The 29th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will kick off today in South Africa with South Africa the host nation coming face to face against tournament debutants Cape Verde at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg.
Bafana Bafana, the side that won hearts in 1996 after winning the Africa Cup of Nations only four years after readmission, are now desperate to return to the glory days following a spate of inauspicious results.
Cautiously, there have been whispers of a revival and rejuvenation in the host country ahead of a tournament that they believe will once again confirm they are amongst the powerhouses on African football.
Cape Verde, on the other hand, landed in South Africa with a reputation of being giant killers after eliminating the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the qualifying stages of the tournament. If no-one paid attention to Cape Verde before, known they are known.
While they have already won hearts with gutsy performances, they are still regarded as underdogs in this competition.
Sixteen African nations include GROUP A (Angola, Cape Verde, Morocco, South Africa) GROUP B (Ghana, DR Congo, Mali, Niger) GROUP C (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Zambia, Nigeria) GROUP D (Algeria, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Togo) will battle from the 19th of January today, till the 10th of February for the prestigious 29th edition of the trophy which is popular known as ‘’The Spirit of Africa’’ on the continent.
Issaka Adams / NationalTurk African Sports News
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a curiosity please:
who took this wonderful picture?
merci