Final Phase of African World Cup Qualifying Continues

Africa's road to the 2010 World Cup heats up this weekend with a full slate of action as countries compete for the 5 available spots in South Africa.

There are already some teams in trouble.

Like Cameroon and Morocco, who have collectively qualified for nine previous World Cup finals. Also in peril are reigning African champions Egypt and the unpredictable Guinea, both of whom were expected to feature among the serious contenders for the finals.

The first match day in March provided a host of surprises. With two more matches in quick succession this month, the picture could soon become a lot clearer.

Both Cameroon and Morocco were humbled in their opening group outings and now go head-to-head in Yaoundé on Sunday. Egypt, having dropped potentially vital points at home, seek to revive their campaign away against long-standing rivals Algeria.

Guinea hope to overturn a run of five successive defeats in head-to-head matches with Ivory Coast when they host a Group E tie in Cotonou, also on Sunday.

Of particular interest is the Group B clash between Kenya and Nigeria.

Nigeria's Super Eagles came under heavy criticism following their opening draw with Mozambique but their recent friendly win over France has restored morale.

Now they are at home against Kenya, whose own build-up has been disrupted by a pay dispute between their coach Antoine Hey and Football Kenya Ltd., which runs the game in the country.

The team left for Nigeria without him but he is now on his way.

Hey is planning to exploit the perceived differences within the Nigeria camp.

"I think they [Nigeria] are very much under pressure at home after the result in Mozambique," Hey said. "We will try and get a result that no-one is expecting," he told the BBC.

Here are the current African qualifying standings.

Over in Group D, Ghana were at the World Cup in Germany and the Black Stars gained a taste for the biggest stage.

They started this round of qualifying with a win but will be missing a series of high-profile players in their squad for a trip to Mali.

Sulley Muntari, Stephen Appiah, Derek Boateng, Asamoah Gyan and Laryea Kingston are all out of action.

Mali's coach Stephen Keshi will have high hopes of securing a valuable win as he goes into the game with a fully fit squad.

In the other match in this group, Benin host Sudan, who must turn themselves around after a heavy 4-0 defeat in a friendly international against Tunisia.

Benin are hopeful of continuing the good form they showed in the previous round, after their narrow defeat by Ghana.

Squirrels' midfielder Romauld Boco says the team are in good spirits.

"We have played a lot better in the last 5 years, [because] we are the same group of players and we know each other very well," he told the BBC.

"The game against Sudan is the most important game for us."

The top team in each group goes to the World Cup.

Here are all the matches scheduled for this weekend:
Saturday 6 June 

Zambia-Rwanda, Malawi-Burkina Faso, Gabon-Togo, Tunisia-Mozambique

Sunday 7 June

Cameroon-Morocco, Benin-Sudan, Nigeria-Kenya, Guinea-Cote d'Ivoire, Mali-Ghana, Algeria-Egypt

African Teams Slide Down World Rankings

FIFA released their world rankings last week and African teams feel heavily ... ouch!

Cameroon dropped two places to 16th and are now the only African side in the top 20.

Nigeria were 17th but have fallen six places to 23rd in February's list.

The biggest decline sees African champions Egypt drop 15 places from 15th to 30th position.

The Pharaohs' slump in the table is due to less importance being placed on their results over the last three years - namely their successes at the African Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2008.

The wider decline in the rankings of African teams is caused by the fact that FIFA place more emphasis on recent results than those over the past four years.

Ghana's Black Stars are down 10 places to 35th, while Ivory Coast are down nine places to 36th.

The only non-movers from Africa in the top 50 are Morocco, who remain in 41st position.

The African sides that dropped down this month will be looking to improve on their positions in the upcoming final round of World Cup and African Cup of Nations qualifiers, which begin next month.

Being a Barca Supporter Gets you Jail Time?

Kind of a weird story coming out from Morocco ... but bear with me ...

According to news reports, an 18-year old Moroccan schoolboy was jailed for insulting the country's king after replacing the monarch's name with that of his favorite football club FC Barcelona.

He altered the phrase "God, The Nation, The King" on the school blackboard to read "God, The Nation, Barcelona".

