Twenty African teams were drawn in five well balanced groups for the third round of the Africa 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at the FIFA Headquarters in Zurich Switzerland on Wednesday 22 October.   

The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Secretary General Mustapha Fahmy and the 2010 World Cup Local Organising Committee Chief Executive Danny Jordaan presided over the eagerly awaited draw. The fives Groups are as follows: 

Group A: Togo, Cameroon Morocco, Gabon.

Group B: Mozambique, Nigeria, Kenya, Tunisia.

Group C: Rwanda, Algeria, Egypt, Zambia.

Group D: Ghana, Benin, Sudan, Mali.

Group E: Guinea, Malawi, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire 

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the draw is that it does not present what in the past was described as a ‘Group of Death’. This will spice up the contest with every side keen to compete at the 2010 World Cup.  “We are witnessing a significant improvement in African football. The gap between the very best teams in Africa and the rest is rapidly closing. This accounts for the groups being well balanced,” Fahmy noted. There is some truth in this assertion. 

For starters Angola who competed in the 2006 World Cup in Germany failed to make the cut. The 2002 World Cup campaigners Senegal and South Africa, along with the Democratic Republic of Congo who have been regulars at the Africa Cup of Nations fell by the wayside in this contest which doubles up as the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.  

Simultaneously, a crop of vastly improved teams namely Burkina Faso, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi and Mozambique earned their place in this final lap in the race to the 2010 World Cup. These facts should keep the continent’s top seeds on their toes. Cameroon, Africa champions Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote d’Ivoire are well advised not to take their opponents for granted.  

The winner in each group will join hosts South Africa in presenting Africa’s quest for glory at the 2010 World Cup. While the top three in each group join hosts Angola in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.  

“We look forward to fans from all over the continent coming to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and not just those from countries that will qualify for the event. Our goal ought to be that African teams do not merely participate in the event but progress to the advance stages of the contest,” says Jordaan. The fixture for these 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers follows.

28-29 March 2009

Group A: Togo vs Cameroon, Morocco vs Gabon

Group B: Mozambique vs Nigeria, Kenya vs Tunisia

Group C: Rwanda vs Algeria, Egypt vs Zambia

Group D: Ghana vs Benin, Sudan vs Mali,

Group E: Guinea vs Malawi, Burkina Faso vs Cote d’Ivoire

6-7 June 2009

Group A: Cameroon vs Morocco, Gabon vs Togo

Group B: Nigeria vs Kenya, Tunisia vs Mozambique

Group C: Algeria vs Egypt, Zambia vs Rwanda

Group D: Benin vs Sudan, Mali vs Ghana

Group E: Mali vs Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire vs Guinea 

20-21 June 2009

Group A: Gabon vs Cameroon, Morocco vs Togo

Group B: Tunisia vs Nigeria, Kenya vs Mozambique

Group C: Zambia vs Algeria, *Rwanda vs Egypt

Group D: Mali vs Benin, Sudan vs Ghana

Group E: Cote d’Ivoire vs Malawi, Burkina Faso vs Guinea

5-6 September 2009

Group A: Cameroon vs Gabon, Togo vs Morocco

Group B: Nigeria vs Tunisia, Mozambique vs Kenya

Group C: Algeria vs Zambia, Rwanda vs Egypt

Group D: Benin vs Mali, Ghana vs Sudan

Group E: Mali vs Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea vs Burkina Faso 

10-11 October 2009

Group A: Cameroon vs Togo, Gabon vs Morocco

Group B: Nigeria vs Mozambique, Tunisia vs Kenya

Group C: Algeria vs Rwanda, Zambia vs Egypt

Group D: Benin vs Ghana, Mali vs Sudan

Group E: Malawi vs Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire vs Burkina Faso

14-15 November 2009.

Group A: Morocco vs Cameroon, Togo vs Gabon

Group B: Kenya vs Nigeria, Mozambique vs Tunisia

Group C: Egypt vs Algeria, Rwanda vs ZambiaGroup

D: Sudan vs Benin, Ghana vs Mali

Group E: Burkina Faso vs Malawi, Guinea vs Cote d’Ivoire 

The Rwanda-Egypt fixtures on the weekend of 20-21 June is postponed to a date in July 2009. That is because as African champions Egypt will be campaigning in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa from 14-28 June.    

FIFA will host the draws for final round of the Africa 2010 World Cup qualifiers in Zurich Switzerland on 22 October

The draw for the finals round of the Africa 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will be held at the FIFA Headquarters in Zurich Switzerland on Wednesday 22 October from 12 Noon (Central European Time)

Twenty African teams remain in contention for a berth to the 2010 World Cup. They are vying for the five places. Together with hosts South Africa they will lead Africa’s charge for victory at the World Cup.

Emerging from the second round of the qualifiers, the twenty teams have been seeded into four groups of five to ensure a balanced distribution of teams in the draws next week.

Cameroon, Africa champions Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire are the top seeds. Guinea, Morocco, Tunisia, Mali and Algeria are in the second tier. The third seeds are Burkina Faso, Gabon, Zambia, Kenya and Benin. In fourth seed are Rwanda, Togo, Mozambique, Sudan and Malawi are fourth seeds.

