EGYPT 4-0 ALGERIA-IFN Match report

Egypt are through to the finals of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations which takes place in Angola after thrashing indescipline Algeria four goals to nil.

Hosny opened the score sheet in the 39 minute through a controversial penalty after Haliche fouled Egyptian striker into the panalty box.

In the 41 minute Haliche was sent off after receiving second yellow card due to his bad reactions on referees penalty decission.

The second goal came in the 65 minute after Mohammed Zidan made a fabulous strike to make a 74km/h run shot from 34 metres to keep the score line at 2-0.

A subsitute Abdelshelf had also his brilliant goal in just 20 minutes to the regular time to confirm the burial ceremony of Desert Foxes as they were now down to three goals to nil.

Five minutes after the third goal Algeria goalkeeper, Chaochi was also sent off after deliberately fouling Abdelshelf in the penalty box and the goal line was occupied by Zemmanouche who subsituted Ghezel in the 70 minute.

Gedo sealed the four nil victory with his fanatic finish in just 30 seconds to the final whistle and he found himself in acres of room and slots home to become the tournament's leading scorer, with four goals, without having started a match.

Egypt now will play Ghana in the finals on Sunday and the third place between Algeria and Nigeria will be on Saturday.

If Egypt win Sunday's game, it is likely that they will be the first team in Africa to win the cup three times consecutively.

GHANA 1-0 NIGERIA-IFN MATCH REPORT

The Black Stars of Ghana have finally qualified into the finals of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola after beating Nigeria by one goal to nil.

Ghana scored in the 20th minutes into the first half through Asamoah Gyan who is now a hero in Accra after also scoring another goal which made them to reach into the semifinals last week against Burkina Faso.

Nigeria could have responded in the 60 minutes into the second half when Obafeni Martins made a fabulous shot but Kingston made a brilliant save to leave the score line at a reasonable 1-0.

The Super Eagle forced their arch rivals to play in the backyard when they exchanged good passes although at last did not yield anything.

Yakubu would have scored another goal in 71th minute after receiving a good cross from Obasi but unfortunately he was ruled offside.

Ghana made several counter attacks but their shots were slow and were off target.

In the 75th minute Yakubu who came as a subsitute replacing Odemwinge in 70th minute claimed a penalty when he was fouled into the penalty yard box but the South African referee stretched his hands forward saying 'play on'.

With no doubt, Kingston, the Ghana's goalkeeper will claim man of the match as he made good and nice brilliat saves which were coming like lightning from Super Eagles side.
Few minutes after the game, Nigeria captain Peter Odemwingie said that Ghana played well and deserved the victory

"I think we have used all the luck we had so far in this tournament. Ghana deserved the victory they played very well. We played as individuals not as a team and I think we need more tactical flexibility than to play 4-3-3 all the time. We need to play more attacking football. We played with one striker and it did not help us and we did not get a lot of chances. We could have played much better," he told the BBC.

The Black Stars goal score Gyan it is appreciable for him and the players because this is time they have been waiting for since 1992 hwen they reached into finals.

"It's very very appreciable for me and the players because it's been a while since the last time we qualified for the final in 1992 so this is a moment we were all hoping for. All the expectation was on me as I'm the leading striker and I needed to score but that is what I did. We are ready now to play any country at all. We are disciplined and we don't fear anyone at all."

Right now Ghana is expected to play the winner between Algeria and Egypt game which kicks off few hours from now.

Egypt vs Algeria-IFN Match Preview

Matches between Algeria and Egypt are always difficult to predict. When these two teams meet only ordinary supporters suffers as they are always games of high apprehension.

If we can depend on history and statistics, we can conclude that Algeria have won more games against  Egypt in their previous matches including World Cup qualifiers games where Algeria booted out the Pharaohs after playing thrice.

Algeria will be playing their first semifinal match since 1990 and it is likely that they will not lose this chance as they want also to send more warnings to their fellow world cup bonds.

