Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
यूरो 2012
Euro-2012 Preview.The field has been set for the sixteen teams that make it to Euro-2012 to be co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.The teams that made it include Spain,Germany,England,Italy,France,Greece,Croatia,Russia,Poland,Ukraine,Sweden,Denmark,Ireland,Czech Republic,Portugal and Holland.The draw looks like this.
In group A co-host nation Poland is going to be battling Russia,Czech Republic and Greece.In group B which is the group of death in this competition,favorite Germany is going to be battling Holland,Portugal and Denmark.In group C,Spain will begin the defend of its title with Italy,Ireland and Croatia.And the last be not the least group D will see the other co-host nation Ukraine battling it out with France,England and Sweden.
Group A team Greece had their best Euro performance in 2004 when they went in as a big underdog and won the competition taking the world be surprise.This time around they are not going to creep up on anybody.They would provide a tough fight in this group but I do not fancy them going through to the knockout stages.Too much economic problems at home also though that has nothing to do with their performance on the pitch.
Russia's last great run at the Euro came in 1988 when they made it all the way to the finals before losing to the Dutch.They where a great team to watch in Euro 2008 and made it past the Dutch in the quarterfinals before going down in the semi-finals.I like their chances to come out of this group.
The Czech Republic had to go to the playoffs(barrage)before booking its place in this years Euro.I like them to take the second slot for the knockout stages in this group.
Poland are in the competition due to their status as co-host.The last time that the Poles made their mark in international football was way back in 1982 when they made it to the semi finals to the world cup that was held in Spain.
From the group of death aka group B,Germany are always a force to reckon with.The three times European champions are one of the favorites to win it all.They last won the Euro in 1996,so I have a feeling that they are due for one pretty soon.In their very last outing they defeated Holland in Hamburg by three goals to nil and that is no small fit.
Holland has one Euro under their belt and they were runners-up in the past world cup held in South Africa.They went through qualification without dropping a point and I like them coming out of this group of death.
Denmark can be tricky, the only problem is that being in the group of death,nobody is going to be looking past them.The Danes won the Euro in 1992 after joining the competition as a substitute team.
Portugal has Cristiano Ronaldo.The problem is that he alone can not do it all.The position that he plays in the field is forward and once the defenses clams down on him,there is a limit as to what he can accomplish by himself.This group of death I feel belongs to the Germans and the Dutch.
From group C,Spain are the defending world cup champions and also the defending Euro champions.They are thus provided with the opportunity to do what no nations has done in the history of soccer competition.That is being the holder of both cups and winning the Euro.Spain breeze through qualification for this competition without dropping a point and they are one of the favorites to lift the trophy.I look for them to qualify to the knockout stages from this group.
Italy last won a major competition in 2006 which was the world cup.So they are not that far away from a majors victory.Europe,s traditional defenders and king of the counter attack, the Italians are pulled in a strong group though I have a feeling that they would find a way to pull themselves through to the next round of the competition.
The Republic of Ireland got into the competition after winning a two leg barrage.They find themselves in a very tough group which I doubt whether they would be able to qualify from.
Croatia made it to the semi-finals of the world cup in 1998 and qualified for the knock out stages in last years Euro.
From group D, England is still looking for that second major trophy since the world cup in 1966.They had a disappointing world cup in South Africa in 2010 and they will be looking to make amends for that also.I look for them though to find a way to qualify out of this group into the knockout stages of the competition.
The French won the world cup in 1998 and followed it up with a Euro triumph in 2000 in Holland.Right now they are looking for somebody to replace Zinedane Zidane and Frank Ribery is not the answer.Despite their recent problems, I think that coach Laurent Blanc is going to look for a way to get them into knock out football.
Sweden is always a tough nut to crack in major competition.I am looking for them to provide major challenges to the France and the English.
Ukraine is the other co-host in the competition and a relatively new country.They have never won a major competition in their brief history and I do not think that they would start doing that just now.Being on home soil though, they would be a big pain for the rest of the members in this competition as they look to get out of the group stages.When it is all set and done I see a Spain versus West Germany finals with the Germans winning it all.
In group A co-host nation Poland is going to be battling Russia,Czech Republic and Greece.In group B which is the group of death in this competition,favorite Germany is going to be battling Holland,Portugal and Denmark.In group C,Spain will begin the defend of its title with Italy,Ireland and Croatia.And the last be not the least group D will see the other co-host nation Ukraine battling it out with France,England and Sweden.
Group A team Greece had their best Euro performance in 2004 when they went in as a big underdog and won the competition taking the world be surprise.This time around they are not going to creep up on anybody.They would provide a tough fight in this group but I do not fancy them going through to the knockout stages.Too much economic problems at home also though that has nothing to do with their performance on the pitch.
Russia's last great run at the Euro came in 1988 when they made it all the way to the finals before losing to the Dutch.They where a great team to watch in Euro 2008 and made it past the Dutch in the quarterfinals before going down in the semi-finals.I like their chances to come out of this group.
The Czech Republic had to go to the playoffs(barrage)before booking its place in this years Euro.I like them to take the second slot for the knockout stages in this group.
Poland are in the competition due to their status as co-host.The last time that the Poles made their mark in international football was way back in 1982 when they made it to the semi finals to the world cup that was held in Spain.
From the group of death aka group B,Germany are always a force to reckon with.The three times European champions are one of the favorites to win it all.They last won the Euro in 1996,so I have a feeling that they are due for one pretty soon.In their very last outing they defeated Holland in Hamburg by three goals to nil and that is no small fit.
Holland has one Euro under their belt and they were runners-up in the past world cup held in South Africa.They went through qualification without dropping a point and I like them coming out of this group of death.
Denmark can be tricky, the only problem is that being in the group of death,nobody is going to be looking past them.The Danes won the Euro in 1992 after joining the competition as a substitute team.
Portugal has Cristiano Ronaldo.The problem is that he alone can not do it all.The position that he plays in the field is forward and once the defenses clams down on him,there is a limit as to what he can accomplish by himself.This group of death I feel belongs to the Germans and the Dutch.
From group C,Spain are the defending world cup champions and also the defending Euro champions.They are thus provided with the opportunity to do what no nations has done in the history of soccer competition.That is being the holder of both cups and winning the Euro.Spain breeze through qualification for this competition without dropping a point and they are one of the favorites to lift the trophy.I look for them to qualify to the knockout stages from this group.
