S.Africans warm to Nations Cup and fancy Angola

January 24, 2010

South Africa are shock absentees from the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola, but interest in the competition remains high around the World Cup host nation.

Pay channel SuperSport is screening all 29 fixtures live while public broadcaster SABC shows most long after they finished to the great annoyance of football viewers.

Soap operas rule the roost at three-channel SABC and even the South African national team Bafana Bafana (The Boys) often have to accept late kick-offs to fit programme schedules.

SuperSport have provided a 30-minute build-up to each game, hired three-time African Footballer of the Year Abedi Pele as an analyst, and allow their continent-wide audience to air views soon after full-time.

Johannesburg newspapers did not send reporters to the three-week tournament, but there is a large daily dose of news agency copy in all titles to satisfy even the most avid African football follower.

Business Day, a title with little appetite for African football a few years ago, led their main sports page with a report and picture of the thrilling climax to Group D that saw Zambia and Cameroon squeeze through.

Where South Africans differ from most of Africa is the likely outcome with current star Steven Pienaar and 1996 Nations Cup-winning midfielder Innocent Buthelezi backing Angola rather than Ivory Coast for the title.

Everton midfielder Pienaar, the slightly built star on whom so much will hinge come June 11 and the opening World Cup fixture against Mexico, told the Sowetan Angola can become the second Nations Cup champions from the region.

“Angola have been the most impressive team since the tournament started, working as a unit with an incredible appetite for goals. I choose them to emulate 1996 champions Bafana Bafana.”

Buthelezi, who created international headlines for an Old Trafford tackle on Paul Gascoigne that led to the England midfielder being carried off during a friendly, backs Pienaar.

“Most matches are won or lost in midfield and this is where Angola are so powerful. They are aggressive, creative, agile and communicate well,” 40-year-old Johannesburg company owner Buthelezi told AFP.

“I am most impressed with how positive Angola have been and they just need to avoid the common African football pitfall of losing concentration in the closing minutes as happened against Mali when they gave away four goals.”

Buthelezi said Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba, fellow striker Flavio Amado of Angola and Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel were individuals who caught his eye.

“Being a former midfielder I really enjoy Mikel. He has an arrogance on the ball and lack of respect for opponents that I appreciate. I never respected opponents – how can you respect the enemy?”

Multi-award-winning football analyst Matshelane Mamabolo of the Johannesburg Star said the number of early upsets in the tournament caught him by surprise, but believes title holders Egypt remain the team to beat.

“The ‘Pharaohs’ lack so many stars like Mohamed Aboutraika, Mohamed Barakat, Ahmed ‘Mido’ Hossam and Amr Zaki, fall behind to Nigeria in their opening match and still cruise to victory. That is the stamp of a great team.

“I also believe Ghana will benefit a lot from the Nations Cup. With so many first choices injured they are blooding stars of the youth team that won the world championship last year and this could pay off come the World Cup.”

South Africa were eliminated in the second of three qualifying rounds for Angola, finishing second behind Nigeria in one of four groups where the runners-up did not make the cut.

Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco and 2002 World Cup quarter-finalists Senegal were other notable omissions from the line-up for the biennial African football showpiece.

JOHANNESBURG (AFP)

Tags: absentees, african cup of nations, african football, african footballer of the year, Amado, Angola, bafana bafana, cup champions, England, footballer of the year, ghana, host nation, impressive team, international headlines, Ivory Coast, main sports, mali, Mexico, Mikel, morocco, nations cup, nigeria, paul gascoigne, public broadcaster, S.Africans, sabc, Senegal, soap operas, South Africa, south africans, sowetan, steven pienaar

Star skipper Eto’o backs his Cameroon fighters

January 21, 2010

African superstar Samuel Eto’o is banking on fighting spirit driving Cameroon into the Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Thursday.

The ‘Indomitable Lions’ tackle fellow former champions Tunisia at the new 20,000-seat Tundavala Stadium in this southern Angola town and the stakes are sky high.