Egypt is only unbeaten team in this tournament and it is one of the title favourites. They beat Cameroon in their quarter final match-thanks three goals from Mohammed Hassan who was registering his 170 international caps.

On his part Egypt striker Muhammed Zidane said today's game is a matter of life and death and this will be a war for both teams.

 "For both sides this will be a war. This is a matter of life and death," he told telegraph sport website.

Before the World Cup qualifier, Algeria bus was stoned in Cairo that every window in the bus was shattered and footage of shocked Algerian players streaming blood was broadcast all over the world. 

 Egyptians will be seeking their seventh AFCON title, and their last win was in 2008 in Ghana when they thrashed Cameroon-thanks to Cameroon defender mistake.

Ghana Vs Nigeria-IFN Match Preview

Ghana and Nigeria reached into semifinals by God's intervention after having a difficult start.

With the injury problems that have affected Rajevac's orchestra,  undoubtedly he has no option but to feature more under 20 squad in today’s game.

 Michael Essien is out for two weeks and is likely not going to play in today's game.

Nigeria’s last performance was not good although they crushed Zambia by 5-4 in post match penalties-thanks to Enyeama for  brilliant save. It is probably that they will not repeat the same mistakes against their rivals.

Milovan Ravejac says the rivalry between both teams have not lost in him and he said they have to be cautious in the game.

“We have to be cautious in the game and execute our strategy with the needed perfection," was quoted by ghanafa.org website.

Despite Nigeria's poor performance against Zambia last week, Rajevac says he expects a different approach from the Super Eagles, who are skippered by Yakubu and he can not also conclude that they will repeat the same mistakes.

“Though they (Nigeria) did not play so well in the game against Zambia, it will be a big mistake to conclude that they will repeat the same performance in the next game against Ghana,” Rajevac said.

"Nigeria is an experienced team and the match will be tough because it is a semifinal," he added.
 

Being without defender Onyekachi Apam, due to suspension, it is likely that Shaibu Amodu  will feature new faces in Today's game.

"There will be a need to introduce fresh legs," Amodu said.

"Unlike Ghana, we went through 120 minutes and penalties on Monday and we spent the whole of Tuesday travelling from Lubango to Luanda, and we just have to counter that.

"Yet if we get our house in order, there will be no problems. We need to sharpen our attack and stabilize the midfield, these were our greatest worries against Zambia. I have looked at my bench, we have some depth in defence. I need to introduce two or three fresh legs."

In another head-to head match is between world cup bonds, Algeria and defending champions Egypt which kicks off at 20:30 CAT.

Referees Of the 2010 Afcon Semi-final matches

Check the referees of the semi-final matches:

GHANA - NIGERIA


Referee: Daniel Benett (South Africa)

First assistant: Molefe Enock (South Africa)

Second assistant: Hassani Bechir (Tunisia)

Fourth referee: Djaoupe Kokou (Togo)


ALGERIA - EGYPT


Referee: Codjia Koffi (Benin)

First assistant: Gahungu Desire (Burundi)

Second assistant: Chichenga Kenneth (Zambia)

Fourth referee: Hélder Martins de Carvalho (Angola)

“I did not learn anything from Angola,” says Peter Mponda

Malawi national football team captain, Peter Mponda who led the squad to Angola 2010 Africa Cup of Nations yesterday said he did not learn anything from the competition.

His remarks comes barely two weeks after he announced his retirement from international football matches..

 “Nothing I have learnt from Angola. What I only saw that in Malawi we have talent and (if we continue) we can go far,”  said Mponda.

When asked why he came up with the decision of retirement Mponda said he has done his part and its time to give chance to the new blood.

“Ummm! honestly I feel [like] I have done my part. I have run my race and I just thank God for the time he gave me with the flames,” he added.

On his future plans after retirement from international football, Mponda said “ I will concentrate on club football.”

Some  flames fans condemned the captain due to dim-witted mistakes which led the team to concede more goals. But on answering to this question the Flames skipper said:

“That is there take. I am the first captain from Malawi to get a victory in Africa Cup of Nations finals and teams want me cause of the football I played in Angola. So I won’t be moved with what people say.” 

