Current African nations cup champions Zambia head 10 strong contenders for this year’s tournament, but it is Ivory Coast who remain favourites to win the competition. This would be the fifth time the Ivory coast team would be tagged favourites, but questions remain as to whether they can deliver. The spotlight remains firmly focussed on Didier Drogba, Africa’s most prolific player who has won world wide acclaim in a variety of championships but has been eluded by Africa’s most prestigious title success.

The Ivory coast team has been plagued by fluctuating fortunes in the past four editions of the tournament, but there is growing speculation that Drogba’s current self belief, having won the champions league can propel his side to the desired success. Didier Drogba is not the only talisman in the Ivorian team -Yaya Toure, the reigning African footballer of the year and Wilfred Bony, top scorer in the Dutch league this season who is widely tipped as Drogba’s successor also poses real threat. 

Also posing threats, are the Ghana and Mali along with the pairing of Morocco and Algeria, who rank second behind the Ivorians. Nigeria return to the tournament with a fresh squad after missing the last edition whilst South Africa will be looking to consolidate on their home support to progress beyond the early stages of the competition. Ghana on the other hand has not won in 30 years but are expect to mount real challenge to the title despite not having their experience players. Additionally, Mali has never won, but their clever strategy to pick regular players from European teams may swing things their way during the competition.

The kick-off, for what promises to be an exciting tournament is Saturday 19th January, featuring a match between the hosts South Africa and Cape Verde who are newcomers to the tournament -a country with a population of 500, 000.

By Jerry Ladan

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