Some surprises are in store for African football as World Cup qualification approaches a climax, and the giants of Egypt and Nigeria look set to miss the 2010 event. Five group winners qualify for the 2010 World Cup, while the top three finishers in each mini-league go the African Nations Cup in Angola five months earlier. Cameroon, Tunisia, Algeria and Ivory Coast are looking good to join Ghana and hosts South Africa to complete the African line-up at the global event.
The Black Stars became the first African team to secure a place through qualifying at the first World Cup to be staged on the 'Dark Continent' by topping Group D with two games to spare. Ghana became the seventh nation to join hosts South Africa in next year's 32-nation tournament.
A 100 per cent record for the Ghanaians shows the depth and ability of the squad, and the world should take notice, as this side is one of the best Africa have ever produced on an international level, and they will be gunning for the trophy next year on African soil. Cameroon, Algeria and Ivory Coast also took maximum points during the fourth round of games in the previous World Cup qualifying round, while Tunisia hit back twice to force a 2-2 draw with Nigeria.
The impact of recently hired French coach Paul Le Guen on Cameroon has been immediate, and after the Indomitable Lions defeated Gabon for the second time in five days, the side became Group A leaders. This has been quite a turnaround for a team who were defeated in Togo, lost German coach Otto Pfister and managed only a goalless home draw with Morocco under caretaker Thomas N'knono before Le Guen came to the rescue of one of Africa’s traditional heavyweights.
This was seen as the 'Group of Death' for many experts, and it has turned out to be one of the most exciting out of the five, with all four of the teams still in with a chance to progress to the 2010 event, though Morocco seem destined to sit this World Cup out. The Lions host Togo this weekend before visiting Morocco next month as they seek an African record sixth World Cup appearance.
Le Guen, winner of three consecutive French titles with Lyon, gambled by dropping long-serving defender Rigobert Song and passing the captaincy to star striker Samuel Eto'o. The results speak for themselves, with a 2-0 friendly win in Austria followed by a double win against Gabon, putting them in command of their group and heading towards qualification.
Tunisia can clinch the Group B honours if they beat Kenya at home and Mozambique away in their remaining games - an achievement that will be hard for Nigerians to accept after their shock failure to reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Nigeria have the same opponents a visit from Mozambique followed by a journey to Kenya but they are reliant on the Tunisians slipping up.
Nigerians have now turned into mathematicians, who have been working overtime to calculate the countless permutations that could see the Super Eagles qualify for the World Cup. Gola.com
