cup preview On and off pitch, co-hosts under the spotlight
Posted: Wednesday January 19, 2000 07:14 PM
ACCRA, Ghana (AP) -- With home advantage and the competition's best talent, Nigeria should be the overwhelming favorite for glory at the African Nations Cup. But the Super Eagles' patchy preparation and tough first-round opposition means that Africa's premier soccer competition, which begins Saturday, is as open as ever. It's also drawing unprecedented interest outside Africa. More Africans than ever turn out for top clubs abroad and for the first time a majority of the competition's players are based in Europe. Sixteen teams are drawn in four round-robin groups, with the top two from each advancing to the knockout stage. Co-host Ghana, seeking a record fifth African title, clashes with Cameroon in Saturday's eagerly-awaited Group 1 opener in Accra. Ivory Coast will also challenge Ghana to advance, with neighbor Togo completing the group. Ghana is in transition. The era of Tony Yeboah and Ibedi Pele, two of Africa's all-time greats, is over and coach Guisseppe Dossena is pinning his hopes on a team built around Bayern Munich stopper Sammy Kuffour and Wolfsburg midfielder Charles Akonnor. South Africa, champion in 1996 and runner up two years later, should prove too strong for Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon in Group 2. But the Bafana Bafana could struggle up front. Its top striker Benni McCarthy, who opted out of international matches but made himself available for the African Nations Cup, was left out of the squad, and regular front man Phil Masinga is injured. In Group 3, Egypt defends its title against the mercurial Zambians, Senegal and Burkina Faso, a surprise semifinalist when it hosted the tournament in 1998. Ghana, Cameroon, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia have the most realistic championship ambitions, but Nigeria is the team to beat. Boasting such stars as Arsenal striker and African player of the year Nwankwo Kanu, Juventus midfielder Sunday Oliseh, AC Milan defender Taribo West, Borussia Dortmund hitman Victor Ikpeba and Chelsea fullback Celestine Babayaro, the Super Eagles have the pick of the continent's talent. But Nigeria hasn't lived up to the potential it showed in winning Olympic gold in 1996. Take the last World Cup. After wins against European powers Spain and Bulgaria, internal divisions set in, and the Super Eagles lost to tiny Paraguay and were outplayed by Denmark in a 4-1 second-round defeat. "All the players are aware that we made mistakes at the World Cup and have learned from it," said midfielder Jay-Jay Okocha. "To get back the support of Nigerians we must put in our best to lift the cup." Nigeria has a tough opener against Tunisia on Sunday, and with Morocco also in Group 4, it faces a battle to make the last eight. Having played only two matches since August, Nigeria could also be hampered by lack of preparation, and the team also needs to rise to the public's enormous expectations on home soil. Not least because soccer and politics are never far apart in Africa. Earlier this month, Sports Minister Damishi Sango told the president and general secretary of the Nigerian Football Association (NFA) that they would be out of a job if the Super Eagles failed to reach the last four. "It will be a disaster if the Eagles don't reach the semifinals, and President Olusegun Obasanjo will hold me personally responsible for any failures," Sango said. "That is why I have fixed this objective to the president and secretary general. If not they must go." As it turned out, NFA president Anthony Kojo Williams, also vice-chairman of the African Cup organizing committee, didn't hang on to his job long enough to see the Super Eagles opening match -- he was dismissed on Jan. 17 after only three months in charge. His ouster only heightened concerns about the organization of the three-week event. As the first major soccer event to be staged in more than one country, officials will be under scrutiny. Ghana and Nigeria were only awarded the event after the Confederation of African Football decided that Zimbabwe's facilities were below par and the confederation later criticized proposed pitches and training facilities.
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