13 - 19 September 2001
Issue No.551
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 13 - 19 September 2001 Issue No.551 |
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More of the same
Thought the World Cup draw was tough? Alaa Shahine sees more hard times coming our way
After an exceptionally difficult World Cup qualifying group, the draw for January's African Cup of Nations gave Egypt little respite.
In the draw, made on Saturday in the Malian capital of Bamako, the Egyptians were placed in Group D alongside North African arch-rivals Tunisia, World Cup shock qualifiers Senegal and the always dangerous Zambia.
The Egyptians, appearing for a record-breaking 17th time in Africa's premier football competition, are African champions a record-equaling four times, having lifted the trophy in 1957, 1959, 1986 and 1998. But they have their work cut out for them in Mali where the tournament will be held from 19 January to 10 February.
The draw continues where Egypt and Senegal left off in the World Cup qualifiers. Although Egypt beat and tied Senegal, it was Senegal that booked the group's lone ticket to South Korea and Japan after taking first place with 15 points, two ahead of Egypt.
Tunisia, which will be making its third appearance in a World Cup and its second in succession, has always posed big problems for Egypt. The Egyptians still have bitter memories from their last encounter that ended with Tunisia knocking out the Pharaohs from the 2000 African Cup of Nations' second round following a penalty kick. The Tunisians were runners-up in 1996 and came in fourth in last year's championship.
Zambia will meet Egypt for the fourth time in the last five championships and the third time in a row. Both squads clinched two victories apiece. However, it was the Egyptians who won the last two, defeating the Zambians, known as the "Bullets," 4-0 and 2-0 in 1998 and 2000 respectively.
Speaking to the Nile Sports Channel, Egypt's coach Mahmoud El-Gohari said any of the four teams could make it to the quarter-finals (only two will be taken.) "Senegal is a rising power in African football and Tunisia is in top form after reaching the World Cup," he said. "Zambia is not an underdog despite being inconsistent the past few years."
"We were expecting a tough draw after we were seeded first," he said. "And I think this is the toughest group in the championship, along with Group B."
Group B will feature South Africa, which won the trophy in 1996, came second in 1998 and third last year. Powerhouses Morocco, four-time champions Ghana and Burkina Faso round out the group. South Africa had toyed with the idea of sending a team of reserves in order to save its best for the World Cup but the African Football Confederation said the 16 challengers were obliged to send their strongest squads.
Defending champions Cameroon were blessed after being paired with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and Togo in Group C. The Indomitable Lions seem assured of finishing among the top two and advancing to the quarter-finals.
While the main problem facing caretaker Cameroon coach Robert Corfou is who to leave out, the Ivorians boast only one African star in France-based striker Ibrahim Bakayoko. The Congolese and Togolese have none.
The draw provided another bitter clash in Group A that includes host nation Mali, title contenders Nigeria, North African underachievers Algeria and Liberia. Both Nigeria and Liberia were placed in the same World Cup qualifying group and the Liberians, whose main claim to fame is the presence of the world's former Footballer of the Year George Weah, needed just four points from their last three matches, only to lose to Ghana at home, paving the way for the Nigerian "Super Eagles" to stamp their passports to the World Cup.
The draw was marked by celebrations nationwide amid Malian hopes that the championship will be a huge African football success. Speaking to the BBC before the draw, Madam Kouyate, a senior official in the media commission, said, "We expect a good turnout by fans for these finals. Mali has borders with seven countries and four of them -- Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Algeria -- have qualified. If Guinea had not run into trouble with FIFA, then it could have been five."
Kouyate expected fans from all these countries to travel to Mali and in particular those of the Ivory Coast.
Matches will be staged in Bamako, capital of the landlocked west African country, and the provincial towns of Kayes, Mopti, Segou and Sikasso.
On Egypt's preparations for the biennial event, El-Gohari said he will abandon his marathon training methods. "The players will be prepared by their clubs like what happens everywhere," he said. "They played 30 friendly and official matches last year but we will only play a few matches before this event."
He urged clubs to cooperate with the national team in order to iron out problems that, according to him, led to the Egyptian ouster from the World Cup qualifiers. "In our eight matches, the players squandered 35 scoring opportunities, and there were clear defects in the defence," he said. "I can't correct these mistakes by myself and so I appeal to the clubs to help out in their training programmes."
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