ACTUALITE |
07.02.2002
Bamako No Measure for World Cup
Listen to this. Mali coach Henry Kasperczak says that of the five African countries at this year`s World Cup, only Nigeria and Cameroon have any real chances of success.
Other self-respecting football analysts seem to have come to this conclusion based on these teams` performances in Mali 2002.
But wait a minute! Sometimes it is prudent not to base World Cup forecasts on the African Nations Cup performances.
Cameroon had a stirring run in the 1990 World Cup in Italy becoming the first Africa team ever to reach the quarter-final stage. A few months earlier a not-so-Indomitable Lions side had just been humiliatingly bundled out of the Africa Nations Cup in the group stages.
What about South Africa, then emerging as the growing power in Africa football? Playing as defending champions, they reached the finals of the Nations Cup in Burkina Faso 1998 then meekly crashed out of the World Cup some few months later in the preliminary rounds.
Nigeria did win the Nations Cup in 1994 and had a brilliant run in that year`s World Cup getting halted in the second round by losing finalists Italy. We could go beyond African teams` records with this line of thinking.
The fact is that the Word Cup is sometimes notorious for ignoring the not-so-distant form book. Tunisia, South Africa and Senegal have the chance to illuminate that point in Japan/Korea
What is keeping Cameroon`s hitman Patrick Mboma from Parma`s starting line-up? That guy is every coach and team`s dream. He can score goals from nothing. His 40-metre thunderbolt (40th minute) against DR Congo is still fresh in people`s minds.
So too are his forceful headers against Cote d`Ivoire and Egypt.
On each occasion, they were the only goals of Cameroon`s matches. With three goals, the 31-year old is the leading goal scorer in Mali.
He says that with more time in a match, he can prove himself and feels that he does not get recognition at his Italian club Parma for his true worth.
Perhaps a golden boot award in Mali will give the Italian side food for thought.
The quarter-final on Monday between DR Congo and Senegal showed nothing of the Fifa fair play message.
DR Congo`s Felix Muamba`s wild, two-footed lunge on Ferdinand Coly of Senegal didn`t belong to the beautiful game.
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