Top 10 African Youngsters at the 2010 World Cup

My friend Tom Legg has a keen eye for talent. He's often telling me about this new prodigy or that new wunderkind that I should be keeping my eye on. He knows more about the Beautiful Game than just about anyone I know!

With that in mind, I asked him if he'd share a post he recently started on the famous soccer forum BigSoccer.com about the Top 10 African Youngsters every one will be talking about come the 2010 World Cup.

I hope to share more of Tom's insights with you in the future.

With that in mind, take it away Tom!
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I started a review of the top 10 African prospects back in 2005 and have only recently begun updating my initial reviews of them. For those of you interested in joining in on the discussions, please visit the forum post here.


The list below highlights some of the best under-23 African players and other young players I expect to be on your lips, and the lips of many European pundits come the end of the 2010 World Cup:

1. Taye Taiwo (Olympique de Marseille/Nigeria): Over the last three season Taye has made the left back berth at OM - and Nigeria - his own. Although his development into a 'battering ram' attacking full-back has drawn praise from some quarters, its his defensive limitations - positioning, lapses in concentration and slow in the transition - that have deterred English and Italian suitors. He is without doubt a fantastic left back on his day; a pocket rocket with a shot to match, strong in the tackle etc., I only hope he gets the opportunity to move to a Premiership club at the end of this season to aid his development further as I for one would love to see him blossom into a excellent - all-round - left back in time for the 2010 World Cup.

2. John Obi Mikel (Chelsea/Nigeria): Being a Man Utd fan I should resent John Obi for what he did to us prior to joining Chelsea, but I don't. Over the last two season John seems to have finally settled down in London, securing a place - in the absence of the excellent Michael Essien - in the heart of the Chelsea midfield. But for those of us who watched John in his earlier years at Lyn, there is a hint of disappointment when I see him sitting in front of that Chelsea defense, void of creative duties. Of course he is currently not a spot on Frank Lampard as an attacking option in the middle, but give the lad a chance at least. The Chelsea fans I know are still not keen on him, generally speaking, but that's mainly due to them never seeing him played consistently in a position that suits him best. Saying this, I do believe he could turn out to be a more than effective defensive midfielder, if Chelsea decide to settle on that role for him and coach in accordingly. But there will always be a hint of ‘what if’ in my mind when I see him play. Lets hope in the next two season he can settle into a position and begin to convince the doubters out there. He certainly has the potential.

3. Alex Song (Arsenal/Cameroon): The defensive midfielder is seen as the most utilitarian player in the Arsenal first team this season, playing right back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, central defender and left winger. For those of you who have not had the pleasure to watch the young Cameroonian play, imagine a player with the squad standing of John O’Shea (Man Utd) but double the ability (Man Utd fans out there, don’t you dare even think of retorting to that statement).



Without a doubt, Alex’s best position is sitting in front of the back four doing all the dirty work. The 21 year old's determination and sheer power in the tackle has made him a fan's favorite at the Emirates; during Arsenal’s ‘purple patch’ at the end of 08, Alex was one of the few players void of criticism from all of my Gooner “friends”. Similar in some cases to John Obi, let us all hope that Alex can find his place at Arsenal in the next two seasons, in time to impress us all in South Africa.

4. Jonathan Quartey (Kaizer Chiefs/Ghana): Currently playing for Kaizer Chiefs; to be honest, I haven't seem Jon play for a while. But the move to Kaizer's in 2008 is a positive step for the 20 year old. The PSL will give the central defender a good development platform and chance of being scouted to play in Europe; most likely France or England. ‘Giant Jon’ as he’s know in Ghana is a product of the famous Liberty Football Academy and first caught my eye at the 2005 U17 World Cup in Peru. A player who from an early age resisted the chance to move to Europe, preferring to develop in an environment where he's guaranteed first team football, Jon is a player with a firm grasp on his present and future development. He recently made his debut for the national team in Ghana’s opening World Cup Qualifying game against Benin.

5. Isaac Promise (Nigeria/Trabzonspor): Captained the fabulous Nigeria side in the Beijing Olympics last year and impressed several European/Nigerian scouts/officials at the competition. Currently playing for Trabzonspor - one of the top five in Turkey - and doing very well indeed. He has blossomed into a typical number 9, good on the ball, fantastic positional awareness and good first touch. The one thing he lacks at the moment? A decent goal ratio. A move to Germany or France would aid the 21 year old's progression greatly.