Italy last won a major competition in 2006 which was the world cup.So they are not that far away from a majors victory.Europe,s traditional defenders and king of the counter attack, the Italians are pulled in a strong group though I have a feeling that they would find a way to pull themselves through to the next round of the competition.
The Republic of Ireland got into the competition after winning a two leg barrage.They find themselves in a very tough group which I doubt whether they would be able to qualify from.
Croatia made it to the semi-finals of the world cup in 1998 and qualified for the knock out stages in last years Euro.
From group D, England is still looking for that second major trophy since the world cup in 1966.They had a disappointing world cup in South Africa in 2010 and they will be looking to make amends for that also.I look for them though to find a way to qualify out of this group into the knockout stages of the competition.
The French won the world cup in 1998 and followed it up with a Euro triumph in 2000 in Holland.Right now they are looking for somebody to replace Zinedane Zidane and Frank Ribery is not the answer.Despite their recent problems, I think that coach Laurent Blanc is going to look for a way to get them into knock out football.
Sweden is always a tough nut to crack in major competition.I am looking for them to provide major challenges to the France and the English.
Ukraine is the other co-host in the competition and a relatively new country.They have never won a major competition in their brief history and I do not think that they would start doing that just now.Being on home soil though, they would be a big pain for the rest of the members in this competition as they look to get out of the group stages.When it is all set and done I see a Spain versus West Germany finals with the Germans winning it all.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
इ जुस्त हप्पेनेद तो बे इन थे कॉन्टिनेंट अत थे Time
Africa on the Move
There seems to be a lot going on in the continent right now.I was wondering whether it has always been this way or is it just because I am in the continent now, so I get to witness first hand the news events that are taking place in the continent right now.
Sudan.
The southern Sudanese voting an overwhelming 99.9 percent to secede from their northern brothers. It was not even close. Talk about living with the enemy as a brother. The good news is that the Muslim north had come in grips with what is going on and instead of fighting the inevitable, they decide the accept the change. The referendum has taking place and come July of this year there will be a new republic in the continent.
Ivory Coast.
This one is complicated, just as I thought it would be. Incumbent Laurent Gbagho who I was surprised lose the elections in his country but decided not to step down. The momentum to remove him from power has come to a halt. It might be temporary but for the moment the African Unity and Ecowas are still looking for ways to persuade the defeated leader to step down.It is going to take some time though to get it done.
Tunisia.
This one started in the streets and next you know, the President of the country for the past 24 years was gone. He had accepted not to run for reelection as part of the way to appeal to the masses,but is seems as if that was not enough for the populations. Next you know he was boarding a plane that was heading for France and finally Saudi Arabia. That is where he is now based, though his countrymen have gotten an international arrest warrant on his head.
Egypt.
The Egyptians took to the street in the manner of their Tunisian brothers and today the first of February 2011, Hosni Mubarak 30 year hold on this Arab nations is about to come to an end. Despite his many concessions that included putting aside plans for his son to be the future leader of the country, his countrymen will stop nothing short of getting him out of the country. The population got a major backing went the military decided not to side with the President. They say that so long as the demonstration stay peaceful, the would not opened fire on the population demonstrating on the streets.
There seems to be a lot going on in the continent right now.I was wondering whether it has always been this way or is it just because I am in the continent now, so I get to witness first hand the news events that are taking place in the continent right now.
Sudan.
The southern Sudanese voting an overwhelming 99.9 percent to secede from their northern brothers. It was not even close. Talk about living with the enemy as a brother. The good news is that the Muslim north had come in grips with what is going on and instead of fighting the inevitable, they decide the accept the change. The referendum has taking place and come July of this year there will be a new republic in the continent.
Ivory Coast.
This one is complicated, just as I thought it would be. Incumbent Laurent Gbagho who I was surprised lose the elections in his country but decided not to step down. The momentum to remove him from power has come to a halt. It might be temporary but for the moment the African Unity and Ecowas are still looking for ways to persuade the defeated leader to step down.It is going to take some time though to get it done.
Tunisia.
This one started in the streets and next you know, the President of the country for the past 24 years was gone. He had accepted not to run for reelection as part of the way to appeal to the masses,but is seems as if that was not enough for the populations. Next you know he was boarding a plane that was heading for France and finally Saudi Arabia. That is where he is now based, though his countrymen have gotten an international arrest warrant on his head.
Egypt.
The Egyptians took to the street in the manner of their Tunisian brothers and today the first of February 2011, Hosni Mubarak 30 year hold on this Arab nations is about to come to an end. Despite his many concessions that included putting aside plans for his son to be the future leader of the country, his countrymen will stop nothing short of getting him out of the country. The population got a major backing went the military decided not to side with the President. They say that so long as the demonstration stay peaceful, the would not opened fire on the population demonstrating on the streets.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
हाउ गाबोन एंड क़ुअतोरिअल ग़ुइनेअ २०१२ प्लेएड आउट.
The actual Competition.
On match day one in group A co-host Equatorial Guinea defeated Libya by one goal to nil.On the second match of the group,Zambia was the surprise winner over favorite Senegal by two goals to one.
In group B,Ivory Coast escaped with a one nil victor over Sudan,while Angola defeated Burkina Faso by two goals to one.
In group C,co-host Gabon got an impressive two nil victory over Niger.In the second match in this group a hard fought match between Tunisia and Morocco ended with Tunisia on top by two goals to one.
In group D,Ghana opened the competition with a one goal to zero defeat of Botswana.Mali helped themselves to a one goal to zero defeat of Guinea.
Match day two went into high gear on Wednesday with Senegal putting in a disappointing effort against co-host nation Equatorial Guinea.They lost by two goals to one and became the first nation to be eliminated from this years African cup of nations.What a great disappointment for the Teranga Lions who came into this competition with such high hopes.Equatorial Guinea became the first nation to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition with this,their second victory in a row in this African cup of nations.In the other game in this group Libya and Zambia played to a 2-2 draw.
In group b, Ivory Coast beat a tough Burkina Faso side 2-0.This gave them qualification into the knockout stages of the competition.In the second match in this group Sudan and Angola played to an exciting 2-2 draw.
