The 2010 South Africa World Cup been an exhibition of skill and footballing prowess. European sides have been garnering most the attention because of the disappointing play of power teams like Italy, Spain, and England, along with internal destruction of France and the surprise contention of Serbia, Slovenia, and Greece.

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However, this World Cup is really about two FIFA Confederations and the direction their teams are headed. CONMEBOL and CAF, South America and Africa. The first World Cup on African soil was to be a showcase of African football and the sentimental feeling was to see all 6 African teams advance to the Round of 16. Instead 4 of the 6 teams are in last place in their groups and only Ghana has a solid chance of advancing out of their group.

It has been disappointing for Confédération Africaine de Football who helped put together a memorable World Cup but whose representative member nations have failed to produce on the pitch. Why? African teams have to start playing their unique African style of athletic, physical, attacking football and the only way that can happen is to have African coaches not overly influenced by non-African tactics and style. It didn't help that the CAF played the African Cup of Nations earlier in the year in the middle of the club season adding more fatigue and stress to the participating nations.

The only African team with an African coach is Algeria. 5 African teams with non-African coaches that don't know the style and flavor of African football and life. In contrast, only 2 non-African teams in the WC have coaches from a different continent, Honduras has a Colombian coach and Australia has a Dutch coach. Whatever the case, African football needs some kind of change in order for their national teams to move to a higher level and challenge for a World Cup title.

The other end of the spectrum is the play of South American teams, the CONMEBOL WC qualifying is the most difficult of all the World Cup qualifying confederations and it is evident by the fact that all 5 South American teams lead their groups and barring some freak results, all 5 will advance to the Round of 16. The reason is simple, there are only 10 teams in CONMEBOL and every game is a battle.

Its much tougher to get 3 points from Bolivia and Venezuela than it is to get from El Salvador, Panama, Faroe Islands, Uzbekistan, Moldavia, Malta, and Moldavia. Its like professional league expansion, the competition is tougher with 10 teams than it is 32. The talent pool is more watered down with more teams. Honestly, how can any team seriously think they are WC title contenders with 4-0 victories against Luxembourg, Lichtenstein, and Andorra.

The South American teams have the best talent on the planet and the competition of the CONMEBOL WC qualifiers is tougher than the actual World Cup. No other confederation's WC qualifying competition prepares a team better for the World Cup than South America's. Don't forget that the only nations to win a World Cup outside their home continent have come from South America. Argentina won in Mexico 1986 and Brazil in Sweden 1958 and Korea/Japan 2002.

So far, its been a of teams from different continents going in two different directions as the 2010 South African World Cup has seen the power of the South American teams and a disappointing display from African teams.

Two Confederations, Two Directions

The African Cup of Nations is one of the best and most emotionally charged national team tournament in the footballing world. The controversial 2010 edition is down its last two teams as The Black Stars of Ghana will face 2-time defending champion, The Pharoahs of Egypt. Here is a preview of what will be a historic 2010 ACN Final.

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The 2010 ACN final features two of the most decorated nations in tournament history, Egypt has 6 titles while Ghana is tied with Cameroon with for the second most titles with 4 each. Egypt & Ghana have appeared in the most finals with being Sunday's final being the 8th time each side has been in the final match. However it is the first time they will face each other in the final. The two sides have played each other twice in previous ACN tournaments. Ghana holds the edge with a 1-0 win in the group stage of the 1992 tourney and a 1-1 draw in the 1970 tournament.

EGYPT
The Pharaohs are seeking to raise the ACN trophy for the 3rd consecutive time. Their elimination from the World Cup has made this tournament their Holy Grail. Their focus on winning their 7th ACN trophy is apparent as they have been dominant allowing only 2 goals in the 5 matches leading up to the final. The Pharaohs have scored at least 2 goals in that same span including a 4-0 destruction in a revenge game against Algeria in the semis.

Despite missing big names like Mohamed Aboutrika and Mido, Egypt continues to play an attractive attacking style typical of African football. Coach Hassan Shehata has overseen a record-breaking Egypt side that are unbeaten in their last 18 African Cup of Nations matches. The attacking trio of Gedo, Ahmad Hassan, and Emad Moteab have been a nightmare for opposing defenses. Anchored in central defense by El-Ahly and national team veteran Wael Gomaa, the defense has been stellar.

