The African giants are missing from the continental tournament.
For the second tournament running, African football powerhouses Nigeria and Egypt will be missing from the Championship of African Nations, CHAN, which begins on February 4 in Sudan.
While the Pharaohs opted out of the tournament just like they did in 2009, a little known side from Niger humiliated the Nigerians when they lost 2-0 during qualifying. It was a shock defeat that jolted the Nigerians.
When the tournament kicks off in a few days, Nigeria and Egypt (even though in a crucial political crisis at the moment) will watch from the sidelines.
It is a big loss to the tournament that those two countries will not be there to show their skills among the rest of the continent’s local based footballers. However, it is also a big loss to both countries’ young players as they will not have the opportunity to expose their skills to scouts looking for new talents.
The maiden tournament in Cote D’Ivoire where Congo DR emerged champions has assisted that country’s football in moving to greater heights. More than half of that victorious Congolese team was drawn from TP Mazembe, the club that has now won back-to-back CAF Champions League trophies. If anything, Congolese football has become the better for their participation in the maiden CHAN.
The other countries that participated in the maiden edition have also seen their players move on to greater things. An example is Ghana’s Rahim Ayew who moved to Zamalek after that tournament and eventually was part of the impressive Ghanaian contingent at the World Cup in 2010.
It is unfortunate that both Nigeria and Egypt’s failure to participate is denying the continent the opportunity to view the abundance of young talent in these countries.
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