In group C,it was Tunisia beating Niger by two goals to one to move closer to qualification.The qualification came later at night when co-host Gabon beat Morocco in a three goals to two thriller.So from this group, Tunisia and Gabon moved on to the knockout stages to the competition while Morocco and Niger are out of the competition.
In group D,the record for the worse defeat of an opponent set back in 1970 was matched when Guinea beat debutant Botswana by 6-1 in a one sided encounter.Video replayed confirm a refused goal by Feindouno of Guinea that could have made the final score 7-1.In the second encounter of the group Ghana defeated Mali 2-0 to move closer to qualification.There was a beautiful set piece goal from Ghana ace player Asamoah Gyan.
In match day three,group A matches that were played simultaneously saw Senegal go down to Libya by 2 goals to 1.Zambia beat co-host nation Guinea Equatorial by 1 goal to o to move on as head of group A.Equatorial Guinea who had already qualified move on as runners up to Zambia in this group.Senegal, the big disappointment of the competition goes home with 0 points from three matches played.So in the quarterfinals Zambia would be playing against Sudan while Equatorial Guinea would play against Ivory Coast.
In group C,Gabon ended up as head of group by beating Tunisia 1-0.The other match of this group saw Morocco pick up three points by beating Niger by 1-0.
In group D,Ghana had a 1-1 draw with Guinea,while Mali beat Botswana by 1-0.So Ghana and Mali move on to the knockout stages of the competition.Ghana will be playing the runners-up of group C,which is Tunisia,While Mali will go against co-host Gabon during the quarterfinals.
In the first quarterfinals of the competition,Zambia beat Sudan by 3 goals to 0.Captain Katongo, scored the second goal for his team on on penalty rebound that the Sudanese goalkeeper had stopped.They will move on to play against Ghana in the semi-finals.
The the second quarter finals,Ivory Coast beat co-host Equatorial Guinea by 3 goals to 0.Didier Drogba missed a penalty kick in the encounter but made amends by scoring two goals for his side to take his total for the tournament to 3 goals.Yaya Toure got the third goal for his side through a beautiful spot kick.Ivory Coast moves on to play Mali in the semi-finals.
The third quarter finals of the competition matched Mali and co-host Gabon.The matched ended in a 1-1 tie before prolongation and penalty shootout. Mali survived the penalty shootout,winning by 5 made penalties to 4 for the Gabonese.So at this point both of the co-host nations were eliminated in the quarter finals of the competition.
The last of the quarterfinals matched Ghana and Tunisia.A very hard fought match ended at 1-1 during regulation.The Tunisian goalkeeper committed a big blunder in extra time,giving Andre Ayew the chance to fire his team into the semi-finals of the competition.So Ghana moves on and will play against Zambia in the other semi-finals of the competition.
In the first semi-finals match,Zambia pulled out a surprise by beating Ghana,my favorite to win it all by 1 goal to zero.Asomaoh Gyan,missed a penalty in the 7th minute of play and the Ghanians never recovered after the missed penalty.Zambia got its goal in the 79th minute of play through Emmanuel Muyuka who came into the game as a second half substitute.So the Ghana team will have to look for next year in South African to win its fifth African cup of Nations,the first one since 1982.Yes, it has been that far back since the black stars of Ghana last won this trophy.
Ivory Coast took on Mali in the other semi-finals of the competition and Gervinho got his first goal of the Competition.A beautiful run from the center of the field took him all the way to the Mali six meter box,before he slide in the winner for his side.That was all the scoring in a match that the Malians fail to show up.So the finals of the 2012 edition of the African cup of nations has been set with Ivory Coast going against a surprising Zambian side.
The match for who gets the third place in this years competition was won by 2 goals to 0 by Mali over Ghana.The Ghana side was still mourning from their semi-finals lost to Zambia.
The finals of this years competition took place in Iibreville and surprise,surprise,it was the Zambian national team,known as the chipolopolo that were crowned champions of Africa.The match itself was entertaining despite the fact that it ended in a goalless draw through regulation and extra time.It was during the penalty shootouts that Zambia got their first continental trophy in the history of the nation.They outlast Ivory Coast by 8 shots to 7 to emerge as champions.Once again Ivory Coast came up short on the big stage.Didier Drogba missed a penalty kick about 13 minutes to the end of the game that could have given his side the trophy.Congratulations to the Chipolopolo of Zambia for not going 0 and 3 in finals competition.They came up shot in 1974 and 1994 but not this time around,pulling out a huge upset in the finals.
On match day one in group A co-host Equatorial Guinea defeated Libya by one goal to nil.On the second match of the group,Zambia was the surprise winner over favorite Senegal by two goals to one.
In group B,Ivory Coast escaped with a one nil victor over Sudan,while Angola defeated Burkina Faso by two goals to one.
In group C,co-host Gabon got an impressive two nil victory over Niger.In the second match in this group a hard fought match between Tunisia and Morocco ended with Tunisia on top by two goals to one.
In group D,Ghana opened the competition with a one goal to zero defeat of Botswana.Mali helped themselves to a one goal to zero defeat of Guinea.
Match day two went into high gear on Wednesday with Senegal putting in a disappointing effort against co-host nation Equatorial Guinea.They lost by two goals to one and became the first nation to be eliminated from this years African cup of nations.What a great disappointment for the Teranga Lions who came into this competition with such high hopes.Equatorial Guinea became the first nation to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition with this,their second victory in a row in this African cup of nations.In the other game in this group Libya and Zambia played to a 2-2 draw.
In group b, Ivory Coast beat a tough Burkina Faso side 2-0.This gave them qualification into the knockout stages of the competition.In the second match in this group Sudan and Angola played to an exciting 2-2 draw.
In group C,it was Tunisia beating Niger by two goals to one to move closer to qualification.The qualification came later at night when co-host Gabon beat Morocco in a three goals to two thriller.So from this group, Tunisia and Gabon moved on to the knockout stages to the competition while Morocco and Niger are out of the competition.
In group D,the record for the worse defeat of an opponent set back in 1970 was matched when Guinea beat debutant Botswana by 6-1 in a one sided encounter.Video replayed confirm a refused goal by Feindouno of Guinea that could have made the final score 7-1.In the second encounter of the group Ghana defeated Mali 2-0 to move closer to qualification.There was a beautiful set piece goal from Ghana ace player Asamoah Gyan.
