African Cup of Nations, FA Cup, Super Bowl

 

The next couple of weeks cerainly look busy in our diary - so many great sporting events going on all at once, and I'm not even going to touch on the cricket or tennis here - just football (in its various forms).

The African Cup of Nations is hotting up - we're nearing the end of the Group Stage, and already 3rd favourites Senegal are out. I'll try to write a full review of the first week or first stage here on the blog later if I get time.

The FA Cup returns, with the 4th round being played over the weekend of the 27th-29th January. There are live games televised almost all weekend, starting on Friday evening right through until Sunday evening (some on ITV, some on ESPN). PIck of the games is probably Liverpool vs Manchester United, but also hotly contested will be the North East derby between Sunderland and Middlesbrough.

And then, as if we're not busy enough already, the Super Bowl makes its annual return on February 5th, with this year's game between New York Giants and New England Patriots. We've added some new recipe ideas on our Super Bowl mini site.

Enjoy!

I warned you that the one certainty with the African Cup of Nations was that nothing was certain! The two matches so far have only served to prove the point; Co-hosts Equatorial Guinea - viewed by most as rank outsiders - beat Libya 1-0 in their opening game, while many people's favourites Senegal lost their first match 2-1 to Zambia!

Excited and intrigued to see what today's matches throw at us! Don't tell me Sudan will overcome hot favourites Ivory Coast?!

It's time! Yes, the African Cup of Nations kicks off today, and we are soooooo excited! Food is already bought for our first ACN party, my son has his Ghana flag hung in his bedroom, and we just can't wait for the tournament to kick off later today!

The African Cup of Nations 2012 Preview - Part 2

 

Co-hosts Gabon, Burkina Faso and Guinea are all rated as 25-1 outsiders for this year's African Cup of Nations by the bookies. Of the three, only Guinea have ever made it beyond Round 1 (the group stage) in the tournament finals before. Guinea topped their qualifying group with an unbeaten record, knocking out mighty Nigeria in the process. They have been drawn in Group D with Ghana, Mali and Botswana. On paper, Ghana would be expected to top the group, probably followed by Mali, but – with the exception of Ghana – there is little to choose between the teams, and one result could swing it. Finishing second in this group would probably result in a quarter final match against the winner of the Tunisia vs Morocco tie. Not an impossible task, but not an easy one. But I certainly wouldn’t write Guinea off as possible contenders to at least get through the first round.

 

Burkina Faso topped their group too, and were also unbeaten. However, after Mauritania withdrew from the qualification process a relatively weak group became even weaker. However, in their defence they only conceded three goals in qualification, and even managed to keep clean sheets in recent friendlies against Gabon and Cameroon. They are ranked  66^th in the World, and are in a group with Ivory Coast, Sudan (120^th) and Angola (85^th), so on paper they should get through the first round as runners up in Group B.

 

Co-hosts Gabon did not need to qualify, so their recent matches have all been friendlies. Ranked 91^st in the World and placed in a group with Morocco, Tunisia and  Niger (Ranked 98^th), I personally struggle to see how they will get through the first round unless the home crowds can lift them enormously.

 

Zambia, Angola and Libya are all rated as 40:1 outsiders. Ranked 71st, 85^th and 63^rd respectively, none have ever won this tournament, although Zambia and Libya have both been runners-up in the past. Intriguingly, Zambia and Libya both qualified from the same group, the former as group winners and the latter as one of the strongest runners-up. They now face each other again in Group A of the finals tournament, joined by Senegal and Equatorial Guinea.  In qualification Libya were actually unbeaten, and had the better of the matches between the two sides, and my feeling is that they are under-rated as a team.  The chances are that one of the two will get through the first round of the competition – my hunch is it will be Libya – with the likelihood of meeting Ivory Coast in the next round.

 

Angola, on the other hand, have the dubious pleasure of having drawn Ivory Coast in their group, along with Burkina Faso and Sudan. Realistically, nobody expects them to top the group, but qualification is not out of the question if they can get good results against lowly Sudan and more-fancied Burkina Faso. The key game in this group therefore looks likely to be one of the first: Burkina Faso vs Angola on 22^nd January, with the winners favourites to go through to the next round.

 

Sudan, Niger and co-hosts Equatorial Guinea are seen by the bookies as 66:1 outsiders. Ranked 120^th, 98^th and 151^st in the World respectively by Fifa, none are likely candidates to make it through the first round. Sudan qualified as one of the strongest runners-up (and in fact would have topped their group had they not lost their final match to Ghana), but have failed to emulate their successes of the past, when they won the tournament in 1970. I suspect the current crop of players lack the experience of playing on a big stage, and they will struggle in a group with teams who are all more highly rated.

