Afcon 2013 - Ivory Coast favourites, again

King Didier... Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba

Ivory Coast will once again be the team to beat when the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) kicks off in South Africa early next year.

The Elephants sealed their place at Africa’s showpiece event after a dramatic two-legged win over Senegal and will enter the 2013 Afcon as favourites, just as they’ve done since 2006.

However, it’s not a tag the Ivoirians have been comfortable with in the past. In each of the four tournaments since 2006 Ivory Coast’s star-studded line-up has failed to live up to lofty expectations, coming up short when it has mattered most.

In 2006 Didier Drogba and his co-stars finished runners-up to hosts Egypt. The Elephants then came fourth two years later in Ghana, made a quarterfinal exit in 2010 and were runners-up again this year.

Adding to the frustration of their ageing stars, such as Drogba, Kolo Toure and Didier Zokora, is the fact that both final defeats have come on penalties.

After outplaying Senegal to qualify, Ivory Coast again find themselves among the top seed and captain Drogba believes South Africa may be the last-chance-saloon for him and the team’s other 30-plus stars. “It is the last one for a great number of us and we will do everything possible to lift the trophy in South Africa,” Drogba says.

The former Chelsea star, now playing for Shanghai Shenhua, also has a personal motive for wanting to win the February 10 final. It was he who blazed a regular-time penalty over the bar in this year’s final defeat to Zambia.

Also in Pot 1 alongside Ivory Coast are hosts South Africa, defending champions Zambia and giants Ghana.

Pot 2 consists of Mali, Tunisia, Angola and Nigeria while Algeria, Burkina Faso, Morocco and Niger will be in Pot 3. Togo, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia make up Pot 4.

The seedings are based on results from the past three Afcon tournaments – Ghana (2008), Angola (2010), Gabon/Equatorial Guinea (2012) – and, theoretically, keep the tournament’s big guns apart. Nevertheless, there are numerous possibilities of tough groups; for example, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Morocco and Togo could be paired together.

The 2013 line-up includes nine of the 16 finalists from the 2012 edition - Zambia, Ivory Coast, Mali, Ghana, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Niger and Angola.

And more disappointment for Cameroon...

Islanders Cape Verde are the lone debutants in the competition while Ethiopia is making their first appearance at the Afcon in 37 years. Record seven-time champions Egypt and four-time title holders Cameroon are the most glaring absentees from the line-up. Both also missed the 2012 event and this time their ageing teams were eliminated by Central African Republic and Cape Verde respectively.

Johannesburg will stage the opening ceremony and ensuing double-header on January 19. The 93,000-seat Soccer City stadium will also host the final on February 10. The other 29 games divided between Durban (Moses Mabhida), Nelspruit (Mbombela), Port Elizabeth (Nelson Mandela Bay) and Rustenburg (Royal Bafokeng Stadium).

Afcon 2013 seedings

Pot 1: Ivory Coast, South Africa, Zambia, Ghana

Pot 2: Mali, Tunisia, Angola, Nigeria

Pot 3: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Niger

Pot 4: Togo, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia

2012 African Footballer of the Year nominees

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has revealed an initial list of 34 players for its 2012 African Footballer of the Year award.

Unstoppable...
Reigning African Footballer of the Year, Yaya Toure

Among the list of names is Ivory Coast and Manchester City star Yaya Toure, the reigning king of African football.

The shortlist also includes three players from African champions Zambia – captain Christopher Katongo and the TP Mazembe duo of Rainford Kalaba and Stoppila Sunzu. Kalaba and Sunzu are two of three players on the list who currently play for African clubs. The other is Tunisia trickster Youssef Msakni who is at Esperance. Msakni, however, is set to leave the African club champions having agreed to join Qatari outfit Lekhwiya in January.

The trio is also the only players to appear on both the shortlists for the African Footballer of the Year and for the African Player of the Year.

The African Footballer of the Year award is the main prize and has predominantly been won by players based outside Africa. The African Player of the Year prize is reserved for players who currently ply their trade on the African continent.

“I am very happy to be nominated because it’s not easy,” Zambia’s Kalaba said. “There are a lot of talented players in Africa and for me to have made it to both shortlists, I am very humbled and happy. The chances of winning are 50/50. I can only wait for the final decision but I think everyone has a fair chance of winning.”