In match day three,group A matches that were played simultaneously saw Senegal go down to Libya by 2 goals to 1.Zambia beat co-host nation Guinea Equatorial by 1 goal to o to move on as head of group A.Equatorial Guinea who had already qualified move on as runners up to Zambia in this group.Senegal, the big disappointment of the competition goes home with 0 points from three matches played.So in the quarterfinals Zambia would be playing against Sudan while Equatorial Guinea would play against Ivory Coast.
In group C,Gabon ended up as head of group by beating Tunisia 1-0.The other match of this group saw Morocco pick up three points by beating Niger by 1-0.
In group D,Ghana had a 1-1 draw with Guinea,while Mali beat Botswana by 1-0.So Ghana and Mali move on to the knockout stages of the competition.Ghana will be playing the runners-up of group C,which is Tunisia,While Mali will go against co-host Gabon during the quarterfinals.
In the first quarterfinals of the competition,Zambia beat Sudan by 3 goals to 0.Captain Katongo, scored the second goal for his team on on penalty rebound that the Sudanese goalkeeper had stopped.They will move on to play against Ghana in the semi-finals.
The the second quarter finals,Ivory Coast beat co-host Equatorial Guinea by 3 goals to 0.Didier Drogba missed a penalty kick in the encounter but made amends by scoring two goals for his side to take his total for the tournament to 3 goals.Yaya Toure got the third goal for his side through a beautiful spot kick.Ivory Coast moves on to play Mali in the semi-finals.
The third quarter finals of the competition matched Mali and co-host Gabon.The matched ended in a 1-1 tie before prolongation and penalty shootout. Mali survived the penalty shootout,winning by 5 made penalties to 4 for the Gabonese.So at this point both of the co-host nations were eliminated in the quarter finals of the competition.
The last of the quarterfinals matched Ghana and Tunisia.A very hard fought match ended at 1-1 during regulation.The Tunisian goalkeeper committed a big blunder in extra time,giving Andre Ayew the chance to fire his team into the semi-finals of the competition.So Ghana moves on and will play against Zambia in the other semi-finals of the competition.
In the first semi-finals match,Zambia pulled out a surprise by beating Ghana,my favorite to win it all by 1 goal to zero.Asomaoh Gyan,missed a penalty in the 7th minute of play and the Ghanians never recovered after the missed penalty.Zambia got its goal in the 79th minute of play through Emmanuel Muyuka who came into the game as a second half substitute.So the Ghana team will have to look for next year in South African to win its fifth African cup of Nations,the first one since 1982.Yes, it has been that far back since the black stars of Ghana last won this trophy.
Ivory Coast took on Mali in the other semi-finals of the competition and Gervinho got his first goal of the Competition.A beautiful run from the center of the field took him all the way to the Mali six meter box,before he slide in the winner for his side.That was all the scoring in a match that the Malians fail to show up.So the finals of the 2012 edition of the African cup of nations has been set with Ivory Coast going against a surprising Zambian side.
The match for who gets the third place in this years competition was won by 2 goals to 0 by Mali over Ghana.The Ghana side was still mourning from their semi-finals lost to Zambia.
The finals of this years competition took place in Iibreville and surprise,surprise,it was the Zambian national team,known as the chipolopolo that were crowned champions of Africa.The match itself was entertaining despite the fact that it ended in a goalless draw through regulation and extra time.It was during the penalty shootouts that Zambia got their first continental trophy in the history of the nation.They outlast Ivory Coast by 8 shots to 7 to emerge as champions.Once again Ivory Coast came up short on the big stage.Didier Drogba missed a penalty kick about 13 minutes to the end of the game that could have given his side the trophy.Congratulations to the Chipolopolo of Zambia for not going 0 and 3 in finals competition.They came up shot in 1974 and 1994 but not this time around,pulling out a huge upset in the finals.
Monday, October 10, 2011
अफ्कों २०१२ Preview
2012 African Cup of Nations Preview.
One of the big news going into the tournament is that some of the big names in the continent would be missing out.The list includes seven time champions and three times defending champion Egypt.Four times champions Cameroon,two times champions the Super Eagles of Nigeria,Algeria and lastly world cup hosting nation, the Republic of South Africa.That is a total of 14 African Cup of Nations winners that would not be in the competition that is scheduled for Gabon and Equatorial Guinea from the 21st of January to the 12th of February 2012.
For those that would be making the tournament, the list starts with co-hosting nations Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.The rest of the field is as follows;Sudan,Guinea,Botswana,Angola,Zambia,Morocco,Ghana,Ivory Coast,Senegal,Burkina Faso,Niger Republic,Tunisia,Libya and Mali.
The sixteen teams are divided into four groups of four teams.The first group-A that would be based in Malabo has Equatorial Guinea,Libya,Zambia and Senegal.Group B that would be based in Bata has Ivory Coast,Sudan,Angola and Burkina Faso.Group C that would be based in Libreville is made up of Tunisia,Morocco,Niger and co-host Gabon.And lastly group D that would be based in Franceville has Ghana,Mali,Guinea and Botswana.This is how I think that the competition is going to play out.
Starting with group A, Equatorial Guinea would be playing in their first ever African Cup of nations.So they are in this competition because they are one of the two host countries.According to the Fifa rankings Equatorial Guinea is the weakest of the 16 teams that are present in this competition.Some of the keys players of the Equatorial Guinea national team include midfielder Samuel Itondo of Deportivo Mongomo and midfielder Juvenal of CE Sabadell.
Libya has participated in an African cup of Nations before,they hosted in 1982.The nation recently underwent a transition from a one man rule to some form of a democratic type rule.Despite the political situation in the country,they still manage to pick up a qualification ticket for the 2012 African cup of nations.Libya did not lose a game during their qualifiers.They finished second to Zambia to qualify as runners.In the head to head showdown with their main rivals in the qualifiers, they drew away 0-0 with their main rival in this group and beat them at home by one goal to nil.With three victories and three draws they got a total of 12 points that saw them through qualification.Some of their keys players to watch for during this competition include forward Ahmed Sa'ad and defense man Younes al Shibani.
