| Africa's big guns caught resting on laurels |   |
 Michel Platini |
Poor management, ageing players and outdated coaches are blamed for the downfall of teams such as Nigeria, Cameroon, Egypt and South Africa, who all failed to qualify for the African Nations Cup being held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
They have made way for the likes of Niger and Botswana, making their debuts at the tournament, Sudan and Libya.
The trend has continued at the tournament itself.
Senegal, whose attack included Moussa Sow, top scorer in Ligue 1 last season, Papiss Cisse, the Bundesliga's second top scorer last term, Mamadou Niang and Demba Ba, went home early after losing all three games.
Morocco, another of the pre-tournament favourites, also fell at the first hurdle along with oil-rich Angola.
Meanwhile, Zambia, whose squad includes only one player from a European first division club, are through to the last eight along with an Equatorial Guinea side based largely on Spanish lower league players, unfancied Gabon and Sudan.
It is all far less predictable than Europe where, despite Platini's encouragement for smaller teams, the qualifying competition for Euro 2012 produced a dull procession of easy wins for the likes of Spain, Germany, Netherlands and Italy.
"Everybody is improving, governments are behind their team in many countries," Zambia coach Herve Renard said.
"They help with preparations for the Nations Cup. The qualification for Nations Cup is difficult and that means that we all deserve to be here."
Sudan's progress is a testament to the benefits of having a well-developed, solid domestic league rather than depending on foreign-based players who fly in from Europe and, increasingly, the Middle East and China.
All 23 members of Sudan's squad are based at home, most of them with the Al Hilal and Al Merreikh clubs who, with the backing of wealthy owners, have done well in African club competitions.
Libya, Tunisia, Botswana and co-hosts Gabon also have large contingents of home-based players which allows the coach to spend time with his squad without the restrictions of the international calendar.
"The ambition is higher because players in small teams are searching for a move to bigger clubs and they are motivated to play better," Sudan coach Mohamed Abdallah said.
Burkina Faso coach Paulo Duarte said there were European-based players who slackened when they returned to play for their country.
"African players, when they leave their European clubs and return to Africa, have a tendency to relax, a tendency to go back to old ways ... a bit more indiscipline," he told Reuters. "They lose out in that sense."
POSITIVE CHANGE
The Confederation of African Football (CAF), often criticised for confusion in the organisation of its competitions, is also credited with encouraging the development of the game in smaller countries.
"Something is changing and CAF has a played a good, influential role in this," said Sudan's Abdallah.
One positive development was the introduction of a Nations Cup with home-based players (CHAN) held last year.
"It's very useful for me because when we played in the qualifying group, my players had already played six matches in the CHAN, they get the experience of playing abroad," he said.
Smaller countries suffer from less of the in-fighting which plagues Cameroon, Nigeria and Senegal.
Equatorial Guinea's government has been lavishing players with generous bonuses, a stark contrast to Cameroon where a row over the non-payment of appearance fees led to a strike last year forcing the cancellation of a friendly against Algeria.
Samuel Eto'o, seen as the ringleader, was banned for 15 international matches by the federation, later reduced to eight months.
MUSICAL CHAIRS
Nigerian soccer is perpetually disrupted by judicial and government interference which has led to threats of suspension by FIFA.
Older players and coaches may also have outstayed their welcome in the established nations.
"Some teams have not brought in new players," Duarte said. "Nigeria, Cameroon and Egypt are old teams who didn't take care to renovate their teams.
"They have players who are 35 years old and now they have paid the price for having a slow team which lost to younger, more evolved teams."
The 42-year-old Portuguese suggested African teams were shooting themselves in the foot by naming big-name foreign coaches just before major tournaments, and depending on a small, closed circuit of coaches who flitted from country to country in a form of musical chairs.
"The fact that they are big name coaches does not mean they are the solution," he said.
"What matters is the logic of football which is, the logic of the coach to have to train players, time for the players to adapt to the coach's methods.
"Hiring a coach one month before (a tournament), as if a big name is worth the same as knowledge, adaptation to the country and its reality and the team, is a mistake that African teams continue to make.
"To hire coaches who are 65 years old is questionable. I'm not saying there aren't any good 65-year-olds but a lot of them are out of date, they haven't followed the evolution of football and they don't have the same ambition to progress."
