Angola 2010: The experts’ predictions
- Who would be crowned the next African Champions in football as the 27th edition of the African Cup of Nations is underway in Angola? Can Egypt win it for the third consecutive time or would it be the tournament favourites Ivory Coast or Cameroon? AfricaNews asked our local experts for their thoughts:
Which two countries would make it to the finals and hopefully who would eventually be crowned champions?
Sanday Chongo Kabange – Lusaka, Zambia: Egypt and Angola will reach the finals of this year’s AFCON and Angola will win the trophy on home ground advantage. Two goals to one to be precise.
Kingsley Kobo – Abidjan, Ivory Coast: It’s hard to tell in a competition like the African Cup of Nations. This tournament is one of the toughest football events in the world, where so many details come to play. I mean talent, mentality, physical strength, historic advantage, team management (intrusion of government officials in team’s affairs) and superstition – don’t rule this out!
But there have been few surprises in the competition like the World Cup as well, and so, I think the big teams will filter themselves out from the lot and stand out to the quarter finals. I can see Angola, Cote D’Ivoire, Algeria and Cameroon, in the final rectangle, with Cote D’Ivoire and Angola making it through to the finals. I believe the Ivorians will lift the cup.
Walter Nana Wilson – Buea, Cameroon: Cameroon and Ghana will make it to the finals of the Orange African Cup of Nations. And the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon will win the prestigious trophy.
Selay Marius Kouassi - Abidjan, Ivory Coast: Ivory Coast and Cameroon will make it to the finals. The Elephants of Ivory Coast will be crowned champions of AFCON 2010.
Kemo Cham – Dakar, Senegal: Egypt, the defendng champions, with a terrific record in the continental tournament, having won it twice more than any other nation, remains a force to be reckoned with.
Sam Banda Junior – Blantyre, Malawi: Ivory Coast and Cameroon are expected to reach the finals taking into consideration their strength. Ivory Coast with their deadly striker Didier Drogba will finally be crowned champions.
Glorea Bentil – Accra, Ghana: Egypt and Ivory Coast are the possible two but I’ll personally love to see Ghana play against the host Angola in the finals. Surely, Ghana would lift the trophy if that happens.
Who are the possible third and fourth place holders?
Sanday Chongo Kabange – Lusaka, Zambia: Cameroon will come third while Ivory Coast will come fourth. They will settle for these places in post-match penalties.
Kingsley Kobo – Abidjan, Ivory Coast: Cameroon and Algeria.
Walter Nana Wilson – Buea, Cameroon: Ivory Coast and Algeria respectively.
Selay Marius Kouassi - Abidjan, Ivory Coast: It would be Ghana and Egypt respectively.
Kemo Cham – Dakar, Senegal: Supper Eagles of Nigeria and Cameroon respectively.
Sam Banda Junior – Blantyre, Malawi: Ghana and Egypt respectively.
Glorea Bentil – Accra, Ghana: Angola and Ivory Coast respectively.
Who might emerge as the top goal scorer?
Sanday Chongo Kabange – Lusaka, Zambia: Didier Drogba. He has the skill, ability and precision to net a goal in at least each match.
Kingsley Kobo – Abidjan, Ivory Coast: Gervinho (Cote D’Ivoire), Didier Drogba (Cote D’Ivore), Eto’O Samuel (Cameroon), Peter Odemwigie (Nigeria), Obafemi Martins (Nigeria), Adebayor (Togo), Nsofor Obinna (Nigeria), Karim Ziani (Algeria).
Walter Nana Wilson – Buea, Cameroon: Samuel Fils Eto'o of Cameroon.
Selay Marius Kouassi - Abidjan, Ivory Coast: Samuel Eto’o
Kemo Cham – Dakar, Senegal: Samuel Eto’o
Sam Banda Junior – Blantyre, Malawi: Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba because of his vision on the goal followed by Cameroon’s Samuel Etoo’
Glorea Bentil – Accra, Ghana: Samuel Fils Eto'o of Cameroon or Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast.
How would people in your country feel if their team fails to win the cup?
Sanday Chongo Kabange – Lusaka, Zambia: Most definitely, they would feel sad and unpleasant about it. Their national team qualified to the tournament by what one can call luck and their chances to lift the trophy are pretty minimal. But as is the case always, everyone is sad when their national pride is defeated. They would definitely feel sad and apportion blame to coaches, weather or referees.
Kingsley Kobo – Abidjan, Ivory Coast: Well, hearts would break again, massively. The jubilation and relief Ivorians have been yearning to see since after Senegal 1992 will rather widen the chasm of detestation for their national team after the loss to Egypt at Ghana 2010. Secondly, it will affect the reconciliation between the Ivorian team and local fans – who have always criticised the team for not winning any thing viable in spite of the top profile players the team is made up with.
Thirdly, a failure at Angola 2010 will also fail to solidify the hope and reconciliation, which the Ivorian people have been seeking for after almost eight years of political crisis. A victory would have been relished by northerners and southerners as well, excluding all forms of discrimination.
Walter Nana Wilson – Buea, Cameroon: Cameroonians will be disappointed and very bitter if the Indomitable Lions do not come back home with the fifth African title. Cameroonians have a strong attachment to their darling National Squad, especially with the top flight players invited by the coach, Paul Marie Le Guen, who has proven that he can still discipline in the Lions' den.
Selay Marius Kouassi - Abidjan, Ivory Coast: Ivorians think that their national team ‘The Elephants’ is the best team of the continent and that they deserve the continental trophy to confirm their supremacy. If they fail to win the Cup, Their many supporters will be really disappointed, but will put their attention on the upcoming Fifa World Cup to be played in South Africa, with the hope to be the first African team to play finals or to reach the highest stage of this competition.