Victory for four-time title holders Cameroon over the ‘Carthage Eagles’ and they are definitely through to the last-eight phase of the biennial African football showcase.

A draw might suffice, depending on what happens between leaders Gabon and lowly Zambia at Ombaka Stadium in Benguela; a loss will condemn one of the pre-tournament title favourites to a humiliating early exit.

But three-time African Footballer of the Year and Inter Milan striker Eto’o says the thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Zambia last Sunday rekindled his pride in the national team.

“I was so proud to be Cameroonian that night, to be part of a team that displayed so much character and could rise to the occasion in the most difficult of situations,” said the ‘Lions’ captain.

“It was a very difficult match for us with Zambia playing so well and defeat stared us in the face midway through the second half, but we fought on knowing the implications of not securing maximum points.”

The striker who succeeded long-serving defender Rigobert Song as skipper when French coach Paul Le Guen took control last August, played a central role in the recovery by scoring the second goal with a trademark clinical finish.

And Eto’o, who helped Cameroon conquer Africa in 2000 and 2002, and is the leading all-time Cup of Nations scorer with 17 goals, has reason to be hopeful against a Tunisian side that must triumph to survive the group-phase cull.

The countries have clashed three times in the 53-year Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-1 stalemate in 1982 followed by Cameroon victories in a 2000 semi-final and a 2008 quarter-final.

It was 3-0 in Nigeria 10 years ago and 3-2 after extra time in Ghana two years ago after one of greatest games of a great tournament was settled by a Stephane Mbia strike on 92 minutes.

This Nations Cup may have kicked off with Ivory Coast the almost unanimous media favourites, but few rejected the possibility that Cameroon could go all the way and come within one title of six-time champions Egypt.

Captain and defender Karim Haggui accepts Tunisia came into the Cup wearing a work-in-progress tag as caretaker coach Faouzi Benzarti put his faith in youth after a shock failure to reach the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

“We have a young team in Angola that is improving with every game. Chances were missed in our draws against Zambia and Gabon due to inexperience,” confessed the sole survivor of the 2004 Cup-winning squad.

“However, the outcome of this group is far from settled. We still have to face Cameroon and a win takes us through to the knockout stage,” added the 25-year-old ‘veteran’ of the ‘Eagles’ squad.

LUBANGO, Angola (AFP)

Tags: africa cup of nations, african football, african footballer of the year, angola town, cameroon, Carthage, coach paul, early exit, fighting spirit, french coach, Gabon, ghana, greatest games, group phase, indomitable lions, inter milan, Ivory Coast, Karim Haggui, maximum points, Milan, nigeria, Ombaka Stadium, Paul Le, paul le guen, quarter finals, samuel eto, South Africa, southern angola, time in ghana, time title, Tundavala Stadium, Tunisia, Zambia

I.Coast into quarters, chaos reigns at Cup of Nations

January 16, 2010

Day six of the Africa Cup of Nations had Ivory Coast beaming, Mali fuming, and Algeria left out in the cold by their national media and accused of gamesmanship by organisers.

Friday’s lone action came from Cabinda where competition favourites Ivory Coast became the first of the 15 Nations Cup teams to reach the quarter finals.

They did it the hard way, defeating a severely depleted Ghana 3-1 with 10 men.

The Elephants were down a player on 56 minutes when Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue was red-carded for a vicious tackle from behind on Opoku Agyemang.

By then Lille forward Kouassi ‘Gervinho’ had already put them in front. Siaka Tiene scored direct from a free-kick after 67 minutes and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba completed the victory in the final minute.

Ghana got a stoppage-time consolation goal via an Asamoah Gyan penalty after he had been fouled by Souleman Bamba.

Victory lifted the title favourites to four points from two matches.

Ghana or Burkina Faso will join them in the last eight in Group B which was reduced to three teams with Togo’s defection following the deadly attack on their team bus.

Down in Luanda what should have been a routine training session degenerated into high drama, farce and recrimination.

