No image available
/ 15 February 2008

The riddle of the sphinx

First things first: the best team won. Many, including myself, dismissed Egypt’s chances of defending their crown because of a ropey qualifying campaign and because they lost a number of important players from their 2006 squad. But the Pharaohs showed that their domestic league continues to cultivate quality footballers.

No image available
/ 8 February 2008

Holders Egypt to meet Cameroon in final

Holders Egypt and Cameroon will meet in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final after two remarkable semifinals on Thursday condemned hot favourites Côte d’Ivoire and hosts Ghana to elimination. Defending champions Egypt ended Ivorian dreams with a 4-1 win in Kumasi, prompting thousands of celebrating fans to pour on to the streets in Cairo.

No image available
/ 28 January 2008

All to play for at Nations Cup

The deluge of goals in the first week at the Africa Cup of Nations has been matched only by the flood of scandals and dramas off the pitch. Ahead of the decisive round of opening round games starting in Accra on Monday, Didier Drogba’s Côte d’Ivoire are the only one of the 16 teams to have secured their place in the quarterfinals.