“They pay their DSTVs to watch football [so] they have the right to say what they want,” he added.

So when asked how if the Malawi coach, ask him to change his mind and continue to play in the team ,Mponda said he has already made his part and he can not change his mind.

“I am sorry I do not work on what if. Lets say what if we won against Angola- the thing is

I have done my part. I  said I want to take the team to Angola and  I just did that. It is the time [for new blood ] to lead the flames,” Mponda said.

Mponda who also plays for Black Leopards in South Africa said things are going well with his club.

“They are promising. I hope and pray that next year I will be in Premier Soccer League (PSL),” he concluded.

We Did Not Lose Against a Better Team, but Against Nigeria-says Zambia coach.

Herve Renard  Zambia coach said he can  not say that they have lost to a better team but to Nigeria which only that is a strong team and qualified for World Cup South Africa.

Renard was reacting after his team  was booted out by Nigeria in the ongoing 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.

“Tonight we did not lose against a better team, but against Nigeria, which is a strong team and qualified for the World Cup. I'm very proud of my players. Congratulations to Nigeria, I wish them the best for the semi-finals,” he was quoted on cafonline.com website.

 “Our strategy was good, but unfortunately we did not score. We missed chances but no problem: Zambians can be very proud of their team. I am very satisfied with the play of the team, I can not blame my players, who played very well and dominated the game,” he added.

Nigeria waited for 120 minutes and five penalties for them to qualify for the Semi finals.

In the first 45 minutes it was difficult to separate the two sides as the score sheet was zero-zero.

Both sides failed to score goals in the second forty five minutes which led the match to reach into extra time.

Zambians took control of the match subjecting the Nigerians to fretful situations, but they failed to capitalize their chances due to their poor marksmanship which led them to miss more scoring opportunities.

 In the extra time it ended also with no goals and the game was forced into penalties where, the Nigerians converted their five penalties while the fourth Zambian kick taken by Nyirenda, was simply saved by Nigerian goalkeeper, Enyama to surrender the match to Super Eagles .

On his remarks after the game Shuaibu Amodu  Nigeria coach said he was worried during the game specially with reputation of his team.

“I was worried about the reputation of Nigeria, not for my position: it was not good to be eliminated again at the quarter-final (as in 2008).

“We had to overcome this obstacle, because Zambia is a very good team, attacking and defending together. I told my players that this would be one of our toughest matches. Since the first day, we said we had a team that could win the tournament. I know I have players who can do it.”

“Today, we have not played too well but it was good to speak as a team. It is not the best right now, but getting better all the time, and within five months we will be much better,” he added.

So the game ended 5-4 in post match penalties favouring Nigeria who are expected to play their semifinal match against Black Stars of Ghana.

ABEDI ‘PELE’ AYEW SALUTES ASAMOAH GYAN.

Abedi   'Pele' Ayew who collected Nations Cup winners medal with Ghana as a teenager in Libya 28 years ago, congratulated Asamoah Gyan for his fabulous goal which made the Black Stars into semifinals of the 2010 Afcon.

Gyan scored the only goal 16 minutes into the first half against the Angola on Sunday in quarter final match which took place in Luanda, Angola.

"I said before the match that if striker Asamoah Gyan was in good shape Ghana would win,"  he was quoted in ghanasoccernet website.

The four-time champions  reached into the semi-final stage despite lacking six injured first-choices, including Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien. But ‘Pele’  applauded the Black Stars coach for his effort which led them to reach into the semi finals.

"Many coaches would complain about their bad luck, but Milovan opted for youth, including 10 players aged under 21, and his policy has paid rich dividends.

"He and his fellow coaches did their homework well. They knew Angola striker Flavio Amado was a major aerial threat so they prevented the home team from making too many crosses.

"Ghana allowed Angola plenty of possession until they crossed the centre circle, then closed them down quickly with biting tackles and blocked the ball going wide.

