Pratik Dogra
While Europe may be the financial hub of football and Latin America may boast of the richest legacy, there is no denying the fact that it’s Africa that plays the game…for the love of it. Where football is a unifying factor…. a hope for a better future and more importantly, an opportunity to bring about a positive change to a continent marred by years of violence and exploitation.
Ever since the Roger Miller led Cameroon humbled Maradona’s mighty Argentina in the 1990 World Cup, teams from Africa have lived up to their reputation of being the giant killers. Players like Drogba, Eto’o, Diouf, Keanu, Kanoute and many more have dazzled the world with their phenomenal talents, and the fact that they form a significant part of the elite European clubs bears testimony to the continent’s immense potential.
A landmine for European talent scouts, the Africa Cup of Nations, also referred as the African Nations Cup (ANC) is the main premier international football competition in Africa. Sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), it was first held in 1957, with only three participating nations: Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.
Though South Africa was supposed to compete, they were eventually disqualified due to the apartheid policies of their then government.
Since 1968, it has been held every two years. From its nascent stage, it has grown by leaps and bounds into a full-fledged tournament with a worldwide fan following. After a grueling qualifying campaign, 16 teams stake claim for the top African honours in an event panning three weeks.
The sixteen teams are drawn into four groups of four teams each, with the top two teams of each group advancing to a "knock-out" stage.
Egypt is the most successful nation in the Cup`s history, winning the tournament a record five times. Ghana and Cameroon have won four titles each. Three different trophies have been awarded during the tournament`s history, with Ghana and Cameroon winning the first two versions after each of them won a tournament three times.
The current trophy was first awarded in 2002.
