As the Nations Cup qualifiers resume this weekend with two powerhouses of African football, Cameroon and Egypt, at the verge of missing out of the biennial showpiece. Both teams being the most successful teams in Nations Cup history,? have 11 Nations Cup between them.
Cameroon, four time champions of the Nations Cup in 1984,1988,2000 and 2002 are one of the most successful team in African football. Cameroon were also the first African team to qualify for the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Italia 1990.The last time the Indomitable Lions failed to qualify for the Nations Cup, was in 1994, in Tunisia. Cameroon led by Samuel Eto’o, the world highest paid footballer and the most decorated African player have underachieved during his captaincy. Cameroon are currently third on the table with just five points. Presently qualifications is out of their hands and they need other results to go their way in other to qualify. In the last home game against Senegal, the group leaders in a must win game were held to a goalless? draw.
Cameroon will play Mauritius today, who are at the bottom of the group with zero point and will be hoping the game between Senegal and Congo ends in a draw. A victory will give Cameroon eight points, while a draw in the other game will give Congo eight points and Senegal 11 points.With that Cameroon will be hoping on beating Congo on the last match day and hope Senegal fail to win .then Cameroon can qualify as one of the runners up. But former Cameroon international and one of Africa’s best goalkeepers of all time, Joseph-Antoine Bell has said the Indomitable Lions will not qualify for the 2012 African Cup of Nations. He based his prediction on the team’s current form and the standings of the competing groups.
The 56-year-old former Bordeaux keeper told French Radio, RFI, that Cameroon players are too often pampered and not told the truth, even when things are going wrong, and that the entire set up needs to be overhauled to guarantee some progress and good results.
“Euphemisms are often used to address the players. They are not told what is happening to them and the team. Look, we are going from bad to worse. This is a team that reached the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals before. We were absent from Germany 2006, we were the first to be kicked out of South Africa 2010, and now we are not qualifying to the finals of an AFCON coming to our backyard. We can’t build on these setbacks; we need to do some deep analysis to see where the problem lies and reconstruct the team,” he said.
While some believe there may be hope for Cameroon, the former Saint Etienne shot-stopper, who participated at three World Cup finals with the Lions, feels the four-time African champions are already out of the race.
“Cameroon is currently locked at five points. There are two groups whose second finishers have 10 points (Sudan – Group I and Tunisia – Group K). So if we want to hope for a spot as best losers, we are already out. We are not even best third or fourth losers. Anything can happen though, we might win our remaining two games, but don’t think those teams are not bracing to win or at least draw theirs too.
Meanwhile, Egypt the defending champions are at the bottom of their group with just two points. Egypt have won the last three Nations Cup making it a hat-trick of titles and are currently the most successful African team with seven Nations Cup titles but have failed to replicate their continental dominance in the World Cup just qualifying twice for the Mundial with no victories. The last time Egypt failed to qualify for the Nations Cup was in 1978. Egyptian coach, Hassan Shehata, who won the Nations Cup back to back lost his job this year due to some poor run of results. In group G, the surprise team is Niger who are second in the group with six points just two behind leaders South Africa. For Egypt to qualify, they have to win their remaining two games which is against Niger and South Africa and also hope other results go their way.
?