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Essien ensures Ghana’s Cup party continues
Ghana, to the general relief of this fanatical football nation, are through to the African Nations Cup quarter-finals after a 2-0 win over Morroco here on Monday.

Michael Essien was at the heart of the success, scoring the first and setting up Sulley Muntari for the second.

With Guinea booking the other last eight berth from Group A defeat left Morocco heading home in a repeat of their first round exit in Egypt in 2006.

This was Ghana’s third opening round win after Guinea (3-1) and Namibia (1-0) and it was received with raucous delight by the near capacity crowd at the 45,000 seater Ohene Djan stadium.

The Black Stars’ reward for finishing as table toppers is a quarter-final date with the runners-up in Group B in Accra next Sunday.

Essien, after picking up his third consecutive man of the match award, said: “That was the best performance in this competition. For me I just want to do the best for my team, for my friends. Hopefully we can achieve something for the nation.”

Ghana coach Claude Le Roy described his side’s performance as “the best since I took charge”.

The Frenchman, who led Cameroon to the 1988 title, added: “I want to say thank you to my players. They applied perfectly the way we’d decided to play. They were so dedicated, played so well, it was peprfect.”

For his Moroccan counterpart Henri Michel defeat was hard to bear.

“We slipped up when we lost to Guinea. We failed but I’m not standing down, I haven’t been in the job so long. We’ll go away and reflect on what’s happened here and prepare for 2010 World Cup qualifying.”

Ghana were without their influential Hearts midfielder Laryea Kingston, suspended after picking up a second booking against the Namibians.

Michel made four changes to the side that fell to Guinea, including a switch of keepers, with Khalid Fouhami making way for Nadir Lamyaghri.

Le Roy insisted before the game that despite his side only needing a point it wasn’t in his team’s nature to play for a draw as he eyed a top of the table finish for the 2008 hosts.

And with words of encouragement from Ghana President John Kufuor ringing in their ears the Black Stars went into attacking mode from the start, Essien leading the charge from midfield.

Ghana went into a deserved lead on 26 minutes when Muntari neatly chipped in a freekick over the wall from the right for Essien to volley past Lamyaghri.

Morocco had the ball in the back of the net shortly after with a little help from Ghana defender John Paintsil but the West Ham defender’s blushes were saved as the Gambian referee Modou Sowe had already blown for a foul.

Down at the other end it was Asamoah Gyan’s turn to trouble Lamyaghri.

The Udinese striker, who had been set to quit the squad after taunts and threats about his nervy display against Namibia, hit low and hard from the left, his effort edging wide of the far post.

Morocco were putting together some decent moves but the Ghana defence marshalled by captain John Mensah ensured they came to nothing.

Ghana capped a fine first half with their second goal, with this time Essien charging through midfielder to flick the ball on for Muntari to shoot from the left of the box on 45 minutes.

It was always going to be a tall order for Morocco to come back from two goals down, not least with 45,000 vocal fans against them, and a Ghana side that bore little or no resemblance to the unconvincing model that edged past minnows Namibia.

There was a worrying moment in the 65th minute when Essien was stretchered off but the Chelsea star was quickly back on his feet, to the relief of Le Roy, his teammates, and the partisan crowd.

Only a fine reflex save from Lamyaghri to keep out Gyan’s header from point-blank range stopped the Black Stars making it three, but the job had already been done.

Essien urges support for Gyan

Ghana midfielder, Michael Essien has pleaded with a section of the booing home fans to lay-off his Black Stars teammate, Asamoah Gyan.

Gyan has been a recent target of abuse from a section of the fans at the on-going African Cup of Nations after enduring a difficult start to the tournament in Ghana’s first two matches in Group A.

Essien fears Asamoah Gyan has been made a scapegoat for Ghana’s fair performances in the first two games of the tournament and is urging fans to rather rally behind Gyan and the team to enable them win something for the country.

Essien said: “To be honest, I think it’s really unfair for the fans to go against Asamoah, who is one of our best players in the team.

“I don’t think it’s good to insult him because he’s a young lad coming up and he’s been doing really well for the team. I would plead with the fans; they should not insult us because we’ve got families as well.

“All we are doing is to do our best for the country so they should forget about the past and stay behind us, keep praying and supporting us and hopefully we can actually win something for the nation.”