6. Stephan Mbia (Rennes/Cameroon): Regarded as one of the best all round midfielders in France, Mbia and Song will be the foundation for Cameroon’s midfield for the next 10 years. Song’s power, combined with Mbia’s unbelievable engine is a combination most international sides would be more then happy to have.


The 22 year old is regularly linked with moves to the Premiership; Newcastle, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Tottenham and Everton who have all been keeping tabs on the energetic midfielder over the past two seasons. If he doesn’t move this summer, I will eat my hat and scarf!

7. Gervinho (Le Mans/Ivory Coast): The 21 year old forward is on a fast-track to success; he has already made 3 appearances for the Ivory Coast and is continually linked with the big clubs in France and Premiership giants Arsenal. By no means a prolific striker the young Ivorian is usually deployed as a support striker/winger. The worry I have for him is that the Ivorians are blessed with options on the wings and upfront; Baki Kone, Drogba, Kalou, Sanogo, Sekou Cisse, Arouna Kone, Dindane, the list goes on. I really hope Vahid takes a chance with the speedy Gervinho and includes him in the squad.

8. Andre Ayew (OM/Ghana): Son of Ghana legend Abedi Pele, Andre has been causing waves for Ghanaian youth sides over the past season. Dede - as he’s know - captained the U20 side to victory in the African U20 championships in Rwanda earlier this year and impressed continental and international pundits with his performances. Like Gervinho, Dede is regularly used as a winger/second striker for both club and country.


A quick turn of pace, good eye for goal and a decent box of tricks, he should develop into a more than useful asset for the Ghanaian national side. My worry with Dede is his build; relatively short and slightly built there are times when simply disappears in more physical games. For me he has to address this as the foremost area of development in his game if he's to be a success in South Africa.

9. Clifford Mulenga (Zambia/Bidvest Wits): Voted CAF Best Young Player in 2008, Zambia’s Ryan Giggs is one of Zambian football's biggest superstars. The speedy winger was, in his youth, linked to such clubs are Real Madrid and Lyon but the player has suffered from an hugely inflated opinion of himself over the past few seasons. His ability to striker fear into the eyes of covering defenders with his direct style of play has won over some Zambian journalists, but his petulance and ego leads him to over do the basics and frustrate team mates at club and international level. He has undoubted potential, and at 21 has plenty of time to grow up and realize that talent. Let's hope a World Cup stage will allow him to do that.

10. Anthony Annan (Rosenborg/Ghana): You may all rave about Ghana’s midfield three of Appiah, Essien and Muntari; but the apple of my eye is 22 year old Anthony Annan. I have saved the best for last folks, he’s brilliant in the tackle, quick in the transition and he will be coming to a TV screen near you in 2010. Those who worry that the decline of Stephan Appiah will have a detrimental effect on the Ghanian side, worry no more! With Appiah sitting in front of the defense - unable to move those old legs of his, Annan and Essien will do all the running... and then some.


Annan could become everything that Michael Essien has developed into, and more; his range of passing is far superior to Essien, with the young Rosenborg defender as comfortable with a 40 yard pass then he is with a 5 yard one. I hope for Ghana’s sake they play five across the middle when defending, then allow two; Muntari and Essien/Annan to bomb forward and support a loan striker.

Besides the players above there are two other players that you will not be seeing in 2010, but should hear more about in the coming two seasons.

Mcdonald Mariga and Osmane Jallow.

Osmane (Brondby/Gambia) is one of Gambian football's best kept secrets. Jallow currently plays for the famous Brondby IF in Sweden. Netted 5 in 10 this season and one Brondby fan I know has said the tall and agile Gambian is already a fan favorite. After a spell in Qatar with Al Ain and then Raja Casablanca, he made the move to Sweden at the start of this season. Already a full international with Gambia - 3 games and 1 goal - Jallow is one African player who's stock is rising by the game. He hit 11 in 15 for Al Ain and 15 in 19 for Raja. This kid is going places people. I've seen one league game this season - Brondby against SønderjyskE - where Jallow scored a sublime over-head kick. Big, quick and with a goals ratio to write home about, the striker will no doubt be on the radars of some of Europe’s elite this coming summer.

