If the 2010
African Cup of Nations (CAN) has entered the psyche of the average EPL fan, it is simply because Chelsea are having to do without Didier Drogba for a month.
But the tournament is so much more than a biennial mid-season irritant for Europe’s top clubs. With the Copa America largely shorn of European-based players in recent tournaments, the CAN is now only behind the European Championships and the World Cup itself on the list of significant international football events.
A combination of the more-diverse nature of Africa itself and an intense sense of national pride among the players has given the CAN a vigour all its own.
And this was undoubtedly enhanced by the quality of the football during the 2008 event, held in Ghana. The international media were drawn to the event by the greater number of European-based players from the “big” leagues – the EPL especially. They were kept there by some terrific matches, stunning goals and a tournament eventually won by the most adventurous, rather than the most cynical, team.
It isn’t too simplistic to portray a clash of styles between the North African nations, such as reigning champions Egypt, and the sub-Saharan nations, most obviously exemplified at the moment by Cote d’Ivoire. Indeed, those two nations produced a wonderful semi-final in 2008.
The fierce national pride that will be on show over the coming weeks is no surprise, given the number of fledgling nations among the sixteen qualifiers. Indeed, only three of this tournament’s participants were independent nations at all when Egypt won the first African Cup of Nations title in 1957.
Egypt’s presence as defending champions lends the tournament a certain dynamism after their elimination from the FIFA World Cup at the play-off stages. The Egyptians’ desire to show the world what it will be missing in the summer will no doubt drive them on.
Ultimately, though, with sides such as Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon and Egypt’s World Cup conquerors, Algeria, taking part, the football itself promises to be of high quality.
Even the hosts, Angola, proved a surprise package in 2008 and should be capable of reaching the later stages of the tournament, often so vital to a tournament’s success, as Ghana ably demonstrated two years ago.
The 2008 tournament was enough to keep keen football fans house-bound for the best part of a month. This tournament promises to do the same.
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