However, Essien has no doubt Gyan will rise above the situation as Ghana enters the last eight stage of the competition.

“I think he is been doing really well. It happens. He’s been missing chances but that’s not the end. He’s a great player and they have to be behind us. And today (against Morocco), he showed a great potential of trying to do something.”

Michael Essien, who scored his debut goal at the tournament against Morocco in Ghana’s 2-0 win says Monday evening’s performance is his best so far in the tournament.

“This is one of my best performances during this competition and I think all I am doing is to do my best for the team and help my country to win something,” Essien says.-Ghanafa

Namibia draw earns Guinea quarter-final ticket
Guinea drew 1-1 with Namibia here Monday in a 2008 Africa Cup of Nations Group A tie to qualify for the quarter-final of the competition.

Naby Soumah opened the scoring for Guinea in the 62nd minute when he fired past the impressive Namibia goal tender Athiel Mbaha from inside the box but Namibia drew level in the 81st minute through a low shot from outside the area by Brian Blendel. It was his second goal of the tournament.

Guinea thus recorded five points from three matches to join hosts Ghana, who topped the group with the maximum nine points courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Morocco, into the knockout stage of the tournament. Morocco placed third on three points.

The Guineans also made it to the last eight of the biennial competition two years ago in Egypt.

“It was good to qualify for the quarter-final but we did not play well and we conceded a goal,” said Guinea defender Bobo Balde.

“We missed Pascal Feinduno, who was suspended, and we were a little bit tired.

“We have to play far, far better if want to progress further in this tournament.”

It took the Syli Nationale of Guinea about an hour before they found the back of the Namibian net. Soumah got onto the end of a Dioulde Bah’s through ball before he slotted home to put Guinea in front.

Namibia, appearing in only their second Nations Cup finals, made three changes to the starting team against Ghana while Guinea came into this decisive Group A match without their influential skipper Feinduno after his red card against Morocco.

Favourites Guinea pressed forward against the Brave Warriors of Namibia from the blast of the whistle. Ismael Bangoura first volleyed wide before Daouda Jabi tested Mbaha with a 30-yard shot, which the Namibia goalkeeper saved.

On 15 minutes, Namibia also create their own chance on the break but Muna Kaupose failed to make the most of a six-yard cross from the hard working Brian Blendel.

Guinea kept going at Namibia and in the 31st minute Mamadou Dioulde Bah came close to opening scores only for Mbaha, who is clinically deaf, to deny him with a good save.

The Brave Warriors looked dangerous on the counter attack and almost caught out their west African foes three minutes later but Germany-based midfielder Collin Benjamin hit his shot against the side netting from a difficult angle.

The Namibians restored some pride when they cancelled out Soumah’s 62nd minute goal nine minutes from the end through a Blendel low strike from outside the area.

With a little bit of luck and better finishing the lowest ranked team at the tournament would even have won this encounter as they finished the game the stronger of the two teams.-AFP

Pfister backs Cameroon defence
Coach Otto Pfister Monday put up a stout defence for Cameroon’s backline, insisting they have not let down the rest of the team despite letting in five goals in two games at the Africa Cup of Nations here.

“We don’t have any real problems in defence as much as we all agree that there is no perfect team in the world,” he countered.

“The defence is more the responsibility of the midfield because this is a team sport, we attack together and we defend together.”

Pfister, who took over the Indomitable Lions barely weeks before the Africa Cup of Nations kicked off, also said he has now spent some time with the team and so can pick his starting eleven against Sudan in Tamale days ahead of the Wednesday kick-off.

“At first it was difficult to know my first team but I have now spent more time with the team and so can confidently say I know my starting team for our next game against Sudan,” said the much-travelled Pfister.

“Overall, Cameroon have a good mix of players, experienced players and some young, upcoming players. There is an excellent atmosphere in the team and we showed we are very strong mentally when we bounced back from the defeat against Egypt to beat Zambia.”

Cameroon will need a result against Sudan Wednesday to guarantee their place in the last eight and the former Ghana coach warned that the Nile Crocodiles will not just surrender against them.

“The Sudan match is tricky because in the last few years there has been a great improvement in the football in that country. We all know what Al Hilal and Al Merreikh did in continental competitions last year,” he said.

“In football, each game is different. And I expect a very difficult game because even though Sudan started the tournament poorly, we have to take them seriously.”