 

Niger excelled in qualification, managing to knock out Sierra Leone and former winners South Africa and Egypt, albeit by the tightest of margins and despite an appeal by South Africa. This achievement is all the more remarkable in that it is the first time that Niger have ever qualified for a major tournament finals competition. However, their lack of experience at this level, a team which lacks any recognisable star names, and a draw which puts them up against Morocco and Tunisia in the first round, makes it unlikely that we will see this achievement being added to on this occasion.

 

Equatorial Guinea, the lowest ranked team in the tournament according to Fifa, have something of a mountain to climb if we are to see them play more than their opening three group games. Unless their home support can lift the team to super-human achievement levels, I cannot realistically see them beating Libya or Senegal, and therefore expect them to crash out in round 1.

 

Finally, Botswana, who (despite being ranked 94^th in the World by Fifa) are rated by the bookies as absolute outsiders at 100:1. They may not have much experience on the big stage, but I feel this is a little harsh; they did finish top of their group in qualification (above highly fancied Tunisia), and they are more highly rated than Sudan, Niger or Equatorial Guinea. However, they have been drawn in a group with Ghana, Mali and Guinea; Ghana are expected to go all the way to the final, and Mali and Guinea both have the ability to get beyond the group stage, so it will be a struggle for Botswana, but not an insurmountable one.

 

So there you have it. Sixteen teams, thirty two matches, and only one eventual winner. Most of the money is going on Ivory Coast, but don’t be surprised if an outsider – Mali, Burkina Faso or Libya – makes it through to the semi-finals at least. To claim that this year’s tournament is virtually decided before it kicks off is unwise to say the least – the one certainty in African football is that it will always surprise you!

 

The African Cup of Nations 2012 Preview

 

On January 21^st, the African Cup of Nations tournament kicks off, jointly hosted on this occasion by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, two names that historically haven’t featured too prominently on lists of great African footballing legends. And in many ways, that could be the theme of the whole tournament, with many of the “big names” of African Football missing from this year’s event.

 

The Super Eagles of Nigeria missed out in qualification, finishing second in their group behind Guinea, a team ranked 80^th in the World, some 37 places lower than Nigeria. In Qualification Group C Algeria – who made it to the last World Cup – came third and failed to qualify, largely due to a 4-0 defeat at the hands of local rivals Morocco. In Group E four times Cup of Nations winners Cameroon had a tough draw, being paired with Senegal, who had the better of the two meetings between the teams. On paper, Qualifying Group F looked like one of the toughest, with seven times tournament winners Egypt up against the mighty Bafana Bafana of South Africa. Although the final group result was tight – so tight that South Africa appealed – Egypt were poor and finished bottom, and South Africa also failed to qualify while Niger – ranked 97^th in the World – finished as group winners.

 

So, no Nigeria, no Algeria, no Cameroon, no Egypt, no South Africa. Between them, these countries won thirteen out of the last sixteen tournaments. It is virtually inconceivable to think of an African tournament without them. But that is exactly what we face in 2012, and actually, it could make for a really interesting event.

 

Tunisia, Ivory Coast and Ghana are the only three other nations to have won the African Cup of Nations since 1980, and all three are strongly fancied for this year’s tournament. Indeed the way the draw has been made means that – if both teams finish top of their first round groups (which is a strong probability) – Ivory Coast and Ghana would only meet each other in the final, so (as they are the two most highly rated teams in the tournament) I’d suggest that was a fairly good bet for the grand finale on February 12^th. In fact some cynics have voiced concerns that the draw has made it too easy for these two nations to progress to the final, resulting in a tournament which is too predictable and therefore less exciting than some in the past.  I would beg to differ, as there are so many less well-known teams in the finals this year that there are bound to be a few surprises. Let’s take a closer look at the teams taking part.

 

Ivory Coast are this year’s clear favourites. A team of well-known players who need no introduction to football fans from farther afield – e.g. the Touré brothers, Drogba, Kalou, Eboué, Tioté, Gervinho – they cruised through qualification, finishing their group with three times as many points as the second placed team. At 16^th, they are the highest placed African team in Fifa’s latest world ranking table. While they are clear favourites to top Group B in the finals, it is an interesting group in which any of the other teams – Sudan, Burkina Faso and Angola – have the potential to cause an upset given a bit of luck.