McDonald Mariga (Parma/Kenya) has not only blossomed into one of Parma's best players this season, but one of Serie B's most consistent and impressive midfielders. The tall midfielder was already on the verge of a Premiership move in 2007, but his £2.7 million pound move to Pompey broke down due to work permit problems. He moved to Parma instead, initially on loan, but impressed so much that cash strapped Parma decided to splash the cash on Mariga and make his move permanent.


This season's performances have drawn speculation that the midfielder will move to new pastures in the summer, with AC Milan and Juventus the most likely destinations. I only hope that if he does move in the summer, he will not be warming benches in Turn and Milan next season.

Kenya, Burundi Advance in CECAFA Cup

Kenya snatched a 1-0 win over Burundi on Thursday as both teams moved into the semi-finals of the CECAFA Challenge Cup in Uganda.

What's the Challenge Cup, you ask?

Let your friendly, neighborhood blogger answer that for you ...

According to Wikipedia, the Cup:

is the oldest football (soccer) tournament in Africa. It is a tournament of FIFA and the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA), and includes national teams from Central and East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zanzibar, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi and Djibouti).

In 2005 and 2006 the tournament was sponsored by Ethiopian/Saudi billionaire Sheikh Mohammed Al Amoudi, and was dubbed the Al Amoudi Senior Challenge Cup.

It is the successor tournament of the Gossage Cup, held 37 times from 1926 until 1966, and the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup, held 7 times between 1965 and 1971.

Pretty cool, eh?

Kenya's Harambee Stars topped Group B after seeing off the Burundians at the Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium in Kampala.

According to the BBC:

The decisive goal came in the 60th minute when Osborne Monday slotted in a penalty after goalkeeper Abu Ndayisenga had fouled Kenyan striker Francis Ouma.

Kenya's stand-in coach Yusuf Chipo said afterwards that his team is good enough to go all the way and win this annual regional event.

He attributed the performance of his team to the good playing surface at Nakivubo stadium.

Gilbert Kanyenkorem, the Burundi coach, said he was pleasantly surprised to finish second behind a "strong" Kenyan team.

In an earlier Group B encounter, Sudan beat Zambia 2-0 but the win could not prevent the Sudanese from picking up the wooden spoon.

Sudan scored after 33 minutes when captain Abdulhamid Amari finished off an excellent move involving Balla Jabir and Safeldin Ali.

Eltahib Elmani then added a second just after the break as it became apparent that the Zambians were struggling to find their 'A' game.

Zambia could have got a consolation goal had Roger Kola's shot not been brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Akram Echadi.

Football. You learn something new every day ...

South Africa Not Only Country Ready for 2010

I've been here and there on Road to 2010 for too long.
Time to step it up ...

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa is fast approaching. And while South Africa is keen to reap financial benefits from staging the world's biggest sporting event, it's not the only country in Africa that feels this way.

Countries like Namibia, Botswana and Zambia have embarked on campaigns to persuade teams and their fans to visit them before the World Cup begins.

Even Kenya, which is a four hour flight away from Johannesburg, is hoping for some of the action.

As South Africa continues its preparations to host football's showpiece event, a similar - if less frantic - process is taking place across its borders.

An example involves tourism officials from Namibia, who were highly visible at a recent football convention held in Johannesburg.

Namibian officials are hoping that football supporters heading to South Africa in 2010 will also spend time, and money, in their country.

Shareen Thude from the Namibian Tourist Board wants the whole region to benefit.

"I personally do not see Namibia as competing with Zambia or Botswana or any country in the region. Southern Africa as a brand is very strong it's a very very powerful brand," she said.

"I think there's a lot of potential for all of us. Each country will sell on our own particular strength and our own particular niche and present our own unique positioning," she added.

Namibia and other southern African countries are concentrating their efforts on boosting tourism.

In contrast Kenya wants to attract one of the qualified teams to base itself in Nairobi prior to the tournament.

Sam Mwai has the task of convincing a leading football nation to get its players to stop off in Kenya on their way to the World Cup.

"We do have two world class facilities in Nairobi. Nairobi altitude is similar to Johannesburg and a few other cities in South Africa," he said.

