FCBARCELONA.CAT

20.01.2008 11:37

African Cup of Nations kicks off

Roger Bogunyà

The African Cup of Nations kicks off today in Ghana, with the two blaugrana players Touré Yaya and Samuel Eto'o taking part.

The African Cup of Nations runs from January 20th to February 10th, with the host country Ghana playing Guinea in the opening match today.

Touré Yaya debuts against Nigeria

Touré Yaya and Samuel Eto'o are FC Barcelona’s representatives in the tournament. The Barça midfielder will be appearing for one-time African Cup winners Ivory Coast against Nigeria on Monday 21st (18:00 Catalan time). The other two teams in Group B are Mali and Benin.

Eto'o debuts against reigning champs Egypt

Eto’o won’t be playing for Cameroon until Tuesday (18:00 Catalan time), when they take on Egypt, the winners two years ago. Five times champion, Egypt holds the record for winning the African Cup of Nations. The other two teams in Group C are Sudan and Zambia.

No possible Barça duel till semis

If Ivory Coast and Cameroon get through to the knock-out stage, they still won’t be able to face each other till the semi-finals, where a team from groups B and C could face each other for the first time.

The groups

Group A

Ghana
Guinea
Namibia
Morocco

Group B

Ivory Coast
Nigeria
Mali
Benin

Group C

Cameroon
Egypt
Sudan
Zambia

Group D

Tunisia
Senegal
Angola
South Africa