2012 African Cup of Nations

[ARIAGA II]

So it's almost that time again, when your favorite African player leaves his team for three weeks throwing your club's season in disarray.

This year's tournament is different for a couple of reasons, it's the first time since 1996 that the holder will not be defending the title (yes Egypt failed to make it). Also this year's main favorites have not won the title for about 20 years. Here are the groups -

Group A

Equatorial Guinea [co-host]
Libya
Senegal
Zambia


Group B

Côte d'Ivoire
Sudan
Burkina Faso
Angola


Group C

Gabon [co-host]
Niger
Morocco
Tunisia


Group D

Ghana
Botswana
Mali
Guinea


fixtures can be seen here.

 

[Sir Calumn]

Oh yes! I absolutely love this tournament, watch as much as I can.

Even though it ****s Chelsea over!

I would actually love to go, I intended to go to the one in Angola but couldnt manage it in the end. This one, EG and Gabon, would be even better. ****, is there still time to book a last minute flight?

EDIT: Nigerianmiracle do you know how easy it is to get tickets to the games, and how expensive?

 

[ShiftyPowers]

In Gabon and Equatorial Guinea? Tickets will probably cost like $2 from a scalper.

 

[Sir Calumn]

You dont know that for sure...... Equatorial Guinea has one of the highest GDP per capita in the world......... just because a tiny percentage of the population are stupidly oil rich. It might me like the Shanghai grand prix, stupidly expensive and just for the wealthy minority.

If it is cheap, it might be sold out ten times over and impossible to get in on the day.

Then again, it may be as you say, half empty stadiums with tickets at two bucks a pop. I hope that is the case!

There's still time for me to jump on a plane

 

[ShiftyPowers]

If you stand in the terraces, please get a picture.

 

[Sir Calumn]

Haha sadly I already have my flight back to Estonia booked. But I am going to Ghana in december to cover their general election, I'll get some photos of me with some big blacks then.

 

[Mandieta6]

I'm surprised you're making plans for a year from now. Surely you'd be dead by then.

 

[Sir Calumn]

Exactly........ but just in case by some miracle I do make it to December, a crazy Africa trip should be just the thing to do the final damage and make sure I dont see 2013......

2013's gonna be unlucky, it has a 13 in it, I'd rather miss it.

 

[Mandieta6]

If you died on the 21st of December 2012 it would be awesome.

 

[Sir Calumn]

I'll do my best.

 

[yoyo913]

Sir_Didier_Drogba, are you trying to become Hunter S Thompson? If so, can I be your sidekick like in that movie with Johny Depp that everyone watches and doesn't know what the f*ck is going on?

 

[Filipower]

ACN is always fun, will definitely try to watch it as much as I can. Go Angola!

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Sir_Didier_Drogba, are you trying to become Hunter S Thompson? If so, can I be your sidekick like in that movie with Johny Depp that everyone watches and doesn't know what the f*ck is going on?

That's his lawyer. And so the role is already filled!

 

[RobbieD_PL]

I'd go out on a limb and say Libya. Seeing as how the team qualified and the country threw out a dictator. It'd be sort of like how Iraq won the 2007 Asian Cup.

 

[1966+2006]

I represented Niger in a Model United Nations a few months ago so...Go Niger!!!
Will it be on Eurosport, again?

 

[Mandieta6]

Go Burkina Faso! Chelsea's 16 year old Bertrand Traore has been called up for this one!

 

[yoyo913]

I represented Niger in a Model United Nations a few months ago so...Go Niger!!!
Will it be on Eurosport, again?

Ok, this is a first warning. We don't accept that kind of language.

 

[Sir Calumn]

Ok, this is a first warning. We don't accept that kind of language.

Filthy Niger-lover

 

[Xifio]

@Ilaje: damn it, you beat me to making the AFCON 2012 thread ... continuing on from our discussion on gtalk: yeah, the only solace is that Senegal can't play all their strikers at once; I mean, even against Zed, a 2-1-7 formation is risky ... still though, the prospect of any combination out of the two Dembas, Sow, Niang, and co. seems daunting ...

that said, there's a lot of positive vibes coming out of the Zambian camp ... after going out on pens despite being the better team in the quarters in 2010 against Nigeria, there's a hunger to set things right this time round ... realistically, there should be no excuses for not making it out of the Group Stages ... avoiding CIV in the quarters will be the real challenge, coz it's only then that a semifinal spot genuinely beckons ...

 

[fenton]

So which player is going to be the standout in the comp? These things always seem to throw up a young up & comer that all the big teams rush to sign...