"Milovan has a young team who are willing to learn, play a compact game and can counterattack swiftly and dangerously. The team fought all the way and now it is mission accomplished," said 'Pele'.

Impressive young Black Stars thrashed Burkina faso by a goal to nil to reach the promised land and they are expected to play the winner of the today’s match between Zambia and Nigeria..

In other games, Ivory coast were booted out from the competition after being defeated by their fellow world cup bond, Desert Foxes of Algeria.

Kalou is Confidence that his Team can Beat Algeria

Cote Divoire star, Salomon Kalou said he is confidence and that it is up to them to  show the world that they are strongest team.

Kalou said this ahead of the quarter final match against Algeria at the Chiasi Stadium in Cabinda, where the two sides are fighting for the semi final spot.

But although he is confidence that his team can beat Algeria he did not hold his words to say that Algeria is a good team and that they respect them as both teams qualified for 2010 World Cup South Africa.

 “Definitely. Algeria has a good team. We respect them, they did not get to this stage by chance, and like us, they will be in South Africa in June,” he told cafonline in an exclusive interview.

“ We have prepared well to get over this hurdle. We put to good use the nine days of rest between our last match against Ghana and tomorrow’s match. We rested enough to be able to start on a good footing »

He further told the website that now it is time for him and his team to prove to the world about how their strongest side is.

Kalou said: “ We have learnt to live with it. The world awaits us and it is up to us to prove that we are indeed the strongest team here.”

When asked about his  estimation, on the characteristics of the Algerian team , Kalou said:

“First and foremost it is a very solid team. We watched their two matches against Egypt and the Algerians came out as a collective force so we have to beware of them. We know that their force can be found in their organizational ability, and strength of their defence. They are also masters of counter attack, so we must watch out.”

“ I know some players like Ziani, the captain Mansouri and the two players of Portsmouth, Belhadj et Yebda ,” he added.

In his conclusion remarks Chelsea attacker admitted that he is not underrating Algeria as they may cause some surprises for the elephants.

“In football everything is possible. But if we have a good day, and we develop our collective play, I believe there will be no problem,” he said.

This game is very important for both teams as all teams are using it as appetizer for World Cup.

Source: ghanafa.org

MALAWI 1-3 MALI -MATCH REPORT

Malawi national football team suffered a painfull 3-1 loss against hungry Mali at Camnida's Chiazi Stadium in the ongoing 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Tournament in Angola.

Fredric Kanoute and Seydou Keita separated the two sides in early three minutes into the game due to poor Flames defence and poor goal keeping for Swadick Sanudi.

The first half ended two nil in favour of Mali but Malawi got an equaliser in the 57th minute through Russsel Mafuliwa.

From there Malawi seemed to have dominated the most of the game but Russel Maluriwa missed alot of clear chances which would have led Malawi to sneak into the Afcon  quarter finals for the first  in their football history.

Mali's Mamadou Bagayoko sealed the victory in just six minutes to the final whistle before Russel missing a  clear chance in injury time.

This results shows that both these two teams are out of the competetion if Algeria wins against Angola.

Malawi Eyeing For Their First Quarter Final Spot

The Malawi national football team, The Flames are eyeing for their first quarterfinal spot in their final Group A game as they face Mali in a battle field, Cambinda Today.

 After suffering a crushing 2-0 defeat to the Angola last week, the Flames have vowed to bounce back and show Mali what a southern football is really like. If Flames  win this game will completely put Kinnah Phiri’s orchestra back on track for a second win and lead the Group A.

Malawi’s lose Against Angola's Black Antelopes on Thursday last week, was described as due to the hostile crowd and they were psychologically affected with treatment they received when they were not allowed to use the ground which their opponents used for training.

But today I think Peter Mponda’s teammates will have to deliver the perfect game to avoid a backdoor exit and they will make sure not to repeat same mistakes as they did against Angola.

Malawi started well early in the tournament with a crushing 3-0 win to the Desert Foxes of Algeria who are facing Angola today.

