[ 2011-10-30 ]

Kind Cup of Nations draw for Ghana, I. Coast
MALABO, Equatorial Guinea (AFP) - The chances of
co-favourites Ghana or Ivory Coast winning the
2012 Africa Cup of Nations rose Saturday after a
kind first-round draw for both countries.

Former champions Ivory Coast got Angola, Burkina
Faso and Sudan in Malabo-based Group B while
four-time winners Ghana tackle Guinea, Malawi and
surprise qualifiers Botswana in Franceville-based
Group D.

Co-hosts Gabon were out of luck in Group C as they
were lumped with potentially powerful North
African contenders Morocco and Tunisia plus Niger,
shock winners of an elimination group that
included defending champions Egypt.

Equatorial Guinea, at 41 in Africa by far the
lowest ranked team but among the top seeds as
co-hosts, come up against two former runners-up in
Zambia and Senegal plus sentimental favourites
Libya.

The Libyans reached the tournament despite a civil
war raging in the country which compelled them to
play two of their three home matches in Mali and
Egypt, but they squeezed through as one of the
best two runners-up.

Equatorial Guinea and Libya will kick off the
three-week tournament on January 21 in the
mainland city of Bata followed by a late-evening
showdown between Senegal and Zambia.

Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa
were notable absentees from the draw made by
Confederation of African Football
secretary-general Hicham El Amrani for the first
time.

All failed to qualify despite being ranked among
the top 10 football nations on tne continent, all
bar the Pharaohs qualified for the World Cup last
year, and between them the quintet have won 15 of
the 27 previous tournaments.

Although the tournament is almost three months
away, many African pundits have already decided
that the February 12 Libreville final will pit
Ivory Coast against Ghana in a West African
showdown.

The Ivorian Elephants top the African rankings and
the Ghanaian Black Stars are third and they boast
line-ups packed with Europe-based stars like
Didier Drogba and Andre Ayew.

Both nations have come close in the past decade
with Ivory Coast losing on penalties to hosts
Egypt in 2006 and Ghana conceding a late winner to
the Pharaohs in the 2010 Luanda climax.

Ghana lifted the Cup of Nations four times, but
the last triumph was in Tripoli 29 years ago,
while the lone Ivory Coast success came 19 years
ago in Dakar after a marathon penalty shoot-out
with the Black Stars.

2012 Africa Cup of Nations draw

Group A (Bata)
Equatorial Guinea, Zambia, Senegal, Libya

Group B (Malabo)
Ivory Coast, Angola, Burkina Faso, Sudan

Group C (Libreville)
Gabon, Tunisia, Morocco, Niger

Group D (Franceville)
Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Botswana

Note: Group winners and runners-up after
single-round mini-leagues qualify for
quarter-finals

© 2011 AFP

Source - AFP

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