Everything began normally at the Escoqueirus Stadium when Algeria turned up to prepare for Monday’s must-win Group A clash with hosts Angola.

But waiting reporters were astonished when, a quarter of an hour later, the Mali team bus rounded a corner and parked outside the stadium.

Utter confusion then reigned as first Mali players, including Real Madrid midfielder and national team captain Mahamadou Diarra and 2007 African Footballer of the Year Frederic Kanoute, were made to wait in the coach for over half an hour.

Then they were told they could enter the ground, only to find the doors locked.

Diarra and some of his fellow team-mates attempted to gain access by clambering through an open window while Kanoute and Mali’s Nigerian coach Stephen Keshi tried to talk their way in at the main gate, but to no avail.

After over an hour, and as dusk fell, Keshi led his charges away, furious at having missed a vital chance to prepare for their last group match against Malawi in Cabinda on Monday.

Keshi told AFP: “I’m fed up. How could this happen, to get the boys in a bus and travel to a ground and be told you can’t train? I don’t know whose fault it is.”

Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita added defiantly: “They can do what they like, but we’re still going to qualify (for the quarter-finals).”

The Africa Cup of Nations organising committee (LOC) laid the blame firmly with Algeria.

LOC media officer Virgilio Santos explained: “This mix-up had nothing to do with us. What happened was this: Mali were supposed to travel to Cabinda today, but delayed their trip until Saturday.

“Algeria were supposed to train at the stadium until 1700, but when they saw the Mali team turn up they decided to make life difficult for Mali and they didn’t leave the pitch until 1815, which made Mali angry.”

In a separate subplot the Algeria team were cold shouldered by their local press who were angry at being refused entry to watch the training session.

The Desert Foxes’ press pack formed a human wall and turned their backs on the players as they left the stadium.

Relationships between the two sides are fraught after coach Rabah Saadane took exception to the criticism which followed his side’s opening 3-0 defeat to Malawi.

LUANDA (AFP)

Tags: Africa, african footballer of the year, algeria, Angola, Barcelona, burkina faso, cabinda, CHELSEA, day six, defection, diarra, Drogba, emmanuel eboue, Escoqueirus Stadium, fellow team mates, footballer of the year, gamesmanship, ghana, high drama, I.Coast, Ivory Coast, kanoute, Luanda, MADRID, Malawi, mali, nations cup, Stephen Keshi, stoppage time, utter confusion, Virgilio Santos

Cup shambles leaves Mali out in the cold

January 16, 2010

A farcical mix-up by Africa Cup of Nations’ organisers in Angola left Mali fuming when they were locked out of a scheduled training session because the Algeria team had beaten them into the stadium.

Algeria turned up at the Escoqueirus Stadium in Luanda and gained immediate access on Friday afternoon, but waiting reporters were astonished when, a quarter of an hour later, the Mali team bus rounded a corner and parked outside the stadium.

Mali players, including Real Madrid midfielder and national team captain Mahamadou Diarra and 2007 African Footballer of the Year Frederic Kanoute, were made to wait in the coach for over half an hour, before being told they could enter the ground.

But the situation took a bizarre turn when the stadium’s security officers refused to let them in as Algeria continued preparing for their final first-round match against Angola on Monday in blissful ignorance inside.

Utter confusion then reigned, as Diarra and some of his fellow team-mates attempted to gain access by clambering through an open window.

Over by the securely locked main gate Kanoute and Mali’s Nigerian coach Stephen Keshi attempted to talk their way in, but to no avail.

After over an hour, and as dusk fell, a furious Keshi led his charges back to the team bus to return to their hotel having missed a vital chance to prepare for their last group match against Malawi in Cabinda on Monday.

Keshi, who won the Africa Cup of Nations as a player in the 1990s, told AFP: “I’m fed up. How could this happen, to get the boys in a bus and travel to a ground and be told you can’t train? I don’t know whose fault it is…”

Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita was also furious at the shambles, saying defiantly: “They can do what they like, but we’re still going to qualify (for the quarter-finals).”

