Beginners On The Rendez-vous

Hard work finally paid for countries like Comoros and Gambia who will be having their first outings at the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be staged in Cameroon. They will therefore have the opportunity to be part of the draws slated for August 17, 2021 at the Yaounde Conference Centre. Whatever be the outcome of the draw and the competition, what may count for these countries may just be their participation and the experience.
Nonetheless, Comoros performance in the qualification round of the AFCON, according to experts, is a true example to justify the adage that “there is no small nation in football”. The country is one of the continent’s smallest but had a memorable result in the qualifying campaign.  Gambia on the other hand, is another big surprise. What is more interesting about their qualification is that they emerged top in Group D ahead of regular faces in the continental event. Gambia therefore has the opportunity to mingle in the terrain of bigwigs as the draws are awaited.
Apart from novices, countries like Sierra Leone and Mauritania are very irregular in the competition. Sierra Leone who became the last ...