African Nations Cup Group B

By John Brewin
(Archive)

January 20, 2004

Senegal

Salif Diao (Photography/GettyImages)

Africa's leading performers at the last World Cup, with that victory over France being the defining moment of that tournament's first round.

Will be hoping to go one better than at Mali 2002 where they lost the final to Cameroon on penalties.

The architect of that year of success, Bruno Metsu, has been replaced by Frenchman Guy Stephan, who overcame an indifferent start to secure les Lions de la Terangas' progress to Tunisia.

Stephan is former assistant France coach, having served under Roger Lemerre at Euro 2000 and was on the opposite bench to his new charges on that famous day in Korea.

The star names remain much the same as in 2002 though on club form alone, Liverpool's El Hadji Diouf and Salif Diao are a shadow of the men who were true stars in the Far East.

Aliou Cisse of Birmingham City has suffered injuries and a loss of form this season too. Inter midfielder Khaliou Fadiga has missed the entire season after a heart defect was diagnosed on his arrival in Italy from Auxerre.

Goalkeepers: Tony Sylva (Monaco, France), Kalidou Cissoko (Jeanne d'Arc), Oumar Diallo (Diaraf Dakar)

Defenders: Pape Malick Diop (Lorient, France), Souleymane Diawara (Sochaux, France), Lamine Diatta (Stade Rennes, France), Omar Daf (Sochaux, France), Ferdinand Coly (Perugia, Italy), Habib Beye (Olympique Marseille, France), Ibrahima Faye (Ghent, Belgium)

Midfielders: Aliou Cisse (Birmingham City, England), Salif Diao (Liverpool, England), Abdoulaye Diagne Faye, Pape Bouba Diop (both RC Lens, France), Sylvain Ndiaye (Olympique Marseille, France)

Forwards: Ousmane Ndoye (Toulouse, France), Henri Camara (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England), Diomansy Kamara (Modena, Italy), El Hadji Diouf (Liverpool, England), Mamadou Niang (Racing Strasbourg, France), Lamine Sakho (Leeds United, England), Frederic Mendy (St Etienne, France)

Burkina Faso

Moumouni Dagano (Photography/Empics)

With the majority of their squad plying their trade in the Belgian or French leagues, the country once known as Upper Volta is not quite the unknown quantity that its status as one of the poorest states in the world would at first suggest.

In fact, this is their fifth successive finals and coach Jean-Paul Rabier, a Frenchman, can call on considerable experience.

Striker Abdoulaye Cisse, of Montpellier, is of genuine importance to Rabier, so much so that he was chosen for the squad despite him missing the club's French training camp.

Cisse's strike partner Moumouni Dagano, who plays for Ligue 1 strugglers Guingamp, was the leading man in qualifying. Dagono played a huge part in Racing Genk's shock Belgian title win in 2002.

Youngster Dieudonne Minoungou is another player who might want to put himself in the shop window to land himself a move to a club bigger than France's Tours.

Mamadou Zongo from Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem and striker Wilfred Sanou of Freiburg both miss out through injury.

Goalkeepers: Daouda Compaore (ASFA Yennenga), Mohamed Kabore (Etoile Filante), Abdoulaye Soulama (ASF Bobo-Dioulasso)

Defenders: Amadou Coulibaly (Racing Club Bobo-Dioulasso), Mohamed Ali Diallo (ASFA Yennenga), Gnonka Michel Liade (FC Kouba), Moussa Ouattara (Creteil, France), Lamine Traore (Anderlecht, Belgium), Ousmane Traore (Lorient, France)

Midfielders: Bebe Kambou (Louhans Cuiseaux, France), Mahamaoudou Kere (Charleroi, Belgium), Amara Ouattara (RC Kadiogo), Rahim Ouedraogo (Twente Enschede, Netherlands), Saidou Madi Panandetiguiri (Girondins Bordeaux, France), Amadou Tidiane Tall (Etoile Filante), Amadou Toure (Mons-Bergen, Belgium)

Forwards: Tanguy Barro (Niort, France), Abdoulaye Cisse (Montpellier, France), Moumouni Dagano (En Avant Guingamp, France), Dieudonne Minoungou (Tours, France), Toussaint Natama (Westerlo, Belgium), Patrick Zoundi (Lokeren, Belgium)

Kenya

Perhaps the most indigenous of the tournament with much of the squad plying their trade in African football.