Diarra was so annoyed he refused to make any comment as he joined his team-mates for the hour-long journey back to the hotel to get ready for the flight to Cabinda on Saturday.

The local Africa Cup of Nations organising committee told AFP it was investigating the incident.

Mali, on one point in Group A after a draw with the hosts and a 1-0 loss to Algeria, face a game against Malawi that they must win if they are to have any hope of making it into the last eight.

They are making their sixth appearance in the competition with their highest placing coming in 1972 when they finished runners-up.

This is not the first time a competing team at the 2010 Nations Cup has fallen foul of an organising blunder.

Malawi coach Kinnah Phiri was left fuming when his side were unable to train for two days before Thursday’s game against hosts Angola, which they lost 2-0.

“Three times we went onto a pitch but we found that there were others there. They were asked to leave but they refused. We have not trained for two days.”

He said he had written a letter of protest to the competition’s organisers.

LUANDA (AFP)

Tags: Africa, africa cup of nations, african footballer of the year, algeria, Angola, Barcelona, blissful ignorance, cabinda, diarra, Escoqueirus Stadium, fellow team mates, friday afternoon, kanoute, long journey, Luanda, MADRID, mali, midfielder, quarter finals, real madrid, security officers, seydou keita, shambles, Stephen Keshi, team bus, utter confusion

Algeria, on the ropes: coach

January 14, 2010

World Cup qualifiers Algeria must win their next two Africa Cup of Nations matches to ensure qualification for the quarter-finals, coach Rabah Saadane has insisted.

Algeria, who are drawn in the same group as England in South Africa 2010, were never at the races in their shock 3-0 opening loss to Malawi here on Monday.

Saadane is now looking for a positive reaction, starting with Mali on Thursday, and again against hosts Angola next Monday to seal their last eight place.

Saadane put much of the blame on Algeria’s error strewn and lacklustre performance on the hot and humid mid-afternoon conditions in which they played Malawi – Thursday’s game is later, at 1700 local time (1600GMT), and he reckons that will be a major plus.

“We have to take revenge on ourselves after our defeat to Malawi,” he told media here.

“We’ll be starting at 1700, that’s a good thing for us, it’ll be less hot than at 1500 (the time of Monday’’s kick-off).”

He added: “We’re aiming at taking six points from the games against Mali and Angola which should guarantee our path to the quarter-finals.

“We have to win both matches, it’s not going to be easy, but we’ll be doing our best.”

Mali international Frederic Kanoute, who was among the scorers in his side’s remarkable comeback from four goals down to snatch a draw against Angola last Sunday, says his team can’t afford to make any mistakes on Thursday.

“It’s a big game which could open the doors for us to the second round,” said the Sevilla striker and 2007 African Footballer of the Year.

“It’ll be tough against a good Algerian side invigorated by their status as World Cup qualifiers, but that won’t put us off getting a good result.”

Looking back on Sunday’s fightback in which Mali hadn’t scored one goal by the 76th minute Kanoute said: “Mentally we responded well, but it wasn’t sufficient for a Mali team that is capable of much better.

“Our start was catastrophic, but we’ll have sorted ourselves out by the time we face Algeria.”

LUANDA (AFP)

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Upbeat Mali plan to ambush Cup hosts Angola

January 8, 2010

Mali plan to become African Nations Cup party poopers a second time when they face hosts Angola Sunday in the opening match of the 2010 tournament.

The Eagles stunned over-confident Tunisia 2-0 in the 1994 curtain raiser with President Ben Ali so disgusted by the performance of the home team that he stormed out of the stadium long before the final whistle.

“You only need to look at the calibre of players in this team, the body language, attitude and spirit to know we mean business,” was the chilling message for the host nation from Mali coach Stephen Keshi.

“I realise we are not among the favourites and large sections of the media do not believe we will even qualify for the knockout stage, but I beg to differ.