"We're offering those teams a chance to fly out of Europe, South America, Asia, acclimatise in Nairobi for a few days, do a bit of training, sight seeing, and then fly down for the World Cup, it's only a four hour flight from Nairobi to Joburg," he added.

He said such an eventuality would be wonderful for a football mad nation such as Kenya.

It is an ambitious target, but countries like Kenya and those closer to South Africa are hopeful the 2010 legacy will extend beyond the world cup hosts.

MY POV: This is exactly how the World Cup can reap benefits for the entire continent. As has been stated before, this isn't just South Africa's World Cup. This is Africa's World Cup ... it's great to see the ingenuity of Namibia and Kenya's tourism boards as they try to garner visitors to their great countries.

I really believe they're doing a great job getting people to at least recognize what they have to offer ahead of the 2010 Cup ...

Overcrowding at Fault for Deaths in Liberia-Gambia Match

Stadium issues have reared their ugly face in Africa again as at least eight Liberian football fans died this weekend in Monrovia, Liberia during their country's opening World Cup qualifier against Gambia.

A BBC correspondent in Monrovia says many fake tickets were in circulation, leading to overcrowding at the 33,000 capacity Samuel K. Doe stadium.

As the problem became apparent, UN peacekeepers closed the gates to the stadium, leaving thousands outside.

One fan told the BBC that Liberian police were reselling tickets to fans.

"We saw people, security men, entering, getting tickets from those who had crossed over boards, jumping over the fence and bringing the same tickets back outside, selling them to people for a little or nothing," said Lee Francis, who was unable to get into the game.

The Liberian Football Association (LFA) believe the deaths were caused mainly by suffocation at one of the ground's crowded gates.

The secretary general of the LFA George Williams admitted his association was responsible, but said the situation could have been much worse.

"Generally, we know we had a situation where there were more people at the game than the stadium could cater for," he said.

"The repercussions were that there was overcrowding at a particular gate and that then led to suffocation, which is unfortunate."

"We had fire trucks that were there to spill water over the crowd and that really helped the overall situation. Them spraying water over the people reduced the level of suffocation and also helped the crowd calm down."

"Yes, we (the LFA) are responsible, but things could have been worse.

"At the moment, we know that eight people have been killed. There are injuries as well, but these are not that significant."

Meanwhile the president of the Football Association of Zambian (Faz), Kalusha Bwalya, has told BBC Sport that the tragedy in Liberia should be a warning to the rest of the continent.

The former African Footballer of the Year also recently inspected safety and security at the main stadium in Sierra Leone on behalf of football's world governing body FIFA.

"In terms of the ongoing qualifiers this should be a wake up call for everybody to ensure that we don't have a repeat where we are going to endanger our spectators," he said.

"Eighty per cent lies with the associations in Africa - so that we provide the necessary security and the necessary rules and regulations so people without tickets don't go to the stadium.

"Twenty per cent lies with the supporters themselves - so that they won't want to come to the stadium without a ticket and thereby cause a problem."

MY POV: This is a situation that could have been avoided. But who prevents these situations from happening? Football associations? FIFA?

Maybe the responsibility lies on the supporters, who stream by the hundreds into games they don't have tickets to.

But then again, can one blame them for wanting to see their superstars perform in World Cup qualifiers?

Stricter security needs to be a priority for future World Cup qualifiers.

We're not talking about security guards who exacerbate the situation by selling fake tickets to the throngs. We mean FIFA-run security forces that will make sure the proper amount of people get into the stadiums with the least amount of corruption.

It's all well and good to want the stadiums to be safe for the supporters.
But when too many people are let inside, not even the most modern of stadia will hold under the pressure.

Eto'o Breaks Record

Samuel Eto'o is the king of African football.

Today he became the highest scorer in Cup of Nations history when he converted a penalty in a 3-0 win over Sudan in their group finale.

The Indomitable Lions finish second in Group C behind Egypt with six points to go through to the quarterfinals.

Eto'o's 27th-minute strike took his tally at African Nations Cup tournaments to 15, overtaking the 38-year-old record of Ivory Coast's Laurent Pokou.

A bizarre own goal by Mohamed Ali Khider effectively ended the game six minutes later before Eto'o completed the scoring in injury-time, his fifth goal at the 2008 finals.

"We've been very efficient and scored 10 goals in the group stage, I don't know many teams who've done that," said Cameroon coach Otto Pfister.

