Happy New Year 2010 : Orange Africa Cup of Nations

Happy New Year to all from Nairobi, Kenya and its another year full of soccer action. This year sees more focus on Africa especially with the 2010 Soccer World Cup taking place right here on the continent. But before that the Orange Africa Cup of Nations starts this month from the 10th to the 31st of January. Africa's finest footballers will be strutting their wares in Angola and sadly Kenya will be missing though not for lack of trying but more so from the cancer of soccer mismanagement that has plagued us for years gone by.

Didier Drogba, Kolo Toure, Samuel E'too and other top African professionals plying their trade in European leagues will be having their dress rehearsals for the World Cup in Angola. Passions will rise and tears will flow but the winner this year will be African Soccer which is gaining more prominence globally and ruffling top European managers who feel that the African Cup of Nations is wrongly placed in the international fixture calendar. Gladly for that FIFA are not listening for now.

The groups in Angola are:

GROUP A: ANGOLA, MALI, MALAWI, ALGERIA

GROUP B: COTE D'IVOIRE, BURKINA FASO, GHANA, TOGO

GROUP C: EGYPT, NIGERIA, MOZAMBIQUE, BENIN

GROUP D: CAMEROON, GABON, ZAMBIA, TUNISIA

Favourites may turn out to be Cote D'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana and Cameroon. Dark horses will be Angola, Nigeria and Tunisia. Shock Pullers could be Zambia, Algeria and Togo.

That all promises exciting times ahead with the only regret being that East Africa will be sorely missing but not really being missed. This needs to change. Are the soccer administrators listening and do the wider stakeholders really care?

My money is on Cameroon so Indomitable Lions don't let me down.