“Our preparations have gone according to plan and my team can go all the way to the final,” said Keshi, a Nations Cup winner as a player with his native Nigeria 16 years ago.

Keshi said Malians should not be concerned about only one victory in four warm-up matches around the Middle East as he was experimenting with various combinations.

Mali defeated Iran, drew with Qatar and lost to North Korea in a Doha tournament before jetting to Dubai where they fell 1-0 to Nations Cup title holders Egypt.

Only Egyptian Hassan Shehata of the 16 2008 Nations Cup coaches will be in Angola and Keshi knows a first-round exit from a group completed by 2010 World Cup qualifiers Algeria and Malawi could spell the end of his tenure.

Expected to push Ghana hard for a place at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Mali flopped to finish only third in the mini-league behind the ‘Black Stars’ and lightweights Benin.

Mali boast big names in midfielders Mahamadou Diarra from Real Madrid and Seydou Keita from Barcelona plus 2008 African Footballer of the Year and Sevilla striker Frederic Kanoute.

There was also room in the 23-strong squad for a couple of local stars, goalkeeper Soumbeyla Diakate and defender Abdoulaye Maiga from African Confederation Cup holders Stade Malien.

The Eagles boast a proud Nations Cup record, finishing runners-up to Congo in 1972, and the west Africans have been among the top four in four of five previous appearances.

Ghana two years ago was the exception with a 3-0 loss to Ivory Coast eliminating Mali after the first round and French coach Jean-Francois Jodar was dumped in favour of Keshi.

LUANDA (AFP)

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Strong French presence at African Nations Cup

January 5, 2010

There will be a strong French presence amongst the coaches at the African Nations Cup this month for the second consecutive tournament with five of the 16 in Angola hailing from the European state.

There were also five French handlers at the 2008 edition in Ghana although none survived to be involved in the first showcase of African football staged by a Portuguese-speaking country.

Jean-Francois Jodar (Mali), Roger Lemerre (Tunisia), Henri Michel (Morocco), Robert Nouzaret (Guinea) and Claude le Roy (Ghana) were the French representatives at the previous tournament.

And in Angola it will be the turn of Michel Dussuyer (Benin), Alain Giresse (Gabon), Paul le Guen (Cameroon), Herve Renard (Zambia) and Hubert Velud (Togo) to try and become the fourth French creator of champions.

Le Roy, a striking figure with flowing blond locks and now in charge of Oman, guided the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon to a 1-0 victory over Nigeria in the 1998 Casablanca final.

Lesser known Pierre Lechantre was next to succeed, also with Cameroon, in 2000 and once again the runners-up were Nigeria after a Lagos penalty shoot-out.

Lemerre completed a unique double in 2004 when he lifted the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia to the top four years after steering France to the Euro title with a golden-goal triumph over Italy.

Le Guen, a French Ligue 1 title winner with Lyon, is well placed to succeed in Angola while his four compatriots will struggle to get their adopted countries beyond the first round.

Disciplinarian Le Guen inherited a mess when he took over Cameroon in the middle of last year from former national team goalkeeper Thomas ‘Black Spider’ N’Kono, who lasted just one game after unpopular German Otto Pfister quit.

The 45-year-old Frenchman elevated Inter Milan striker and three-time African Footballer of the Year Samuel Eto’o to captain and predecessor, veteran central defender Rigobert Song, was axed from the starting line-up.

His bold moves paid off with Cameroon defeating Gabon in Libreville and Yaounde inside four days to rise from the bottom to the top of a 2010 World Cup-Nations Cup qualifying group.

Further wins at home to Togo and away to Morocco assured the Indomitable Lions not only of a place in Angola, but a record sixth appearance by an African country at the World Cup when South Africa stages the 2010 tournament.

Coaches from Portugal, Nigeria (two each), Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Malawi, Netherlands, Serbia and Tunisia complete the line-up for the January 10-31 Nations Cup in Luanda, Benguela, Cabinda and Lubango.

