The History of AFCON(Africa Cup Of Nations)

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The 33rd AFCON games will hold in Cameroon this year, but speculations are on as at when the games will hold, due to coronavirus pandemic.

As the game is approaching, Sportyleagues will take a look at the history of AFCON, and how it came into existence.

Every two years AFCON brings 24 teams from different countries together to participate in the game. It is a way of uniting countries from West Africa, South Africa, East Africa, North Africa, and Central Africa together through the spirit of football.

HISTORY OF AFCON

AFCON games, also known as Total Africa Cup Of Nations, started since 1957, and it is chaired by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It started majorly as Men’s International football, where teams from different countries come together after booking their space through qualifier matches.

When the game started in 1957, there were just three countries that participated in the games, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan.

South Africa was expected to be part of the teams that contested that year, but due to the apartheid regime, it failed to approve a multi-racial team, and they were left out of the tournament.

The Tournament became popular and drew the interest of many countries. In 1998, the number of teams that participated has increased to sixteen (16) teams.

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Sarcastically South Africa who was disqualified to participate in the maiden edition of the games in 1956, became the host 36 years later and won the cup for the first time in their home soil.

Nigeria was supposed to participate in 1996, but withdrew, due to security reasons. The game expanded from 16 teams to 24 and was moved from January to June.

Egypt is the most successful nation in the cup’s history, winning the tournament a record of seven times. The current holder of the award is Algeria, they won the 32nd edition after beating Senegal to be crowned the Africa cup of Nations winner for the second time in the history of the country’s football.

SPORTYLEAGUES.COM takes a look at the host from inception to past and current winners of the tournament.

COUNTRIES THAT HAVE WON THE AFRICA NATION CUP

COUNTRIES THAT HAVE HOSTED THE NATIONS CUP

The 33rd edition of the Africa Cup Of Nations will start soon as the qualifiers are underway. and Cameroon will be hosting 24 Nations come June 2021.

For a few decades now, Mali have consistently put out respectable teams yet have struggled to break into the African elite. The Eagles have recently been a physical side that lack creative inspiration since the departures of Seydou Keita and Frederic Kanouté.

However, buoyed by their youth teams, Mali have a promising long-term future. With impressive appearances at recent U20 and U17 World Cups, many pundits are betting on Mali to soon become one of Africa’s best sides.

Qualifying was fairly straightforward for Les Aigles. In six matches they only conceded two goals and scoring a solid ten. Led by a local coach in Mohamed Magassouba, expectations are at a manageable level back home, with most supporters expecting to get past the group stages, but not much more.

Magassouba is a throwback African coach, having helped the develop the game across the continent. In DR Congo, Magassouba is respected as the coach that helped them qualify to the 1998 Cup of Nations. He is also revered in Gabon for coaching there before it was fashionable.

Some will argue he is the perfect man-manager to help this young side deal with the jitters of a major tournament.

The System

Magassouba has stuck to a meat and potatoes formation with two holding midfielders, speedy forwards and a targetman in a attack. You can expect Amadou Haidara and Lassana Coulibaly to be mainstays in midfield. Moussa Djenepo and Moussa Doumbia wreak havoc on the wings and Moussa Marega capitalizes on the commotion to notch goals.

The Power

Midfield torque – With the ‘Red Bull midfielders’ Amadou Haidara and Diadie Samassekou as option to help partner Lassana Coulibaly and Idrissa Traore. Not many other sides will win the midfield battle when they come up against Mali.

The Achilles’ Heel

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The goalkeeper position – Goalkeeping is Mali’s main weakness, and it didn’t help when Mamadou Samassa (14 caps) decided to prioritise his club career and skip out on this year’s Cup of Nations. As a result, it is the wonderfully-named Djigui Diarra who will play between the sticks.

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Star Man

Now that Yves Bissouma has been ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder fracture, Mali’s star man is Moussa Marega. The industrial striker has enjoyed fruitful spells in Portugal with Porto and will lead the line for the North-West Africans in Egypt.

The Hipster’s Choice

Take your pick! Winger Moussa Djénépo, Amadou Hadara, Sekou Koita off the bench… Pretty much anyone in this Malian side would qualify as our hipster’s choice. Sekou Koita’s recent appearances at the U20 World Cup, however, tilt the scales slightly in his favour.

The Gaffer

After Alain Giresse was fired 14 months ago, it was expected that Mohamed Magassouba would only stay on as an interim coach. Yet, the 61 year-old caretaker has held on to the job, helping Mali qualify to the 2019 Afcon. His greatest exploit on the international level would be getting Les Aigles to the knockout stages of this tournament.

The Verdict

A Round of 16 appearance is likely, but it is doubtful that this Mali side has enough experience to go further than that.