Seeking to emulate King Kalu...
Zambia captain Chris Katongo

Should one of the victorious Chipolopolo players win the African Footballer of the Year award they will emulate current Football Association of Zambia (Faz) president Kalusha Bwalya, who won the inaugural prize in 1988 and remains the only recipient of the award from Southern Africa.

A total of 34 players are on the shortlist for the African Footballer of the Year, while there is a 32 man list for the African Player of the Year award.

Caf will announce the top 10 nominees for the African Footballer of the Year and the top five contenders for African footballer of the Year by the end of the month.

The names of the respective finalists for both awards will then be sent to national associations, head coaches and secretary generals to select a top-three from which the winners will be chosen.

The awards ceremony, which will also include Coach of the Year and Club of the Year, will be held on December 20 at the Banquet Hall, State House in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.

Nominees for African Player of the Year:

1. Abdelaziz Barrada - Getafe (Spain) and Morocco

2. Adel Taarabt - QPR (England) and Morocco

3. Alain Sibiri Traore - Lorient (France) and Burkina Faso

4. Alexander Song - Barcelona (Spain) and Cameroon

5. Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew - Marseille (France) and Ghana

6. Arouna Kone - Wigan (England) and Ivory Coast

7. Aymen Abdennour - Toulouse (France) and Tunisia

8. Bakaye Traore - AC Milan (Italy) and Mali

9. Cheick Tiote - Newcastle United (England) and Ivory Coast

10. Christopher Katongo - Henan Construction (China) and Zambia

11. Demba Ba - Newcastle United (England) and Senegal

12. Didier Drogba - Shanghai Shenhua (China) and Ivory Coast

13. Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu - Udinese (Italy) and Ghana

14. Emmanuel Mayuka - Southampton (England) and Zambia

New nominee... Nigeria's Victor Moses

15. Foxi Kethevoama - FC Astana (Kazakhstan) and Central African Republic

16. Gervinho - Arsenal (England) and Ivory Coast

17. Hilaire Momi - Le Mans (France) and Central African Republic

18. John Obi Mikel - Chelsea (England) and Nigeria

19. John Utaka - Montpellier (France) and Nigeria

20. Kwadwo Asamoah - Juventus (Italy) and Ghana

21. Moussa Sow - Fenerbahce (Turkey) and Senegal

22. Nicolas N’koulou - Marseille (France) and Cameroon

23. Papiss Demba Cisse - Newcastle United (England) and Senegal

24. Pape Moussa Konate - FC Krasnodar (Russia) and Senegal

25. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - St Etienne (France) and Gabon

26. Rainford Kalaba - TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Zambia

27. Seydou Doumbia - CSKA Moscow (Russia) and Ivory Coast

28. Seydou Keita - Dalian Aerbin (China) and Mali

29. Sofiane Feghouli - Valencia (Spain) and Algeria

30. Stoppila Sunzu - TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Zambia

31. Victor Moses - Chelsea (England) and Nigeria

32. Yaya Toure - Manchester City (England) and Ivory Coast

33. Younes Belhanda - Montpellier (France) and Morocco

34. Youssef Msakni - Esperance (Tunisia) and Tunisia

West Ham 1, Arsenal 3: Good win for the Gunners

Saint Santi
Cazorla celebrates his pearler

A good win today for Arsenal! Should have never lost to Chelsea last week. Dropping Mertesacker was a mistake. But it’s past now.

12 points it is, seven behind Chelsea. I still more than believe Arsenal can challenge for the Premiership title. So long as Mr. Wenger resists the temptation to play Koscielny and Vermaelen together at the back. That’s a disaster pairing.

I would also really love to see the front the three of Theo, Ox and Podolski, at least once. Podolski was superb today; as usual helping out in defence and as usual providing great delivery from the left. He’s a signing and a half.

Then Cazorla. He came into his own in the second half. I rate this guy. Highly. But I still want to see him dominate a game from the first whistle. Really put his foot down. Like Iniesta or Cesc. I know he can.

Arteta. I have nothing to say, I’d be here all night. The guy has been one of the league’s best for seven years now. He’s a truly amazing footballer and the soul of Arsenal at the moment.

Ramsey did well. He’s still a bit laid-back. Like for the West Ham goal. Football is not war for him, and to me this is a problem, because football is war. But he’s an exquisite talent; touch, smooth movement, silky skills. He did well. But he’s a front-foot player – brilliant when the team’s on top but still a bit suspect when it’s hard-knock time.

