Politics threatening to overshadow African Cup of Nations

THE African Cup of Nations (Afcon) kicks off in Libreville, Gabon this Saturday with an economic crisis and political activists calling for acts of sabotage at the games against President Ali Bongo’s government, bringing a cloud of tension to the tournament.

Unemployment in the west African country, where oil accounts for 45% of the gross domestic product, is at more than 20% and economic growth has stalled due to a low international oil price.

Tickets for games, although cheap enough, costing between US$1 and US$63 (RM4.50RM283), may not be a priority for many in the country of 1.7 million.

Bongo, a football fan, has pleaded for his countrymen to allow the tournament to bring a period of calm and unity to the country, which has been hit by violent uprisings since his disputed re-election.

A strong military presence is expected at the opening Group A game in the capital Libreville when the national team, known as The Panthers, plays Guinea-Bissau at the Stade d’Angondje.

Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will captain the side, which boasts Didier N’dong of English Premier League side Sunderland and Juventus midfielder Mario Lemina.

Gabon, which also plays Cameroon and Burkina Faso in Group A, has never won the tournament since its inception in 1957.

Algeria and Senegal are the powerhouse teams in Group B, which includes Tunisia and Zimbabwe.

The Algerian team’s 23-man squad comprises Leicester City duo Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani with Faouzi Ghoulam, Schalke’s Nabil Bentaleb and Yacine Brahimi the other Europe-based players.

Senegal has five Englandbased players in its squad, with Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Mame Biram Diouf of Stoke likely to spearhead its attack and Cheikhou Kouyate of West Ham, Newcastle’s Mohamed Diame and Everton’s Idrissa Gana Gueye in midfield.

The Ivory Coast “Elephants”, which defeated Ghana to win the tournament in Equatorial Guinea in 2015, is the favourite in Group C, which includes Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Morocoo.

Coach Michel Dussuyer has included Manchester United defender Eric Bailly and forward Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace in his squad. Paris Saint-Germain defender Serge Aurier and Stoke City forward Wilfried Bony are also part of the team which launches its campaign against Togo in Oyem on Jan 16.

Egypt, which missed the last three tournaments after winning the trophy in Angola in 2010, will be based in the city of Port-Gentil for the games in Group D, which is made up of Ghana, Mali and Uganda.

The team is the most successful in the cup’s history, winning the tournament a record of seven times. – dpa