 

Second favourites Ghana have been drawn in Group D. They qualified for the finals by finishing unbeaten and topping their qualifying group, only dropping two points. They are ranked 29^th in the World according to Fifa, making them the second highest placed African team, and they were the most successful African team in the 2010 World Cup, so they have experience of playing in major tournaments. The question may be whether they have sufficient experience in depth within the squad; certainly the likes of Mensah, Pantsil and Muntari, and possibly Asamoah Gyan have all played at a very high level for years, but much of the rest of the squad is made up of very talented players in their very early twenties. No doubting their ability, but do they have the experience to handle the big occasion?

 

The bookies’ third favourites are Senegal, a nation not without its football glory; remember they beat France and Sweden on their way to the Quarter Finals of the 2002 World Cup, a year in which they also finished runners-up in the African Cup of Nations. However, since then they have not qualified for another World Cup, and their performances in the African Cup of Nations have gradually been less and less successful. So why, you may ask, do the bookies rate them so highly this year? Well, they topped their qualification group convincingly, only dropping two points and only conceding two goals and thereby knocking out Cameroon. At 44^th in the World, they are the third highest ranked team in the tournament. They have a very experienced defence, most of whom play at a high level in France, and in Demba Ba they have a striker who is in a very rich vein of form at the moment. They have been drawn in Group A, with hosts Equatorial Guinea, Zambia and Libya, none of whom rank in the Top 50, and if they can manage to top their group they are likely to avoid Ivory Coast in the Quarter Finals. Whether they have the talent to go all the way is questionable, but certainly they are one of the stronger teams, and anything can happen in this tournament.

 

Morocco – currently occupying fourth place in the bookies’ ranking table – qualified as winners of Group D, knocking out Central African Republic, former winners Algeria and Tanzania in the process. Ranked 61^st in the World according to Fifa, their past record in the African Cup of Nations has been somewhat “hit or miss” – they won the event in 1976, came second in 2004 and third in 1980, but more often than not they either fail to qualify, or go straight out in the first round. They have chalked up some impressive results in the last 18 months (against the likes of Niger, Algeria, Senegal and Tanzania), and in Chamakh and Taarabt they have players with talent and experience. They have been drawn in Group C with Niger, joint hosts Gabon, and local rivals Tunisia, which is a tight group; much will depend on how much Gabon’s home support can influence events, and the match between Morocco and Tunisia could well be decisive.

 

So tight is Group C in fact that the bookies rank Tunisia as fifth favourites. While they are ranked two places above Morocco in Fifa’s World rankings, the 2004 champions qualified as runners up in their group behind lowly Botswana, and in recent months have lost to Algeria, Ivory Coast and twice to Botswana in qualification. While on paper they have a mix of youth and experience, they do seem to lack the “star quality” of past Tunisian teams, and as stated above, much will depend on the outcome of their match with Morocco, and on the ability of the Gabonese fans to lift their team (or not). If they finish second in their group, the chances are that they will face Ghana in the next round, so topping this group is all important, making the match on Monday 23^rd February between Morocco and Tunisia one of the most important games of the first round.

 

Mali, who qualified ahead of Cape Verde on goal difference in one of the weaker qualification groups, are somewhat surprisingly rated as number six on the bookies’ list of favourites. Not only did they arrive at the competition by scraping through a relatively weak group, but they start alongside Ghana, Guinea and Botswana in Group D. Ghana are clear favourites to top the group, leaving Mali (ranked 67^th in the World), Guinea (ranked 80^th) and Botswana (95^th) to battle it out for second place in the group, and the right to play the winner of Group C in the next round. Realistically, they’re unlikely to win the tournament, and getting beyond the group stage is probably all they can hope for, but if I’ve learned one thing over the years it’s that nothing is certain in this competition!

After a great sporting weekend - and let's extend the "weekend" to include Monday so as not to miss out Thierry Henry's remarkable return to Arsenal - two major competitions took leaps forward in terms of deciding who the eventual winners may be.

In the UK, the 3rd round of the FA Cup took place, as did the draw for the 4th round. With early favourites Manchester City knocked out by arch rivals United, the bookies have had to have a bit of a rethink, and they now see Chelsea as favourites, followed by Spurs, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.

The big game in the 4th round looks like it will involve United again, as they have been drawn away at Liverpool. Meanwhile, all eyes in the North East will be on the local derby between Sunderland and Middlesbrough. Favourites Chelsea are drawn away against the winner of the MK Dons vs QPR replay. For the full draw, see our FA Cup page.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, the race for the Super Bowl is now down to just eight teams (ranked as per the bookies' opinions): Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos. The Super Bowl itself is on February 5th, so get the date in your diary now and start planning that party!