LUANDA (AFP)

Tags: african footballer of the year, african nations cup, alain giresse, algeria, blond locks, Bosnia, cameroon, Claude, claude le roy, consecutive tournament, euro title, footballer of the year, France, french ligue 1, french representatives, Guinea, henri michel, herve renard, hubert velud, indomitable lions of cameroon, Inter, inter milan, Italy, LAGOS, libreville, Luanda, Michel Dussuyer, morocco, netherlands, nigeria, otto pfister, paul le guen, pierre lechantre, portugal, Robert Nouzaret, roger lemerre, samuel eto, samuel eto o, South Africa, Thomas, Zambia

Cameroon coast to record sixth World Cup appearance

November 14, 2009

Cameroon coasted to a 2-0 win in Morocco Saturday and clinched a record sixth appearance for an African team at the World Cup.

The ‘Indomitable Lions’ took a one-point lead over Gabon into the final round of Group A fixtures and stretched it to four by full-time as their only rivals for a place at the 2010 finals in South Africa fell 1-0 away to Togo.

Achille Webo put Cameroon ahead on 18 minutes in Fes and three-time African Footballer of the Year Samuel Eto’o added a second soon after half-time against a poor Moroccan team.

Qualification was a personal triumph for French coach Paul Le Guen, who took over last August from German Otto Pfister with Cameroon bottom of the table having secured just one point from two outings.

But the highly successful former Lyon coach steered the four-time African champions to four consecutive victories and top place with 13 points followed by Gabon (nine), Togo (eight) and Morocco (three).

Cameroon booked a passage to South Africa a few hours after Nigeria topped Group B by winning 3-2 in Kenya and they join South Africa, automatic qualifiers as hosts, Ghana and Ivory Coast as African representatives.

Egypt or Algeria, who clash later Saturday at the Cairo Stadium, will fill the remaining place.

JOHANNESBURG (AFP)

Tags: achille, african champions, african footballer of the year, automatic qualifiers, cairo stadium, coach paul, consecutive victories, fes, footballer of the year, french coach, indomitable lions, Ivory Coast, moroccan team, otto pfister, paul le guen, personal triumph, rivals, samuel eto o, sixth appearance, world cup appearance

African teams vie to complete W.Cup line-up

September 7, 2009

Cameroon, Tunisia, Algeria and Ivory Coast are looking good to join Ghana and hosts South Africa and complete the African line-up at the 2010 World Cup.

Ghana become the first African team to secure a place at the first World Cup to be staged on the ‘Dark Continent’ with a 2-0 triumph win over Sudan in Accra at the weekend courtesy of goals from Sulley Muntari and Michael Essien.

Cameroon, Algeria and Ivory Coast also took maximum points during the fourth series of games in the final qualifying round while Tunisia hit back twice to force a 2-2 draw with Nigeria.

The impact of recently hired French coach Paul le Guen on Cameroon has been immediate and if the ‘Indomitable Lions’ defeat Gabon for the second time in five days Wednesday they will become Group A leaders.

Not bad for a team that fell in Togo, lost German coach Otto Pfister and managed only a goalless home draw with Morocco under caretaker Thomas N’knono before Le Guen answered a distress signal.

This mini-league is the tightest of the five with three points separating pacesetters Gabon from bottom team Morocco and if Cameroon can win their two remaining home fixtures it could be sufficient.

After tackling Gabon, the ‘Lions’ host Togo on October 10 before visting Morocco the following month as they seek a record sixth World Cup appearance by an African country.

Le Guen, winner of three consecutive French titles with Lyon this decade, gambled by dropping long-serving defender Rigobert Song and passing the captaincy to star striker Samuel Eto’o.

The results speak for themselves with a 2-0 friendly win in Austria followed by another two-goal triumph last Saturday in Libreville via goals from Achille Emana and three-time African Footballer of the Year Eto’o.