Zambia had been a recent consistent customer to the African cup of nations making it to the finals once.A tragic plane accident once wipe out the entire national team but they have been back since then.They qualify as winners of their group with a total of 13 points.They could cause some problems in this group.I look for them to pick up the slack if Senegal decides to go to sleep.Some of the key players in the Zambia squad include forwards players Christopher Kotango and Collins Mbesuma.Also watch out for midfielder Rainford Kalaba.
Senegal qualified first from a group that included the Republic of Cameroon.They beat the Lions 1-0 in Dakar and had a 0-0 tie in the return leg match in Yaounde.They pick up am impressive 16 points out of a total of 18 in their way to qualifying for this years African cup of nations.They also netted in a total of 16 goals while conceding just two goals on an away 4-2 defeat of the Democratic Republic of Congo.They should form the next group of favorite nations to lift the trophy should Ghana or the Ivory Coast fail to do so.The Lions of Senegal are one of three African teams to ever make it to the quarterfinals of a world cup event. So they have some history of achieving on their side.I like them to get the order ticket out of group A in this competition.Some of the key players to watch on this Senegalese team include Mama Diouf,a striker from Manchester United,Souleymane Camara of Montpellier in France and Mamadou Niang of Al Sadd.So from group A I am looking at Senegal and Zambia to advance to the knockout stages of the competition.
Group B has one of the super favorites to lift the trophy in the name of Ivory Coast.Ivory Coast breeze through qualifiers picking up all 18 points following six victories in their group matches.They also scored an impressive nineteen goals while conceding just four in the process.When it comes to the Ivory Coast,being a super favorite might be more of a problem than a blessing.They have been a favorite to lift the trophy in the past three competition and they have gone home empty handed.Didier Drogba would be playing in his last Cup of nations and if the Ivory Coast team do not win this time around they would have nothing to show for their golden age in African football.Key players for the Ivorian team would start with recently crown African player of the year Yaya Toure of Manchester city.The hardworking mid fielder would be getting help form other Ivorian star players Didier Drogba of Chelsea,Gervinho from Arsenal,young sensation striker Souleymane Coulebaly,Solomon Kalou of Chelsea,Kolo Toure of Manchester city and Adbul Keita of Al Saad in the Qatar league.So as you can see the Elephants as the Ivory Coast national team is know is loaded with talent.All they have to do is to express that talent in the football pitch and everybody would be happy.
Sudan last won the African cup of nations in 1970 and the country just went through a political split the saw the birth of the Republic of South Sudan as the newest nation in the African continent.They finished the qualifiers as runners up to Ghana with 13points.That was enough to see them through as one of best second place teams to qualify.Some of their key players include forward players Alaa El-Deen Babikir and Bakri Almadina.
Angola was the last host of the African nations cup and they fail to make it out of the round of 16.They qualified with a total of 12 points from a group that included Uganda and Kenya.Their main rival though in the qualifiers was Uganda who they beat out with a single point on the classification table.On the head to head competition with their main rival they beat Uganda 2 nil at home and lost to them by 3 goals to nil away.Some of the key players to watch in this Angola squad include Manucho of Real Villadolid,Flavio of Lierse S.K. and Gilberto also of Lierse S.K.
Burkina Faso hosted the African nations cup in 1998 and made it all the way to the semi-finals.This time around they would be fighting to make it out of this group to the knockout stage together with Ivory Coast.They qualified with a total of ten points from four matches played, dropping just a point in their qualifiers.They were never really threatened by opponents Gambia and Namibia who manage just 4 points and 3 points respectively.They had to deal with the controversy of playing with Herve Zengue, a Cameroonian with a parent from Burkina Faso.Some of the key players of the Burkina Faso squad include forward Moumouni Dagano of Al-Khor and mid fielder Alain Troare of Auxerre,France.So from this group b,you should be looking at Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso to advance to the next stage of the competition.
Group C is an intriguing group.Tunisia last won the African cup of nations in 2004 when they hosted and had a naturalized born Brazilian striker to help them.I like them to be one of the teams that come out of this group.Tunisia finished their qualifiers with a total of 14 points which was three points off the pace set by Botswana in their group.Some of the players to watch in the Tunisian team include forward Issam Jemâa of Auxerre in France, midfielder Oussama Darragi of Experance of Tunisia and forward Amine Chermiti of FC Zurich in Switzerland.
Morocco won their only African cup of nations I believe in 1976 and they have been having problems with their form of late.They won their group in the qualifiers with a total of 11 points and trash main rival Algeria by four goals to nil in their match-up at home.This group though has Niger and Gabon as the other teams to compete for the two qualifying spots and Morocco could easily slide in as the second team out of the group.The key players for the Moroccan national team are forward Youssouf Hadji of Rennes in France,forward Marouane Chamakh of Arsenal in England and mid fielder and captain of the squad Houssine Kharja of Florentina of Italy.So from this group C, l like Morocco and Tunisia to move on to the knockout stage of the competition.
Niger is a surprise qualifier,they have never won the African cup of nations.You have to give Niger some credit though for qualifying in a group that included Egypt and the Republic of South Africa.With a total of nine points they made it through on goal differences despite a three way tie with South Africa and Sierra Leone.Key players for the Niger national team include strikers Ouwo Moussa Maazou of Zulte Waregem and Daounda Kamilou of CS Sfaxien.
Gabon is in the competition because of their co-host status and their recent friendly results have not been encouraging.A 2 nil defeat to Brazil followed by another 2 nil defeat to Ghana.Key players for the Gabonese team include forward Daniel cousin of Sapins,forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of St Etienne in France and forward Roguy Méyé of Zalaegerszeg.
From group D Ghana has won the African cup of nations four times.Their last victory though came way back in 1982 so they are due for a victory pretty soon.This team had a relatively easy time qualifying for this years edition of the African cup of Nations.They finish with a total of 16 points from a possible 18 with five victories and a draw against Sudan.Their goals difference was equally impressive with 16 goals netted in while conceding dust a goal to Sudan.The team from Ghana is one of the super favorites in this tournament together with Ivory Coast.So anything short of a finals appearance would be a disappointment for the team.The team has suffered a little bit in the fifa ranking where they sit at around the 29-th ranked team in the world.Key players to watch from the Ghanian national team included African player of the year runners-up Andre Ayew of Olympique of Marseille.Asamoah Gyan is on a loan transfer to Al Ain in United Arab Emerates after failing to settle well in Sunderland.Although he did not have a sensational season with Sunderland he is still king when it comes to the Ghana national team.He will always be remembered as the player who missed the penalty kick that could have seen Ghana become the first African team to make it to a world cup semi-finals.There is also Captain John Mensah to anchor the defense of the black stars as the Ghana national team is known.Another key player to watch for in this team will be Sulley Muntari of internationale.
