Sports

2017 AFCON Draw Pitches Familiar Foes Together

Published

8 years ago

October 22, 2016

Africa’s flagship football tournament the African Cup of Nations takes place in Gabon next January. A key process in the lead up to the tournament is the group draw which took place in Gabon, Wednesday, October 19 at the Stade de l’Amitie in the capital, Libreville.

The first round of the draw was by Senegalese footballer Khalilou Fadiga, who was helped at some point by the Prime Minister of Gabon.

Francois Amegasse, a Gabonese footballer who appeared with the national football team at the 1994, 1996 and 2000 African Cup of Nations helped with stage two of the draw.

Karim Abdul Razak Tanko, a Ghanaian football coach and former midfielder was the last person to help with the final draw. He played for several clubs in the 1970s and 1980s, notably the local club Kumasi Asante Kotoko.

Popularly called the “Golden Boy”, Razak also played for the Ghana national team, helping it win the 1978 African Cup of Nations. He was named African Footballer of the Year later that year.

The AFCON trophy was handed over by the CAF President to the Gabonese Prime Minister who in turn gave concrete assurances that Gabon was ready to host the tournament.

He said it was a source of pride and happiness that the country will be welcoming all of the continent’s top footballing sides.

•2017 AFCON DRAW

GROUP A – Libreville

Gabon

Burkina Faso

Cameroon

Guinea Bissau

GROUP B – Franceville

Algeria

Tunisia

Senegal

Zimbabwe