AFCON 2019: Egypt, Zimbabwe Light-up Hostilities In Cairo

• As weather soars to 37 degrees

BY COBHAM NSA – Hostilities in continent’s biggest football fiesta, Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) flag-off today with hosts, Egypt confident of taking out their opponents, Zimbabwe in the opening match of this year’s tournament.

Expanded to 24 teams and staged in mid-year for the first time since its inception, the competition’s kick off time is at 22:00 (SAST), with the official opening ceremony schedule to get underway two hours earlier.

Already, the Cairo weather for the opening game has remained a talking point at highs of 37 degrees Celsius, with temperatures expected to drop down to a modest 32 degrees by the evening.

Also weather forecasts indicate that players will have to contend with average temperatures of between 35 and 38 Celsius, following the decision to switch the tournament from its traditional January/February timeline to June/July as part of measures to finally lay to rest the usual European club-versus-country clashes.

The Pharaohs of Egypt are 51 places higher on the FIFA’s global rankings ahead of their Group A clash and enjoy the title favourites bet at 5/1 compared to Zimbabwe at 150/1.

Kicking off their campaign for a record-extending eighth title, the Egyptians are ready for Africa and local authorities are confident the infrastructures are in place to deliver the best-organised tournament ever.

The North Africans were awarded the hosting rights with just six months’ notice, and the competition is flagging off only days after the death of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and against the backdrop of terror attacks threats across the country.

Having won three of the four previous Cup of Nations they hosted, their 60-year-old Coach Javier Aguirre, is upbeat and insists “We are the favourites to win the 2019 Africa Cup,”

Aguirre, the first Mexican to guide a nation that has won the competition a record seven times, said as hosts, Egypt will be counting on their passionate home support and the mercurial skills of Africa’s best footballer, Mohamed Salah to carry the day

Salah is still basking in the euphoria of the stellar season with Liverpool in which he scored the opening goal in their 2-0 Champions League final triumph over fellow English side, Tottenham Hotspur.

Egypt and Zimbabwe have met only once in a Cup of Nations final with Egypt winning 2-1 in Tunisia 15 years ago. Interestingly, both teams were eliminated after the first round matches.

Group winners and runners-up qualify for the knockout second round along with the best four of the six third-place finishers.

But the Zimbabweans are daring to dream and one of their star players, Tino Kadewere admitted rooting for  Salah and Liverpool in this season’s Premier League title race.

According to the Zimbabwean striker, notwithstanding such attachment, they will however be looking forward to upstage the Egypt in the opening game today.

This will be Zimbabwe’s fourth appearance at the continental carnival and Kadewere is full of confidence in Cairo as the squad looks much different from the one that exited in the group stage two years ago with just a point after battling it out in a tough draw that saw them facing Senegal, Tunisia and Algeria.

“In 2017, we had a few experienced players but now it’s more of a young squad. It is a new generation,” Kadewere told AFP, adding; “It’s a whole new squad. We have been together for quite a while now, and we have been doing well since last year when we played the Cosafa Cup.”

Kadewere, who just completed his first season in French football with second division side Le Havre after three years in Sweden, said; “Everyone in Zimbabwe really wants us to try and get to the knock-out stages.”

In their predictions, pundits have acknowledged that stranger things continue to happen, especially in African football, but they are also quick to pick the Pharaohs as firm favourites for the title.

The pundits are giving the hosts an 81 per cent chance of winning the opening tie while best probable chance of Zimbabwe winning is put at just three per cent.

In their head-to-head, both countries have met on just four occasions with victories going the Egyptians’ way on all occasions.

The other two countries in Group A are DR Congo and Uganda who are scheduled to play their opening match on Sunday, June 23 inside the Cairo International Stadium. – With agency report