Mali disappointed their fans in the last edition of the African cup of nations and they have never won this cup.Mali finished their group tied with 10points with Cape Verde who was their main rivals in the qualifiers.They thus qualified due to a superior goals differences over the Cape Verde Island.They beat the Cape Verde by 3goals to nil at home and lost to them 1 nil away.They have some talent in this squad and I look for them to make it to the knockout stages of the competition.Some of their key players include Seydou Keita of Barcelone who came up third in the African player of the year voting and Federick Kanoute of Sevilla in Spain.Also watch out for defense man Adama Tamboura of Metz in France.
Guinea always starts out very well in this competition but usually end up been humbled.Guinea qualified into this competition by beating the super Eagles of Nigeria by 1-0 in Conakry and holding the Eagles to a 2-2 tie in Nigeria on the last day of play of the qualifiers in this group.They ended up with 14 points as oppose to 11 points that the Super Eagles manage to pick up.They did not lose any of the six matches that that played in the qualifiers,winning four and drawing two games.Their key players will be defense man Fodé Mansaré of Manisaspor,midfielder Fodé Mansaré of Toulouse,France and forward Ismaël Bangoura of Al Nasr.
Botswana will be making their first appearance at the African cup of nations.Botswana did surprisingly well in the qualifiers finishing first in a group that they had to play 8 matches to qualify.They finish ahead of main rival Tunisia picking up a total of 17 points.Botswana also because of their surprising accomplishments during the course of the year were named African team of the year by the Confederation of African football.The key players that would attempt to get this team into the knockout stages of the competition include forward Dipsy Selolwane of Supersport United,forward Jerome Ramatlhakwane of Vasco da Gama and defenseman Mogogi Gabonamong of Supersport United.In this group though I like Mali to come out together with Ghana.
When things get to the knockout stages of the competition I would think that Ivory Coast,Ghana,Senegal and Tunisia would still be around.I would be looking at a finals between Ivory Coast and Ghana with the team from Ghana emerging as champions of Africa for the 5th team in the history of the competition.
One of the big news going into the tournament is that some of the big names in the continent would be missing out.The list includes seven time champions and three times defending champion Egypt.Four times champions Cameroon,two times champions the Super Eagles of Nigeria,Algeria and lastly world cup hosting nation, the Republic of South Africa.That is a total of 14 African Cup of Nations winners that would not be in the competition that is scheduled for Gabon and Equatorial Guinea from the 21st of January to the 12th of February 2012.
For those that would be making the tournament, the list starts with co-hosting nations Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.The rest of the field is as follows;Sudan,Guinea,Botswana,Angola,Zambia,Morocco,Ghana,Ivory Coast,Senegal,Burkina Faso,Niger Republic,Tunisia,Libya and Mali.
The sixteen teams are divided into four groups of four teams.The first group-A that would be based in Malabo has Equatorial Guinea,Libya,Zambia and Senegal.Group B that would be based in Bata has Ivory Coast,Sudan,Angola and Burkina Faso.Group C that would be based in Libreville is made up of Tunisia,Morocco,Niger and co-host Gabon.And lastly group D that would be based in Franceville has Ghana,Mali,Guinea and Botswana.This is how I think that the competition is going to play out.
Starting with group A, Equatorial Guinea would be playing in their first ever African Cup of nations.So they are in this competition because they are one of the two host countries.According to the Fifa rankings Equatorial Guinea is the weakest of the 16 teams that are present in this competition.Some of the keys players of the Equatorial Guinea national team include midfielder Samuel Itondo of Deportivo Mongomo and midfielder Juvenal of CE Sabadell.
Libya has participated in an African cup of Nations before,they hosted in 1982.The nation recently underwent a transition from a one man rule to some form of a democratic type rule.Despite the political situation in the country,they still manage to pick up a qualification ticket for the 2012 African cup of nations.Libya did not lose a game during their qualifiers.They finished second to Zambia to qualify as runners.In the head to head showdown with their main rivals in the qualifiers, they drew away 0-0 with their main rival in this group and beat them at home by one goal to nil.With three victories and three draws they got a total of 12 points that saw them through qualification.Some of their keys players to watch for during this competition include forward Ahmed Sa'ad and defense man Younes al Shibani.
Zambia had been a recent consistent customer to the African cup of nations making it to the finals once.A tragic plane accident once wipe out the entire national team but they have been back since then.They qualify as winners of their group with a total of 13 points.They could cause some problems in this group.I look for them to pick up the slack if Senegal decides to go to sleep.Some of the key players in the Zambia squad include forwards players Christopher Kotango and Collins Mbesuma.Also watch out for midfielder Rainford Kalaba.
Senegal qualified first from a group that included the Republic of Cameroon.They beat the Lions 1-0 in Dakar and had a 0-0 tie in the return leg match in Yaounde.They pick up am impressive 16 points out of a total of 18 in their way to qualifying for this years African cup of nations.They also netted in a total of 16 goals while conceding just two goals on an away 4-2 defeat of the Democratic Republic of Congo.They should form the next group of favorite nations to lift the trophy should Ghana or the Ivory Coast fail to do so.The Lions of Senegal are one of three African teams to ever make it to the quarterfinals of a world cup event. So they have some history of achieving on their side.I like them to get the order ticket out of group A in this competition.Some of the key players to watch on this Senegalese team include Mama Diouf,a striker from Manchester United,Souleymane Camara of Montpellier in France and Mamadou Niang of Al Sadd.So from group A I am looking at Senegal and Zambia to advance to the knockout stages of the competition.