"We totally dominated the first half and, although we did not put on a great show, I'm happy that we've qualified."

Kudos to Sudan, who didn't score a goal in the tournament, but gave their fellow countrymen something to cheer about after many war-ravaged years. I hope this tournament experience was a good one for them.

Over to Kumasi, where a last-gasp equaliser from Chris Katongo enabled Zambia to hold Egypt to a 1-1 draw.

But the result was not enough to rescue Zambia from elimination and confirmed Egypt as Group C winners.

Amr Zaki scored after 15 minutes in another solid display by the defending champions, who finished with seven points, one more than second placed Cameroon.

Egypt were caught out after a sustained period of pressure when Katongo blasted home from close range in the 89th minute.

Their next opponents have not been confirmed. Group D qualification comes tomorrow.

Cameroon Crushed, Zambia Rolls and Links

Day 3 of the African Cup of Nations didn't disappoint.

First off, defending champions Egypt routed pre-tournament favorites Cameroon 4-2. Striker Mohamed Zidan scored a double and Hosni Abd Rabou also struck twice for the five-times African champions with Samuel Eto'o netting Cameroon's two at the Baba Yara stadium.

Here, highlights from the match ...

Egypte cameroun resume
Uploaded by _drari_

In today's other match, Zambia profited from James Chamaga's early goal to score a resounding 3-0 win over Sudan in their opening Group C match on Tuesday.

Fellow forwards Jacob Mulenga and Felix Katongo added goals in the second half at Kumasi's Baba Yara stadium to put Zambia top of the group with Egypt after the defending champions' 4-2 win over Cameroon in the earlier match.

Chamanga, put into the starting line-up in place of suspended captain Chris Katongo, took just one minute and 45 seconds to fire Zambia ahead.

No highlights just yet ...

But here, I do have highlights of yesterday's 1-0 victory by Mali over Benin.
Sevilla striker Frederic Kanoute scored a penalty 49 minutes in after Dramane Traore had been fouled by Alain Gaspoz.

Mali-Benin
Uploaded by Footn

Now, on to some links ...

- First off, the link I posted in the last blog entry worked just fine for the Egypt-Cameroon match and failed to work for the Sudan-Zambia match.
No idea what is up there ... just keep trying, I suppose!

- Sports Illustrated writer Greg Lalas is onsite in Ghana and posted this interesting article after the first match ... good stuff, Mr. Lalas!

- The New York Times sent Brian Furtig, a law student at William & Mary School of Law and a Chelsea FC season ticket holder to Ghana. Here's his updates on the NY Times' Goal Blog. Speaking of which, the aforementioned Greg Lalas is also updating the terrific Goal Blog. Check them out. Fascinating insights.

- Regular commentator Chxta posted this on his excellent Chxta's World blog regarding his native Nigeria's match against the Ivory Coast.

Here, a small excerpt. Back with more later!

I now officially hate Jose Mourinho, and if the bastard is assassinated tomorrow, come and look for me. The attacking instincts that John Mikel Obi once possessed have been well and truly drilled away, and what is left is a Frank Lampard imitation. Mikel is still a good player, but he isn't mature enough to boss a midfield on his own, and it showed when Kanu was removed. Had Mikel been more mature, or more attack minded on another hand, the outcome may well have been different. Olofinjana tried his best, but he was out of his depth, and well, we've talked about Kanu before.

Cup of Nations is Around the Corner

The venues are being scrubbed clean, the tickets are printed and the cities are bubbling with anticipation.

The African Cup of Nations is but a mere 2 weeks and 2 days away from taking over the minds and hearts of football fans around the globe.

Cup finalists begin their pre-tournament preparations in earnest this weekend, led by defending champions Egypt who host Namibia in a friendly.

Saturday's match in Aswan is the first of three warm-up matches for the Pharaohs, still sweating on the availability of star striker Mido.

The Middlesbrough forward has a knee injury and is unsure of his fitness for the tournament, which starts January 20.

Namibia play their first match under Dutch coach Arie Schans, who has had less than a month to work with the team. His predecessor, the Zambian Ben Bamchuile died at the end of last month, casting a shadow over Namibia's preparations.

All but two of the 16 finalists will play warm-up internationals over the next three weeks before the tournament kick off.

