African Cup Of Nations 2022

[delicatemoth]

Starts soon.

Emmanuel Dennis won't be appearing for Nigeria. Watford say the NFF didn't request him in time. Nigerian coach Austin Eguavoen has this to say -

https://twitter.com/SSE_NGA/status/1477178091294310401

[Sean of the Shed]

Technically Watford are correct within the laws of the game. Morally it's absolutely repugnant, a fucking abysmal decision that treats International football in another continent as a second rate competition. They have a player whose upturn in form has managed to gain him international recognition with his country and a chance to play in a major tournament and they've snatched it away from him. This would not happen to a European player.
Ian Wright spoke about the disrespect being shown to the AFCON even before Watford took this decision. Personally I hope Watford's season now turns to shit and they drop like a fucking stone.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

The nigerian FA had one job.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Algeria haven't lost a game since November 2018, including winning this title in 2019, but still aren't considered favourites - Egypt, Ghana and Senegal are favoured in the betting. One quirk to look out for during the tournament is that FIFA make the draw for the final playoffs for qualifying for the World Cup on January 26th, just before the quarter-finals, and there's a fair chance that all the quarter-finalists here will be among the ten teams in that draw, so the subsequent matches may well feature 'previews' of those playoffs.

[Patrick Thistle]

Isn't the reason Nigeria didn't call up Dennis in time is because he wasn't in contention because the previous coach didn't like him. With a change of coach he gets a call up but it's after the cut off date.

If Nigeria hadn't sacked their manager this wouldn't be an issue.

[Patrick Thistle]

Which TV channels will AFCON be on?

[Gert from the Well]

Looks like Sky have all the games with BBC showing 10 live games.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Please please please let souness be commentating on this.

[Satchmo Distel]

I'd hope that SKY use analysts who respect African football and do their homework on it, unlike terrestrial pundits at World Cups. Otherwise what's their audience - are gammon going to sit through 90 minutes of a group game?

[Antepli Ejderha]

Who do the BBC use?

[Greenlander]

Efan Ekoku has certainly done commentary/ analysis at previous ACONs.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Efan Ekoku has certainly done commentary/ analysis at previous ACONs.

That's who I remember but I thought he was on Eurosport, my memory playing tricks on me.

[Sunderporinostesta]

Watford are only doing what all the PL clubs would given the legalities being on their side.
I made a few quid betting on Egypt when they won it three times in a row on normal telly in the U.K. They were a proper organised team whereas all the countries with big names were shambolic one trick ponies. IE give it to the stars/egos. Egypt pissed it but never qualified for the WC or looked like it for some reason.
Cant wait.

[Patrick Thistle]

Cameroon just gone 2-1 up against Burkina Faso with a second penalty.

I really like the Burkina Faso shirt.

[Duncan Gardner]

Looking forward to backing Malawi. My primary school teacher's husband played for them in 1970/71

[hobbes]

a fucking abysmal decision that treats International football in another continent as a second rate competition.

Absolutely. It shouldn't matter what continent international football is on for it to be treated as a second rate competition.

[imp]

Magnificently complacent defending from Ethiopia there - just watching the long ball float over their heads and assuming that the Cap Verde forward will never even get to it, let alone play a beautifully controlled pass on the volley back across to his team-mate's head.

[Kowalski]

Which is the first match to be shown on the BBC?

[Discordant Resonance]

Magnificently complacent defending from Ethiopia there - just watching the long ball float over their heads and assuming that the Cap Verde forward will never even get to it, let alone play a beautifully controlled pass on the volley back across to his team-mate's head.

Crumlin lad Roberto Lopes getting his deserved reward by starting for Cabo Verde tonight.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

https://mixture.gg/v/61db086a1ca54

This tackle in the first minute of the opening match is going to take some beating

[elguapo4]

Crumlin lad Roberto Lopes getting his deserved reward by starting for Cabo Verde tonight.

Boo! Rotten Judas.

[imp]

I thought the Cap Verde scorer looked familiar - Julio Tavares. Saw him scoring for Dijon against St. Etienne in my only French league match to date on the opening day of the 2019-20 season.

[imp]

The referee's having a poor game. Missing fouls here, there and everywhere. Should have been a penalty for Cap Verde just now. Took him three minutes to make a decision on the red card in the first half with the aid of VAR.

[imp]

That was a one-star game with a one-star ref. I don't know enough about the teams to know whether that's a surprise result or not, but looking at the way Ethiopia played, I'm guessing not.

[Discordant Resonance]

Cabo Verde ran Nigeria close in World Cup qualifying, so one of those improving nations just below the very elite, probably in the 6-15 continental rankings.