In the meantime, team officials have given Bochum midfielder Joel Epalle a clean bill of health even though he has in the past two weeks battled against a toe injury.

Team doctor Guilaume Atchou said even though Epalle was nursing a toe complaint, it was not serious enough to stop him from starting the match against Egypt.

Three-quarters of Premier League clubs have sent scouts to the Africa Cup of Nations as the chase for the continent’s finest talent intensifies.

Scouting for African talent
A BBC Sport survey has discovered 15 of the 20 clubs are scouting at the Ghana tournament despite calls for it to be switched to the summer.

“You know when you’re buying an African player that’s the rule,” Chelsea chief scout Frank Arnesen told BBC Sport.

“You have to deal with that and it’s a must for us to be at the Nations Cup.”

The Nations Cup is now on a level with the South American and European Championships

Portsmouth’s Harry Redknapp, Arsene Wenger of Arsenal and Chelsea’s Avram Grant are just three of the Premier League bosses to have criticised the Nations Cup’s timing between January and February during the middle of the European season.

Yet only five of the 20 clubs BBC Sport contacted said they would not be sending scouts to the tournament.

Portsmouth do not have scouts in Ghana, but former Arsenal defender Gilles Grimandi is in Ghana for Arsenal, while Arnesen has sent two scouts to monitor the tournament.

The likes of Redknapp, Wenger and Grant believe it should fall in line with the world’s other major football competitions and be staged in the summer, when tournaments like the European Championships or the Copa America are held.

Clubs with scouts in Ghana: Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Aston Villa, Man City, Blackburn, Spurs, Newcastle, Reading, Boro, Bolton, Wigan, Fulham, Derby
Clubs with no scouting representation: Liverpool, West Ham, Birmingham, Portsmouth, Sunderland

“It’s not fair for the European leagues to lose players in a period that’s very important,” admitted Arnesen, a former director of football at PSV Eindhoven and sporting director at Tottenham.

But for all their moaning, clubs appear equally determined not to risk missing out on future world-class players.

Whereas just eight Premier League players travelled to the 2002 Nations Cup in Mali, a staggering 35 made the trip to Ghana in 2008.

“It’s an exceptionally high quality tournament and there’s some great, great players there,” said Reading’s director of football Nicky Hammond.

“Over the last few years Africa has really come to the forefront of producing some top, top players, so for us it is a very good tournament to cover.”

Middlesbrough are understood to be monitoring Yassine Chikhaoui

“We’ll be monitoring the Nations Cup very closely,” said Newcastle’s first-team coach Steve Round.

“There are specific players playing in the tournament, who are also playing in Europe and domestically in England, and we will keep an eye on them, target them, get them into our radar and keep progressively looking at them over the course of the next few months.”

Arnesen insists Chelsea are already aware of every player competing and that the tournament is not a place to uncover fresh talent, rather monitor players for the future.

But Bolton’s chief scout Colin Harvey and his assistant Terry Darracott have gone to Ghana with “a blank sheet of paper”.

Middlesbrough have travelled with both specific targets – BBC Sport understands FC Zurich’s Tunisian forward Yassine Chikhaoui is one – and an open mind.

Either way, Premier League clubs seem to need little convincing of the value African players can provide and it appears the continent will be viewed as a key scouting destination for many years to come.

“Over the past 20 years the progression of African players has been explosive,” said Arnesen.

“They’re playing on the highest level and they’re doing well and that’s why everyone is looking at them.

“Maybe 10 or 15 years ago you knew a few players from every team but not 11.

“Now you go out and see Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and you know all 11 players and even the bench.

“The Nations Cup is now on a level with the South American and European Championships.”

AT the end of the 19th Century, European countries, in what became known as the scramble for Africa, sought to carve up the continent between them.

In 2008 the scramble is to secure the continent’s finest footballing talent.

The regard in which African players are now held by Premier League clubs is plain for all to see.

When Mali hosted the Africa Cup of Nations in 2002, England’s top flight was stripped of just eight players.

Fast forward to the 2008 edition in Ghana and that figure has risen to a staggering 35.

And, despite many a manager’s criticism of the tournament’s mid-season scheduling, it appears likely that the trend will only continue to grow.

BBC Sport understands that all bar five Premier League clubs have sent scouts to the Nations Cup, not only to spot potential recruits for the here and now but, more importantly, for the future.