GHANA
The Black Stars offer a completely different style to their finals opponent, Ghana has been winning by playing a more disciplined, defensive, grinding style tailored by Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac. Ghana's athletic, physical style was exposed in their first match of the tournament when Côte d'Ivoire beat them 3-1. Since that match, the Black Stars have shut everyone out. No goals allowed as they have grinded out 1-0 victories over Burkina Faso, Angola, and Nigeria to reach the final. Hoffenheim's 21-year old central defender Isaac Vorsah has been a revelation for the Ghanian defense in this tournament.

Offensively, Stade Rennais striker Asamoah Gyan has scored 3 of the team's 4 total goals including the game winners in the quarters versus Angola and in the semis against Nigeria. Gyan and André Ayew are the men up top that will spark the Black Stars' offense.

PREDICTION:
The Pharaohs are on a mission after their surprise elimination by Algeria from the World Cup. Egypt is playing at such a high level with fantastic team cohesion that Ghana will have to be perfect to win. Côte d'Ivoire provided the blueprint on how to unlock Ghana's tight defense and Egypt's players have the skill and motivation to follow the blueprint and execute it effectively. Ghana's lack of offense will be easily stifled by The Pharoahs solid defense. Egypt wins a 3rd consecutive title and 7th overall with an impressive 3-0 scoreline.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Semifinals

Egypt 4 - 0 Algeria


Ghana 1 - 0 Nigeria


OTHER NEWS:
3RD PLACE MATCH
Nigeria 1 - 0 Algeria
NGA: Victor Obinna (55')

The CAF has ruled that the Togo football team will be banned from the next 2 African Cup of Nations tournaments as punishment for their withdrawal from the 2010 tournament. Togo pulled out of this year's tournament after their bus was sprayed with gun fire tragically killing 3 people 3 days before their opening match against Ghana. The CAF says that the decision was not based on the team's withdrawal from the tournament but from the Togolese government's involvement in ordering the team to return back to Togo.

African Cup of Nations Final - Preview

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In the modern world of football, Europe is the most powerful confederation in FIFA and its a shame that FIFA's most powerful confederation doesn't lead the way in how it runs its World Cup qualification.

When it comes to World Cup qualifying, Europe can look to other FIFA confederations on how it should be done. Let's be honest the qualification process for Europe is ridiculous and an absolute joke. CONCACAF has 35 FIFA member nations, Asia has 43, and Europe & Africa each have 53 FIFA nations, and yet UEFA lumps all its teams in 8 or 9 groups instead of following the rest of the world's example of multiple rounds to knockout the smaller teams.

Its ridiculous that teams like Italy, England, Spain, and Netherlands get a free 12 points in the final stage of qualifying against sides like Faroe Islands, San Marino, Malta, and Andorra. When a confederation has more than 30+ members there has to be multiple rounds of elimination to weed out the lesser teams and test the depth of the better teams.

The intensity of interest in European qualifying is dulled by the fact that Portugal can remain alive in qualifying with a win against Malta. MALTA! That's just ridiculous, that's the reason why European World Cup qualifying is the least interesting and one of the easiest. France was in serious trouble in qualifying but they pulled themselves into a playoff by beating the Faroe Islands and Lithuania, HA, 2 soccer giants for sure.

CONCACAF constructed its qualification so that its 6 best teams fight for its 3 automatic spots. Asia can shave its 43 members down to 10 in the final stage and Africa's format leading to 5 groups has led to high drama and new faces in The Great Tournament. Its a simple solution. Europe has 13 spots, create a final round with 6 groups of 4 teams each. Top 2 in each group advance to the World Cup along with the best 3rd place team.

UEFA needs to learn from Asia, Africa, and CONMEBOL and institute multiple qualifying rounds to eliminate the smaller nations. Narrowing the teams down to 6 groups of 4 teams each would generate more interesting matchups and thus more excitement in European qualifying. Because right now its a joke.

Europe Needs To Follow The World

The home continent of the 2010 World Cup is close to having its 5 qualifying sides defined for The Great Tournament. The 1st team to officially qualify is Ghana. The Black Stars defeated Sudan 2-0 at home to secure top spot in Group D. Goals by Inter midfielder Sulley Muntari & Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien sealed the victory. Ghana have yet to give up a goal in the final group stage of WC qualifying.

