West Africa power on display as seven Wafu countries reach AFCON last eight
Posted On Thursday, 31st January 2013
Ghana are through to the last eight of the Africa Cup of Nations
West Africa demonstrated their power in African football as they dominate the quarter-final cast at the 2013 African Cup of Nations with seven countries into the last eight of the competition in South Africa.
Togo picked the last quarter-final place, their first ever, on Wednesday to maintain West Africa’s huge representation at the critical stage of the tournament.
Already into the last eight at the end of the group phase are Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, debutants Cape Verde, all West African nations and hosts South Africa.
Togo drew 1-1 with Tunisia to advance and the exit of the Carthage Eagles means that no North African team has made the last eight of the Nations Cup for the first time since 1992.
In the last eight, Ghana meets Cape Verde, and South Africa hosts Mali in Saturday’s quarterfinals, followed Sunday by Ivory Coast-Nigera and Burkina Faso-Togo.
West Africa produced eight of the teams in the 16-team tournament and just Niger fell out at the first hurdle, showing the region’s huge influence and dominance of the game in the continent.
It has produced some of Africa’s best footballers in recent times including Yaya Toure, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Asamoah Gyan and John Mikel Obi.
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7 out of 8 chance for the cup to land in WA but SA can spoil the party.
SA will not reach de semi. They’ll play their last game this Saturday.
Imagine if we could come up with a WAFU team to represent the West African region at the World Cup. It has been done before. East and West Germany came together to form one Germany. Great Britain came together for the Olympics so why can’t I dream of a West African team? Nineteen countries one team, how great will that be? What a football power house that will be huh? Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali, Niger, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Central African Republic.
We could form a confederation of West African Football Associations, with the head of each country’s FA as a member. Each country that qualifies for the African Cup of Nations from West Africa in a given year will be able to contribute the first eleven players to the WAFU team of 23 players to represent West Africa in the World cup in the second year of the CAF tournament prior to the World Cup being staged. The sports writers, the Coaches, the referees and the FA presidents will all weigh in on who the best remaining 11 players are in WAFU going into the World Cup. There will be a vote of the best goalkeeper in WAFU all the way to the best striker. Plus an automatic berth for the WAFU best player of the year to make up the 23 players to represent WAFU in the World Cup.
This powerhouse team will win the World Cup for Africa for sure. We could even duplicate this in North, East and Southern Africa too if it works, after all West Africa has been a driving force for change on the continent. Long live African Football.
THIS IS AFCON CUP PLUS WAFU CUP WITH A SPECIAL INVITATION.TOGO HAD A NARROW ESCAPE CO’S GOD WAS A TOGOLESE THAT DAY.