Cameroon had planned a match against Kenya in Nairobi but the post-election violence in the east African country have seen the Indomitable Lions switch their preparations to Burkina Faso. To date, they have no matches planned and will not have played an international since their last qualifier in September.

Guinea play no warm-up internationals but will get match practice against club opposition in Marbella, Spain, where they will begin preparations next week. Among their planned opponents are Fiorentina and Borussia Dortmund. Heady competition, no?

Nigeria and Sudan are training in Malaga while Benin have gone to Brazil for a 10-day camp before heading to Burkina Faso for a warm-up match against Senegal on Jan. 17.

Angola have been in Portugal since before Christmas for their preparations.
Tunisia host Zambia at Rades on Sunday before a flurry of fixtures next week, which sees matches in Abu Dhabi, Spain, Portugal, Morocco and South Africa.

Under FIFA rules for continental championships, clubs must release their players for preparations a full two weeks before the start of the tournament, setting Sunday as the deadline for squad members to join up.

But there are likely to be some exceptions, notably Ghana's Michael Essien who officials said would likely be allowed to play for Chelsea against Tottenham Hotspur on Jan.14. Also, Samuel Eto'o will stay with Barcelona until mid-week next week, playing in a Kings Cup match before meeting up with his Cameroon teammates.

It's almost here, people. I'm excited!!

Namibia Coach Bamfuchile Dies

Shocking news out of Zambia today as Namibia football coach Ben Bamfuchile has passed away. He was 47. The Zambian succumbed to illness on Thursday night in the nothern city of Kitwe.

Bamfuchile became an instant hero in September after Namibia snatched a 3-2 victory in Ethiopia to qualify for the African Cup of Nations finals.

The Brave Warriors' victory left more fancied group opponents like the Congo on the outskirts of the finals.

It was only the second time the country had reached the finals of the African football showpiece.

Bamfuchile had previously coached his own country.

Zambian FA president Teddy Mulonga paid tribute to him.

"The association has lost a dedicated professional and a true patriot," Mulonga said.

"He was true to his faith and delivered the results. Ben was an achiever of the highest order. One of the memorable moments was in 2000, when he qualified Zambia to the Nations Cup finals without a loss and with the highest points in all qualifying groups."

After losing his job as Zambia coach in 2000, Bamfuchile bounced back as assistant coach to Kalusha Bwalya in 2003.

He quit that job this year, opting to join Nambia as head trainer.

During his career as a footballer, he played for fallen Zambian giants Nkana, who dominated domestic football in the '80s.

Later, Bamfuchile coached Nkana's arch-rivals Power Dynamos, with whom he won over six cups.

He also had coaching stints in South Africa.

Bamfuchile is survived by his wife and six children.

Sad news. Our prayers go out to him and his family.

China's Link to Africa

What is China's interest in Africa?
Is it political? Financial? Social?


Much has been made the past few months about the Chinese government's heavy involvement in Africa. The New York Times has dedicated an entire section to China's deepening economic and political ties with Africa.


There's certainly something there. With that in mind, news came today of the Zambian and Chinese governments signing an agreement for the construction of a 40,000-seat stadium in northern Zambia.

The stadium, which will be constructed in Ndola in the Copperbelt province, will cost an estimated $70 million.

Sports minister Gabriel Namulambe said the country's biggest-ever stadium will be ready before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

"The signing ceremony marks the beginning of the construction works," he announced at the signing ceremony in Lusaka.

"This country will benefit from South Africa's hosting of the 2010 World Cup if the stadium is completed.

"I am calling upon the private sector to come on board because we need a five-star hotel next to the stadium."

China's financial involvement in Africa is very interesting.
But if it benefits the people of the continent, is it a bad thing?
A win-win situation.

13 Countries Qualify for African Cup of Nations

Thirteen countries booked their tickets to Ghana 2008 this weekend as qualification for the African Cup of Nations neared the finish line.

Guinea, South Africa and Zambia sealed their places on Sunday.

They join Angola, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia and hosts Ghana, who already secured their places.

The final three places at the showpiece of African football will be decided next month when Groups Two and Nine are completed.

African champions Egypt must avoid defeat at home to Botswana on October 12 to clinch Group Two's automatic ticket for the tournament in Ghana.

If the Pharaohs lose that game in Cairo then their southern African opponents will qualify for the competition for the first time.