Côte d'Ivoire moved closer to securing qualification for 2010 with their 5-0 home destruction of Burkina Faso at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny. Chelsea hitman Didier Drogba scored twice as Les Éléphants maintained their perfect record in Group E. Côte d'Ivoire only need a draw in their next match against Malawi to officially qualify for The Great Tournament.

Cameroon moved to the top of Group A with back to back wins against surprise side Gabon. On Saturday, Cameroon defeated Gabon 2-0 on the road in Libreville and then 4 days later toppled Gabon 2-1 at home in Yaounde. Inter Milan goal assassin Samuel Eto'o scored in both matches to see the Indomitable Lions better position themselves for the World Cup.

Continental powers Egypt & Nigeria are facing an uphill drive for qualification in their respective groups. African champions Egypt beat Rwanda 1-0 on the road, a late 2nd half goal by Al-Ahly midfielder Ahmed Hassan secured the 3 points. The Pharaohs still trail Group C leaders Algeria by 3 points with 2 matches remaining.

Nigeria drew 2-2 at home against Group B leaders Tunisia. The share of points was a big blow to the Super Eagles who trail Tunisia by 2 points in Group B, Nigeria have only 1 win in the final group stage of qualifying. Tunisia's #10 Oussama Darragi scored in the 89th minute to keep The Eagles of Carthage in 1st place and hand Nigeria its 3rd draw of final stage qualification.

Here are the results and standings from African WCQ:

GROUP A STANDINGS


SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

Gabon 0 - 2 Cameroon
CAM: Achille Emana (66') & Samuel Eto'o (68')

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

Togo 1 - 1 Morocco
TOG: Moustapha Salifou (4')
MOR: Adel Taarabt (90'+2')

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9

Cameroon 2 - 1 Gabon
CAM: Jean Makoun (25') & Samuel Eto'o (64')
GAB: Daniel Cousin (90')

GROUP B STANDINGS


SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

Mozambique 1 - 0 Kenya
MOZ: Tico-Tico (67')

Nigeria 2 - 2 Tunisia
NIG: Peter Odemwingie (23') & Michael Eneramo (80')
TUN: Sliti Nabil (24') & Oussama Darragi (89')


GROUP C STANDINGS


SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

Rwanda 0 - 1 Egypt
EGY: Ahmed Hassan (68')

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

Algeria 1 - 0 Zambia
ALG: Rafik Saifi (59')

GROUP D STANDINGS


SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

Benin 1 - 1 Mali
BEN: Mohamed Aoudou (87')
MAL: Mahamadou Samassa (72')

Ghana 2 - 0 Sudan
GHA: Sulley Muntari (14') & Michael Essien (52')

GROUP E STANDINGS


SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

Malawi 2 - 1 Guinea
MAL: Chiukepo Msowoya (46', 59')
GUI: Oumar Kalabane (37')

Côte d'Ivoire 5 - 0 Burkina Faso
CIV: Saidou Panandetiguiri (og 9'), Drogba (48', 64'), Yaya Toure (54'), Keita (68')

African WCQ Wrap - Sept. 2009

Ghana became the first African team to qualify out of the groups after beating Sudan in Accra 2-0.

Ghana Qualify For South Africa

Cameroon came into Libreville with their backs to the wall, yet they were able to come out with a very important three points as they beat Gabon 2-0.

Cameroon Stay Alive In Gabon

African World Cup qualifying is halfway to its conclusion as the Motherland continues to give the footballing world more to talk about as this round of matches ranged from the hardly interesting 0-0 draws like Morocco v Togo to 5 goal thrilers like Burkina Faso v Côte d'Ivoire. Interestingly, the visiting team took at least 1 point in all but 3 matches this weekend.

The match between Burkina Faso & Côte d'Ivoire was a battle for top spot in Group E with Les Éléphants being massively tested by a surprising Burkina Faso side. Goals by European stars Yaya Toure & Didier Drogba did not decide the match but an own goal by Burkina defender Mamadou Tall gave Côte d'Ivoire the 3-2 road win as Les Éléphants continued their perfect start in World Cup qualifying.

Algeria moved to the top of Group C with their big 2-0 road win against Zambia. Rangers' defender Madjid Bougherra opened the scoring in the 21st minute as The Desert Foxes kept the clean sheet and remained unbeaten in Group C. Algeria look to be the favorite to win Group C as they are unbeaten in their last 6 WC Qualifiers.