Kinnah Phiri is likely to feature a different team which will have a fighting spirit as this is a must win game for them and they want to prove that they are not underdogs or minnows any more.

Malawi went to Afcon tournament with a record of one win and a draw but they beaten Mozambique and drew with world cup bond, Ghana and Egypt in their preparations campaign.

FROM UNDERDOGS TO GROUP A LEADERS

In the recent Africa Cup of Nations, many people were taking Malawi as a potential place where every team could go and get three free points. But with the way things happened on Monday against Desert Foxes of Algeria, we saw Malawi who were called minnows being leaders of the Group A with a clean sheet of 3 goals to nil against world cup bond.

I know that Malawi’s last weekend’s pretentious and extremely unexpected display against the Desert Foxes; the whole world was shocked to see the flames kicking a ball in a simple and confidence manner.

But what many people doesn’t know that respect in football is needed, you can not just judge a book by its cover and names does not play but your fighting spirit and prayers sends you to success.

I fallen in laughter when I heard that Algeria coach was saying hot weather was their reason to defeat. So I asked myself that between Malawi and Algeria who could be complaining about the weather? We all know that Algerians come from desert where it is always hot and Malawi does not hot compared to Algeria.

Malawi being without many European-based players does not mean that they cannot cause surprises-they beat Egypt, DRC and Guinea in Malawi before holding Ivory Coast at Kamuzu stadium.

In their preparation campaign, they finished with unbeaten record in all friendly matches where they thrashed Mozambique at their home yard and drew with Egypt and Ghana.

What people should know is that the world has changed in terms of everything including football. Who thought Mali could come back and score four goals in just 11 minutes?

In additional, people were also surprised with what happened in Luanda where Flames were denied by Angola officials to train at 11 November Stadium. This type of tendency is not good, as we would expect every team to receive equal opportunity regardless where they are coming from.

Another thing people must know is that, this year’s tournament is different with the previous ones when people were wining games using statistics and history. These year’s teams are playing with confidence without looking whom they are playing with.

Today’s game is important to all teams, as that will determine who will proceed into the quarterfinals.  I know Angola have advantage as they will have over 40,000 supporters to push them through but if Malawi plays the way they played against Algeria, another unimaginable catastrophe will happen.

They are topping the Group A with three points and three goals that if they maintain their fighting spirit, Angola will be burnt into ashes at their own home yard.

Malawian Injured Players Have been Declared Fit

It is good for all Flames supporters that all players who collected minor injuries on Monday in a match against Algeria are now fit.

Garry Chirwa who is in Angola told Marshall Dyton, a freelance football reporter that everything is good and no much for Malawians to worry about.

" Swadic, Esau, Dave Banda and Russell who suffered knocks during the game against Algeria, have been declared fit, currently there is no much happening here," Chirwa said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile Malawi who are Group A leaders, are expected to play their second game tomorrow against Angola.

"This defeat should be used as a lesson," says Algeria defender

Samir Zaoui, Algeria's international defender says they don't want to repeat the mistake they made on Monday in their opening match of the 27th Africa Cup of Nations where they were thrashed 3-0 by hungry Malawians.

Zaoui said this painful defeat should be used as a lesson and that they should not give up.

"This defeat has to be used as a lesson for the rest of the tournament. We mustn't give in, for this is only our first match in the competition. We must quickly focus on the next match against Mali to bounce back in this group (A),"  Samir Zaoui quoted by Algeria News Agency website.

Malawi who were regarded as minnows by some soccer analysts sent a warning to the world that they are really serious contenders who can beat any team and proved that respect is really needed in football.

Meanwhile some soccer Malawian fans are still in the streets celebrating Flame's sweet victory.

Malawi's next game will be on Thursday against Angola.

MALAWI 3-0 ALGERIA-MATCH REPORT

Malawi have convicingly beaten Algeria three goals in Africa Cup of Nations Cup tournament in Angola.

Russell Mafulirwa scored the first goal in just 15 minutes in the first half before Elvis Kafoteka's fabulous shot which converted into a superb goal in 37 minutes. So first half ended 2-0 in favour of Flames.