Though they have made five appearances in the finals of the competiton, this is the Kenyans' first since 1992.

Coach Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee is a national hero after a fine showing in qualifying but finances have been a problem for the 'Harambee Stars'.

Government intervention on the eve of a training camp in Libya meant that players were eventually paid and travel costs were met after a lengthy dispute.

Stopper Musa Otieno, of Santos in South Africa, leads the side. Midfielder John Mururi plies his trade in Belgium with Gent.

Perhaps the player of whom most is expected is Denis Oliech, a real goal threat in the qualifiers who now plies his trade in the cash rich league of Qatar but is eventually expected to head to the European leagues.

Getting past the first round would be the furthest the Kenyans have ever got at a Nations Cup finals.

Goalkeepers: Duncan Ochieng (Mathare United), Willis Ochieng (Free State Stars, South Africa), Francis Onyiso (Ulinzi Stars)

Defenders: Moses Gikenyi (St Michel United, Seychelles), Issa Kassim (Mumias Sugar), Philip Opiyo (Free State Stars, South Africa), Musa Otieno (Santos, South Africa), Andrew Oyombe (Tusker FC), Adam Shaban (Mathare United), Japtheth Waweru (Tusker FC)

Midfielders: Emmanuel Ake (AB Copenhagen, Denmark), Tom Juma (Friska Viljor, Sweden), Robert Mambo (Ghent, Belgium), Anthony Mathenge (Thika United), John Muiruri (KAA Gent, Belgium), Titus Mulama, Walter Odede (both Mathare United)

Forwards: John Baraza (IK Sylvia, Sweden), Mike Okoth (Heusden-Zolder, Belgium), Dennis Oliech (Al Arabi, Qatar), James Omondi (Thika United), Maurice Sunguti (Friska Viljor, Sweden)

Mali

Seydou Keita (Photography/Empics)

Perhaps the most publicised African Nations squad on English territory after the farrago surrounding Frederic Kanoute's adoption of Malian nationality despite being a former France Under-21 international.

Semi-finallists last time out at a tournament they hosted, their best performance came as runners-up in 1972, with African and French football legend Salif Keita as their inspiration. One of their most talented stars in modern times is Lens midfielder Seydou Keita, the nephew of Salif.

Club-mate Adama Coulibaly is another Malian making an impression on the French league, as is Mahamadou Diarra of champions Lyon. Diarra's hard work in the midfield engine room was a compelling feature of Lyon's progress to topping their Champions League group this season.

Mohamed Lamine Sissoko, like Kanoute, was only recently cleared to play for the country of his parents, having been a France U-21 too. Sissoko is a fringe squad member at Valencia.

Kanoute will be expected to provide the firepower, along with Mamady Sidibe of Gillingham.

Henri Stambouli, at 42, is the youngest coach at the Cup of Nations having replaced Christian Dalger, who was sacked despite qualification for the finals. The Frenchman is a former Marseille goalkeeper and has previously managed Guinea, Swiss club Sion and France's Sedan, who sacked him last January.

Goalkeepers: Mahamadou Sidibe (Aegaleo, Greece), Fousseiny Tangara (Mantes-la-Ville, France), Cheick Oumar Bathily (Djoliba)

Defenders: Souleymane Diamoutene (Perugia, Italy), Sammy Traore (Nice, France), Adama Coulibaly (RC Lens, France), Fousseiny Diawara (Laval, France), Ibrahim Thiam (Istres, France), Mamary Traore (Grenoble, France) Alassane Toure (FC Schaffhausen, Switzerland)

Midfielders: David Coulibaly, Djibril Sidibe (both Chateauroux, France), Mahamadou Diarra (Olympique Lyon, France) Seydou Keita (RC Lens, France), Bassala Toure (Athinaikos, Greece), Mohamed Lamine Sissoko (Valencia, Spain), Soumaila Coulibaly (SC Freiburg, Germany)

Forwards: Frederic Kanoute (Tottenham Hotspur, England), Abdoulaye Demba (Eendracht Aalst, Belgium), Mamady Sidibe (Gillingham, England), Janvier Abouta (Djoliba), Dramane Traore (Ismaili, Egypt)