Arsenal: Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue, Alexandre Song
Birmingham: Richard Kingson, Mehdi Nafti, Radhi Jaidi
Blackburn: Aaron Mokoena
Bolton: El-Hadji Diouf, Abdoulaye Meite
Chelsea: John Obi Mikel, Didier Drogba and Saloman Kalou, Michael Essien
Everton: Joseph Yobo, Ayegbeni Yakubu, Steven Pienaar
Fulham: Diomansy Kamara
Liverpool: Momo Sissoko
Manchester United: Manucho
Middlesbrough: Mohamed Shawky
Newcastle: Obafemi Martins, Geremi, Abdoulaye Faye, Habib Beye
Portsmouth: Papa Bouba Diop, Nwankwo Kanu, John Utaka, Sulley Muntari
Reading: Andre Bikey, Emerse Fae, Ibrahima Sonko
Sunderland: Dickson Etuhu
Tottenham: Didier Zokora
West Ham: John Paintsil, Henri Camara

“We already know the players and I don’t think any clubs of our calibre go there to sign a player – they should know who they want a long time before,” said Chelsea’s chief scout and head of youth development Frank Arnesen. “We are monitoring for the future.”

Chelsea’s four players competing at the Nations Cup – Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou and Jon Mikel Obi – were purchased from other European clubs at a total cost of more than £50m.

Part of Arnesen’s job is to ensure the club secure the best possible talent at the best possible price.

If a club can identify and buy talent before African players make their name in the major European leagues, there are huge savings to be made.

But even if they have made a name for themselves, BBC Sport found a widespread belief in the Premier League that African players offer excellent value for money.

“Look at Habib Beye, who we signed from Marseille for £2m,” said Newcastle first-team coach Steve Round.

“For a full international of his pedigree and the amount of games he has played in Europe and the Champions League, to get an English player of the same pedigree could cost you in the region of £8m-10m.”

Just as important as the financial advantages are the physical and technical perks.

“One of the most significant changes to the Premier League over the past five years is how much the high intensity output has improved – it has gone up about 2.5km in the last five years which is a colossal amount,” added Round.

When you have millions of kids playing street football all day long, players will come through, exactly like in Brazil

Tottenham sporting director Damien Comolli

“That is partly due to better training methods and better athletes being produced but also because of the influx of a lot of these African players who, physically, are very good.”

Tord Grip, a member of the Manchester City coaching staff under Sven-Goran Eriksson, added: “They seem to be well-suited to the style of play in the Premier League.

“African players are strong, athletic and good technically. You also find that they are very motivated, because they have come from a difficult and poor background.”

Arnesen insists individuals from any background can make it to the top, but the Dane concedes the amount of football played by Africans as they grow up is key to their development, a point echoed by Damien Comolli.

“When you go to any country in Africa, people, especially kids, play football from eight in the morning until late at night,” said Tottenham’s sporting director.

“When you have millions of kids playing street football all day long, players will come through, exactly like in Brazil.”

Scouting is a time-consuming and expensive business and BBC Sport has learned that one major Premier League club’s scouting wage bill runs close to £1m.

If monitoring players in Europe is a difficult logistical exercise it is even harder in Africa, given the sheer size of the continent – Nigeria’s population alone is more than 130 million.

Arsenal, who have former player Gilles Grimandi scouting for them in Ghana, have had an advantage over many of their Premier League rivals because of manager Arsene Wenger’s close relationship with compatriot Jean-Marc Guillou.

As well as giving Wenger his break in management – the two worked together at Cannes – Guillou helped set up an academy in the Ivory Coast, run in co-operation with the local team ASEC of Abidjan.

Graduates of that Academy include Arsenal’s Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue, Chelsea’s Kalou, and half the Ivory Coast 2006 World Cup squad.

“They are now well-coached because some of them are coming through various coaching systems or development centres that are producing quality players now,” said Wigan assistant manager Eric Black.

“The indiscipline that was there maybe 10 years ago is disappearing. They’re being coached by European coaches who are in Africa, or when they are at clubs in Europe.”

With players from just four Premier League clubs – Derby, Aston Villa and Manchester City and Wigan – not present in Ghana and the country awash with their scouts, England needs little convincing of Africa’s worth.