Tunisia can clinch Group B honours if they beat Kenya at home and Mozambique away, an achievement that will be hard for Nigerians to accept after their shock failure to reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Nigeria have the same opponents with a visit from Mozambique followed by a journey to Kenya and if there is a glimmer of hope it would be that a fixture in Nairobi is probably easier than one in Maputo.

Banker may be a dangerous word to use in the unpredictable world of football, but it surely applies to Ivory Coast, who need one point from encounters with Malawi (away) and Guinea (home) to top Group E.

The Ivorian ‘Elephants’ share with Ghana a 100 percent record after four rounds and having routed Malawi 5-0 in Abidjan last March, there is no reason to doubt that they can take at least one point from Blantyre next month.

It looks like African champions Egypt will have to defeat Zambia (away) and Group C leaders Algeria (home) to have any hope of reaching South Africa as they trail their fierce North African rivals by three points.

This race may not even go to Cairo in mid-November because it seems far more likely that Algeria will defeat visiting Rwanda next month than Egypt will achieve a similar result in Zambia.

The five group winners qualify for the World Cup between June 11 and July 11 while the top three finishers in each mini-league go the African Nations Cup in Angola five months earlier.

JOHANNESBURG (AFP)

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Cameroon World Cup hopes fade after home draw

June 8, 2009

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Troubled Cameroon could only draw 0-0 at home to Morocco on Sunday and their hopes of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa suffered another blow.

The Yaounde result left the ‘Indomitable Lions’ with a solitary point from two Group A outings and bottom of the table behind Gabon (six), Togo (three) and Morocco (one).

Cameroon hold the African record for World Cup appearances with five, but if they lose away to shock pacesetters Gabon on June 20 they can all but kiss goodbye to featuring in the first to be staged on the continent.

Veteran German coach Otto Pfister quit the ‘Lions’ a few weeks ago after his assistant had been secretly sidelined and replaced by three other local coaches.

Former national team goalkeeper Thomas N’kono, a member of the first Cameroon team to play at the World Cup 27 years ago in Spain, was hurriedly appointed caretaker coach.

But the ‘Black Spider’ watched helplessly from the sideline as Cameroon wasted several good scoring chances against opponents who appeared happy to escape with a point.

Daniel Kome from Spanish second division club Tenerife was the chief culprit when it came to wasted opportunities, failing to score with only goalkeeper Nadir Lamyaghri to beat as the first half wound down.

Cameroon supporters at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in the capital city of the central African nation got a fright midway through the opening half when Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o had to leave the field through injury.

The three-time African Footballer of the Year recovered and was involved in a penalty appeal before half-time that was ignored by the Mauritian match officials.

Nigeria coach Shaibu Amodu silenced his public and media critics at least temporarily with an ultimately comfortable 3-0 victory over Kenya in a Group B Abuja encounter.

After taking a second-minute lead through Ikechukwu Uche, the ‘Super Eagles’ survived several early second half scares before a couple of late goals from young Inter Milan striker Obinna Nsofor settled the outcome.

Nsofor converted a softly awarded penalty on 73 minutes and then unleashed a close range shot that flew over goalkeeper Arnold Otieno after the ‘Harambee Stars’ failed to clear a cross.

Tunisia lead the group with six points and host Nigeria (four) in two weeks while Mozambique (one) and Kenya (none) can forget South Africa and concentrate on third place and a ticket to the 2010 African Nations Cup in Angola.

Benin collected their first Group D points thanks to a 1-0 win over poor travellers Sudan in Cotonou with striker Razack Omotoyossi the 21st-minute matchwinner.

The ‘Squirrels’ share first place on three points with group favourites Ghana, who will lack several injured stars when they face Mali in Bamako later Sunday.

Ivory Coast overtook Burkina Faso on goal difference at the summit of Group E after a 2-1 win in Guinea courtesy of goals from Baky Kone near half-time and Koffi ‘Romaric’ Ndri midway through the second half.

Sambegou Bangoura had levelled on 61 minutes for Guinea, whose French coach Robert Nouzaret was told by the military rulers of the west African state to plot a victory or face the sack.