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
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14:46The Arsenal forward says that his national team captain has been a huge motivator at the 2012 Afcon as the Elephants aspire to win the competition this time around -
09:45The midfielder does not believe his Afcon departure has resulted in Roberto Mancini's side's recent falterings, and suggests David Silva is the best player at Eastlands
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
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23:46The Etoile du Sahel midfielder refused to be a substitute against Gabon and has been sent packing by coach Sami Trabelsi -
23:32The midfielder told the Toon faithful that he hopes to be at the Nations Cup until the end and will not be making a quick return to England -
21:36The Panthers have topped Group C thanks to their victory over the Carthage Eagles in Franceville on Tuesday -
21:24With the two teams only playing for pride it was the north Africans who came out on top to deny their opponents their first ever AFCON point -
17:09The Egypt international, who was out of contract at the end of the season, has signed a deal with his former club until June, with an option to extend for a further two years -
16:48The former Cottagers boss will not allow his former club to lure the 30-year-old forward, who has so far registered five goals this season, away from the Hawthorns
Monday, 30 January 2012
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22:06Mohamed Abdalla's side booked their spot in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 42 years as Group B came to a dramatic conclusion -
22:05The southern Africans have crashed out of the continental showpiece following Sudan’s 2-1 win over Burkina Faso in the other Group B encounter -
12:34The scheme is looking to offer improved sporting facilities to disadvantaged and under-privileged areas and has already helped people in 37 countries worldwide -
12:17Join Goal.com in saluting another player worthy of global recognition -
10:58With three winners in his last four selections, top tipster Adam Bate turns his attention to the Elephants meeting with Lito Vidigal's side and can see the scores ending all square
1 Feb 2012:Morocco search for their character after early exit
Overconfidence and a lack of mental strength proved the undoing of pre-tournament favourites Morocco at the African Nations Cup, coach Eric Gerets said as his team departed the tournament on Wednesday.
Eric Gerets
The need for strong character and a better fighting spirit was a priority now with qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil starting in less than six months.
"We achieved a good level in the qualifiers to get to the Nations Cup, maybe too good a level and we were persuaded we could achieve something at the tournament," Gerets told reporters.
"We discovered that in this competition you not only have to be physically strong but you also need to have character.
"You've got to keep playing your football. It seems to me you have to have a mentality to want to impose yourself on the game. I regret that we did not have sufficient character."
Defeat in their opening game to Tunisia, followed by a last-gasp loss in a five-goal thriller against co-hosts Gabon last week, meant Morocco were eliminated before they beat Niger 1-0 on Tuesday in their final Group C game.
"We were shaken up. We were not as ready for the tournament as we thought we were," said Gerets, a former Belgium defender who competed at three World Cups.
"For many of my players, this was their first Nations Cup and now they have time to analyse themselves and what they did here."
STRONGER TEAM
Gerets, highly rated as a coach coming into the finals co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, said his own post mortem would start immediately on the plane trip home on Wednesday.
"I'll take some of them aside and we'll have a good talk," he said.
The coach's future is also under a cloud but he hinted his job was safe. Last week after the defeat by Gabon he said he wanted to stay on and he repeated that as he departed.
"I'm not going to flee, I'm going to be working with everyone in this team. This (experience) will help us to become a stronger team," he said.
There will be no let-up in the pressure for Morocco, handed a tough World Cup qualifying group. They have a tricky start away to Gambia on June 1 before hosting powerful Ivory Coast a week later.
"If you had asked me before the tournament whether I thought we could qualify for Brazil, the answer would have been 'yes' but now we'll have to wait and see how the players bounce back," Gerets said.
Zambia expel midfielder Mulenga for breaking curfew
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Aubameyang strikes again as Gabon finish top
Yesterday: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored for the third successive game at the African Nations Cup to give co-hosts Gabon a 1-0 win over Tunisia on Tuesday that ensured.... read more
Police protect Angola team from journalists
30 Jan: Angola were given a police escort as they passed through the interview area between their dressing-room and team bus following their elimination from the African Nations.... read more
Sudan progress with help of blundering Angolans
30 Jan: Sudan won their first match at the African Nations Cup for 42 years on Monday with a 2-1 victory over Burkina Faso which took them to.... read more
Soccer-Sudan through by slimmest of margins
30 Jan: Sudan advanced into the African Nations Cup quarter-finals after a 2-1 win over Burkina Faso on Monday handed them second place in Group B by the.... read more
31 Jan 201Mohican-haired Aubameyang a cut above for Gabon
Gabon's Mohican-haired forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, arguably the best performer at the African Nations Cup, scored again to give the co-hosts a 1-0 win over under-strength Tunisia in Franceville on Tuesday.
