South Africa will become the first World Cup hosts in more than 70 years to participate in their own qualifying competition, although they will play in the finals regardless of their performance, officials confirmed on Tuesday. The African qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup are to be combined with the preliminaries for the African Nations Cup finals earlier the same year.
Asec Abidjan’s 1-0 win over Al-Hilal of Sudan in the African Champions League on Sunday has thrown the chase for semifinal places in Group B wide open. The Côte d’Ivoire champions won their first game of the group phase with an individual goal from Antoine Ngossan, moving to within one point of Al-Hilal.
Hosts Botswana upset Angola to win Sunday’s Cosafa Castle Cup Group C final with a 3-1 victory on penalties following a goalless draw after 90 minutes. Goalkeeper Modiri Marumo was the hero in the shoot-out as his saves denied Angola, who played in the 2006 World Cup finals.
Holders Al-Ahly of Egypt won a second successive African Champions League group match to open up a three point lead at the top of their standings with a 1-0 win over Asec Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire on Sunday. Midfielder Mohamed Aboutrika scored from close range five minutes before half-time to give Al-Ahly six points from their two Group B matches.
Angola and Nigeria could become the first two sides to book their berths at the African Nations Cup finals if they win their weekend qualifiers and their closest challengers are beaten. The two are among four sides with 100% records halfway through the qualifying competition,
Clubs eliminated from the African Champions League last month get a second chance for continental success when they drop down to play in the fourth round of the African Confederation Cup this weekend. Eight losers in third-round Champions League ties a fortnight ago host the eight winners of third-round matches in Africa’s second annual club competition.
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/ 7 February 2007
African soccer exports myriad talent around the world but the success of the continent’s teams on the global stage has not lived up to the predictions. Both Pelé and former England manager Walter Winterbottom are credited with forecasting that the continent would produce a World Cup winner by the end of last century.
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/ 29 November 2006
The increasing emergence of talented, young footballers who have their roots in Africa but have been schooled in Europe is creating friction between the two continents. African and European countries are jostling to persuade several prodigious players to commit their international futures to their respective causes, in most cases causing an emotive pull on the heart strings.
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/ 19 October 2006
Angola seek to put the seal on the greatest year in their soccer history with a record-breaking fourth triumph in the Cosafa Castle Cup when they face Zambia in Lusaka in Saturday’s final. Angola drew two of their three matches in a surprisingly proficient World Cup debut performance in Germany in June and came within one goal of reaching the African Nations Cup quarterfinals.
Carlos Alberto Parreira said on Saturday he was still optimistic over taking charge of South Africa even though he faces the possibility of starting the job next year with this new side in a precarious position. After being held to a draw at home in their first qualifier last month, South Africa now face the possibility of going five points behind main rivals Zambia.