LUANDA – African superstars Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o and Michael Essien will discover Friday who they face at the 2010 African Nations Cup in Angola.
A draw ceremony in the capital Luanda divides the 16 qualifiers into four groups from which the winners and runners-up advance to the quarter-finals.Chelsea striker Drogba is the main source of Ivory Coast goals, Eto’o of Inter Milan serves a similar role with Cameroon and Essien, also from English Premiership table-toppers Chelsea, drives the Ghana midfield.And with the top 10 football nations on the continent among those securing places, the stage is set for an intriguing January 10-31 tournament as Egypt seek a record third consecutive title. Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria, all qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, are former African champions and potential winners of the first Nations Cup to be staged by a Portuguese-speaking country.Even Angola, lowest ranked of the contenders at 21, dare not be dismissed given the record of hosts in a tournament first staged 52 years ago in Sudan and won by Egypt.Egypt (2006) and Tunisia (2004) lifted the title on home soil, Nigeria (2000) came second, Ghana (2008) third and, significantly, apparent whipping boys Mali (2002) and Burkina Faso (1998) fourth. – Nampa-Reuters
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