Andrew Muchineripi : Soccer
The African Nations Cup, a biennial showdown between the best national soccer teams, comes of age this week with the 21st edition of an event that has grown steadily from humble beginnings. Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, hosted the first tournament, which attracted only three entrants and lasted just seven days with Egypt overwhelming Ethiopia 4-0 in the final.
Burkina Faso means Land of Uncorruptible Men, and to this landlocked and impoverished West African country falls the honour of staging the latest version of an event that now has 16 finalists and spans 22 days.
Thirty six countries entered the 1998 competition with the host nation and the defending champions, South Africa, automatically qualifying while the rest went through a two-phase qualifying process. When the dust settled, Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Togo, Tunisia and Zambia had won the right to play another day.
The only notable absentees are the 1980 and 1994 Nations Cup winners Nigeria, whose two-year suspension for refusing to defend the title in South Africa expires next month.
Officially, the West Africans refused to travel because of safety fears in a country perceived as hostile, but a key factor was the anger of military ruler Sani Abacha with the anti-Nigerian stance Nelson Mandela adopted when nine minority-rights activists were executed.
Arguably the strongest team on the continent with a pool of European-based professionals, including African Footballer of the Year Victor Ikpeba, the Nigerians had the consolation of reaching the 1998 World Cup in France.
The other qualifiers, Cameroon, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia, were kept apart in the first round of the Nations Cup, where the teams are divided into four mini- leagues with winners and runners-up securing quarter-final places.
After a seeded draw, Group A comprised Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Guinea, Group B Congo, Ghana, Togo and Tunisia, Group C Angola, Ivory Coast, Namibia and South Africa, and Group D Egypt, Morocco, Mozambique and Zambia.
Morocco, ranked No 1 in Africa by world soccer controlling body Fifa, are the popular choice to lift the African Unity Cup, but the alien conditions could upset the often pampered North Africans. After the luxurious hotels, delicious cuisine and superb training facilities of South Africa, the spartan offerings of Ouagadougou, the Burkinabe capital, and the southern town of Bobo-Dioulasso are not going to please every team.
Burkina Faso authorities are also fighting a seemingly endless battle to contain malaria and meningitis while the dust carried by strong winds can prove a serious irritant to visitors.
Teams used to high standards and comforts like Egypt, Morocco and South Africa are considered most vulnerable, and it would be no surprise if a West African captain stepped forward on February 28 to lift the cup.
Tradition certainly favours teams from the region like Ghana, champions a record four times, because the four previous tournaments staged in the area have been won by West African sides.
Coached by former Dutch international defender Rinus Israel and led by three-time African Footballer of the Year Abedi Pele, Ghana are always among the favourites although their last success came 16 years ago. The Black Stars are in probably the weakest pool and should experience little difficulty advancing to the knockout phase with Tunisia, whose Polish coach Henri Kasperczak is the longest-serving in Africa after four years at the helm.
South Africa, without a win in seven warm- up matches and rebuilding under caretaker coach Jomo Sono, could struggle against Angola and 1992 winners Ivory Coast, whose squads boast potent attacks. Morocco are in the so-called Group of Death, which looks set to develop into a three-cornered fight with three-time holders Egypt and Zambia, widely regarded as the best team never to have claimed the title.
The many advantages of playing in familiar conditions, partisan support and a wily French coach in Philippe Troussier means minnows Burkina Faso cannot be taken for granted by pool favourites Algeria and Cameroon.
Poor travellers Guinea and ill-prepared Congo are dark horses and Mozambique, debutants Namibia and Togo the outsiders in a competition famous for upsets and a flood of talent scouts from European clubs. They come in search of the cheap, raw talent that abounds within Africa and when they discuss money, most footballers become starry-eyed and desperate to join the rapidly increasing foreign legion.
That alone acts as an enormous incentive to succeed because the more matches teams play in Burkina Faso the more chances individuals have of impressing the men wearing designer suits and the latest range of sunglasses.