Group B has one of the super favorites to lift the trophy in the name of Ivory Coast.Ivory Coast breeze through qualifiers picking up all 18 points following six victories in their group matches.They also scored an impressive nineteen goals while conceding just four in the process.When it comes to the Ivory Coast,being a super favorite might be more of a problem than a blessing.They have been a favorite to lift the trophy in the past three competition and they have gone home empty handed.Didier Drogba would be playing in his last Cup of nations and if the Ivory Coast team do not win this time around they would have nothing to show for their golden age in African football.Key players for the Ivorian team would start with recently crown African player of the year Yaya Toure of Manchester city.The hardworking mid fielder would be getting help form other Ivorian star players Didier Drogba of Chelsea,Gervinho from Arsenal,young sensation striker Souleymane Coulebaly,Solomon Kalou of Chelsea,Kolo Toure of Manchester city and Adbul Keita of Al Saad in the Qatar league.So as you can see the Elephants as the Ivory Coast national team is know is loaded with talent.All they have to do is to express that talent in the football pitch and everybody would be happy.
Sudan last won the African cup of nations in 1970 and the country just went through a political split the saw the birth of the Republic of South Sudan as the newest nation in the African continent.They finished the qualifiers as runners up to Ghana with 13points.That was enough to see them through as one of best second place teams to qualify.Some of their key players include forward players Alaa El-Deen Babikir and Bakri Almadina.
Angola was the last host of the African nations cup and they fail to make it out of the round of 16.They qualified with a total of 12 points from a group that included Uganda and Kenya.Their main rival though in the qualifiers was Uganda who they beat out with a single point on the classification table.On the head to head competition with their main rival they beat Uganda 2 nil at home and lost to them by 3 goals to nil away.Some of the key players to watch in this Angola squad include Manucho of Real Villadolid,Flavio of Lierse S.K. and Gilberto also of Lierse S.K.
Burkina Faso hosted the African nations cup in 1998 and made it all the way to the semi-finals.This time around they would be fighting to make it out of this group to the knockout stage together with Ivory Coast.They qualified with a total of ten points from four matches played, dropping just a point in their qualifiers.They were never really threatened by opponents Gambia and Namibia who manage just 4 points and 3 points respectively.They had to deal with the controversy of playing with Herve Zengue, a Cameroonian with a parent from Burkina Faso.Some of the key players of the Burkina Faso squad include forward Moumouni Dagano of Al-Khor and mid fielder Alain Troare of Auxerre,France.So from this group b,you should be looking at Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso to advance to the next stage of the competition.
Group C is an intriguing group.Tunisia last won the African cup of nations in 2004 when they hosted and had a naturalized born Brazilian striker to help them.I like them to be one of the teams that come out of this group.Tunisia finished their qualifiers with a total of 14 points which was three points off the pace set by Botswana in their group.Some of the players to watch in the Tunisian team include forward Issam Jemâa of Auxerre in France, midfielder Oussama Darragi of Experance of Tunisia and forward Amine Chermiti of FC Zurich in Switzerland.
Morocco won their only African cup of nations I believe in 1976 and they have been having problems with their form of late.They won their group in the qualifiers with a total of 11 points and trash main rival Algeria by four goals to nil in their match-up at home.This group though has Niger and Gabon as the other teams to compete for the two qualifying spots and Morocco could easily slide in as the second team out of the group.The key players for the Moroccan national team are forward Youssouf Hadji of Rennes in France,forward Marouane Chamakh of Arsenal in England and mid fielder and captain of the squad Houssine Kharja of Florentina of Italy.So from this group C, l like Morocco and Tunisia to move on to the knockout stage of the competition.
Niger is a surprise qualifier,they have never won the African cup of nations.You have to give Niger some credit though for qualifying in a group that included Egypt and the Republic of South Africa.With a total of nine points they made it through on goal differences despite a three way tie with South Africa and Sierra Leone.Key players for the Niger national team include strikers Ouwo Moussa Maazou of Zulte Waregem and Daounda Kamilou of CS Sfaxien.
Gabon is in the competition because of their co-host status and their recent friendly results have not been encouraging.A 2 nil defeat to Brazil followed by another 2 nil defeat to Ghana.Key players for the Gabonese team include forward Daniel cousin of Sapins,forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of St Etienne in France and forward Roguy Méyé of Zalaegerszeg.
From group D Ghana has won the African cup of nations four times.Their last victory though came way back in 1982 so they are due for a victory pretty soon.This team had a relatively easy time qualifying for this years edition of the African cup of Nations.They finish with a total of 16 points from a possible 18 with five victories and a draw against Sudan.Their goals difference was equally impressive with 16 goals netted in while conceding dust a goal to Sudan.The team from Ghana is one of the super favorites in this tournament together with Ivory Coast.So anything short of a finals appearance would be a disappointment for the team.The team has suffered a little bit in the fifa ranking where they sit at around the 29-th ranked team in the world.Key players to watch from the Ghanian national team included African player of the year runners-up Andre Ayew of Olympique of Marseille.Asamoah Gyan is on a loan transfer to Al Ain in United Arab Emerates after failing to settle well in Sunderland.Although he did not have a sensational season with Sunderland he is still king when it comes to the Ghana national team.He will always be remembered as the player who missed the penalty kick that could have seen Ghana become the first African team to make it to a world cup semi-finals.There is also Captain John Mensah to anchor the defense of the black stars as the Ghana national team is known.Another key player to watch for in this team will be Sulley Muntari of internationale.
Mali disappointed their fans in the last edition of the African cup of nations and they have never won this cup.Mali finished their group tied with 10points with Cape Verde who was their main rivals in the qualifiers.They thus qualified due to a superior goals differences over the Cape Verde Island.They beat the Cape Verde by 3goals to nil at home and lost to them 1 nil away.They have some talent in this squad and I look for them to make it to the knockout stages of the competition.Some of their key players include Seydou Keita of Barcelone who came up third in the African player of the year voting and Federick Kanoute of Sevilla in Spain.Also watch out for defense man Adama Tamboura of Metz in France.
Guinea always starts out very well in this competition but usually end up been humbled.Guinea qualified into this competition by beating the super Eagles of Nigeria by 1-0 in Conakry and holding the Eagles to a 2-2 tie in Nigeria on the last day of play of the qualifiers in this group.They ended up with 14 points as oppose to 11 points that the Super Eagles manage to pick up.They did not lose any of the six matches that that played in the qualifiers,winning four and drawing two games.Their key players will be defense man Fodé Mansaré of Manisaspor,midfielder Fodé Mansaré of Toulouse,France and forward Ismaël Bangoura of Al Nasr.
