2008 Nations Cup Draw Held
Host Ghana Black Star
Monrovia, Oct. 22 (The NEWS) -- The
Confederation of African Football (CAF) has
conducted the draw for the 2008 African Cup of
Nations.
The three-week affairs will take place in Ghana, so it was in the capital Accra that the draw was held on Friday, October 19, 2007. Ghana last hosted the African Nations Cup in 2000, jointly with Nigeria.
The event was attended by a number of dignitaries including the President of the host country, Mr. John Kuffour.
The draw was conducted by veteran African and Ghanaian soccer legend Abedi Pele Ayew and 1998 World Cup winner and former captain of France, Marcel Desailly, who has a Ghanaian root.
The son of Abedi Pele, who is called Dede Ayew, is expected to play for Ghana next after making his Black Star debut against Senegal's Lions of Teranga recently in a friendly international in England. The lad plays for his father's former club Olympique Marseille in France's Ligue 1 after refusing to play for France. Desailly also played for Marseille when the club won the 1993 UEFA Champions League along with Abedi Pele over AC Milan.
The sixteen finalists are dominated by national teams from West Africa, seven in all and they are Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Benin, Senegal and Mali.
Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt and Ivory Coast have all won the title before and are the likely favorites to lift the cup next year.
Sudan and Namibia will be making a reappearance following many years of absence from the continent's greatest football extravaganza.
With the exception of the Hawks of Togo, the rest of the five representatives of Africa at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, namely Ghana, Ivory Coast, Angola and Tunisia will be at the pending Nations Cup finals.
Africans will have the moment to watch great African footballers that are making names in the big leagues of Europe. They include the reigning African Footballer of the Year Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast), Samuel Eto'o Fils (FC Barcelona and Cameroon), Michael Essien (Chelsea and Ghana), Fredie Kanoute (FC Sevilla and Mali), Benedict McCarthy (Blackburn Rovers and South Africa) and Obafemi Martins (Newcastle United and Nigeria).
The Simba of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been a regular Africa Nations Cup finalist but failed to reach the 2008 event. Thus, skipper Tresor Lomana Lualua will also be an absentee.
The whistle to begin the battle will be blown on January 20, 2007 with the opening match involving Ghana Black Stars and the Sylli Nationale of Guinea, led by Pascal Feindonou and Foday Mansare.
Group A
Ghana
Morocco
Guinea
Namibia
The three-week affairs will take place in Ghana, so it was in the capital Accra that the draw was held on Friday, October 19, 2007. Ghana last hosted the African Nations Cup in 2000, jointly with Nigeria.
The event was attended by a number of dignitaries including the President of the host country, Mr. John Kuffour.
The draw was conducted by veteran African and Ghanaian soccer legend Abedi Pele Ayew and 1998 World Cup winner and former captain of France, Marcel Desailly, who has a Ghanaian root.
The son of Abedi Pele, who is called Dede Ayew, is expected to play for Ghana next after making his Black Star debut against Senegal's Lions of Teranga recently in a friendly international in England. The lad plays for his father's former club Olympique Marseille in France's Ligue 1 after refusing to play for France. Desailly also played for Marseille when the club won the 1993 UEFA Champions League along with Abedi Pele over AC Milan.
The sixteen finalists are dominated by national teams from West Africa, seven in all and they are Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Benin, Senegal and Mali.
Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt and Ivory Coast have all won the title before and are the likely favorites to lift the cup next year.
Sudan and Namibia will be making a reappearance following many years of absence from the continent's greatest football extravaganza.
With the exception of the Hawks of Togo, the rest of the five representatives of Africa at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, namely Ghana, Ivory Coast, Angola and Tunisia will be at the pending Nations Cup finals.
Africans will have the moment to watch great African footballers that are making names in the big leagues of Europe. They include the reigning African Footballer of the Year Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast), Samuel Eto'o Fils (FC Barcelona and Cameroon), Michael Essien (Chelsea and Ghana), Fredie Kanoute (FC Sevilla and Mali), Benedict McCarthy (Blackburn Rovers and South Africa) and Obafemi Martins (Newcastle United and Nigeria).
The Simba of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been a regular Africa Nations Cup finalist but failed to reach the 2008 event. Thus, skipper Tresor Lomana Lualua will also be an absentee.
The whistle to begin the battle will be blown on January 20, 2007 with the opening match involving Ghana Black Stars and the Sylli Nationale of Guinea, led by Pascal Feindonou and Foday Mansare.
Group A
Ghana
Morocco
Guinea
Namibia
Group B
Nigeria
Ivory Coast
Mali
Benin
Group C
Egypt
Cameroon
Zambia
Sudan
Group D
Senegal
Tunisia
South Africa
Angola