Devie Banda added the third goal in just five minutes in the second half keeping the score sheet at a reasonable 3-0.

Algeria could have scored more goals but missed many clear chances that have left them in unblievable situation.

Several people were underarting Malawians but they have proved that they are really serious contenders who can cause many suprises throughout the tournament. 

LIVE MALAWI VS ALGERIA MATCH UPDATES

Malawi have started well here in Luanda, Angola with a dramatic 2-0 lead in the first half. Russel Mafulirwa scored the first goal in 15 minutes before Elvis Kafoteka netting a second one in 37 minutes.

So is halftime here with Malawi 2- 0Algeria


Devie Banda, turning 360 and scoring the third goal in just one minute of the second half. So is Malawi 3-Algeria 0.


Swadick Sanudi faces minor injury.


Is now back into the pitch


Malawi 3-0Algeria-final whistle

Didier Drogba 'Not Ready' To Play In Africa Cup Of Nations

Following the incident that happened in Cambinda, Angola last week-where Togolese team was attacked by rebels, Chelsea and Ivory coast Star is reported not ready to play in AFCON.

Togo and Manchester City skipper Emmanuel Adebayor is said to have taken a long conversation with Drogba about the incident which left him  in fragile mental state  over continuing to play in the tournament.

"There was a long discussion between Drogba and Adebayor.


"Drogba said he was fully aware of the psychological state that the Togo squad was in, and he too was not ready to play in this African Nations Cup," Alaixys Romao is quoted in The Independent.

Romao also said that reaction would have been different if a bigger footballing nation had been the subject of the attack.

"If it had been Ivory Coast or Cameroon, or if [Samuel] Eto'o or Drogba had taken a bullet, the competition would have been stopped immediately," he added.

Angola 4-4 Mali

Mali fought back to draw 4-4 with hosts in opening match in group A. Mali were down by four goals to nil but produced one of the biggest combacks in the African football history to score four goals from behind.


More to come. 

Reporting from Luanda, Angola by Mobile Phone 

Press release By Angola Gvt Over terrorist attack against the national team of Togo

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister of the Republic of Angola and Coordinator of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee of the COCAN (Organizing Committee of the CAN 2010), Engineer Paulo Kassoma, received today in a session in Cidade Alta, the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Mr. Issa Hayatou, where he provided information about the Orange Africa Cup of Nations – Angola 2010, which is running smoothly.

The Prime Minister informed Issa Hayatou in private about yesterday’s occurrence in Cabinda, where the national team of Togo was attacked by terrorists. However, Kassoma ensured that all safety conditions for the tournament are created.

The Chief of the Government of Angola considered the event in Cabinda as an isolated event, and stressed that the safety of Togo and of the other teams is ensured as well as the medical support to the victims.

Paulo Kassoma tranquilized the President of the CAF, informing that the Government is providing total support and sympathy to the entire Togolese Delegation."

SOURCE: cocan2010

Who Are Contenders, Upsetters And The Absents In Angola AFCON?

The time we have been waiting for is around the nose. Preparations have been done. Speeches have been made. But who Are Contenders, Upsetters And The Absents in this tournament?

Now lets start with:

 CONTENDERS 

 Ivory Coast can be a threat in Angola. With the likes of Didier Drogba, Solomon Kalou, Yaya Toure and Eboue to mention a few are key players to claim the championship. Nobody can argue that Drogba is now Africa's best player. He is top scorer in his England Club (Chelsea) and he is Elephants' rescuer. Vahid Halilodzic squad have never won the cup since 1992 in Senegal where they beat  Ghana 11-10 in post-match penalties.

Cameroon who have won the cup four times and the 2008 finalists are also title favourites. I hope The Lions will be starting where they stopped in 2008 with fresh minds.

With the likes of Samuel Eto'o, Alexander Song , Andre Bikey, Gilles Binya, Geremi are some of the giants who could cause surprises. Paul Le Guen is in no doubt to let the Inter Milan star to lead the squad.

