With Kalipha Jabbi & Batou Saidy
With barely two days before the footballing world switches its attention to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), football writers and pundits, Kalipha Jabbi (Karl) and Batou Saidy share their thoughts on potential talking points for the much-anticipated continental showpiece in Morocco. The duo takes their tournament favorites, dark horses, potential young player of the tournament, and predicted top scorers.
Batou: Our beloved Gambia isn’t participating this time, but that’s a discussion for another time. Regardless, the AFCON is a very fascinating tournament that doesn’t disappoint spectators, at least not in terms of ambiance and fanfare, and even somewhat drama. In the past edition in Ivory Coast, our neighbors, Senegal dealt with Gambia in a dominant fashion, overstretching their dominance on us following too much noise and upheaval warming up to the tournament. From there, I concluded that the Teranga Lions aren’t a match for the Scorpions, at least for now and possibly in the near future. To me, as a fan of the Scorpions, our expectations of our boys don’t match their abilities on the pitch. So, Karl, how far can the Teranga Lions go this time around? Can Sadio Mane lead them to another glory?
Karl: To me, Senegal will always remain a tournament favorite for each AFCON. I mean for now. They have the squad depth, and the mixture of youth and experience will definitely be an advantage for them. Ibrahim Mbaye is one of the hottest prospects in world football today and his addition, alongside Assane Diao, Habib Diarra and Diouf of West Ham will give Senegal a boost. Despite their young ages, Lamine Camara and PM Sarr are established superstars for the team. Albeit, this is the first senior tournament for coach Malick Thiaw, he will be under tense scrutiny with his team selection. How he manages the midfield selection of Lamine, Diarra, Gueye, Ciss, and Gana will be a determining factor.
TOURNAMENT FAVORITES
Batou: The host nation, Morocco, the highest-ranked side in Africa, and just one spot below the top ten highest-ranked sides in world football, has very high odds of winning this tournament. Not even talking about their exploits in the 2022 World Cup where they finished fourth, achieving a record-breaking feat for an African side in World Cup history; the Atlas Lions have an amazing home support to win this tournament for the first time in half a century. Walid Regragui, their gaffer, selected a very solid squad that combined both youngsters like Ismail Saibari, Bilal El Khannouss, Chemsdine Talbi, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Abde Ezzalzouli, and co; and experienced players like Bounou, Hakimi, Ounahi, Amrabat, En-Nesyri, Brahim Diaz, Mazraoui, Aguerd, Saiss, and Ayoub El Kaabi. This is a very, very deep squad.
Elsewhere, the Teranga Lions are also too good on paper. They are the second-highest-ranked side in African football, and nineteenth in the world. They have the youth, talent pool, and squad depth, with several AFCON debutants: Assane Diao, Habib Diarra, Cheikh Tidiane Sabaly, Ibrahim Mbaye, and the mesmerizing El-Hadji Malick Diouf, the high-speed ball-playing left-footed left-back of West Ham United. The depth in their midfield and attack is just staggering. Regardless, to me, with home support, if the outliers don’t skew odds otherwise, my wager is on the Atlas Lions to win this tournament.
Tournament favorites: Morocco
Karl: Tournament hosts in AFCON always have a competitive advantage. Just like in the story of Ivory Coast in the previous tournament, Morocco stands a better chance of winning the tournament than any other country. On paper, they have a star-studded side and are entering the tournament as the best team on the continent. The team will miss a key player in Hakimi for the opening matches but his leadership in the dressing room will be a crucial addition. On the pitch, Ounahi will definitely be a key player for the team as he’s on the run of being one of the best-performing midfielders in Spain for Girona. Traditional powerhouses, Nigeria, Algeria, and Egypt will all fancy their chances and I won’t be surprised if any of them make it to the last four. However, I will root for Morocco.
Favorites: Morocco
DARK HORSES
Batou: Keenly watching the qualifiers, you’d see a lot of sides brimming with either form or discipline, or both. DR Congo, Burkina Faso, and Algeria, are all very solid to downplay. The record holders, Egypt, buoyed by Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, are not a side to underestimate. Well, I don’t trust the Super Eagles that much because they’ve been failing in high-stakes big stages recently. Hopefully, they’d fill up Rabat with noise, costume, and content. Who won’t miss the Cape Verde ladies in the Kop?
For Cameroon, given the drama they’re trapped in, I doubt if they aren’t already distracted enough to replicate their glory in Morocco 1988 under the captaincy of the legendary Emile Mbouh, supported by Roger Milla. Even Angola, the Palancas Negras deserve some respect for their doggedness in this competition between 2008 and 2010. Well, with the Black Cat, Noah Sadiki in midfield, the man with two lungs, under the leadership of captain Chancel Mbemba; supported by veteran striker, Cedric Bakambu, one-time most valuable African footballer; and solid Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Arthur Masuaku on either side of the back line, underestimate The Leopards at your own peril.
Dark horses: DR Congo
Karl: Each tournament always presents to us a fascinating story of an underdog team. It was Cape Verde, Burkina Faso, and Comoros previously. In Africa, football is shifting from being dominated by perennial high achievers. This is a story of Comoros qualifying for the World Cup at the expense of some so-called football elites.
DR Congo with an array of influential players and at the back of just a game between them and the World Cup will still relish their chances but I doubt if they can do it in the absence of Newcastle forward, Wissa. They have a wildcard in Fiston Mayele of Pyramid FC and midfield dynamo of Atrimotos FC, Samuel Moutoussamy to depend on but I don’t see them going anywhere above the semifinal.
My tournament dark horses will obviously be South Africa. They had a remarkable qualifying campaign and have successfully made it back to the FIFA World Cup. The team will be without the legendary Percy Tau but take nothing from the best midfielder in the last tournament Teboho Mokeona. Coach Hugo Broos gets most of his players from the local league and a core of these players come from Memelodi and Orlando Pirates.
Dark Horses: South Africa
Possible Top Scorer & Young Player of the Tournament
Batou: Every tournament almost offers surprises, yet others follow the script. Sometimes, others disobey it and descend into absolute madness. This time around, I believe the top scorer isn’t coming from the winning side or the finalists. In the mix of elite strikers: Victor Osimhen, Serhou Guirassy, Youssef En-Nesyri, Cedric Bakambu, Ayoub El Kaabi, or even high-scoring wingers like Salah, Mane, Mahrez; with Brahim Diaz, the top of the qualifiers building up to this tournament, I tip the Syli National center forward for the top scorer gong.
Top Scorer & Young Player of the Tournament: Serhou Guirassy & Chemsdine Talbi
Karl: AFCON always struggles to produce goals. Samuel Eto’o remains the all-time leading scorer with 18 goals. The continent has a rich history of top-quality strikers but they usually can’t replicate their club forms. Last tournament top scorer had only 5 goals in Emilio Nsue, who at the club level was not even a recognized striker.
This year, we have the likes of Guirassy, Osimhen, Yan Diomande, Mostafa Mohamed, and veteran Cedric Bakambu, but if given enough chances, I tip Youssef En-Nesyri to be the top scorer alongside Victor Osimhen.
This tournament will bring to life some bright young talents. Senegal is spoiling for choices. Morocco has consistently been producing some fine youngsters, but if DR Congo can make it far, I predict Sadiki for the Young Player of the Tournament.