On Sunday, Mali got its 1st win of the final group stage with a 3-1 home win in the capital city of Bamako against Benin. The Eagles' French Connection of Modibo Maïga of Le Mans and Mamadou Diallo of Le Havre led Mali to victory with goals in the 21st and 75th minute respectively after Benin stunned the crowd with a 12th minute goal by Bahrain based midfielder Seidath Tchomogo. Mali's victory moves them into 2nd place behind Ghana in Group D.

Here are the results & standings:

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Morocco 0 - 0 Togo

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Kenya 2 - 1 Mozambique
KEN: Julius Owino (5') & Macdonald Mariaga (pen 76')
MOZ: Domingues (49')

Tunisia 0 - 0 Nigeria

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Zambia 0 - 2 Algeria
ALG: Madjid Bougherra (21') & Rafik Saifi (66')

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Sudan 0 - 2 Ghana
GHA: Matthew Amoah (5', 52')

SUNDAY, JUNE 21st
Mali 3 - 1 Benin
MLI: Modibo Maiga (21'), Mamadou Diallo (75'), Frédéric Kanouté (83')
BEN: Seidath Tchomogo (12')

STANDINGS

SATURDAY, JUNE 20th
Burkina Faso 2 - 3 Côte d'Ivoire
BFO: Jonathan Pitroipa (27'), Aristide Bance (78')
CIV: Yaya Toure (13'), Mamadou Tall (og 55'), Didier Drogba (70')

SUNDAY, JUNE 21st
Guinea 2 - 1 Malawi
GUI: Pascal Feindouno (24', 42')
MWI: Chiukepo Msowoya (89')

African WCQ Wrap: June 20 - 21

This edition of Mad About Fútbol's Top 5 will breakdown the Top 5 Things Observed From The June World Cup Qualifying Matches. Let's begin with CONCACAF's best team.

COSTA RICA IS THE BEST IN CONCACAF

Los Ticos have established themselves as the best team in CONCACAF after their impressive displays against the United States and Trinidad & Tobago. Costa Rica has lost only once in this cycle of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. In 13 WCQ matches, Los Ticos have lost once a 2-0 loss to Mexico at Estadio Azteca and drawn once a 2-2 result on the road in Grenada in a 2nd round 1st leg match. Rodrigo Kenton has done a masterful job steering Costa Rica to a highly likely spot in South Africa 2010. Los Ticos are a perfect 7-0-0 at the Estadio Saprissa in San Jose. Saprissa is now the most intimidating home field advantage in CONCACAF.

GABON IS FOR REAL

The West African nation through which the Equator runs through has become the big story in African World Cup Qualifying. The Azingo Nationale is coached by former French international Alain Giresse whose experience as part of "The Magic Square" of France's national teams in the 80s has been essential in Gabon's run to the top of Group A. In 8 matches of African WC Qualifying, Gabon has only lost twice and are currently riding a 5 game winning streak. Gabon have been riding the talents of all-time goal scorer Hull City striker Daniel Cousin, leading scorer in qualifying Ankaraspor striker Roguy Méyé and the Aubameyang brothers: Catilina, Pierre-Emerick, and Willy. All 3 were products of AC Milan's scouting system with Pierre-Emerick & Willy still property of Il Rossoneri.

CONMEBOL'S PLAYOFF SPOT DUEL
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After these past two rounds of CONMEBOL WC qualifying, it looks like the last playoff spot will come down to Ecuador versus Uruguay. Ecuador earned the max of 6 points over the past two rounds and it vaulted them into 5th place. Uruguay only got 1 point over the last two matches and fell 2 points behind Ecuador to 6th place. Colombia and Venezuela are tied for 7th place, 1 point behind Uruguay but Colombia does not score enough goals and Venezuela gives up too many goals to hold up. Ecuador seems to be regaining the form that has seen them qualify for the previous two World Cups and Uruguay has an explosive offense that can score goals quickly and in bunches. Ecuador hosts Uruguay in the next to last round of qualifying in a match that could determine who will face the CONCACAF 4th place team in a playoff.