 Another threat contender is Egypt, who have crowned the championship for six times and they are defending champions. They beat Cameroon in 2008 and with no doubt they are eyeing for their seventh successful title. The squad is almost the same as the one that was crowned Kings of African football in 2006 and 2008.Hassan Shehata is under pressure after failing to qualify for the World cup and his men are up for the challenge.

UPSETTERS

Algeria dropped off the face of the football world after winning AFCON in 1990. They have qualified for world cup after beating Egypt and no wonder the The Desert Foxes will claim the top spot in tough Group A where they are alongside Malawi, Angola and Mali.

Angola, the hosts have advantage as home fans will be pushing them through. The Palancas Negras, who reached the quarter finals in 2008, will try to make sure that they should come out in preliminary stage.

Malawians, the underdogs who have qualified with bad record of one win and catastrophic lose of Guinea in Cote d’voire may also claim the third position in this Group. Their preparation campaign have been successful-they have beaten  Mozambique and draw with Egypt and Ghana. Joseph Kamwendo could be the main star in Malawi’s squad.

THE ABSENTS

It is sad that some of the Africa’ top players have failed to make it in Angola. Benny McCarthy, Steven Pienaar  of the World Cup host South Africa  will be missed in Angola after they failed to book their place in Luanda.  

 Senegal, who reached the final in 2002, have also failed to make it. Which means there is no more Mamadou Niang, Issiar Dia, and Edouard Cissé in Angola.

Morocco,  didn’t make it despite having players of the calibre of Chamakh, Hadji or El Hamdaoui, due to a defective consistency .

Feindouno and Mansaré’s Guinea or the Democratic Republic of the Congo despite Nonda, Lua Lua are some other usual customers who didn’t reach the group stage.

There are other stars who although their countries made it, some of them have not. Ivory Coast midfielder Romaric who had a came to blows with his coach or Egyptians Zaki, Mido and Aboutreika, who have been lacking fitness with their national side, are some of the squad who are missed in Angola.

Milovan Rajevac has opted to drop Inter’s Muntari and captain Muntari who joined injured Paintsil and Mensah from the Ghana squad. These are due to  injury or  lack of form.

Malawi have also dropped Fisher Kondowe due to his indiscipline. The Flames winger failed to make it for the first time in his football career.

Joseph Kamwendo Advise Ghana Football Association Not To Think Twice

The down-to-earth  Orlando Pirates and Malawi national football team midfielder has advised Ghana Football Association not turn down their decision of  setting up their senior squad’s pre-World Cup camp in Swaziland.

Kamwendo told ghanasoccernet in an exclusive interview after Tuesday's friendly match at the Mavuso Sports Centre in Swaziland.

The football star who was applauded by the Swaziland's local fans in Tuesday's game said  Swaziland has all the facilities and hotels to host a country of Ghana’s caliber prior to the World Cup.

Kamwendo said: "I was totally amazed with the brilliant facilities and hotels Swaziland has. If I were in the Ghana Football Association, I would not hesitate to set up pre-World Cup camp in this country for their national team.

The stadium we used for the game (on Tuesday) was top notch although the state of the pitch needs some improvement.

The hotels actually rank amongst the best in the world and Swaziland is basically a good place to camp prior to a big tournament like the World Cup because people here are friendly, and very hospitable.”

He also said he will think of taking his family to Swaziland since he knows now that he has so many fans there.

“I’ve really enjoyed my stay in Swaziland and I was amazed that I have a lot of fans in this country.

I do hope the Ghana FA will seriously considers the offer to bring their squad to this country prior to the World Cup,” he said.


Meanwhile Malawi will be leaving today for Luanda Angola after spending one night in Johannesburg.

Algeria Nation Team Leaves For Angola

The 'Desert Foxes' have this morning flown from Marseilles to the Angolan capital, Luanda, ahead of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournament which is expected to start on Sunday at exactly 20:00hrs local time.

