2012 Africa Cup of Nations

[Lineker]

Wonder if Manucho is playing for Angola?

[IAceI]

Yup. He is.

[Lineker]

Just for Ace:

BFA (4-2-3-1): Diakite; Koffi, B Kone, Tall, Koulibaly; Rouamba, D Kone; Kabore, A Traore, Pitroipa; Dagano

ANG (4-1-3-2): Carlos; Marco Airosa, Dani Massunguna, Zuela, Miguel; Andre Macanga; Djalma, Gilberto, Mateus; Manucho, Flavio

[IAceI]

Haha thanks Lineker but I'm watching Spanish football at the moment. Would like to see how good Jonathan Pitroipa is, based at Rennes in France.

[Lineker]

B Kone is the one from Marseille too, iirc

[Lineker]

Gabon vs. Niger is about to start:

As shock qualifiers Niger take on co-hosts Gabon in their first game in the Africa Cup of Nation finals, it is a bitter-sweet feeling for the people of Niger. Football fan or not, they are helping to foot the bill for the Mena's maiden tournament - every time they use their mobile phones.

Back in September Niamey's General Seyni Kountché stadium erupted into joy as Koffi Dan Kowa and star striker Moussa Maazou scored the two goals that helped Niger to a shock 2-1 win over South Africa and ultimately sent them to their continents most prestigious tournament for the very first time.

Few of the 35,000 spectators watching that day probably realised that victory would also add 10 CFA francs to the cost of each minute they spend on their mobile phones.

It will fund some of the $5m (£3.8m) that taking part in the Africa Cup of Nations is expected to cost the Mena - the local Hausa name for the Dama gazelle, which features on Niger's football strip.

The tax, which runs from 25 December until 25 January, is a significant burden given that the average cost of a minute's call is 100 CFA francs.

Football is of course a global sport of riches, the international governing body Fifa gives all members $250,000 a year and in January 2011 even paid out a $300,000 bonus to each, but that doesn't go far when for every other game you have to travel huge distances across a vast continent.

So should some of the global game's huge resources be made available to spare Nigerien mobile phone users an extra burden?

The Vice-President of Niger's Football Federation, Colonel Ibrahim Yakubu, is adamant that his country "doesn't want the charity of CAF, all we want is respect".

To raise a reported $130m over eight years the regional Confederation of African Football (CAF) even sold the naming rights to its showpiece competition.

It is part of a deal, which ironically for Niger's four million subscribers (25% of the population), has been struck with the mobile phone company Orange.

The company stresses that the new tax and its involvement with the Cup of Nations are not related, adding that it also sponsors the Nigerien national federation.

Col Yakubu says the federation hasn't asked anyone for extra money and doesn't believe CAF or Fifa would give it anything anyway.

"If it's a team for the people they should contribute," he adds, promising that in return the players "will try to give their maximum" despite having to get by on the smallest budget of all the teams who have qualified for the finals. The new tax has of course divided public opinion.

International aid agencies, such as Unicef, are warning of an impending food crisis in Niger, which already languishes at second to bottom of the UN development ranking of countries.

So it is little surprise that, the government, according to Col Yakubu has "lots of things" to spend money on and simply can't afford to pay the full cost itself.

So what exactly will the new tax fund?

The Nigerien Football Federation says that the money raised will be added to private donations and a small contribution from the government to meet the accommodation and food bill in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

It will also pay for transport costs, including the two planes that have taken the Mena on this journey of a lifetime.

Additionally there will be some modest financial rewards for the 23 players, seven of whom play in the amateur domestic league. Of those that play abroad in countries as diverse as Belgium, Thailand and South Africa none earn huge sums of money.

The pride they have given their countrymen after qualifying against the odds is worthy of recognition, according to Col Yakubu.

In a country where World Bank figures show the average income is about $1 a day, questions are being asked as to whether this is the best way to pay for their team's participation.

Niger has benefited from millions of dollars' worth of debt relief and so good governance, the tax system included, is seen as essential by much of the international community.

One mobile phone industry source told BBC News that the new tax was "not a favourable approach" and could be "detrimental" to the industry, especially as it raises fears of customers being taxed for other short term projects.

Mahaman Tidjani Alou, a professor of Political Science at Niamey's state funded Abdou Moumouni University, argues that there is nothing to worry about.

"For me, it'll all depend on how this money is going to be used," he says.

"If it's used for other purposes, this will be a dangerous way of going about it," he says, adding that civic society groups are already calling for an audit once the tournament is over.

But it is not just about ensuring that every cent is spent properly in such a poor country as landlocked Niger.

There is also the danger that such a tax could dent economic growth in the country where the mobile phone is expected to play a significant role in raising living standards.