Sam Banda Junior – Blantyre, Malawi: My country Malawi would feel bad if the Flames as they are popularly known would not win the cup though it is their second time to participate. Of course the country knows it’s difficult and would accept it but frankly speaking they will feel bad.
Glorea Bentil – Accra, Ghana: People would go crazy about this and would curse the team. We are World Cup bound and Ghana must use the AFCON 2010 to serve notice to our group competitors at South Africa 2010. It would be devastating for us to bow out without the trophy.
How would people in your country feel if a country in your region wins the trophy?
Sanday Chongo Kabange – Lusaka, Zambia: They would be glad if a team from the region won the trophy. It has happened in the past and it would happen again. Even though this is an African masterpiece, issues of regions emerge every time there is such a prestigious tournament, East Africans will rally behind their regional compatriots, while East, North or even Southern Africans will support a team from the region if their national team is defeated or kicked out of the tournament. Zambians would be most happy if the Chipolopolo won or even host Angola or Malawi.
Kingsley Kobo – Abidjan, Ivory Coast: Naturally, as a Nigerian, I’d be in bliss if the Super Eagles emerge as the gold winner at the 27th African Nations Cup. I’ll have plenty of things to write about. As for the people of Nigeria, I think it will bring strength and hope anew, because as you may know, Nigerians are at gloom at the moment, owing to the failing health of their president. So, a victory from Angola might wake up everybody, even sick President Yar’Adua from his hospital bed.
Kemo Cham – Dakar, Senegal: From the look of things here, we are likely to see the biggest victory party with a victorious Ivory Coast. Only that my own assumption put the defending champions, the North Africans, Egypt, as the favourite.
Sam Banda Junior – Blantyre, Malawi: It will be great if any country from the SADC region wins the trophy and in that I mean Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Angola. SADC has been completely written off and if one of the teams wins, people will be happy in Malawi as it will be history in the making for SADC.
How would people celebrate if it happens that your country win the trophy?
Sanday Chongo Kabange – Lusaka, Zambia: They most likely would line up the streets, hold small celebration parties in residential pubs and clubs. They will definitely want the republican president to host the national team at State House for a state banquet. They will celebrate by way of singing morale songs, waving flags around the streets while honking and chanting slogans in support of their national team.
Kingsley Kobo – Abidjan, Ivory Coast: There would be juju music dance across Lagos that day, and Gulder beer will be scarce.
Walter Nana Wilson – Buea, Cameroon: Talk about drinking beer, Cameroonians are good at that. People share with their neighbors when the Cup comes home, even if they were not on talking terms. The young, the old, the boys, the girls, jam the streets across the nation, singing songs and praises for the team and some players who make the difference and the time needed. The night clubs are flooded with young people enjoying themselves, feeling good to be a Cameroonian. The national press is awashed with stories, pictures and commentaries on the explanations for Lions' successes. In Cameroon, a victory for the Lions is a big opportunity for national reconciliation and national integration.
Selay Marius Kouassi - Abidjan, Ivory Coast: The victory will foster every effort to cement the divided country along ethnic, politic and tribal lines. It will lead many Ivorians to take pride in their country and think of themselves as Ivorians - transcending political party, tribe and religion. Huge crowds will spend the whole night in the streets for a victory parade. The local open-air bars called ‘Maquis’ will be overcrowded with people drinking ‘Drogba’, a one-litre beer bottle named after the Chelsea star.
Sam Banda Junior – Blantyre, Malawi: I don’t know how to put it but if Malawi wins the trophy, it will be wild celebration. Everyone will go crazy and if you have never seen people walking naked then it will be this day. Malawians love soccer too much and if Flames pull this surprise, even the president Bingu Wa Mutharika will be in tears of joy.
Glorea Bentil – Accra, Ghana: There will be wild jubilation and deafening noise throughout the nation. I foresee a national holiday after 27 years of being in the African title drought. I just can’t image that dream come through since it would boost our World Cup participation.
Which team might pull a surprise i.e an underdog that would scale over to the knock-out stage?
Sanday Chongo Kabange – Lusaka, Zambia: Definitely, the Zambia national team will pull a shocker. Its road to Angola has been underestimated but it will pull a surprise and reach the first round of the knock out stages.
Kingsley Kobo – Abidjan, Ivory Coast: Togo! Togo might create surprises at the competition if only they decide to return to the tournament for the rest of their games as being alleged in some media. They have a very different and complicated system of play. They can’t win you and you can’t win them easily. Their striker Adebayor can do so many havocs on big teams like the Ivory Coast and Ghana. Their players have good height and might use that advantage during corner and free kicks. Their goalkeeper is good too. One thing is that most teams don’t really know much about the Togolese side. Their players are not well known, and so, preparing a counter tactics against them is very difficult.
Walter Nana Wilson – Buea, Cameroon: Malawi
Selay Marius Kouassi - Abidjan, Ivory Coast: Mali might pull a surprise in this tournament thanks to their talented international players; the midfielders Mohammed Cisoko (Juventus), Mahamadou Diarra (Real Madrid) and Seydou Keita (Barcelona) and the gifted striker Kanoute (FC Seville) have great experience. They play most of the European derbies and other high level games. They will take advantage of this tournament to show to other countries that they deserve respect.
Kemo Cham – Dakar, Senegal: With home support advantage, coupled with the miracle that characterizes occasions like this, Angola might turn out to be the Senegal of 1998, which came from almost nowhere to stun then European Champions, only this time the edge could be home support.
Sam Banda Junior – Blantyre, Malawi: Malawi
Glorea Bentil – Accra, Ghana: Angola
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