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Despite rumors of postponement or cancellation, the African Cup of Nations (CAN) will indeed be held in Cameroon. Neither the delay taken by the host country in terms of infrastructure, nor the appearance of the Omicron variant, nor the pressure exerted by upset European clubs to let their African players leave for several weeks, will have been right in the competition.
Twenty-four teams will compete in Yaoundé, Douala, Bafoussam, Garoua and Limbé from January 9 to February 6. And some have ample means, at least on paper, to claim to dethrone Algeria, which returned from Cairo in July 2019 with the second cup in its history.
Cameroon, despite the reservations of its supporters, can not escape the status of favorite. The Indomitable Lions, even if they don’t play the most vibrant football in Africa, have proven, by eliminating Côte d’Ivoire in World Cup qualifying, that they have enough individual arguments. (André Onana, Karl Toko-Ekambi, Vincent Aboubakar, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting) and collectives to stretch their career far enough.
The five-time African champions will also have the advantage of playing in front of their home crowd. A considerable advantage, especially if the players of Portuguese coach Toni Conceiçao succeed in their entry into the matter against Burkina Faso, main opponents in a group A completed by Cape Verde and Ethiopia.
Egypt owes revenge to its supporters
In the hierarchy of favorites, Algeria remains the selection most often cited to register its name on the prize list. Since the conquest of Cairo, the Fennecs have not disappointed. They still play a spectacular and offensive game, as their coach, Djamel Belmadi, has never ceased to claim since his appointment in August 2018. The Algerians, undefeated for 34 games, threaten the world record set by Italy between the October 10, 2018 and October 6, 2021.
The African champion backbone almost three years ago is still there and the resplendent form of Riyad Mahrez with Manchester City – and by extension with his selection – comes a little more to reinforce the feeling of power which emanates from the team. North African, also on the way to the 2022 World Cup.
It is also in this part of Africa that we must look for the most serious candidates for the title. Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt can legitimately nurture this ambition, with however a a priori slightly more favorable for the Atlas Lions, impressive efficiency in their six qualifying matches for the World Cup (20 goals scored).
Their coach, Vahid Halilhodzic, decided to do without the virtuoso Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea) for disciplinary reasons, but the technician has an audience of individualities (Romain Saïss, Fayçal Fajr, Ayoub El Kaabi, Nayef Aguerd, Youssef En -Nesyri…) experienced and talented enough to nurture real ambitions.
For their part, the Eagles of Carthage and the Pharaohs of Mohamed Salah, one of the best players in the world, have continued to show real consistency in their performance in recent months. And Egypt, whose last coronation dates back to 2010, owes revenge to its supporters after a disappointing CAN 2019, marked by elimination in the round of 16.
Côte d’Ivoire has no right to another failure
Further south, in addition to Cameroon, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire can also legitimately aspire to victory. Finalists in 2019, the Lions of Teranga, whose record is still blank, are still as regular and efficient, failing to excite their supporters. Their coach, Aliou Cissé, continues to face regular criticism from his detractors, who criticize him in particular for not using Sadio Mané’s talent enough. But the Senegalese has learned to live with these more or less virulent charges and has only one idea in mind: to make the Lions the fifteenth winner of the CAN.
Côte d’Ivoire (twice) and Nigeria (three times) have already experienced the intoxication of success, but these two powers of African football are advancing towards the Cameroonian CAN in a heavy internal climate. The Elephants, eliminated by Cameroon during qualifying for the World Cup, can not afford another failure.
Their French coach, Patrice Beaumelle, narrowly escaped an early dismissal and his future on the side of Abidjan depends only on the course of his players in the final phase. As for Nigeria, he considered it appropriate to separate on December 12 from Franco-German coach Gernot Rohr, guilty in the eyes of his opponents of not playing his team well enough, which he nevertheless led to all objectives. contractually fixed.
Behind this long list of favorites appear outsiders, always capable of surprising and sometimes reaching the top, such as Zambia, victorious in 2012. Mali, amazing in recent qualifying for the World Cup, Ghana, Burkina Faso , Guinea and Gabon have enough assets not to return home too quickly. Cameroon will also remember having welcomed the Comoros and Gambia, novices at this level, and witnessing the return to the continental scene of several selections (Malawi, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Sudan) after years of absence.
Group A: Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ethiopia
Group B: Senegal, Guinea, Malawi, Zimbabwe
Group C: Morocco, Ghana, Gabon, Comoros
Group D: Nigeria, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan
Group E: Algeria, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone
Group F: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Gambia
