ACTUALITE |
27.11.2007
The Die has been Cast
The zone draws for the 2010 World Cup were conducted in Durban last Sunday.
The draws for the 2010 world cup in South Africa were made last Sunday with most of Africa’s big names in football receiving a favourable draws. Apart from Senegal in group 6 which has been described as the group of death, all the other African big names in football have relatively easier pools on paper and are likely to make it to the second round. In Group 1, Cameroon was drawn alongside little known football countries like Cape Verde Islands, Mauritius and Tanzania. Meanwhile another rising football power house in Africa, Cote d’Ivoire was drawn along side Mozambique, Botswana and Madagascar.
The first seemingly difficult group is group 4 with Nigeria and South Africa. But mindful of the fact that South Africa as host nation is automatically qualified for the competition; the tussle will be to qualify for the African Cup of Nations. On the other hand, Equatorial Guinea’s stunning 1-0 defeat over the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the qualifiers for the African Cup of Ghana propelled her to the lime light of African football. The Nzalang Nacional can create surprises in this group with Sierra Leone as the outsider.
The pool of death is group 6 with great African football countries like Senegal, Algeria, Gambia and to a lesser extent, Liberia.
The draws mark the real beginning of serious business as countries now know their adversaries in this first round. It is worthy to note that the 12 group winners and the eight best runners-up will contest the next stage in the qualification process. When the teams will be drawn in five pools. The winner of each pool qualifies for the World Cup, whereas the first three qualify for the 2010 African Cup of nations.
The 2010 World cup presents a special challenge for Africans both at the level of organisation and sporting aspect. Africa has never hosted or won the world cup and the 2010 World is seen as an opportunity for Africans to demonstrate their capacity to organise and win the coveted world football trophy.
During the 2006 world cup in Germany, most African big names like Cameroon and Nigeria did not qualify for the final round of the competition. Something which was blamed on the joint eliminatory for the World cup and the African Cup of Nations that year. Which is why football analysts suspect the draws for the 2010 World Cup were done in such a way as to avoid big names meeting each other early in the competition so as to have a valuable representation for Africa during the final round of the competition in South Africa. Thus, increasing the continent’s chances of winning the cup.
|
|
Hits: 1 | Source:cameroon-tribune.cm | |
|
|
|
|
| |