Sport
Africa’s hopes at World Cup 2014 in Brazil
Ghana
André Ayew has courted controversy since he made the Ghanaian team at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations as a 17-year-old. Some fans questioned whether he had done enough to earn his place or if he was being included for sentimental value as the son of Ghana’s greatest player, Abedi Pele.
Ayew won over his critics through his swashbuckling displays for the Black Stars, running himself into the ground in every match. In 2009, he captained Ghana’s youth team to success at the U-20 World Cup. In 2013, André and his younger brother Jordan announced their retirement from the national team after a disagreement with coach Kwesi Appiah.
They returned five months later, after the intervention of Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama. The team has made a seamless transition from one era to another with stalwarts like John Mensah, Anthony Annan and John Paintsil giving way to a new generation that includes the Ayew brothers, Abdul Majeed Waris, Jonathan Mensah, Dominic Adiyiah and Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu.
In a group that includes Germany, Portugal and the United States, Ghana will need to be at their very best to progress beyond the first round, after reaching the second round and quarter- finals in previous tournaments. If they can surmount the first hurdle, anything is possible.
Prediction 2014
First round exit.
Previous form
2010 quarter- final; 2006 second round.
Cameroon
Even in the face of the proverbial ticking clock, Samuel Eto’o, at 33, remains Cameroon’s most important player. With Chelsea, in the English Premier League this season, he has shown that he retains the ability to find the back of the net on the big stage. Cameroon’s fortunes in Brazil are inevitably intertwined with his own. He will be making a fourth appearance at the FIFA World Cup, having first made his debut in France in 1998 as a 17-year-old.
His appearances in 2002 and 2010 also saw Cameroon fail to progress beyond the first round. Eto’o prominent status in international football allows him to exert a disproportionate influence on the Cameroonian team, which has led to clashes with coaches, players and the football association.
This turbulence has led to pronouncements of his retirement from the national team, with him only then to return after discussions with the football authorities. This World Cup is likely to be Eto’o’s final chance to help Cameroon try to emulate the 1990 team that became the first African side to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup. It looks unlikely, given the paucity of quality players on the team and the opposition they face from Brazil, Mexico and Croatia.
Prediction 2014
First round exit, with Brazil favorites and Croatia or Mexico to take second place.
Previous form
2010 first round; 2002 first round.