Gabon's Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
Both teams were already through to the quarter-finals but Gabon's victory meant they finished top of Group C on nine points. Second-placed Tunisia (six) are likely to face Ghana, tournament favourites along with Ivory Coast, in the last eight.
Morocco, already eliminated, triumphed 1-0 against debutants Niger who lost all three Group C games but were far from disgraced as they avoided widely-predicted humiliation.
Ghana need one point against Guinea in Franceville on Wednesday to top Group D.
Guinea have three points alongside Mali, who face a point-less and demoralised Botswana in Libreville.
Zambia, who meet Sudan in a quarter-final in Bata on Saturday, were rocked by indiscipline when four players broke a curfew.
Three apologised but winger Clifford Mulenga did not and was sent home, said the national federation.
"The coach has made it very clear why he made that decision and it is in the interest of teamwork and unity - that cannot be compromised," media officer Erick Mwanza told reporters.
Angola headed home following a shock elimination the previous night when, needing only a point to qualify, they were beaten 2-0 by Ivory Coast and Sudan overcame Burkina Faso 2-1 to go through in their place on goal difference.
There was widespread media speculation Angola coach Lito Vidigal's contract would not be renewed and Burkina Faso's Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte would replace him despite losing all three games at the tournament.
EIGHT CHANGES
Tunisia made eight changes to their team for a niggly encounter which included a pushing match between several players at the end.
Gabon, co-hosts with Equatorial Guinea who have also surpassed expectations by reaching the quarter-finals, seized on a rare chance in the 62nd minute after a quick exchange of passes sliced through the Tunisian midfield.
The break ended with Daniel Cousin finding Aubameyang and the 22-year-old St Etienne player scored with a low shot from the edge of the area with Tunisia goalkeeper Rami Jeridi unsighted.
Aubameyang, whose hairstyle gives him a striking resemblance to Brazilian forward Neymar, has been Gabon's inspiration in the competition, scoring three goals and laying on numerous chances.
Younes Belhanda's goal 11 minutes from time gave Morocco the points against Niger but it was another poor performance that does not bode well for the future of coach Eric Gerets.
Former Belgium World Cup player Gerets said beforehand that he viewed the match as a chance to start again after their opening defeats by Tunisia and Gabon.
Morocco dominated possession, their skilful midfielders cleverly interchanging passes but also overelaborating and showing indecision.
The only goal came when Marouane Chamakh, looking suspiciously offside, put Belhanda in for a sliding finish.
Niger created the best opportunities in front of a small crowd at the 45,000-capacity Libreville stadium.
1 Feb 2012:Difficult choice for Ghana in key match
1 Feb 2012:Difficult choice for Ghana in key match
© Reuters
Ghana have a difficult choice to make in settling on their back four for Wednesday's African Nations Cup Group D game against Guinea in Franceville.
Captain John Mensah and Isaac Vorsah return after suspension to offer coach Goran Stevanovic a return to his usual central defensive pairing but the performance of John Boye in their absence offers him a pleasant selection poser.
Ghana are expecting to come under attack from the fast-paced Guinea side, who must win to have any chance of advancing to the weekend's quarter-finals.
If they do, it will put in jeopardy Ghana's chances, even though the Black Stars have won their first two games.
A possible three-way tie on six points is in the offing if Guinea beat Ghana and Mali triumph over Botswana as expected in the other group game in Libreville.
Debutants Botswana, who have lost both their group matches, conceded six goals to Guinea on Saturday, thereby equaling the record for the worst defeat at a Nations Cup tournament.
Gabon, co-hosting the tournament with Equatorial Guinea, finished top of Group C on Tuesday after beating Tunisia 1-0 with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring for the third successive game. Tunisia also advanced to the quarter-finals .
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