After the draws, action on the pitch resumes at the end of March 2009. The matches are scheduled for six legs on 28-29 March, 6-7 June, 20-21 June, 5-6 September, 10-11 October, and 14-15 November.

The match involving Egypt on the dates 20-21 June will be rescheduled for July 2009 as African champions they will be campaigning in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa from 14-28 June.

Confederation of Africa (CAF) Communications Director Suleiman Habuba announced a new award for the best player in African club football in Lagos Nigeria on Tuesday 14 October. 

The Confederations of African Football (CAF) has introduced an annual award for the best player in African club football.

This came to light when the shortlist for the 2008 Globacom-CAF Awards was announced in Lagos Nigeria on Tuesday (14 October). CAF Communications Director Suleiman Habuba says the winner of the newly introduced award will be decided through a vote restricted to the eight coaches of teams in the group phase of the Africa Champions League.

“Our intention is to make the award ceremony more interesting. Besides we also want to recognize the outstanding achievements of those playing at the best clubs on the continent,” Habuba told the Nigeria media.

Three of the five nominees for this first edition of the award are from Egypt’s club Al Ahly. They are Mohammed Aboutrika, Ahmed Hassan and Flavio Amado. The others are Stephen Worgu from Nigeria’s Enyimba FC and Tresor Mputu Mabi from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s TP Mazembe.

This long awaited innovation accords the best players in the Africa Champions League the kind of recognition they merit but which has always been downplayed. Those playing club football on the continent have a distinct disadvantage as African club football does not have the broad television coverage compared to certain European club leagues.

The premier league in England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal collectively monopolise more that 80% of the worldwide club football league coverage on international television. Therefore players who feature in club football in these countries have an advantage over their brethren on the continent.

Obviously the limelight in Lagos was on the nominations for the 2008 Africa Male Footballer of the Year Award. This award takes into consideration players featured in club football from all over the world.

Al Ahly’s Aboutrika is the sole nominee from an African club. The others campaign in the English Premier League. They are Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor, Wigan’s Amr Zaki, along with Chelsea’s Michael Essien and Didier Drogba.

National team coaches from CAF’s 53 national association affiliates will vote to determine who wins the award. Habuba revealed that the award ceremony will be held in Cotonou Benin in December.

CECAFA General Secretary Nicholas Musonye says Zambia and Saudi Arabia have been invited for the Senior Challenge Cup in Uganda which kicks off on December 31 in Kampala.

Zambia and Saudi Arabia have been invited for the Confederation of East and Central Africa (CECAFA) Senior Challenge Cup in December.

The regional contest will feature teams Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania Mainland, Zanzibar, and hosts Uganda.  Sudan are defending champions having prevailed in the annual event in Dar es Salaam Tanzania last year.

 “We have invited Zambia as they gave our teams a strong challenge when we last invited them to the event.  It will be recalled that they won the contest two years ago in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. While Britain’s Gateway Television (GTV), our sponsors seek to make an impact in the Middle East satellite television market.  Hence the invitation to the Saudi Arabia,” CECAFA General Secretary Nicholas Musonye revealed.

Originally the contest was to kickoff in November. However CECAFA received requests from member federations for a postponement. “Many countries will be at the crucial concluding stages of their domestic premier league in November. The postponement paves the way for federation to field full  strength sides for the regional event,” Musonye explained.

 “As many countries are in the midst of the qualifying contest for the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations, an opportunity to compete in the CECAFA event gives our home-based players vital international exposure,” Musonye explains. He says the draws for the competition will be held in London later this week.

Zakumi, the leopard is mascot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and will be introduced to cities desiganted to host wordl Cup matches

The Mascot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Zakumi, was unveiled in Johannesburg South Africa on Monday September 22.

As the face of the 2010 World Cup, Zakumi is expected to play a pivotal role in making the event a memorable experience. It is expected to depict to guests to the country the vibrant culture found on the African continent.

“The mascot is a Leopard. The word ‘Kumi’ is the Kiswahili word for the number ten. Kiswahili is probably the most widely spoken indigenous language on the continent. Therefore it has a broad appeal.

“Zakumi represents a call by South Africa to the people of the world to come to this continent and in particular South Africa and join in the festivities of the 2010 world Cup,” the 2010 World Cup Local Organising Committee Chief Executive Danny Jordaan explained. He revealed that the process of identify the mascot took 14 months.

Mascots have been a feature of the FIFA World Cup since 1966 when England adopted Willie the Lion. In 1970 in Mexico it was a boy, Juanito, while in Germany four years later it was two boys Tip and Tap. The Argentines used Gauchito , a footballer in 1978 while Spain adopted the Orange Narajito in 1982.

In 1986 Mexico introduce Pique,hot paper,  while the Italians used Ciao, a stick figure player in 1990. At the 1994 World Cup in the United States of America the mascot for the event was Striker the dog. The French adopted the Cockerel in 1998. The joint 2002 South Korea and Japan World Cup adopted Spheriks which depicts energy, while at the last world Cup, Germany used Goleo VI, a Lion.

“The challenge we faced was to find something fresh. Several editions of the Africa Cup of Nations tournaments have used the lion as their mascot just as Germany and England did. So we decided to give the lion a break this time round. We will start introducing Zakumi to communities in the designated hosts cities for the 2010 World Cup,” Jordaan explained.