Sports
them are joint favourites Ghana who have won the tournament four times (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982), two time winners Nigeria (1980, 1994) and DRC (1968, 1974). Other previous winners present in South Africa are Zambia (2012), Tunisia (2004), Cote d’Ivoire (1992), Algeria (1990), Morocco (1976), Ethiopia (1962) and hosts South Africa (1996). • Record winners Egypt with seven titles (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010) miss out on the finals for the second successive tournament, while four-time winners Cameroon (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002) also miss out for the second successive tournament. Sudan, the 1970 winners also miss out along with 1972 winners Congo. • Mobile phone operator Orange is the title sponsor for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Other official sponsors involved at Afcon 2013 are IFD-Kapital, Pepsi, Doritos, Pan Atlantic, Samsung, Nissan, Nasuba Express, Stanbic and Standard Bank. • The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is providing free public transport within metropolitan cities in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal for fans with valid match tickets as well as journalists and other officials carrying accreditation from the Orange Afcon 2013 Local Organising Committee (LOC). • The global fight against HIV-Aids is also taking the spotlight at Afcon 2013 with UNAIDS joining hands with CAF to launch the “Protect the Goal” campaign. The initiative is aimed at raising awareness of HIV-Aids and mobilizing young people to commit to HIV prevention. The “Protect the Goal” campaign also stresses the need to ensure all the 15 million people eligible for life-saving antiretroviral treatment can access it by 2015. To this end, UNAIDS and its partners will disseminate HIV prevention messages on large electronic screens to football fans in all stadiums where the Africa Cup of Nations football games are taking place while the captains of each of the 16 teams participating in the tournament will read a statement calling on players, football fans and young people to support the campaign. TP
Redemption time for Bafana Bafana
fter the farce that was their failure to qualify for the 2012 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, hosting the tournament barely a year later comes as a welcome relief for a nation still keen on wiping the 2012 egg off their face. Then coached by Pitso Mosimane, Bafana Bafana as the South African national football team is known, failed to correctly interpret the rules of qualification in the run up to their final qualifying match against Niger. Instead of playing for a home win, Bafana Bafana played out a goalless draw and the team, led by then-captain Siphiwe Tshabalala even did a celebratory jig at the final whistle in the belief that they had qualified. Blinkered sections of the South African media even broadcast news confirming South Africa’s qualification for Afcon 2012 while the South Africa Football Association (Safa) even sent a congratulatory message to the team. In an embarrassing turn of events, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) officially announced that Niger had qualified ahead of South Africa as per the rules of the competition. Such was the humiliation that the South African public called on the Safa leadership to resign while coach Pitso Page 86
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Mosimane was sacked in the aftermath. Now with a coach who appears to have the full backing of South Africa’s football community in Gordon Igesund, Bafana Bafana are looking to regain their lost pride by doing well in the tournament. A repeat of their 1996 home victory is however unlikely given that Igesund is still imposing his style on the team. The Parade is tipping them to top their group which also features Angola, Cape Verde and Morocco, but cannot see them going beyond the quarter-finals given that they will face a team from Group B which features West African giants Ghana and Mali and former champions Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Key to their Afcon 2013 hopes will be goalkeeper Itumelang Khune, midfield enforcer Dean Furman, central defensive pairing Siyabonga Sangweni and Bongani Khumalo as well as strikers Katlego Mphela and Lehlohonolo Majoro.
Trivia
• “Katlego” – is the name given to the official Afcon 2013 match ball designed by Adidas. • Cape Verde, who qualified for Afcon 2013 after knocking out four time champions Cameroon in the final qualifying round are the only debutants at this year’s tournament. • 10 previous winners of the tournament are competing at Afcon 2013 and among
The Parade - Zimbabwe’s Most Read Lifestyle Magazine
February 2013