African Nations Cup

South Africa: Yikes! In three matches Bofana Bofana got two draws and a loss, and never really looked very dangerous. When I traveled to South Africa last year, the people there were very worried that they would put together a shameful performance as host. This tournament result likely does nothing to give South Africans comfort. That said, Germany looked uncertain and ineffective as early as a year before their World Cup, and neither Japan nor South Korea seemed like world-beaters in 2000 or 2001.

Senegal: One begins to wonder whether the great form that Senegal showed in 2002 was just a one-off performance. After missing 2006 and getting booted out of the African Nations Cup, it seems as though they have crashed back down to earth.

Nigeria: I remember watching Nigeria’s quarterfinal run in the 1998 World Cup and thinking, “wow, this team is the future of soccer, and once they win it all, they may never relinquish the trophy again.” Now, chalk part of that to youthful over-exuberance, but until their rather ignominious collapse at the hands of Denmark, they looked supremely skilled, utterly confident and cool, and an order of magnitude more athletic than any other team in the Cup. Ten years later, and their form has steadily declined. They were rightfully beaten by a better Ghanaian team, and one wonders if they will again miss the World Cup. For a team with their talent, a great deal of criticism has to be heaped on the completely dysfunctional Nigerian FA, but much criticism also has to be laid at the feet of the players who often play without passion and steel.

Cameroon: For most of the last 25 years, the Indomitable Lions have been the class of African football, and in many ways the other African nation owe a debt of gratitude to Cameroon, but just at the point where African soccer seemed to be rising, Cameroon fell apart. Like Nigeria, they missed the last World Cup, and also like Nigeria their FA seemed in disarray. Unlike Nigeria, though, Cameroon seems to have pulled their act together, and though they cannot simply out-talent their opponents like they did in the past, it is comforting to see that the Indomitable Lions have won all sorts of ways. After an embarrassing performance against Egypt, they won their next to matches by an 8-1 aggregate, and they then pulled out an extra time quarterfinal win. With Samuel Eto’o getting healthy, this team could make some noise in 2010.

Egypt: Remember them? They’re the defending champs, they are playing effective football, and depending on how they perform against Ivory Coast, one might make a strong case for Egypt returning to a position that they have not seen in some time.

Ghana & Cote d’Ivoire: These are clearly the ascendant teams in Africa. They are sending loads of top-shelf players to Europe, and they play well together. Ghana has to be the favorite to do well in 2010, and if the Ivorians continue to show class and attack, then you have to put them right there with the Ghanaians.

It’s still way too early to pick favorites or dark-horses for 2010, but Ghana 2008 has given us a good look at what we might expect in two years. If nothing else, let’s hope that South Africa features the kind of fun football that we’ve seen in Ghana... What are your thoughts on the African Nations Cup?