Draws of the inaugural Cote d’Ivoire 2009 Caf African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament takesplace in the host city Abidjan on Friday.
CHAN is a new Caf competition for home-based national team players that will run in an odd year to its established bigger sister the Africa Cup of Nations.
8 teams including hosts Cote d’Ivoire will be drawn in two groups of 4 for the inaugural tournament to be hosted from February 22 to March 8 in the West African nation.
However, the competition is devoured of key African football powerhouses and recent and record Africa Cup winners like, Egypt, who withdrew from taking part in the CHAN qualifiers.
Also missing will be ultimate continental tournament specialists Cameroon, Nigeria Morocco and South Africa.
Teams going into Fridays draws are seeded Ghana, DR Congo, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Libya, Tanzania, hosts cote d’Ivoire and Zambia.
With the exception of Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, almost all the qualified nations come with the background of their regular national teams with a strong home-based flavor.
CHAN will be a big test for Cote d’Ivoire who have strong regular side consisting wholly consisting of foreign-based players and their usually overlooked domestic pedigree is in for a huge test once the tournament starts.
Moreover, despite qualifying for this years Olympics, Cote d’Ivoire have also struggled to make a major impact at junior level with local players whose league has been dominated by ASEC Mimosa for the last decade who also have a famed youth programme.
Ghana are amongst the favorites while Herve Renard’s Zambia are also tipped as potential semifinal material thanks to their strong domestic contingent led by strikers prolific strikers Roger Kola and Given Singuluma both of Zanaco.
DR Congo who eliminated Cameroon are also another big contender for the inaugural CHAN qualifiers while Zimbabwe will be hoping the best of a rare big stage appearance on the African football theatre.
Tanzania who together with Ghana, Zambia and Libya have all made the finals from a tedious preliminary round of matches are another side looking for better fortunes after two and a half decades away from the big stage.
numero uno
Dos baby
I think this is the best flavour to the usual professional teams comprising of foreign based players.
I just wish, this was the old Zambian team that mainly local but strong players.
Dennis Liwewe would have been there, no TV but glued to the Radio.
But this could be a time when we made a name for ourselves. Since we know zambia, when they are expected to win that when they loose, SHAME. Please do not place your hopes in them in case they loose then they break your heart but when you expect them to loose then they win, you will rejoice
Its a good idea to promote home based talent in our country
I concur with #4.
On, “Ghana are amongst the favorites while Herve Renard’s Zambia are also tipped as potential semifinal material thanks to their strong domestic contingent led by strikers prolific strikers Roger Kola and Given Singuluma both of Zanaco.”
Why are we settling for less even before the tournament starts or who wrote the above statement quoted?
Let us be going into these tournaments with a desire to win the cup and not just to hope for an appearance in the semi-finals!
All the best Chipolopolo boys and please do us the needed honours.
Gentleman and ladies, fellow country men and women, this is our time and this is our moment. Support the only true leadership for 2011 and that is only the U-Team with a manifesto that late Mwanawasa and alive Magande tried to use in bringing Zambia to some sane level as an economy and Nation.
Since this is our time and moment as Zambians, let us make sure we help in getting the young and energetic president Hakainde Hichilema to become President of our great Nation, Zambia.
I would have loved to stand as Zambian presidential candidate in 2011, but I have commitments right now. I am considering doing so in 2016. I have already secured some support from non-Zambians of all forms. =;
ba LT your english is unclear at times! :):):)
hey pipo let’s talk about soccer not politics.we all love hh but can’t get full suport, in the minitime let’s concentrat on soccer.
we need to dedicat this league to the beloved heros of zambia.let’s provi that we can still do it.and i wish renard would put the best team to provi himself too.if you don’t win this zambia will never win any cup till i me myself cj sky lover comes in to the team. zambia prepare for a player within 4 yrs. the game is here, a’m coming.by the way let’s go zambia, go go go go go go boys. **==
:):((:((:o[-(
#6, Please no politics with our national teams. The beautiful game is the only opportunity for us to be united. We love our politicians but let us keep them in their place. We heard enough of them in October.
8. cj and 10. NKOLE WA MAPEMBWE, did you mis-read #5. Why didnt you comment on it too as you have done to #6?
8 and 10 i agree with you,soccer bring us together. Talk about politics on the forumn for politics and not HH on every topic.
just to tell you ithink that libya are the strongest team in this tournement because there team is all home based players , and with the regular team they play home based players and managed to beat ghana regular team which is all non-home players 1-0 at tripoli , also the libyan team beat morroco 3-0 and also libya drew with egypt regular team at egypt grounds this year and in world cup 2010 qualifiers libya was 1st until they lost to gabon last game and they were out with same points as gabon and ghana and gabon beat ghana 2-0 so trust LIBYA will be hopefully in the final 😉
Lets go Zimbabwe and show Africa that cholera is just a disease
Don’t underrate Tanzania. Their game has completely improved in recent months and they have managed to silence all the opponents winning 6 consecutive matches home and away! You better be careful
DUH…..[-(