FC Barcelona says it has appointed a lawyer to look into whether they can help the boy, within the framework of Moroccan law.

The BBC's James Copnall in Rabat says it is not completely clear whether the court felt the remarks about the football club or other apparent insults to the king were the problem.

The Moroccan justice ministry has not commented on the case.

The family of the boy, Yassine Belassal, is appealing against the ruling, and his father told local news papers he was preparing to write a letter to King Mohamed VI asking for a royal pardon.

An internet campaign is also under way to have Mr Belassel freed.

Earlier this year one man received a three-year sentence for creating a mock Facebook profile of the King's brother, before receiving a royal pardon.

Last month, another man was jailed after suggesting that some royal practices did not help the development of the country.

He was cleared on appeal following a media outcry.

MY POV: I'm definitely not a Barcelona fan, but I doubt I'd ask for jail time for any of the club's supporters ... well, on second thought ...

Tough case and I'm unsure about what this says of Morocco's legal and free speech system ... maybe, that it's null and void? Let's see how this plays out.

African Squads in Midweek Friendlies

Much of the world played World Cup qualifying last night.

Others played friendlies in preparation for the 2010 World Cup.

Africa was no exception as the continent prepares itself for the much-anticipated 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

First up, African champions Egypt were beaten 2-0 by the world's top ranked side, Argentina.

A full strength Egypt side, including controversial keeper Essam El Hadary, conceded two goals in the last 20 minutes to go down to the South American giants.

But in Pretoria, the upcoming World Cup hosts, South Africa, secured a deserved 3-0 victory over their own South American opposition, Paraguay.

In the process, striker Benni McCarthy became his country's top international goalscorer.

In other matches, Ghana lost to Mexico 2-1.

Ghana took the lead in this game, held at Fulham's Craven Cottage ground in London, but they were not able to hold on to it.

After a goalless first half, Michael Essien gave the Black Stars the lead with a driving shot from outside the area, which went in off the post.

But Mexico equalised in simple fashion, when Ghana's substitute goalkeeper, Patrick Antwi, slipped as he prepared to deal with a back pass.

Carlos Salcido punished his mistake.

Four minutes from time, Ghana captain John Mensah hauled down Adolfo Bautista in the box and Mexico's Pavel Pardo stepped up to convert the penalty and give his side the win.

Also, Morocco bounced back from their dreadful Cup of Nations campaign with a 4-1 win over Belgium.

It was a first win for stand-in coach Fathi Jamal, who took over after the departure of Henri Michel.

"After our dramatic exit in the Africa Cup, this really feels great. It has been a long time since we played like this," Morocco playmaker Mbark Boussoufa said.

Tunisia met Ivory Coast in France, and came away with a 2-0 win.

Goals from Tijani Belaid and Radhouane Felhi gave Roger Lemerre's side victory, although the coach is soon to leave his post.

Liberia scored a surprise 2-0 win over Sudan in Khartoum, in their first game under new coach Antoine Hey.

The first result of the day was a 1-1 draw between Uganda and Libya in Kampala.

Caesar Okhuti put the Cranes ahead in the 48th minute, with the equalizer coming in the 90th minute from Younes Shidani.

DR Congo and Algeria were in France for another match taking place near Paris.

Dieumerci Mbokani put the Simbas ahead in the 35th minute, but a late penalty converted by Kamel Ghiles meant the game ended 1-1.

Tanzania's game against Mozambique was canceled due to heavy rains at the old national stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Mozambique turned down a proposal to have the match played on Thursday.

Elsewhere, Zimbabwe beat Botswana 1-0 in Gaborone, with the goal scored by Cuthbert Malajila.

Ghana and Guinea Through; Senegal Coach Quits

A scintillating night of action saw African Cup of Nations host Ghana go through to the quarterfinals along with Guinea from Group A.

Ghana beat Morocco 2-0 while Guinea managed only a 1-1 draw against an overmatched Namibia.

Midfielder Michael Essien scored a goal and set up another as Ghana finished their group with maximum points from three games.