Per Mertesacker is Arsenal’s best defender. The back four of Jenkinson, Per, Vermealen and Gibbs is the one. They compliment each other and this is the most important thing. Per is a defender, so too Jenkinson.

Vermaelen is not a natural defender. But he’s athletic, committed and you need a player like him to bring out the ball of defence ala Agger, Pique, Rio, Luiz, Lucio, Ramos. You need that in the modern game.

The Boss at work
Mikel Arteta

Mannone is a better option than Szczesney to me, even if he’s a less talented keeper. Reason being Mannone loves being a keeper. He’s simple, basic in focus. And for certain positions you need that. I don’t want Picasso in goals. He'll make mistakes, yes. But I believe Mannone will get better with more games and the confidence gained. He did ok today.

As for West Ham, they played well too. Carroll was a real handful, winning almost everything in the air; he even beat Mannone! Beast. I’m a fan. And he’s good with his feet, something he doesn’t get credit for. He’d be a great fit at Arsenal… it’s not like Giroud is Usain Bolt! Sadly, I don’t see it.

With Diaby out, to me Diame is the form central midfielder in the league at the moment. great energy and even greater power, and the boy can play too, as evidenced by his goal - round Ramsey and a top corner Henry finish from a tight angle. A tremendous player. Would be a terrific signing for Arsenal or Man United.

Noble is a very tidy player too. He and Diame make a great combo in the centre of the park for West Ham. And if West Ham can keep that spine fit, Diame, Noble, Nolan, Carroll and the two centrebacks – Collins and Reid – I can see them finishing in the top 10, maybe even top eight.

West Ham's Superman...
Mohamed Diame

Jarvis and Vaz Te work really hard on the flanks and have some skill too. The fullbacks Demel and McCartney are solid. The only question mark around the Hammers might be Jussi Jaaskelainen. He seems low on confidence for some reason. He’s certainly not the Jussi from Bolton a while back. He’s quite shaky. West Ham might need to get Green back in January to help them between the sticks.

And, lastly, what does Theo need to do to get a chance at number nine for Arsenal? At least once. Hopefully that opportunity is coming soon.

Kaizer Chiefs – Reclaiming the Glory

The Gauteng Cup...
Not quite the Absa Premiership

Stuart Baxter must be a very happy man. Six games in and Kaizer Chiefs have made one of their best starts to a season and, at the moment, look undisputed favourites to be crowned champions of South Africa come next May.

It’s a massive transformation, even from where Chiefs were at the start of the season when Amakhosi were humbled 4-1 by Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 Cup.

Since then AmaZulu, the self-same Sundowns, Black Leopards, Bidvest Wits and Chippa United have been brushed aside in the league, with Amakhosi’s only blip coming in the form of a goalless draw in the Free State with Steve Komphela’s plucky Stars.

Having been present at the Loftus massacre Chiefs’ early league form represents a remarkable makeover.

On that August afternoon Chiefs were dreadful. They were overrun, out-fought and out-thought by Downs, and certainly, there were no signs of a Championship team that day.

Fast forward two months and Loftus is but a distant memory. Amakhosi are playing with a swagger not seen since the days of Ted Dumitru’s back-to-back league winning side of 2004 and 2005.

Resultantly, Chiefs are four points clear at the top of the Absa Premiership, scoring 15 goals in the process while only conceding three.

The most impressive feature of Chiefs’ start has been the regularity at which they are creating chances. For this credit goes to Baxter and the atmosphere he seems to have created at the club. There seems to be real cohesion, harmony and freedom within the team, a sea-change from the reign of Serb Vladimir Vermezovic, especially in his last days.

Master tactician... Stuart Baxter
The man tasked with Reclaiming the Glory for Kaizer Chiefs

True to his British roots Baxter has employed a standard 4-4-2 system with two out-and-out strikers and a relatively flat midfield. However, what has been notable is the system is not a rigid one. Instead Baxter has allowed his players to express themselves while also maintaining a level of discipline and shape, by no means an easy feat.

The intelligence of Baxter’s strikers has also afforded flexibility at the tip of the team allowing Chiefs to shift through variants of the 4-4-2 formation during games – on occasion shifting to five in the middle and allowing the fullbacks to overlap menacingly whenever possible.

