African Nations Championship Review
Morocco come out on top in competition for domestic-based players
The completion of a first major tournament since the onset of COVID-19 is a feather in the cap of African football. But the jury is still out on whether the African Nations Championship (CHAN) really serves any purpose or has much of a future in an increasingly crowded calendar.
The 16-team tournament is contested by national teams made up only of home-based players and is designed to give opportunity to those denied international football by the growing number of overseas-based professionals who dominate the ranks of Africa’s national teams.
It is also an indicator of sorts as to who has the strongest league on the continent and Morocco’s successful defence of their title is evidence of the quality of their domestic competition. But Egypt do not enter this competition, South Africa compete despite the refusal of clubs to release all but their fringe squad players and Tunisia withdrew from this event. The poverty of quality left behind in countries like Ghana and Nigeria, who suffer such a drain of talent to Europe, is evidenced by the fact both lost at the first hurdle in the qualification.
But there was still plenty of excitement about the tournament, which was also a test event for Cameroon, hosts of the next Africa Cup of Nations in January 2022.
The CHAN finals were originally scheduled for April last year, and were an early casualty of the worldwide shutdown last year.
By that time Cameroon had stepped in as hosts
to replace Ethiopia, who had not been able to build stadia in time.
Secessionists from the English-speaking part of Cameroon had, on the eve of the kick off, threatened to disrupt the event but it was COVID-19 that proved much more of a threat.
And again, as had been the case in January’s African Champions League qualifying round, there were accusations that positive COVID tests were manufactured to deprive teams of players. The Democratic Republic of Congo, in particular, were hit by a round of dubious test results which ruled out 12 players and coach Florent Ibenge for some of the games, although they overcame the alleged gamesmanship to still win their group.
DR Congo were past double winners of the CHAN but this time were not in the class of Morocco, who beat Mali 2-0 in the final in Yaounde’s Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, dominating from the start but missing early chances.
But in the second half, after Morocco had a legitimatelooking penalty denied despite the Kenyan referee consulting VAR, Mali should have opened the scoring through Moussa Kone.
Morocco’s superiority was finally confirmed after 69 minutes when centre-back Soufiane Bouftini headed home from a corner and then ten minutes later Ayoub El Kaabi scored his 12th goal across the last two tournaments.
Morocco had six players in their squad who were also part of their victory at the last CHAN, which they hosted in 2018.
Goalkeeper Anas Zniti, centre-midfielder Yahya Jabrane, attacking-midfielders Walid El Karti and Abdelilah Hafidi, winger Zakaria Hadraf and centre-forward El Kaabi brought considerable experience to the event and showed their quality through the first round group phase and into the knockout stage.
Morocco won Group C, scored twice inside the opening eight minutes to beat Zambia 3-1 in the quarter-final and thrashed the hosts 4-0 in the semi-final. Tournament top scorer Soufiane Rahimi from Raja Casablanca was named player of the tournament (or “Man of the Competition” as CAF ridiculously labelled him) for his five goals.
Mali had finished above Cameroon in their opening round group but then needed penalty shootouts in both the quarter-final against Congo and semi-final against Guinea to advance to the decider.
Home team Cameroon were denied the bronze medal as they lost 2-0 to Guinea in the third place play-off match after expelling their experienced striker Yannick Njeng from their squad on the eve of the last game. He had a bitter, and public, confrontation with assistant coach David Pagou after being taken off during the semi-final.
The field in Cameroon also included Libya, Namibia and Zimbabwe, where there has been no domestic competition. Libya’s league has been hampered for years by the civil strife in the country: Namibia have had no league for two years as the result of a dispute between clubs and the football association and Zimbabwean clubs have not kicked a ball in anger since the lockdown was declared last March.
The next edition of CHAN will be held in Algeria in January 2023 with five separate venues scheduled to host games.
Morocco’s successful defence of their title is evidence of the quality of their domestic competition