Togo and Mali, who share the top spot in Group Nine with nine points, meet in the decisive game where both must effectively win to qualify.

Third-placed Benin could yet qualify as one of the best runners-up if they win away in Sierra Leone.

If victory eludes the Squirrels, then Uganda will qualify for the first time since 1978, having already reached 11 points with a plus five goal difference.

Zambia captain Chris Katongo grabbed a hat-trick within the opening 20 minutes, profiting from a series of defensive errors as South Africa imploded in their Group 11 game in Cape Town.

"It was a disaster, it was not our team out there," said South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira after the defeat, which saw Zambia come from three points back to win the group on a head-to-head count.

Tunisia, the 2004 hosts and winners, are also through as a best runner-up with 12 points, after finishing second in Group Four following their 3-2 defeat in Sudan.

Namibia netted a late winner in Addis Ababa to beat Ethiopia 3-2 and snatch top place in Group 10 after leaders, the DR of Congo were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Libya.

Both games were played on Saturday.

Manu Kaputose scored to send Namibia to only their second Nations Cup finals appearance as they came from 2-1 down going into the final 10 minutes.

The Congolese miss out on the finals after qualifying for the last eight successive tournaments.

Guinea's 4-0 win over the Cape Verde Islands saw them make sure of top spot in Group Eight on Sunday.

Senegal went one goal better in a 5-1 thumping of Burkina Faso in Dakar on Saturday to win Group Seven.

The Ivory Coast, without injured captain Didier Drogba, drew 0-0 in Gabon to finish top in Group One.

(Special thanks to the BBC for the information in this article.)

Update on African footballer's death

In the wake of Zambian striker Chaswe Nsofwa's death in Israel, the president of the Football Association of Zambia (Faz) has expressed shock and disbelief.

Nsofwa died in an Israeli hospital on Wednesday minutes after collapsing during a training session with his second division side Hapoel Beer Sheva.

The cause is still unknown.

"He may have had his own up-and-downs as a player but this is the guy who scored one of the goals in the Cosafa final last year when we beat Angola 2-0," Faz President Teddy Mulonga said.

"Chaswe was one of the great prospects at the 1999 Under-20 World Cup and was a great talent. I am sad, absolutely sad."

Zambia's care-taker trainer Patrick Phiri, who coached Nsofwa in the Under-20 team in 1999, said the death was a blow to the country's football.

He added that he had been considering Nsofwa for next month's must-win African Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa.

"My plans for the South Africa match have been dealt a big blow," he said.

"It's very painful that the cruel hand of death has robbed us of such a talent.

"This is a great blow not only to his family but the whole nation."

Another Day, Another Tragedy

It seems every day that we open the sports pages, we read of another player succumbing to death.

Today comes news of Zambian striker Chaswe Nsofwa of Israeli second division side Hapoel Beer Sheva.

Nsofwa, 27, collapsed and died during a practice match in the southern desert city on Wednesday, ambulance staff said. He was pronounced dead at Beer Sheva's Soroka Hospital after resuscitation efforts on the pitch failed to revive him.

"We found the player lying on the ground unconscious as his friends tried to help him. He was in a state of clinical death," ambulance worker Carmel Cohen told Israel Radio.

Cohen added that despite efforts which lasted 40 minutes, the player was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Nsofwa, who was part of Zambia's African Cup of Nations squad in 2002, scored two goals for Hapoel in their 3-0 win over Hakoah Amidar/Ramat Gan at the weekend. Last year he helped the 'Chipolopolo' Zambian national team win the Cosafa Cup, scoring one of the goals in the final 2-0 win over Angola.


He's the second young footballer to die this week and the third to collapse while playing or training.

Spanish international wingback Antonio Puerta of Sevilla collapsed during the opening league match of the Spanish season against Getafe on Saturday and died on Tuesday following complications as a result of a heart attack.

On the same day that Puerta died, Leicester City defender Clive Clarke collapsed during the halftime break of his side's Carling Cup match against Nottingham Forest and was rushed to hospital.

The match was abandoned at halftime but the latest diagnosis on the Irish international was that he should make a full recovery.

It's horrible to read about these deaths every day. Let's hope this is the last of it for a very, very long time.

We wish Chaswe Nsofwa's family our condolences and may the player rest in peace.