Bernard Parker has been a revelation this season with his goals. His seven strikes in five starts is a new record. But above that, his understanding with strike partner Kingston Nkhatha has been crucial. Both have been willing to drop deep to collect the ball and build play or make runs in behind and open space, causing mayhem in the defences trying to mark them.

The flexibility of Siphiwe Tshabalala and George Lebese, for example, on the wings has also seen striking interchangeability where various players pop up in dangerous areas and make multiple runs for the man in possession. This has been the key to Chiefs’ early success because this ability to score goals has taken them to the next level.

Amakhosi have always been solid defensively. In the past six seasons they’ve ranked amongst the league’s top five teams defensively, boasting the best defence in the last two. But this season Chiefs are scoring freely as well, a combination not seen since the days of Collins Mbesuma.

Naturally, for one who’s been in the game for so long, Baxter is refusing to get dragged into talk that his team are title favourites.

“It’s too early to tell (if we are favourites). The league title is a marathon rather than a short sprint,” has been Baxter’s latest riposte.

Circumstances have also been kind to the Englishman. The forced introduction of Willard Katsande, for example, unleashed the creative potential of midfield maestro Reneilwe Letsholonyane while playing at Soccer City gives Chiefs a ‘home’.

There’ve been other fortunes as well in what’s seemed a perfect storm of a season so far for the Glamour Boys.

Focused... Bernard Parker
Kaizer Chiefs' lethal assassin...

One has been the apparent inclination of their rivals to self-destruct, to the point that, at this moment in time, there seems no team capable of truly challenging Chiefs for the title.

Two-time defending champions Orlando Pirates, like it or not, are in a rebuilding phase. Two years on from the original Treble under Ruud Krol, we are now, naturally, seeing the effects of his departure. Last season was a year in which the team could have carried itself. We’ve seen this on several occasions in sport, with Chelsea immediately after Jose Mourinho and the Springboks following the departure of Jake White – great sides can carry themselves for a certain period of time.

Now there is a new coach – Roger De Sa – at Pirates. He has come in after the start of the season which means he hasn’t had the luxury of a pre-season to properly prepare the team. He is coming in with a different philosophy to what the players have been used to and, as seen in the defeat to Bloemfontein Celtic, it will take time for it all to click. The problem, though, is Pirates have to be consistently winning games home and away in order to mount a challenge for the title, and the moment this doesn’t seem likely.

Sundowns, many people’s pre-season favourites, have even bigger problems.

Their embarrassment of riches has caused confusion, derision and complacency in a toxic cocktail. Johan Neeskens doesn’t seem to know which team to pick while rumours of players unrest have never been far from the surface at Sundowns in recent years.

Downs have made their worst-ever start to a season since the PSL was launched in 1996/97, collecting four points from six games and they look far from being title contenders. Three-time champions SuperSport, though unbeaten, are also finding it difficult to win games – five draws in six games can attest to that.

With these perennial contenders struggling, it leaves the also-rans to challenge Chiefs – University of Pretoria, Free State Stars and Moroka Swallows.

The Chiefs Dance...
Will Amakhosi be dancing come next May?

Although it’s a bit unkind to label Swallows, league runners-up last year and recent MTN8 champions, as also-rans their focus is only now being fully shifted to the league and as a result they have quite a gap to make up on Chiefs – seven points worth. Added to that, it remains to be seen whether the Birds can last the race under new coach Zeca Marques.

Nevertheless, on the face of it, Swallows seem to be Chiefs’ main competition. Their transfer policy over the past two seasons has been the league’s most prudent. They have bought established players from top teams with quality and experience who perhaps didn’t get a fair rub of the green previously. These players come to Swallows hungry and with a point to prove. This formula has so far worked wonders.

Tuks are the fairytale story of the season and with each passing week it becomes increasingly difficult to put a limit on what they can achieve. Their 5-1 demolition of Ajax in Cape Town was a stunning affirmation of their potential. Steve Barker’s side are possibly the fittest team in the league. This has been evidenced by how strong they’ve grown as games have worn on. They’ll win a fair share of matches this season. Tuks lie second in the league behind Chiefs and are unbeaten.

Free State Stars are coached by South Africa’s finest young tactician in Komphela. They are extremely difficult to beat, hence their unbeaten record and third place on the table. But they have never been involved a title chase. Just like Tuks and Swallows, they’ve never been over the finish line and that’s always a decisive factor when the season reaches its climatic stages.