SHOWDOWN IN ASIA
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3 of the 4 automatic spots for South Africa 2010 from Asia have already been finalized. Only 1 spot remains and thankfully the schedule makers have set up massive drama on the final day of matches. In Group 2, 3rd place Saudi Arabia hosts 2nd place Korea DPR with the winner of the match going to South Africa. Korea DPR aka North Korea looks to qualify for its 2nd ever World Cup while Saudi Arabia goes for its 5th straight appearance. The loser could even lose out on the playoff spot if Iran defeats already qualified South Korea in their final WC Qualifying match. WHEW! Asia offering up some MASSIVE drama.

TRADITIONAL POWERS IN TROUBLE

3 traditional powers of their continents have their fans and citizens praying for some intervention to secure a place in South Africa 2010. Mexico sits in 4th place in CONCACAF and their form has been spotty at best. El Tri is not the lock to qualify from CONCACAF like the footballing world is used to. The Mexicans will have to show a lot more heart than in previous qualifying runs in order to get to The Great Tournament.

Maradona's appointment as Argentina's head coach was supposed to minimize the stress in qualifying from CONMEBOL but his tactical shortcomings are being exposed. Los Albicelestes haven't been able to string wins together and have been embarrassed on the road allowing 10 goals in their last 4 road matches notching only 1 point in that stretch. They sit in the last automatic spot just 2 points ahead 5th place Ecuador.

Portugal's troubles in Group 1 of European qualifying were eased a bit when they barely scraped by Albania 2-1 on the road. Bruno Alves' 2nd half injury time goal kept Portugal breathing but the fact that they had to get a late goal to beat Albania shows that Portugal is overrated. They sit in 3rd place a full 4 points behind 2nd place Hungary with each having 4 matches remaining. Of the 3 mentioned continental powers, Portugal is in the greatest jeopardy of missing South Africa 2010.

Alright there it is Mad About Fútbol's Top 5 for the June World Cup qualifiers. Look out for the next installment of Mad About Fútbol's Top 5 as we breakdown the most controversial footballers in history. Post a comment and let us know what you think.

MAF Top 5: #8 - June WC Qualifiers

The African continent is still in the early stages of World Cup qualifying and its looking like Africa will continue to surprise the footballing world. Gabon continued its perfect start to qualifying with their 3-0 home win over Togo. Turkish based striker Roguy Meye scored his 2nd goal in as many games in the final group stage as the Azingo Nationale lead Group A. In the other Group A match, Thomas N'Kono's 1st match in charge of Cameroon ended in a disappointing 0-0 home draw against Morocco. The legendary goalkeeper's coaching debut wasn't enough keep the Indomitable Lions off the bottom of Group A.

The current African champions, Egypt continue their struggles in qualifying after their 3-1 road loss to Algeria. The Pharoahs were finished by 3 goals in a 17 minute stretch in the 2nd half as Algeria moved to the top of Group C while Egypt sits in last place.

Nigeria bounced back from a disappointing opening game to take down Kenya at home 3-0. Inter Milan striker Victor Obinna scored twice in the 73rd & 77th minutes to seal The Super Eagles win. Nigeria moved into 2nd place in Group B behind Tunisia who remained perfect after their 2-0 home win against Mozambique.

Two other continental powers continued their perfect starts in the final stage of African qualifying. Ghana defeated Mali 2-0 on the road in Bamako with Udinese striker Kwadwo Asamoah scoring the game winner in the 66th minute as The Black Stars have not allowed a goal in taking the lead in Group D. Another African power, Côte d'Ivoire leads Group E after their 2-1 road win against Guinea. In a back & forth affair Sevilla midfielder Romaric scored the 3 point clinching goal in the 72nd minute.

Here are the results & standings after this round:

GROUP A STANDINGS

Sat. June 6th
Gabon 3 - 0 Togo
GAB: Bruno Ecuele (11'), Roguy Meye (56'), Moise Brou (83')

Sun. June 7th
Cameroon 0 - 0 Morocco

GROUP B STANDINGS

Sat. June 6th
Tunisia 2 - 0 Mozambique
TUN: Ouissen Ben Yahia (pen 21') & Oussama Darragi (90'+1')

Sun. June 7th
Nigeria 3 - 0 Kenya
NIG: Ikechukwu Uche (2') & Victor Obinna (pen 73'& 77')

GROUP C STANDINGS

Sat. June 6th
Zambia 1 - 0 Rwanda
ZAM: Rainford Kalaba (79')

