AFCON qualifying update
Qualification for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast continues
Ahomecoming match for Morocco against Brazil is a fitting tribute to the country that reached the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar, but it also means that Africa’s new top-ranked team will not play a competitive game again until mid-year.
The next two rounds of Africa Cup of Nations qualification at the end of March will feature 44 of the continent’s national teams but not the Moroccans, who were due to play a double header against Zimbabwe in Group K but whose opponents are still banned by FIFA after their government closed down the football association amid allegations of corruption and sexual harassment. It has been more than a year of isolation now for Zimbabwe as the stand-off with FIFA continues. Moroccan supporters have been itching for a homecoming opportunity to see their side in action, and the match against Brazil in Tangier on March 25 will be a massive party. Morocco have also fixed a friendly against Peru at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium on March 28.
It means their next competitive game will be played almost seven months after their World Cup heroics, away against South Africa in their penultimate Cup of Nations qualifier. “The objective is to win the Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast,” said Morocco boss Walid Regragui last month. “We have to set high goals. We were a team that was too easily satisfied with reaching a quarter-final,” he complained.
They should have little problem qualifying in what is now a three-team group, with Liberia and South Africa battling for the second qualifying place.
Ghana have unveiled Chris Hughton as their new head coach, moving from his role as an advisor at the World Cup to the youthful Otto Addo, who has returned to his work with the young players at Borussia Dortmund.
Hughton will have an easy transition in his new role, given he has worked extensively with all the players for the past year, but has a tricky debut home and away against Angola in Group E.
Tunisia’s coach Jalel Kadri offered to resign after the World Cup, despite their group win over France, because Tunisia had failed to qualify for the second stage. But the Tunisia federation turned down his “request” and Kadri will remain in charge for back-to-back games against neighbours Libya. The Eagles of Carthage have qualified for an unprecedented15 past Cup of Nations finals in a row.
Algeria have handed a new contract to head coach Djamel Belmadi, who took them to the 2019 Cup of Nations title but then saw his side flop in defence of their crown in 2021 in Cameroon, and blew World Cup qualification in extraordinary circumstances. Algeria should settle their place at the finals when they take on Niger in Group F.
High-profile Portuguese coaches are now at the helm of two heavyweight nations with Jose Peseiro expected by Nigeria fans to ensure his side demolish Guinea-Bissau in Group A while former Benfica boss Rui Vitoria takes charge of Egypt in their double header against Malawi in Group D.
UEFA Champions League runner-up Avram Grant is the new coach of Zambia, having previously been in charge of Ghana from 2014-17. His debut is home and away against tiny Lesotho where he will be expected to set the Zambians on their way to the finals after failing to qualify for the last three editions.
There has been consternation and criticism in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the country’s main stadia failed inspections by CAF, who have banned a total of 22 countries from hosting matches.
The inspectors concluded that the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa and the Stade Kibassa Maliba in Lubumbashi were not up to standard and therefore cannot host their qualifier against Mauritania in Group I.
“How could such a mythical [Martyrs] stadium, which made so many generations of Congolese sportsmen dream, fall into such a state of abandonment?” asked Leopards winger Paul-Jose Mpoku. “However, nothing [is] surprising because the state of this stadium is like our football: we tinker, we patch up the facade but once we scratch a little… it’s nothingness and desolation.”
Also forced to move their home qualifiers to a neutral venue are Botswana, Guinea, Cape Verde and Rwanda, who have been allowed to host qualifiers in the World Cup over the last two years but have now also been deemed to have allowed their stadia to fall into a state that is no longer suitable for international competition.
Cameroon’s showpiece Olembe Stadium was also removed from the list of approved venues. It was where eight people died in a stampede during the Cup of Nations finals in January last year and where the pitch broke up badly during the tournament.
“The objective is to win the Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast. We have to set high goals. We were a team that was too easily satisfied with reaching a quarter-final”