It’s all on Chiefs, though. Amakhosi’s upcoming run of fixtures is not easy but, in their current form, it is definitely manageable. They face Celtic (home), Maritzburg United (away) and Golden Arrows (home) in their next three games.

The saying goes; ‘you can’t win the league in December’. But at the rate Chiefs are going they could have one hand firmly on the PSL title by the end of 2012.

Weekend Wrap: LCS send out message

After a 2-2 draw with Joy on the opening weekend of the season, LCS have subsequently sent out a strong message that they remain the team to beat with three straight wins.

Still the team to beat...
LCS midfielder Lieta Lehloka (left)

With four games gone, Masheshena have already opened up a four point gap at the top and are the only remaining unbeaten side in the Vodacom Premier League.

Their latest win came on Saturday against a floundering LMPS following on from a notable 2-1 win over Lioli in Teyateyaneng the previous weekend, and a victory over Mpharane Celtic before that.

LCS were, however, far from their best in Saturday’s 1-0 win over LMPS who are now bottom of the league and still winless. That’s the worrying thing for the rest of the league. LCS have yet to play well, even struggling at times, yet they have collected 10 points from a possible 12.

It is a trademark of LCS, winners of the last two championships, and four in the last six years. Although not many improvements were made to their squad in the off-season, adding only Likano Teele from Bantu, Masheshena still boast a team filled with international experience and the cunning needed to win a league title.

This was illustrated in the 2-1 win over Lioli in which LCS were second best for large periods, but still managed to squeeze out a win at the home of a potential title rival.

The rest of the league should be wary; once Masheshena get ahead, it’s very difficult to pull them back.

Linare and Lioli share the spoils

The big game of the weekend was undoubtedly the Great-North derby between Linare and Lioli in Hlotse yesterday. Both sides have shown signs of being title contenders and, as such, yesterday’s game was billed as on opportunity to see their credentials.

The match though didn’t quite live up to expectation, ending in a goalless draw. There was still some drama; Linare missed an early penalty while Lioli’s Motlalepula Mofolo was sent off in what is always a keenly contested match.

Though Linare will likely feel they’ve missed an opportunity, a point isn’t the worst result especially given their poor start to last season, which included a 3-0 thumping at the hands of Lioli. Lioli conversely will no doubt be pleased. The point keeps both teams in the mix and both look as though they have what it takes to remain there until the end of the season.

Title challengers?
Lioli's unmistakable fans

Matlama hoodoo over Likhopo

It seems no matter how bad Matlama are doing they always manage to beat Likhopo. That was the case on Saturday as Tse Putsoa claimed a 1-0 win over their near-rivals in what is already looking like a very unpredictable season. To say the result was unexpected would be an understatement; Matlama had looked totally out of sorts while Likhopo were 2-1 winners over Bantu in Mafeteng the week before.

Speaking of Bantu, they suffered their second consecutive defeat after coming out on the wrong end of a seven-goal thriller against Joy yesterday. The 4-3 result in Hlotse means Bantu only have three points while it was a first win of the season for Joy.

Elsewhere, LDF missed the chance to stay close to LCS playing out a 2-2 draw in Maputsoe with Nyenye Rovers, while Mpharane Celtic got their first win of the season with a 2-1 win over new boys Qoaling Highlanders.

Weekend Results

Saturday, 29 September

Joy 4-3 Bantu, Likhopo 0-1 Matlama, LCS 1-0 LMPS

Sunday, 30 September

Linare 0-0 Lioli, Nyenye Rovers 2-2 LDF, Mpharane Celtic 2-1 Qoaling Highlanders

Vodacom Premier League

		P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	LCS	4	3	1	0	7	4	3	10
2	Linare	4	2	1	1	8	4	4	7
3	LDF	4	2	1	1	6	3	3	7
4	Lioli	4	2	1	1	4	2	2	7
5	Likhopo	4	2	0	2	5	4	1	6
6	Nyenye Rovers	4	1	2	1	4	5	-1	5
7	Joy	4	1	2	1	9	11	-2	5
8	Qoaling Highlanders	4	1	1	2	5	7	-2	4
9	Matlama *	3	2	0	1	5	3	2	3
10	Bantu	3	1	0	2	6	6	0	3
11	Mpharane Celtic	4	1	0	3	4	10	-6	3
12	LMPS	4	0	1	3	0	4	-4	1

* Matlama docked 3 points