Sun. June 7th
Algeria 3 - 1 Egypt
ALG: Karim Matmour (60'), Abdelkader Ghezzal (64'), Rafik Djebbour (77')
EGY: Mohamed Aboutrika (87')

GROUP D STANDINGS

Sun. June 7th
Benin 1 - 0 Sudan
BEN: Razak Omotoyossi (19')

Mali 0 - 2 Ghana
GHA: Kwadwo Asamoah (67') & Matthew Amoah (79')

GROUP E STANDINGS

Sat. June 6th
Malawi 0 - 1 Burkina Faso
BFA: Moumouni Dagano (70')

Sun. June 7th
Guinea 1 - 2 Côte d'Ivoire
GUI: Sambegou Bangoura (65')
CIV: Bakary Kone (45') & Romaric (72')

African WCQ Wrap: June 6 - 7

June signifies the end of the busiest part of the football season, we at Mad About Fútbol would like to salute & list some of the newly crowned champions from recently ended tournaments. Congratulations to you that support these great clubs.

DOMESTIC LEAGUES

FRENCH LIGUE 1
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux

ENGLAND PREMIERSHIP
Manchester United Football Club

ITALIAN SERIE A
Football Club Internazionale Milano

SPANISH LA LIGA
Futbol Club Barcelona

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg-Fußball GmbH

DUTCH EREDIVISIE
Alkmaar Zaanstreek

SCOTLAND PREMIER LEAGUE
Rangers Football Club

PORTUGUESE LIGA
Futebol Clube do Porto

TURKISH SUPER LIG
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü

GREEK SUPER LEAGUE
Olympiacos F.C.

MEXICAN TORNEO CLAUSURA
Club Universidad Nacional Pumas

INTERNATIONAL CLUB TOURNAMENTS

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Futbol Club Barcelona (ESP)

UEFA CUP
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

UEFA SUPER CUP
Football Club Zenit Saint Petersburg (RUS)

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Atlante Fútbol Club (MEX)

CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Al-Ahly Sporting Club (EGY)

AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Gamba Osaka (JPN)

COPA LIBERTADORES
Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito (ECU)

COPA SUDAMERICANA
Sport Club Internacional (BRA)

RECOPA SUDAMERICANA
Club Atlético Boca Juniors (ARG)

FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP
Manchester United Football Club (ENG)

While the summer isnt the busiest time of the footballing calendar its still loaded with action from MLS, Brazilian Championship, World Cup Qualifiers, Copa Libertadores, Confederations Cup, CONCACAF Gold Cup and some exciting local tournaments from some of the lesser known footballing nations. Keep logging on to Mad About Fútbol to get latest info.

Roll Call Of Champions: 2008-09

The African continent was in full grip of World Cup qualifying fever as the opening round of matches in the final stage of qualifiers began. In 2006 World Cup qualifying, Africa witnessed a changing of the guard with 4 new teams making their 1st appearance in The Great Tournament and according to the results from the weekend, it might be changing again.

In Group A, Gabon stunned Morocco with a big 2-1 win in Casablanca. Azingo Nationale got 1st half goals from teenage sensation Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Roguy Meye to get the 3 points and get off to a great start with a crucial road win. The other Group A contest saw Togo defeat Cameroon 1-0 as African Footballer of the Year, Emmanuel Adebayor scored in his return to the Sparrow Hawks from injury. The Arsenal forward scored in the 10th minute but showed some rust when he missed a PK in the 76th minute. Despite playing in Ghana due to a home ban, Togo got the 3 points and now share the top spot with Gabon in Group A.

A couple of traditional superpowers were humbled by disappointing draws. The 2-time defending African Cup of Nations champions Egypt were held to a 1-1 draw at home versus Zambia in a Group C match. Francis Kasonde's goal in the 56th minute turned out to be the point salvaging goal. In Maputo,Nigeria's Super Eagles were held to a 0-0 road draw against Mozambique in a Group B encounter. The draw ended Nigeria's 6 game qualifying winning streak.

Group E was loaded with goals and marred by tragedy. Burkina Faso beat Guinea 4-2 in the Burkina Faso capital city of Ouagadougou. Al-Khor striker Moumouni Dagano scored twice to lead The Stallions to the victory. The other Group E match was an ass whippin as Cote D'Ivoire embarassed Malawi 5-0. The Chelsea duo of Didier Drogba & Salomon Kalou accounted for 3 of the 5 goals with Drogba scoring twice. The match result was stained by the tragedy of a deadly stampede at Abidjan's Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium. A terrible stampede killed 19 people and injured 132 others.

