Fallen giants Egypt and Nigeria begin their bids
to return to the African Nations Cup finals with potentially easy assignments on
the opening weekend of qualifying for the 2017 tournament.
Record winners Egypt, with seven previous triumphs
including three in a row from 2006 to 2010, have missed out on the last three
finals, but hope the appointment of Hector Cupper as coach will help
provide a change of fortune.
The former Valencia and Inter Milan boss has selected a strong squad for
Sunday's Group G match against Tanzania in Alexandria, which will be
played behind closed doors due to a ban on football crowds in the country.
Egypt share the same group as Nigeria, who were 2013
Nations Cup winners, but did not qualify for the 2015 finals.
Stephen Keshi has returned as Nigeria coach
and begins his new tenure at home to Chad on Saturday in Kaduna.
His decision to leave out Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, after telling local
reporters he wanted to give an opportunity to other players, maintains his
reputation for making disputable decisions.
Morocco were
supposed to organize the last Nations Cup but pulled out because of fears over
the Ebola virus and were handed a ban from the next two editions.
In nearby Casablanca,
Guinea, who are banned from competing at home because of the threat of Ebola in
their country, play against Swaziland on Friday in Group L.?
That was overturned, however, by the Court of
Arbitration for Sport and Morocco host Libya in Agadir on Friday in Group F.
Former France international Luis Fernandez has taken
over as Guinea coach and is among 23 managerial appointments at African
national teams in recent months.
All but two
countries, Eritrea and Somalia, have entered the beginning of the competition
in a record turnout for the Nations Cup, with 26 qualifiers taking place this
weekend.
The winner of each
of the 13 groups will qualify for the finals plus the two best runners-up and
2017 hosts Gabon.
Holders Ivory
Coast play in Libreville on Sunday against Gabon,
who are part of the qualifying process, but matches involving them in Group I
will not count towards the final standings.
Five months after
winning the 2015 finals in Equatorial Guinea, the Ivoirians are without a
permanent coach after Herve Renard quit to join French Ligue 1 club Lille,
while midfielder Yaya Toure will also be absent.
Ghana, runners-up to the Ivoirians in February, are
expected to notch up a sizeable score line against Mauritius in Accra on Sunday
in coach Avram Grant's first competitive home match in charge.
