Afcon 2012: 44 nations and 132 matches
Afcon 2012: 44 nations and 132 matches
Posted: 2010-09-02 13:16
The qualifiers for the 2012 African Nations Cup to be staged in Gabon – Equatorial Guinea will officially kick off this weekend with 44 teams after Mauritania withdrew.
The long marathon of 132 matches will end in October 2011 with 14 teams emerging to join the two co-hosts at the final phase.
Six matches have already been played in Group K which is made up of five teams following the inclusion of Togo.
Botswana already made waves by beating Tunisia in Rades, and then recording four other points during its two other outings as group leaders.
The race to the finals is expected to be action packed judging from the level of preparation made by the participants. All football enthusiasts will be in suspense until the final whistle on October 2011.
The following teams will be qualified for the final phase of the 2012 Afcon:
• The first team of each group.
• The second team of the Group where Togo belongs.
• The two best second teams of 10 other groups.
The two best second teams of the group of four will be determine by considering their results with the first and the third of their respective groups without considering their results with the last teams of their groups in orde to permit Group F (Burkina Faso, The Gambia and Namibia) to stay in the competition for the two best second teams.
In the case where Group F is reduced to four teams in the course of the competition, only the first team of the group will automatically qualify for the ACN. The second team will have to run for the three best second teams of the group.
Participating teams:
• North Zone: Algeria, Libya, Morroco, TunisiaWest A Zone : Cape Verte, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra leoneWest B Zone : Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Togo
• Central Zone: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, DR Congo, Chad
• Centre-East Zone: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania
• South Zone: South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Comores, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia
Non participating: Djibouti, Erithrea, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Somalia
Forfeited : Mauritania
The 11 Groups:
Group A: Cape Verte, Liberia, Mali, Zimbabwe
Group B: Ethiopia, Guinea, Madagascar, Nigeria
Group C: Comores, Libya, Mozambique, Zambia
Group D: Algeria, Central African Republic, Morroco, Tanzania
Group E: Cameroon, Mauritius, DR Congo, Senegal
Group F: Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Namibia (3 teams)
Group G: South Africa, Egypt, Niger, Sierra Leone
Group H: Benin, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Rwanda
Group I: Congo, Ghana, Sudan, Swaziland
Group J: Angola, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Uganda
Group K: Botswana, Malawi, Chad, Togo, Tunisia (5 teams)
Matches of the first playing day:
Group A: Cape Vert v Mali; Liberia v Zimbabwe
Group B: Nigeria v Madagascar; Ethiopia v Guinea
Group C: Mozambique v Libya; Zambia v Comoros
Group D: Algeria v Tanzania; Morocco v Central African Republic
Group E: DR Congo v Senegal; Mauritius v Cameroon
Group F: The Gambia v Namibia
Group G: South Africa v Niger; Egypt v Sierra Leone
Group H: Ivory Coast v Rwanda; Benin v Burundi
Group I: Sudan v Congo; Swaziland v Ghana
Group J: Guinea Bissau v Kenya; Uganda v Angola
Group K: Tunisia v Malawi; Botswana v Togo
(4th playing day)
Zambia national team coach Dario Bonetti has said his charges must not view opponents Comoros Island as underdogs. The Italian-born coach told Cafonline on Monday that he is looking forward to a good start in his first competitive game in charge.
"The game will be very difficult. We must think that we are playing Brazil and not Comoros. We need to have a good mentality."
The team included Orlando Pirates midfielder Isaac Chansa who returns to the fold since the African Cup in Angola and replaces injured striker Jacob Mulenga from FC Utrecht of the Netherlands who has been ruled out of the match against Comoros with a three-week layoff.
Angola's Palancas Negras who begin their campaign against the Cranes of Uganda also have a new coach in former Zambian national team coach, Frenchman Herve Renard.
Since Renard took over in March, the team has played three matches starting with a 1-1 draw against Latvia in Luanda before stumbling against Mexico and the United States (0-1) before recently losing Uruguay 0-2 last August.
The clash appears difficult considering the fact that the Ugandans side has been absent from the biennial event since since 1978, and won't want to miss out again.
Another new coach Ivory Coast's Francois Zahoui says he is not scared by the huge task that has been handed to him.
"It's my job. Bear in mind that, it is a profession of results and objectives. Consequently, one has to work hard to attain targeted objectives and I am determined to accomplish my mission with much humility."
Questioned about the absence of Elephants' captain Didier Drogba who was left out of the squad to face Rwanda this weekend, Zahoui said:
"We all acknowledge that Didier Drogba is a world class player. I have contacted all the players, and had discussions with each of them. With what Didier suffered at the World Cup, coupled with his injury, I thought it wise for him to take a rest.
"Ghana has gone without Michael Essien. We will also go without Didier Drogba for a while. The captain band will be handed to Kolo Toure who is playing the role well. He has done that with determination."
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