The tragedy occurred before the start of the match when fans began pushing and shoving trying to get into the stadium. According to witness accounts, fans without tickets tried to get into the stadium when police fired tear gas into the crowd, setting off the deadly stampede. The push of fans against a stadium wall caused it to collapse. Authorities are investigating the tragedy, it would be the fourth time since 2001 that police firing tear gas into a crowd set off a deadly stampede at a stadium in Africa before a match.

Here are the results from the opening round of the final stage of African qualifying:

GROUP A
Togo 1 - 0 Cameroon
TOG: Adebayor (11')

Morocco 1 - 2 Gabon
MOR: Mounir El Hamdaoui (84')
GAB: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (34') & Roguy Meye (45')

Group A Standings


GROUP B
Mozambique 0 - 0 Nigeria

Kenya 1 - 2 Tunisia
KEN: Dennis Oliech (70')
TUN: Ammar Jemal (5') & Issam Jomaa (72')

Group B Standings


GROUP C
Rwanda 0 - 0 Algeria

Egypt 1 - 1 Zambia
EGY: Amr Zaki (26')
ZAM: Francis Kasonde (56')

Group C Standings


GROUP D
Sudan 1 - 1 Mali
SUD: Mudathir El Tahir (24')
MAL: Frederic Kanouté (19')

Ghana 1 - 0 Benin
GHA: Prince Tagoe (1')

Group D Standings


GROUP E
Burkina Faso 4 - 2 Guinea
BFO: Mahamoudou Kere (23'), Alain Traore (29'), Moumouni Dagano (pen 53' & 66')
GUI: Pascal Feindouno (pen 61') & Kamil Zayatte (pen 86')

Cote D' Ivoire 5 - 0 Malawi
CDI: Ndri Romaric (1'), Didier Drogba (pen 7' & 28'), Salomon Kalou (59'), Bakari Kone (71')

Group E Standings

African WC Qualifying Roundup: March 28-29

With the World Cup being held in Africa, it will be the perfect time for Africa's national teams to showcase their extraordinary talents. These upcoming matches will be the opening round of the final stage of African qualifiers and the big question is: Will there be a repeat of 2006 when 4 African countries made their 1st appearance in The Great Tournament?

20 nations will begin their quest on March 28th to join South Africa in The Great Tournament also at stake is a place in the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola. The Top 3 finishers in each group will qualify for the 2010 African Cup of Nations.

The marquee matchup is in Group A as Togo host Cameroon. Togo will be the home side although the match will be played in the Ghanian capital of Accra. Togo is serving a home ban so it really is a neutral site game. This game features an enticing matchup of two African Players of the Year. Togo's Emmanuel Adebayor vs. Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o. Adebayor, the 2008 African Player of the Year for Arsenal will play after recovering from a thigh injury while 3-time African POY Samuel Eto'o is in devastating form for Barcelona. Don't be surprised if there are a lot of goals scored in the game, it should be fun to watch.

Two teams to watch are Egypt & Mali. Egypt are the back to back African champions and have the best club side in Africa in Al-Ahly and yet The Pharoahs have only qualified twice for the World Cup, last time was Italy 1990. Egypt has the talent and organization to win a shorter tourney like the African Cup of Nations but can they sustain the excellence needed to qualify for the World Cup.

Mali have never qualified for a World Cup, this could be the year they do. There is Malian talent spread all over Europe with names like Real Madrid's Mahamadou Diarra, Barcelona's Seydou Keita, Sevilla's Frederic Kanoute, and Juventus' Mohammed Sissoko. The Eagles are coached by former Nigerian international Stephen Keshi who led Togo to its 1st WC appearance in 2006. The Malians are hoping that their talent & Keshi's magic can take them to South Africa, however Mali are in a fight being in the same group as heavily favored Ghana.