A recent International Monetary Fund working paper suggests that for every 10% of people with a mobile phone there is likely to be a 0.7% growth in the economy. The global trade body for mobile phone operators, the GSM Association, puts this figure even higher - at 1.2%.

Of course the better Niger does in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea the less controversial their finances will be.

Col Yakubu won't be surprised if once again they exceed expectations. He says that "Niger can win because its football and any team can win, that's the beauty of football".

[The Quasi Juice]

Won some money via Guinea so far, and had some money on Ivory Coast winning 2-0 yesterday. Damn them underperforming at every tournament! Gonna watch Niger now.

Edit: Oh my gosh I love this tournament. Gabon's anthem was amazing.

Edited January 23, 2012 by The Quasi Juice

[MDK]

C'mon Morocco! In the absence of Algeria, I am supporting Morocco in this tourney. My missus was livid when I told her that Algeria didn't qualify.

[Lineker]

Tunisia won that game 2-1

[MDK]

I know, what balls. I couldn't believe it when I saw a centre-back dive. Shocked, shocked I say.

[Lineker]

metalman! Botswana are on TV! They're playing Ghana.

[METALMAN]

I am going to tune in right now!

[MDK]

'mon the Black Stars! Fuck Botswana and Fuck metalman

Ghana for mod in 2012!

[IAceI]

As if John Mensah has just scored a goal and not injured himself in the process. What a miraculous tournament this is already.

[Lineker]

He did get himself sent off, though.

Ghana won 1-0. Mali vs. Guinea is on in a bit.

[jack95]

None of the favourites are impressing very much so far. I really don't have a clue who is going to win the tournament.

[IAceI]

He did get himself sent off, though.

Ghana won 1-0. Mali vs. Guinea is on in a bit.

But not injured! Which is still miraculous.

I'm not going to read too much into the fact that the big guns haven't imposed themselves too much yet. I definitely think that all three of the main favourites, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Senegal will start to improve into the second round of matches, or at least the first two - the main favourites. All their opponents were content with playing quite defensive, Botswana especially from what I saw and Sudan were very counter attacking too in their play and looking for a sucker punch, I think once they've got their shooting boots on then they will probably kick on a bit.

Looking forward to Mali v Guinea, mainly because I don't really know anything about either teams so it's like a blank slate for me. Mali must be favourites though.

[IAceI]

This Lass Bangoura is a special little player, astounding that he's only 19 as well.

Edited January 24, 2012 by IAceI

[Lineker]

Wonder which previously unknown players will be making a move into Europe!

[Lineker]

Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, son of Equatorial Guinea's president, has honoured his promise to pay the Nations Cup co-hosts' squad $1m (£641,000).

He handed over a cheque to captain Juvenal Edjogo on Tuesday afternoon.

Obiang, the country's agriculture minister, had promised the players the money if they beat Libya in the opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The National Lightning won 1-0 but left it late with Javier Balboa earning the win just three minutes from time.

Balboa himself earned an extra $20,000 for scoring the goal on Saturday, as did Ivan Bolado.

Bolado had the ball in the Libyan net in the first half, only for the goal to be disallowed, but Obiang overlooked this as he handed over the money.

Known as Teodorin in Equatorial Guinea, Obiang also pledged more bonuses to the squad should they continue their Group A success.

But rights groups have expressed concern about the prize money.

"It is remarkable that the president's son has managed to find such a large amount of cash to help motivate his team to win. But the question must be, where has this money come from?" Adrian Lovett, Europe director for the campaign group One, told the BBC in a statement.

Last year, the US government began legal proceedings to recover assets worth more than $70m from Obiang, who is accused of using his ministerial position to plunder Equatorial Guinea's wealth.

Most residents of Equatorial Guinea, where President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been in power for more than three decades, live below the poverty line - despite the country's vast oil revenues.

"It raises serious concerns when a government official like Teodorin gets enormously wealthy in a country with widespread poverty, especially when the government operates in secrecy by refusing to publish its budgets or reveal how much money it receives from oil," Tutu Alicante, executive director of non-governmental E Guinea squad handed cash bonus organisation EG Justice, told the BBC.

EG Justice and One want the European Union to adopt new rules to force multinational companies operating in Equatorial Guinea to publish the payments they make to the government for the right to extract oil.

Obiang refused to divulge how much money he would give the national football squad but news of future bonuses may boost the players ahead of their second match against Senegal on Wednesday.

This is the co-hosts' final match in Bata, the Equatoguinean city on the African mainland, with their last group match against Zambia taking place in the capital Malabo on 29 January.

Equatorial Guinea, the lowest-ranked team at the finals according to Fifa, currently lie second in Group A, trailing the Zambian group leaders on goals scored alone.