LACKLUSTRE: African giants fall to minnows in early stages of AFCON 2010

Will the the big four stand up to the World Cup challenge?

By Confidence Musariri, Windhoek

WINDHOEK: Since South Africa’s nomination to host the World Cup, there has been a glimmer of optimism that an African country would win the World Cup for the first time, while some pundits have been on roll trying to calculate which African teams will reach the second round of the World Cup in June this year.

However,  that optimism has been replaced by some degree of angst following the pathetic showing of four of Africa’s World Cup representatives at the ongoing African Nations Cup in Angola.

Algeria, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Nigeria all failed to win their first matches against some of Africa’s finest lightweights at the AFCON and were all in danger of an early exit from the tournament after just a week of the January 10 to 31 tournament.

Algeria had been beaten 3-0 by little known Malawi, Ivory Coast held to a disappointing draw by Burkina Faso while Cameroon lost 0-1 to Gabon and Nigeria embarrassed in a 1-3 loss to defending African Champions Egypt lost their  World Cup berth to Algeria in the qualifiers.

No African team has progressed past the quarter finals of the world’s biggest showpiece the World Cup, but because the 32-team tournament is being played on African soil for the first time, people were sure that the time had come finally. There is also a record number of entrants-six- from the continent.

But all the four that had played until Thursday were all in danger of missing out a second round slot at the AFCON,  having fallen victim to continental minnows who seized the moment to embarrass some the players regarded the world’s best such as Didier Drogba, Yaya and Kolo Toure (all Ivory Coast); Samuel Eto’o and Alexander Song  (both Cameroon) and Nigeria’s John Obi-Mikel among others.

Ivory Coast hope to redeem themselves against Ghana, another World Cup bound team in a Group B match tomorrow in Cabinda where the Elephants would be going home early in the tournament if they lose to Michael Essien and company.

South Africa is the only African  country playing at the World Cup which is not in Angola after they failed to qualify for the biennial continental showpiece.

The future of Nigerian coach  Shaimu Amodu is in doubt if the Super Eagles fail to beat Benin on Saturday, and he might not be in South Africa come June where Nigeria faces Argentina, Democratic Republic of Korea and Greece in Group B. Which means their performance in Angola is being spied upon across three continents.

Algeria are in Group C with England, USA and Slovenia while the Elephants have North Korea, Brazil and Portugal in Group G, dubbed the Group of Death.

Samuel Eto’o and colleagues are in Group E at the World Cup against Netherlands, Denmark and Japan.

Questions are not only on  being asked as to whether all these faulting  countries would have changed by June, but if other non-African teams at the World Cup will now choose countries like Malawi, Gabon and Benin for friendlies ahead of the World Cup, something that had not been thought before.

“England must come and have a friendly with us if they want to beat Algeria at the World Cup,” boasted Malawi Football President Walter Nyamilandu.

Even if the tide was to change in Round 2, continental heavyweights have failed to convince Africa why they are going tot he World Cup, after Round 1 of the African Cup of Nations. IA