Here are the groups and their matches - home teams are listed first - team nicknames are in parenthesis:

GROUP A - CAMEROON, GABON, MOROCCO, TOGO
Saturday, March 28
In Accra, Ghana - Togo (The Sparrow Hawks) vs. Cameroon (Indomitable Lions)
Morocco (Lions of the Atlas) vs. Gabon (Azingo Nationale)

GROUP B - KENYA, MOZAMBIQUE, NIGERIA, TUNISIA
Saturday, March 28
Kenya (Harambee Stars) vs. Tunisia (The Eagles of Carthage)

Sunday, March 29
Mozambique (The Mambas) vs. Nigeria (Super Eagles)

GROUP C - ALGERIA, EGYPT, RWANDA, ZAMBIA
Saturday, March 28
Rwanda (Amavubis) vs. Algeria (The Desert Foxes)

Sunday, March 29
Egypt (The Pharaohs) vs. Zambia (Chipolopolo)

GROUP D - BENIN, GHANA, MALI, SUDAN
Saturday, March 28
Sudan (The Desert Hawks) vs. Mali (The Eagles)

Sunday, March 29
Ghana (The Black Stars) vs. Benin (The Squirrels)

GROUP E - BURKINA FASO, COTE D'IVOIRE, GUINEA, MALAWI
Saturday, March 28
Burkina Faso (The Stallions) vs. Guinea (Syli Nationale)

Sunday, March 29
Côte d'Ivoire (Les Éléphants) vs. Malawi (The Flames)

African WC Qualifying Matches & Standings

With World Cup Qualifiers coming up in the next couple of weeks, its time for another Top 5 here on Mad About Fútbol. These are the Top 5 things to watch for as teams compete to solidify their place for The Great Tournament in 2010 on The Motherland:

MAF Top 5: #5 - Mar. 28-Apr. 1 FIFA Date

Arsenal's high scoring striker Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor became the 1st Togolese player to win the Confederation of African Football Player Of the Year. In an awards ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, Adebayor beat out Egypt & Al-Ahly midfielder Mohamed Aboutrika and Ghana & Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien for the honor.

Aboutrika Denied '08 African P.O.Y.

The 1st test for South Africa and its preparations for the 2010 World Cup will be the 2009 Confederations Cup. The main focus will be the readiness of the stadiums and for the short tournament in June, 4 stadiums have been chosen to host Confederations Cup matches.

Loftus Versfeld Stadium - Tshwane/Pretoria

The stadium was named in 1932 after Robert Owen Loftus Versfeld who was the founder of organized sports in Pretoria. The site for the stadium was 1st used in 1906 and has been used for numerous sports events including the 1995 Rugby World Cup and 1996 CAF Africa Cup of Nations. It is home stadium for the Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club of the South African Premier League. After upgrades it will have a capacity of around 52,000.

Ellis Park - Johannesburg

Opened in 1928, Ellis Park is located in South Africa's largest city and was named after J.D. Ellis, a Johannesburg city counselor who got the land for the stadium to be built. It was originally built for rugby union matches and witnessed the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup in which the South Africa's Springboks defeated New Zealand's All Blacks 15-12. The stadium is also known as Coca-Cola Park and became the 1st black owned stadium in South Africa and is the home to the Orlando Pirates Football Club of the South African Premier League. After upgrades, the stadium capacity will reach 65,000.

Free State Stadium - Mangaung/Bloemfontein

Free State Stadium also known as Vodacom Park is the southernmost of the stadiums hosting the Confederations Cup. It is located in Maugaung aka Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State province. The stadium hosted Africa Cup of Nations matches in 1996 and Rugby World Cup matches in 1995. It is the home stadium of the South African Premier League team, Bloemfontein Celtic. The capacity of the stadium after renovations will be around 48,000.

Royal Bafokeng Stadium - Rustenburg

The Royal Bafokeng Stadium was originally built as a rugby stadium and is named after the people native to the area. The Bafokeng people have grown rich via platinum mining in the area. In 1999, the Bafokeng won a legal settlement that gave them a 22 percent royalty on all platinum taken from their cultural land and because of this money, the stadium has been kept in excellent condition as only minor renovations will be needed. The stadium is only a 25 minute drive from the controversial Sun City resort and after the renovations & upgrades the stadium will have a capacity of about 42,000.

In June, the champions of FIFA's confederations along with the host nation, South Africa and world champion, Italy will entertain us with some great football and confirm to the world that football is the beautiful game. More importantly, the 2009 Confederations Cup will give us a hint into South Africa's preparations for The Great Tournament.

Stadiums For FIFA Confederation Cup Finalized