5 Winners And 5 Losers From AFCON Qualifiers
Yet another Africa Cup of Nations Qualification campaign has passed us by. As always, we have been spoiled with the gripping entertainment in the AFCON qualifiers, having witnessed spectacular goals, erratic goalkeeping, and gallant defending. AFKSports has compiled a retrospective slideshow presenting you the biggest winners and losers from the totality of the six match days.
Winners
Florent Ibenge
Ibenge was the subject of hilarity when the AS Vita Club coach was first handed the reins to the national outfit as he called up more than one hundred players to training camp. But there can be no denying that the Kinshasa-born caretaker has enjoyed a successful year. He steered Vita Club its first Champions League final in three decades. With a win against Sierra Leone on Wednesday, he also ensured DR Congo captured a place in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
Shakes Mashaba
Bafana Bafana looked to an old saviour to steady the ship and qualify them to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, and Shakes Mashaba has been their man. Placing an emphasis on youth and defence, Mashaba has constructed a resolute defence and an efficient attack. South Africa qualified to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with a matchday to spare, and now look to make an extended run in the tournament.
Gabon
Gabon are dark horses for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. The moving of the tournament to Equatorial Guinea, that borders Gabon to the north, will give semblance of home-field advantage. But a favourable showing is also foreseen because of Jorge Costa’s squad, who have done well in AFCON qualifiers. The Black Panthers have, perhaps, Africa’s most fearsome strikeforce in Malick Evouna and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Biyogo Poko, Ibrahim Ndong, Bruno Manga, and Didier Ovono complete a talented and experienced spine that should provide the grounds for a shock run in January.
Volker Finke
Finke came under a deluge of criticism after a shambolic Cameroon showing at last summer’s World Cup. There was a feeling that the German manager was but a passenger in a team that boasted the superegos of megastars like Alexandre Song and Samuel Eto’o. But Finke effected a revolution in September, dropping some of the Indomitable Lions’ bigger names and placing his faith in youth.Vincent Aboubakar and Clinton N’Jie sparked Cameroon’s renaissance, scoring six goals in the first two matchdays. The West Africans also boast the continent’s best defensive record, conceding but a single goal in qualifying – an extremely important trait in tournament play.
Guinea
Guinea were the first country touched by the deadly Ebola virus. The Confederation of African Football immediately ruled against playing matches domestically, so the National Elephants were forced to play all of their home AFCON qualifiers in Casablanca. Michel Dussuyier and his side deserve heaps of praise after qualifying at such a disadvantage. Special attention should be paid to Guinea’s attacking trio of Ibrahimi Traoré, Idrissa Sylla, and Seydouba Soumah who scored nine of Guinea’s ten goals in qualifying.
Losers
Nigeria
How the mighty have fallen. In February 2013, were at the summit of African football after winning their first Africa Cup of Nations since 1996. But just two years later, the Super Eagles are the laughing stock of Africa. Off-the-pitch problems have interrupted their steady progress, as head coach Stephen Keshi was working without a contract. He was then subsequently fired and re-hired all in a space of two week’s time. Such instability is never conducive to achieving positive results on the pitch and explains Nigera’s inability to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Sierra Leone
A long series of unfortunate events have plagued Sierra Leone, giving them no chance in the group of death that was Group D. The trouble began with a match-fixing scandal that broke in the summer that left Sierra Leone without influential captain Ibrahim Kargbo. The subsequent Ebola outbreak forced the Leone Stars to play all their matches away from home. Comically, Sierra Leone could not find a country to host their matches and were forced to play their home AFCON qualifiers on opponent pitches. Finally the sacking of coach Johnny McKinstry completed the circus that was their qualification campaign and left Sierra Leone with very little chance in an already impossible group.
Mariano Bareto
Mariano Bareto inherited an Ethiopian side that had qualified to their first Africa Cup of Nations in 36 years and were but two matches from qualifying from the World Cup. However, coach Sewnat Bishaw was unjustly fired, and Bareto was called in to replace him. Bareto just had to maintain this squad’s core to continue winning momentum. But the Portuguese coach preferred to break from the path laid out to him and experiment with debutants like Natnael Zeleke, Shimelis Tegne, and Mentsenot Adane.
Egypt
After winning three consecutive continental titles, Egypt have failed to qualify for three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations, struggling consistently in AFCON qualifiers. The problem for the Pharaohs seems to be an administrative one. Their manager, Shawky Gharib, has repeatedly called up players that are clearly below-par in the image of Sabri Rahil, Amr Gaber, and Hossam Ghaly. Better players are readily found in the Egyptian Olympic side, but Gharib refused to give them a chance. Personnel was not the only problem as Gharib failed to help Egypt past their insipid style of play.
Morocco
The biggest losers of these qualifications are Morocco. By far. Despite scoring positive results against Zimbabwe, Benin, and Kenya, the coaches and players have been let down by their government. The Moroccan Health Ministry’s decision to refuse to host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations automatically disqualified the Atlas Lions and further sporting repercussions are on the horizon.