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The African Cup of Nations kicks off in Cameroon on Sunday, with player calls, tournament schedule, host nation readiness and the possibility of widespread COVID-19 infections.
What is not clear, however, is who will be the mainland champion after the Feb. 6 final, as many winners say the tournament will stick to its habit of rarely handing out the form book.
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Algeria is defending its title and has gone to the tournament with a long winless streak, including a victory in the last edition in 2019 in Egypt.
Directed by Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, Algeria have rarely stretched in the last 24 months, but the toughness of the tournament’s competition and Cameroon’s tough conditions will provide a tough test.
Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia are the other countries in North Africa that have always been competitors but have been disappointed in recent editions. Morocco, in particular, has been eager to win the last few championships, but has not been able to meet its turnover.
West African giants Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria are the winners of the past with high hopes, but they are not convinced too late.
Nigeria released coach Gernot Rohr last month, happy with his form, despite winning the World Cup qualifying team.
The Cameroonian host has been even less credible, but his victory at home to the Bolilaris at the World Cup qualifiers in November was a great boost to his morale and has now put a burden of hope on his shoulders.
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This leaves Senegal as the team with the best credentials. They were runners-up in 2019 and have strengthened their team ever since, convincing several French players with Senegalese roots to join their team.
Sadio Mane from Liverpool could play a key role in helping the country secure its first World Cup victory.
All candidates hope to avoid the occurrence of COVID-19, which could affect their chances.
The preparations for most of the countries, over the last fortnight, have been affected by the players who have had to return to the positive tests and enter the quarantine.
On Wednesday, Senegal delayed the start of the tournament with three positive cases and the Cape Verde Islands have had an astonishing 21 positive cases in the pre-tournament training camp.
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The team sizes for this tournament have been increased from 23 to 28 to allow for the potential impact of the new coronavirus.
Teams will also have to deal with poor hotel and training facilities in Cameroon, stretched by poor infrastructure, in a race to prepare before Sunday’s start.
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The late preparations prompted an emergency meeting of the African Football Confederation’s executive committee last month, and it was thought to cancel the tournament.
After an emergency trip to the Cameroonian government to seek reassurance, CAF President Patrice Motsepe has begun to move forward, avoiding major disasters and hoping that football will take center stage when actions begin.
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