Botswana will be making their first appearance at the African cup of nations.Botswana did surprisingly well in the qualifiers finishing first in a group that they had to play 8 matches to qualify.They finish ahead of main rival Tunisia picking up a total of 17 points.Botswana also because of their surprising accomplishments during the course of the year were named African team of the year by the Confederation of African football.The key players that would attempt to get this team into the knockout stages of the competition include forward Dipsy Selolwane of Supersport United,forward Jerome Ramatlhakwane of Vasco da Gama and defenseman Mogogi Gabonamong of Supersport United.In this group though I like Mali to come out together with Ghana.
When things get to the knockout stages of the competition I would think that Ivory Coast,Ghana,Senegal and Tunisia would still be around.I would be looking at a finals between Ivory Coast and Ghana with the team from Ghana emerging as champions of Africa for the 5th team in the history of the competition.
Monday, September 19, 2011
दस माक्स INTERNATIONAL
It is all false Advertising.
I am in the market looking for a job and I happened to see posted an ad for a company called DS Max International.They claim to be an international company from the United States and they would train you for a period of three to six months and later on offer you employment.I had nothing doing at the time and decided to give it a go.The first thing that you find out when you join the company is that they do not train you for the items that they claim to do in their advertisement.If you see one of their ads,normally posted like on an electric pool, it would claim that they train people in the field of Accounting,Marketing,Advertising,Management,Commercial Communication and Music.That is all false advertising.DS MAX international stands for Direct Sales Maximum International.They are actually a door to door sales company and they have nothing to do with training people to be Accountants,Marketers or any thing in the field of music.I happen to hang around with them for a period of one full week plus one day.I was given a trainer who had joined the company before me and she was pretty good.The first week of sales we did pretty well and she was spending some money that I though was money coming from the company.It turned out that money that she was spending was her personal money.What made me to actually leave the company so early thought is that there were some contest that the manager made available to us and at the end of the contest we were suppose to pick up some cash prizes.The day of the cash prizes,he came in and changed the rules and negated on all the promises that he had made.
My reason for writing this column is that if you come across an ad from this company promising you training and employment just know that it is false advertising.They do not have the facilities to provide you training in any of the above courses.This company is just a front for some dishonest individuals to be pushing products that might turn out to be false.I did not stay long enough to find out.But I bet you that the products that they are pushing might not be the real thing.
I am in the market looking for a job and I happened to see posted an ad for a company called DS Max International.They claim to be an international company from the United States and they would train you for a period of three to six months and later on offer you employment.I had nothing doing at the time and decided to give it a go.The first thing that you find out when you join the company is that they do not train you for the items that they claim to do in their advertisement.If you see one of their ads,normally posted like on an electric pool, it would claim that they train people in the field of Accounting,Marketing,Advertising,Management,Commercial Communication and Music.That is all false advertising.DS MAX international stands for Direct Sales Maximum International.They are actually a door to door sales company and they have nothing to do with training people to be Accountants,Marketers or any thing in the field of music.I happen to hang around with them for a period of one full week plus one day.I was given a trainer who had joined the company before me and she was pretty good.The first week of sales we did pretty well and she was spending some money that I though was money coming from the company.It turned out that money that she was spending was her personal money.What made me to actually leave the company so early thought is that there were some contest that the manager made available to us and at the end of the contest we were suppose to pick up some cash prizes.The day of the cash prizes,he came in and changed the rules and negated on all the promises that he had made.
My reason for writing this column is that if you come across an ad from this company promising you training and employment just know that it is false advertising.They do not have the facilities to provide you training in any of the above courses.This company is just a front for some dishonest individuals to be pushing products that might turn out to be false.I did not stay long enough to find out.But I bet you that the products that they are pushing might not be the real thing.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
प्लांटिंग थे Corn
Planting the Corn.We started the process of planting the corn,today the 24th of August 2011.It looks like the original information that I got about when corn is to be planted was wrong.I was told that the corn has to be on the ground by the 16th of August.But there was a lot of rain during this period.That was bad for the seedlings.I did about a third of the planting today and I will continue in the days to come.My plan is to get everything on the ground by the end of this month.
We had to go to the market to purchase some seedlings for the planting.It looks like the ones that were lying around in the house had gone bad.I paid one hundred and fifty francs CFA for the seedlings to continue the planting.
The seedlings that I purchased in town were planted on the twenty six of August 2011.So the area in front of the house is all taking care of.All I have to do is take care of the piece of land that is close to the stream.Everything should be done before the last day of the month of August.
Yesterday the 29th of August 2011 I put down 40 of the seedlings that I had bought from the market.This is after I saw a seedling that I had planted a couple of days before popping out of the drown.I had to go to Buea today August 30th to purchase some medications.Before I went though I put down another 40 seedlings on the ground.That would make it a total of eighty seedlings in a period of two days.I am hoping that the first of September would be the last day that I put anymore seedlings into the ground.
My plans to make the first of September the last day that I put any more seedlings into the ground did not work.The corn is beginning to shoot out of the ground.That is the good news.The bad news is that the rain is interfering quite a bit.Planting corn in August-September is quite different from planting in the early months of the year.During the early part of the year,you are praying for rain to fall,while at the later part of the year you are praying to get some sunshine.
We had to go to the market to purchase some seedlings for the planting.It looks like the ones that were lying around in the house had gone bad.I paid one hundred and fifty francs CFA for the seedlings to continue the planting.
The seedlings that I purchased in town were planted on the twenty six of August 2011.So the area in front of the house is all taking care of.All I have to do is take care of the piece of land that is close to the stream.Everything should be done before the last day of the month of August.
Yesterday the 29th of August 2011 I put down 40 of the seedlings that I had bought from the market.This is after I saw a seedling that I had planted a couple of days before popping out of the drown.I had to go to Buea today August 30th to purchase some medications.Before I went though I put down another 40 seedlings on the ground.That would make it a total of eighty seedlings in a period of two days.I am hoping that the first of September would be the last day that I put anymore seedlings into the ground.
My plans to make the first of September the last day that I put any more seedlings into the ground did not work.The corn is beginning to shoot out of the ground.That is the good news.The bad news is that the rain is interfering quite a bit.Planting corn in August-September is quite different from planting in the early months of the year.During the early part of the year,you are praying for rain to fall,while at the later part of the year you are praying to get some sunshine.
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