So who will they play next? Ghana, who will stay in Accra for their quarter-final on Sunday, will face the Group B runners-up -- most likely Mali although it could be arch-rivals Nigeria. Could be a wild one.

In front of a packed crowd in Accra, Sulley Muntari set up Essien for the opening goal in the 26th minute with a quickly taken free kick that found the midfielder in enough space to score from close range.

The favor was returned when Essien ran at the Morocco defence in the 45th minute and slipped a pass for Muntari to net his second of the tournament.

"We decided before (the match) we were going to attack and attack. We decided to make more room for Essien to take charge and to come forward," Ghana coach Claude Le Roy said.

Morocco coach Henri Michel, who led Ivory Coast to the final of the last Cup in Egypt in 2006, said: "We now have to look ahead and build a new squad."

As for Guinea, they finished with four points, one ahead of Morocco, despite being held by Namibia, who took home their only point.

Robert Nouzaret's side opened the scoring through Souleymane Youla on 62 minutes only for Namibia to equalise 11 minutes from time courtesy of Brian Brendell's second goal of the tournament.

The only cheers in an almost empty stadium came from the volunteers and policemen celebrating Ghana's goals in Accra. Jeez, I would have LOVED tickets ...

Today also saw the first coaching change of the tournament, as Senegal trainer Henryk Kasperczak said goodbye after his team's shock 3-1 loss to Angola. The former Poland defender quit with one match to play in Group D and with his team still holding a mathematical chance of progressing.

"I'm the only one responsible for the results," he said. "There is still a small chance and I think the players will respond to the presence of a new coach."

Senegal have one point from two games and face South Africa on Thursday with assistant Lamine Ndaye taking charge. Tough times for Senegal, one of the pre-tournament favorites.

Morocco Cruise over Namibia and Ivory Coast-Nigeria Highlights

A first-half hat-trick from Soufiane Alloudi helped Morocco open their African Cup of Nations campaign with an emphatic triumph over Namibia on Monday. Here, highlights in French. I can't understand a word ...

Maroc vs Namibie : -Résumé complet du match-
Uploaded by marocvideo

And here, highlights of today's clash between Nigeria and Ivory Coast.

Nigeria - Cote D Ivoire 0-1 Can 2008 Foot , Résumé et But
Uploaded by Shad_2007

Africans Excel in Europe, Led by Adebayor

African players showed talent and agility this weekend on the world stage, scoring epic goals and stunning volleys around the European leagues.

The most memorable goal of the weekend goes to Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor. His strike capped a 3-1 victory for Arsenal in their north London derby clash at Tottenham Hotspur, his unstoppable volley whizzing past England goalkeeper Paul Robinson. He had earlier scored with a header to make it 1-1. To see the goal, click
here!

In other English top flight matches, Portsmouth's all-Nigerian strike-force of Nwankwo Kanu and John Utaka caused Liverpool's defense problems throughout their match at Fratton Park but Kanu missed a first half penalty.

In the English league's second division, former Nigerian captain Jay-Jay Okocha made an impressive debut for Hull City in their 1-1 draw at home to Stoke. The 34-year-old former Bolton player has returned to England after a season playing in the Middle East with Qatar SC.

In Spain, Mali forward Frederic Kanoute scored two goals on Sunday as Sevilla notched a 4-1 win over Recreativo Huelva.

Cameroonian midfielder Daniel Ngom Kome scored for Valladolid in their 2-1 loss at Valencia, his first goal for over a season cancelled out by Fernando Morientes' equalizer and David Silva's late deflected winner. (For more on this and Valencia, check out my Valencia blog!

Nigerian Kalu Uche of Almeria scored once and had a goal wrongly disallowed as his newly promoted side lost 3-1 at Real Madrid.

In the French Ligue 1, Ivorian star striker Aruna Dindane scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot as his Racing Lens team beat AS Nancy 1-0 at home.

In Lille, Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh was sent off in his Bordeaux team drew 1-1 on the road.

In the German Bundesliga, Tunisian defender Karim Huggui scored the opening goal for Bayer Leverkusen as they won 2-0 at home against VfL Bochum.