The delegation, which is  headed by Algerian FA Chairman Mohamed Raouraoua, has comprised of 23 players, the technical, medical and administrative staffs,. They are supposed to get down to work at around 6:00 p.m.

They will play Malawi on Monday January 11.

The picture from faf.dz website shows the departure of the national team.

Four Malawian Journalists To Cover Angola AFCON Tournament

Four journalist who were sponsored by Ilovo Sugar Company are expected to leave for Angola on Thursday to cover the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournament which starts on Sunday, January 10 in Luanda.

They will spend one night in Johannesburg before flying out for Angola the following day.
The four journalists namely, Chisomo Mwamadi of Televison Malawi, Garry Chirwa of National Publications Limited, Peter Fote of Malawi Broadcasting Corporation and Danken Mulanjira of Blantyre News Limited are the beneficiaries of the sponsorship.

Ilovo sugar Marketing Manager, Rhyms Davies said they decided to sponsor journalists in order to eneable Malawians to get full and up to date coverage of the Africa Cup of Nations games.

"It is important for us to sponsor these media houses inorder to enable Malawians to get full and up to date coverage of the tournament." Davies told the local public television, Tvm.

Sponsorship is limited for the air tickets only and journalists are advised to serve themselves in Angola.

Hubert Velud Says His Relay Is On Emanuel Adebayor

Togo national team coach, Hubert Velud, said that his relay on the ground is Emanuel Adebayor. The hawks mentor said this when he visited the French radio station RMC last Monday,according CAFonline.
  
“This is my main relay. It enforces rigor and discipline. He expends energy to make it work. It is fully participating. For a coach, it\'s happiness. He makes it easy. I only look at pitch management. It deals with the life of the group. It is a perfect balance," Hubert Velud said. 

The Mancity striker already joined the teams in Congo whee they are camping.



Togo is expected to play Ghana in their opening match on January 11.

Boualem Laroum: 'Algeria Can Beat Malawi'

Football technician Boualem Laroum, who was asigned by national coach Saadane to supervise Desert Foxes' opponents at the African Cup of Nations said there is nothing to stop them to beat Malawi.

"We can overcome the pitfalls of Malawi which, in spite of its modern football," as it has heavy midfield players with an absence of footballers able to make the difference on the individual level,"he told Radio Algeria international.

Meanwhile Algeria coach,Saadane told Algeria Press Agency website that he has made everything possible to come up with good results in Angola as this has crowned by a duly deserved qualification to South African 2010 World Cup.

"I have a mission that I am keen to accomplish until the end and also targets to reach with the whole team, I am still in my office and in no moment the idea of resigning did cross my mind," the Algerian coach declared, regretting the flood of "unfounded and fallacious" news reporting he quits the Algerian team. I am still in office and I have a short-term mission. I will not quit. In contrary, I am extremely excited to pursue my work until the end."

Algeria are scheduled to play Malawi on January 11 in Luanda, Southern Angola.

MALAWI TO USE OLD UNIFORMS IN ANGOLA

Malawi national football team, The Flames, will use the old uniform after Adidas, Sports wear manufacturer turned down FAM's request to produce a new kit for the flames which would accommodate all the country's flag colours (black, red and green).

Flames were using red and white uniforms which makes it difficult to identify them a Malawi national side.

Football Association of Malawi requested the new uniform to use it at Africa Cup of Nations tournament which kicks off this Sunday in Luanda at 20.00 hrs local time.

FAM president, Walter Nyamilandu told The Nation Sport that Adidas are restricted by the contract they signed with Fifa-which allows them to supply two-colour uniforms only.

Nyamilanu said: "They, therefore, said they could not come up with a special design tailor- made for the Flames.
"The other reason they gave, was that we made the request at short notice but that is not our fault because we only qualified in November last year."

Meanwhile Malawi is expected to arrive in Angola on Thursday from Swaziland after playing their last friendly match against Ghana which ended nil-nil last night.

They are expected to play Algeria on Monday in their opeNing match.