These Eagles have wings
Host Tunisia could fly away with the African title
Group A
When Tunisia last hosted the African Nations Cup (ANC) finals in 1994, its players crumbled under the weight of expectation and made a humiliating first round exit. But there is a growing feeling that the present squad is better primed to conquer Africa than the Carthage Eagles of 10 years ago.
The Tunisians are hosting the tournament for the third time but remain the only major North African country never to have won the title.
Not many football soothsayers predicted the presence of Rwanda after it was drawn in the same qualifying group as four-time winners Ghana but caused a major upset when it beat Ghana's Black Stars 1-0 in Kigali to top the group.
Its progress has come on the back of considerable financial support from the country's president, Paul Kagame, an avid football fan. Coached by Serbian Ratomir Dujkovic, the team itself is a mixture of youth and experience, with Belgium-based Desire Mbonabucya the heartbeat of the side.
Rwanda is keen to stuff the "no-hopers" tag down the throats of its opponents in Tunisia.
Guinea's return to the ANC for the first time since 1998 is something of a phoenix from the ashes story. Few have talked about Guinea being a threat but the truth is that it has what it takes to derail both Tunisia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Tunisia 2004 represents the last chance for the likes of Titi Camara, captain Morlaye Soumah and Sallam Sow to shine for their country on the international stage.
The DR Congo's finest spell in continental football was recorded in 1968 and 1974 when the Simbas were called Zaire and were crowned African champions.
Influential captain Shabani Nonda played little part in the Tunisia 2004 qualifiers, seemingly frustrated with the way the game is run in his homeland and will take no part in the finals due to a horrific knee injury he suffered in the middle of last year.
The Simbas remain a team few nations look forward to meeting, and it says something about the resolve and talent of the players that they have not missed out on an ANC party since 1992.
Group B
Senegal, finalists in the last edition, is paired with relatively weak Burkina Faso, Mali and Kenya. The Senegalese, who hosted the 1992 edition, are keen to prove that their outstanding performance in the 2002 World Cup was no fluke, especially after they did without the services of their "godfather", former head coach Bruno Mitsu. The Burkinabe team, who on any given day can vanquish the mighty, have now qualified for their fifth successive ANC finals.
Senegal is an awkward customer which loves working hard without being spectacular, propelled by the influence and goals of Belgium-based striker Moumouni Dagano and African Player of the Year Hadj Diouf.
Having shown in recent years that it has the quality to contend with the best in Africa, Mali travels to Tunisia with a genuine outside chance of snatching the big prize. Indeed, the Malians will have happy memories of Tunisia. Ten years ago, they beat the hosts in the opening game, beginning a run which took them to the semi-finals.
This team has developed since the players were first brought together at under-17 level in Nigeria in 1999. The stars of that side -- Adama Coulibaly, Seydou Keita and Mahamadou Diarra -- are now the finished article, having added experience and maturity to their abundant skill.
It has been 12 years since Kenya last appeared in the ANC finals and their record in previous tournaments leaves a lot to be desired.
The Harambee Stars are making their fifth appearance at the finals, but as commentators will not tire of telling you, they have yet to go beyond the first round.
And as the moment of truth looms, there has been a lot of debate in Kenya on whether they are good enough to compete with Africa's best. But whatever the arguments, this generation is desperate to redeem itself and avoid an early flight back home.
Group C
Having won the last two tournaments, Cameroon is highly fancied to become the first country to make it three ANC wins on the trot -- and take its fifth title overall.
Since beating Nigeria 3-1 in the 1984 final in Abidjan, Cameroon has put together an impressive record, winning three other ANC titles to match Egypt and Ghana as four-time champions.
Class runs throughout the squad and with many Europe-based stars in their ranks, big- match experience is not a problem for the Indomitable Lions.
Coach Winfried Schaefer has successfully combined new blood with experienced players but still relies heavily on the likes of captain Rigobert Song and Geremi Njitap.
The Cameroonians will defend their title without that wonderful midfield worker Marc-Vivien Foe who died during the Confederations Cup in June last year.
By qualifying for Tunisia 2004, Egypt extended its record for the most number of appearances at the ANC finals to an astonishing 19. Yet doubts remain about its chances of winning a record fifth title.
But anyone who underestimates the Pharaohs is likely to get a very rude awakening since they will be playing in conditions similar to their own at home.
As habitual qualifiers, they know how to get the right result at the right time, and a well- organised Egyptian team is always difficult to break down.
In days gone by, anyone betting against Algeria would have been accused of having more money than sense. But this time around, the Desert Foxes are something of an enigma.
The sense of invincibility that those hallowed names like Rabeh Madjer, Ali Fergani and Lakhdar Belloumi helped to create is now but a distant memory.
Indeed, since Madjer and his gang won the ANC on home soil in 1990, Algeria has gone off the boil. Often mediocre performances have been justified on the grounds that a long-term plan was under way to bring success at the highest level.
Zimbabwe are the masters of glorious failure, with a football history based on near misses and hollow victories after the real prize has been lost. Such is the country's reputation for spectacular collapse in the qualifying stages, it has taken it 23 years to finally bury the "nearly men" tag and qualify for its first ANC.
The Warriors sneaked in through the back door after picking up the best-placed runners- up ticket and they will do well not to finish bottom of their group in the finals.
Locally-based players make up more than half of the squad for Tunisia 2004, while the others play in South Africa and Europe's lower divisions.
Group D
Nigeria often promise much but then ends up infuriating its supporters by failing to live up to its billing.
That Nigeria has some of the most gifted players in Africa is beyond dispute, but the form of the Super Eagles tends to stagger from the ridiculously poor to the sublimely brilliant.
Indeed, Nigeria's No.1 enemy -- its propensity for self-destruction -- has seen it lose many matches it should have won.
Nigerian fans will put up with nothing less than winning the cup so failure to at least make the final may be viewed as a footballing apocalypse.
The crisis which crippled South Africa's preparations came to a head the day before Bafana Bafana's departure for Tunisia when coach Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba was fired.
But the move to replace the outspoken coach with his assistant April 'Styles' Phumo has cast serious doubts over Bafana Bafana's ability to make an impact in Tunisia.
The absence of key overseas-based players like Quinton Fortune and Benni McCarthy robs the team of two players capable of lifting the entire side to levels it may never reach on its own.
The manner of Morocco's qualification, secured after an unbeaten run in which it did not concede a single goal, indicates a character that could drive it towards a second title.
The Atlas Lions are keen to avoid a repeat of Mali 2002 where they played well below par and finished third in their group.
After that first round exit Morocco rejuvenated its lineup thanks to coach Badou Zaki's extensive travels in Europe in search of new talent.
Benin clearly punched above its weight to qualify for its first ever finals ahead of Zambia.
Unfortunately, it drew the short straw in being pitted against three African superpowers -- South Africa, Morocco and Nigeria -- in the group stages.
The inevitable temptation is to write Benin off but its very presence in Tunisia indicates the folly of underestimating the so-called Squirrels. Although they will be competitive, as painless an exit as possible must surely be the limit of any realistic ambition.
