MyWeku

The African Nations Cup held in Angola has now ended. The FIFA World Cup is a few weeks away. The question most football pundits are asking is. Are any of the African sides good enough to make a significant impression at the world cup? The widespread buoyancy and hopefulness by which Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Algeria were spoken about has given way to pessimism.

This pessimism is further deepened in the knowledge that the competition is being hosted in Africa for the first time. The thought of a less than par performance from Africa’s representatives feels pundits with dread.

The Black Stars of Ghana performed admirably at the African Cup of Nations. The backbone of their team was made up of their Under 20 World Cup winning side. Reliance on their younger players was not by design. Injuries to key players like Essien, Appiah, Mensah and co forced their Serbian born coach Milo Rajavac to rely on youth.

There will be pressure on Rajavac to seamlessly re-integrate the more experienced players at the World Cup. How successful he is able to do that could determine Ghana’s prospects.

The Elephants of the Ivory Coast are perhaps the team that Africa hopes could do the finest job representing Africa. Their display at the African Cup of Nations was, however, the most disappointing. Their talisman, Didier Drogba only managed a single goal and the team seem to play more as individuals than a unit.

With current world champions Brazil and European powerhouse Portugal in the same group as Ivory Coast, their chances of making it past the first round just got a whole lot slimmer. Brazil, Portugal and even the pacey and gritty North Korean team will be difficult for them to beat even at their best.

The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon have one of the best records in the world cup as far as African sides are concerned. Their usual growls, snarls and roar were drowned out very easily by an unfancied Gabon side at the African Cup of Nations in their very first game.

This is an old team that badly needs young and fit players. What they have going for them, though is a stable coaching team. I am afraid the Lions will need more than that to make an impression in SA 2010. They need to regain their fluidity in passing, and to re-seal their air-tight defense.

The African Cup of Nations in Angola was arguably one of the most boring tournaments fans have been subjected to in a while. None of the participating teams played exciting football. Nigeria on the other hand took playing bland, insipid and lackluster football to a whole new level. The Super Eagles or more accurately “Super Chickens” as they are now called are not expected to do any better at the world cup.

The Algerians play football like a faulty light bulb, switching on and off when they will. With England and the USA already tipped to qualify from group C of the World Cup, the Algerians are perhaps seeking to complete the numbers, and further dim Africa’s hope of a first World Cup trophy.

Bafana Bafana (South Africa) are arguably the weakest side Africa will be parading at the World Cup. Despite being the host country, many African soccer pundits do not give the South Africans much of a chance.

The prospects of an African Team lifting the World Cup trophy need not be completely written off. Strong home support and a strong desire to “show” the rest of the world what the continent has to offer could do wonders for some of these teams. It is, however, perhaps not such a bad idea to lower our expectations until proven wrong.

Sarah Arongo (Kenya)