AFCON goes odd years from 2013

  1. Posted on Sunday 16 May 2010 - 16:30
    Walter
    Image of Walter
    Walter Wilson Nana, AfricaNews reporter in Buea, Cameroon
    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) would now run the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in odd years beginning 2013, according to a statement from the organization's Cairo-based headquarters. This means after the Gabon and Equatorial Guinea co-host in 2012 there would be another one in Libya 12 months later.
    Samuel Eto'o Photo: Eurosport
    After an erratic early life with odd and even-year hosting, the Cup of Nations has been staged biennially during an even year since the 1968 tournament in Ethiopia.

    But even-year tournaments meant every second one was held just months before the quadrennial FIFA World Cup and some observers blame this for the poor showing of teams from the African continent in the most watched global sport event.

    No African team has gone beyond the last eight of the FIFA World Cup with Cameroon reaching the 1990 quarter-finals before bowing out to England in a thriller that stretched to extra time.

    An El-Hadji Diouf-inspired Senegal emulated the feat eight years ago before becoming a victim of the short-lived 'golden goal' experiment, losing to Turkey during sudden-death extra time.

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