 

It’s cold, wet and windy, we’ve all spent all our money (and then some!) at Christmas, and the economy is down the tubes. What we need at this time of year is a good party to lift our spirits, but there doesn’t seem to be much to celebrate. Maybe we can “borrow” somebody else’s party…

 

On January 21^st, the African Cup of Nations football tournament kicks off. You’d be forgiven if you didn’t know this; the event never receives the press coverage it deserves, and in fact only seems to get a mention when British football managers have a moan about losing their star African players to the tournament for a few weeks in the middle of the season. Rather than moaning about the tournament’s timing, let’s take a few moments to celebrate a fantastic event, and join in with Africa’s biggest party. Millions of Africans all over the world will be following the event closely, and its impact within the continent is enormous, both economically (especially for the two host nations – Gabon and Equatorial Guinea) but also socially, by bringing people together and lifting their spirits.

 

And isn’t that just what we need in the cold, miserable northern hemisphere right now? Think back to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and remember the joyful exuberance of the African crowds, decked out in their wonderfully colourful costumes and dancing to their music, all in celebration of the world’s favourite sport. Too often we lose sight of the fact that sport is entertainment, it’s fun, and something to be enjoyed socially with friends.

 

So why not forget the winter blues, put off the spring cleaning for a few more weeks, and turn your home into a little African party oasis? It needn’t cost the earth, and might just get your year off to a more colourful start. Simply get together with a couple of friends, and each pick a team to support through the tournament (there are sixteen to choose from, including favourites Ivory Coast and Ghana, but some of Africa’s less well-known footballing nations such as Botswana, Niger and Guinea will be trying make their mark too). Then, whoever’s team is playing has to host a party while you all watch the game together. You can keep it simple with a few beers, crisps and a take-away pizza, or make it much more fun and decorate your front room with a few flags (you can find these on the internet for under £5), and find some recipes from your chosen nation to cook for your guests. Trust me – it’s great fun, it doesn’t cost a lot, and it’s a really fun way to “hijack” Africa’s party and take all our eyes off our own troubles at home for a few weeks. You can even involve the children in making colourful decorations for your front room, or doing some of the cooking (and it’s a sneaky way of broadening their education by seeing what they can find out about each of the countries taking part!) – my eight year old son has now become an ardent Ghana supporter!

 

Loads more ideas on the main Football Party web site, including where to get hold of flags, other decorations, shirts, recipe suggestions, etc

Yes, it's finally arrived (and of course the weather is suitably grim at the moment!). The 3rd round of the FA Cup has finally arrived, the point at which all the "big guns" get involved.

Without a doubt, the "big glamour tie" of this year's 3rd round is Manchester City vs Manchester United, which is live on ITV at 1pm on Sunday 8th January. City are the favourites, according to the bookies, but as we all know, anything can happen in the FA Cup!

Other televised games over the weekend include Birmingham City v Wolverhampton Wanderers (live on ESPN at 12.30 on the 7th), Arsenal v Leeds United (Live on ESPN at 8pm on January 9th), and Peterborough United v Sunderland (Live on ITV1 at 3.30pm on the 8th).

For a full list of fixtures and suggestions for some hearty warming recipes (including mulled cider!), see our FA Cup Party page.

The African Cup of Nations kicks off in about three weeks - we can't wait! It's always a great festival of football, and we get the added bonus of trying out loads of great recipes from countries we've never been lucky enough to visit.

The bookies rate Ivory Coast as the favourites, followed by Ghana and Tunisia. Our readers poll suggests Ghana will come out on top - you can have your say and vote on the poll on the African Cup of Nations page.

The first round has some great ties - personally, we're looking forward to Libya agaisnt Senegal and Morocco vs Tunisia (should be a great evening food-wise as well as the football!).

More to follow...

 

No doubt you've already seen it elsewhere, but in case you haven't, the draw for the last 16 of the Uefa Champions League took place earlier today, and looks something like this:

• Lyon vs APOEL
• Bayer Leverkusen vs Barcelona
• AC Milan vs Arsenal
• Zenit St Petersburg vs Benfica
• Napoli  vs Chelsea
• CSKA Moscow vs Real Madrid
• Basel vs Bayern Munich
• Marseille vs Inter Milan

Interesting stuff. First ties are on Tuesday February 14th. Must try to work out some sort of German/Catalan menu for a romantic meal, and rearrange the furniture so the TV is situated just behind where my wife sits to eat her dinner!

Actually, AC Milan vs Arsenal looks like a really interesting tie - looking forward to that one...