AFCON 2015: Bafana Faces Eagles Again

 
The Confederation of African Football (CAF), on Sunday, held the draws of the 2015 African Cup of Nations at its headquarters in Cairo with Nigerian drawn against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in Group A.  
With Nigeria having lost just once to South Africa on November 17, 2004, in Johanneburg in an international friendly, the South Africans sure have their hands full as they ponder on how to change the tide against Nigeria that have beaten them on more than eight occasions at all levels.
Sudan and a yet to be determined team will also do battle with Bafana as they seek a ticket to the finals in Morocco. The other countries chasing the fourth spot in Group A are Libya, Namibia, Congo Brazzaville and Rwanda.
The AFCON finals will take place from 17th January to 8th February, 2015, and the four groups will be based in Marrakech, Agadir, Rabat and Tangier.
The six-match days of the group stage will take place between 5th September and 19th November 19, 2014. Seven group winners, seven group runners-up and the best third-placed side will qualify for the tournament.
The final tournament of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2015 will be played from 17th January through 8th February, 2015.
The Opening Ceremony in Marrakech will only have one fixture – the Opening Match of Group A. The second fixture of Group A will be played on 18th January which will also have two matches of Group B.
Egypt have lifted the Cup of Nations a record seven times, hosts Tunisia triumphed in 2004 and Senegal were the strongest third seeds.
Another mini-league set to generate fierce competition is Group D, which includes Ivory Coast, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The remaining place in that section will be filled by Swaziland, Sierra Leone, Gambia or the Seychelles.
Didier Drogba-skippered Ivory Coast started the last five Cup of Nations tournaments as title favourites, but the closest they came to glory was finishing runners-up twice.
Cameroon have shown signs of recovery under German coach Volker Finke after failing to make the last two African tournaments.
DR Congo ranks among the sleeping giants of African football and much could hinge on who succeeds veteran Frenchman Claude le Roy as coach.
Ghana, whose last of four Cup of Nations triumphs came in 1982, should not be unduly troubled by modest fellow west African opponents Togo and Guinea.
Uganda, whose last appearance at the tournament was 36 years ago, Madagascar, Mauritania and Equatorial Guinea are going to battle for the other Group E slot.
Shock 2012 champions Zambia are another country who can have no complaints, having drawn the Cape Verde Islands, Niger and one from Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Sudan.
Debutants Cape Verde reached the 2013 quarterfinals and will be favoured to advance with the Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets).
Burkina Faso, who greatly exceeded expectations by reaching the final last year before losing 1-0 to Nigeria, are in Group C with Gabon and Angola.
That section could be completed by Kenya – long overdue a finals appearance – with Liberia, Lesotho and the Comoros Islands the other contenders.
Group B comprises Mali, Algeria, resurgent Ethiopia and one from Sao Tome e Principe, Benin, Malawi and Chad.
The two-leg preliminary rounds will be staged between mid-May and early August and the six-match day group stage kicks off in September.
Group winners and runners-up and the best third-place team secure places at the finals with hosts Morocco.
Source:sunnewsonline.com