CHAN 2016: It is D-Day to sting

Group A (Amahoro National Stadium) GabonIvory CoastMoroccoRwanda Group B (Kigali Regional Stadium) AngolaCameroonDR CongoEthiopia Group C (Huye Stadium) GuineaNigerNigeriaTunisia Group D (Rubavu Stadium) MaliUgandaZambiaZimbabwe KIGALI – After a two-year long wait, the fourth edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) finals tournament starts today and will run up to February 7 in three Rwandan cities of Kigali, Huye and Rubavu. The tournament’s opening game will pit hosts Rwanda against the reigning African (AFCON) champions Ivory Coast this afternoon at Amahoro national stadium, kick-off at 3pm. Matches will be telecast live on Super sport (SS9) and Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA). The last time the two countries met, Les Elephants beat Amavubi 5-0 at the same venue during the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Before a home crowd of supporters, can Johnny McKinstry’s men get their revenge as Rwanda seeks a first win over the West African giants in seven attempts? In an interview with this paper on Thursday, McKinstry said the team is in good shape like never before and will take every opponent very serious starting with Ivory Coast, who in the eyes of many, are the group favourites. “We know that being grouped with Ivory Coast, Morocco and Gabon is a huge challenge; however we have what it takes to secure qualification to the knockout round. The players are in high spirits, well prepared technically, physically and mentally for the battle ahead,” stated the Irishman. Saturday Sport previews all the 16 teams in the competition, a contest from which new champions will be crowned after defending champions Libya failed to qualify for this year’s finals. Group A Rwanda: Clustered in Group A alongside Ivory Coast, Gabon and Morocco, Amavubi Stars will be playing the tournament for the second time after featuring in the 2004Tunisia edition. In their build up matches, Amavubi drew one-all with Cameroon and defeated DR Congo 1-0 at Umuganda stadium last week. Even though Rwanda is drawn in a tricky pool, on the other hand, they can still capitalize on the home advantage to qualify from this pool, which means the Wasps have to beat Ivorians or Morocco which seem to be the barricade to qualification. Skipper Jacques Tuyisenge has been sensational in the build-up games and since the CECAFA Cup Senior Challenge Cup in Ethiopia last December. “We have big ambitions in this tournament; players are committed and hungry to win. We are ready to give all we have to reach the final, that’s our goal,” the Gor Mahia striker told Saturday Sport. Record against Group A arch rivals Amavubi have played with all their group opponents before so there should be no surprises this time, Rwanda has fairly a good tract against Morocco and Gabon, with only Ivory Coast having a leverage of history over McKinstry’s side. In the last three meetings against Morocco, Rwanda have won one game, drew one and lost one. Both sides played a goalless draw on November 14, 2014; Morocco won 2-0 against Rwanda on June 21, 2008 while Rwanda hammered The Lions of Atlas 3-0 on June 14, 2008. In the book of records against Gabon in the last six matches, Rwanda won three and lost three times. However, Rwanda has a poor run of results against Ivory Coast, in their last six meetings, Ivory Coast won four, and Rwanda managed two draws. Will the Wasps overcome Les Éléphants for a historic first victory; we will get the answer after the full 90 minutes today afternoon in-front of what is expected to be a fully packed Amahoro stadium. Ivory Coast: The African giants are the strongest of this pool; the Elephants will be making their third appearance in CHAN. They hosted the 1st edition of the biennial tournament in 2009; and competed in Sudan at the 2011 edition; however in both editions they did not manage to go past group stages. Amazingly, Ivorian coach Michel Dussuyer has made a surprise inclusion of second division defender Kouassi Diallo Romuald in the squad that arrived in the country on Thursday afternoon; he is the only player who features for a team outside the Ivorian first division. Morocco: The Atlas Lions will also be the other team to watch in Group A and are considered a real threat looking at their qualifying campaign. This is their second appearance in CHAN tournament; they defeated Tunisia and Libya to qualify for finals in Rwanda. Their opening match will be against Gabon on Saturday at 6pm Amahoro national stadium. Gabon: The Panthers of Gabon are making their third appearance in this tournament; in the last edition held in South Africa they reached the quarter-finals. Head coach Stephane Bounguendz will mostly rely on players from Missile FC which has a lion’s share of players in the squad. Rwanda captain Jacques Tuyisenge will lead the search for goals for the hosts. (T. Kisambira) Group B Angola: Also known as Palancas Negras (Sable Antelopes), Angola will be making their second appearance at Africa’s second biggest football event. At the 2nd edition held in Sudan in 2011, they reached quarter-finals but were sent packing by eventual champions Libya 4-2 on penalties after playing a 1-all draw in regular time. They are in Pool B alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Ethiopia. They have a tricky opener against Cameroon on Sunday at Huye stadium. DR Congo: The 2009 champions, DR Congo are the only team in their group to have featured in all CHAN editions since its inception in 2009, the second edition in Sudan and the previous (third) show in 2014 in South Africa where they reached the round of eight in both editions. In their final warm-up game, they lost to hosts Rwanda 1-0 in a game played at the newly revamped 5,300-seater Umuganda stadium, but DR Congo is still among top teams to watch out for at the three-week tourney. Cameroon: The Indomitable Lions have never won this title, much as they are also continental heavyweights, they will be appearing in this tournament for the second time. In the second edition held in Sudan, they reached the quarter-finals. Their opening game will be against Angola at Huye stadium on July 17th. Ethiopia: The Walias will be playing CHAN for the second time. In 2014 in South Africa, they did not go beyond the group stage. Not much is expected from the horn of Africa team especially when it comes to qualifying in Pool B. Saint George’s midfielder BEhailu Assefa is the most experienced player in the team having played in the 2013 AFCON in South Africa, 2014 World Cup qualifiers and CHAN 2014, and qualifiers of the CHAN 2016 where he played a commendable role in all those competitions. Other notables will be Alula Girma and veteran Lanky Asrat Megersa. Group C Guinea: The only debutants of the tournament, Guinea will play their first game against a tough Tunisian side on Monday at Kigali Regional Stadium, Nyamirambo. However, the Central African country can’t be written off before a ball is kicked in anger. They reached semi-finals at last year’s AFCON that was won by Ivory Coast. Tunisia: They won the title in 2011 in Sudan, but failed qualify for the next (third) edition staged in South Africa in 2014 for a chance to defend the title. They had a good run during the qualifiers given their tactical system of playing. Players to watch will be Sad Bguir and Ben Mohamed Amine Ammor among others. Nigeria: Under former player and now their coach Sunday Oliseh, the Super Eagles are the other heavyweight in this tournament. Though they have a bit of a problem with two strikers who are said to be injured, Oliseh is confident his team is up for the tournament. It is their second appearance in CHAN after the 2014 debut in South Africa where they finished third. We have Tunde Adeniji and Chisom Chikara among players to watch from the great footballing nation. Chima Akas will wear the Eagles captain band in absence of Gbolahan Salami who opted to boycott the tournament to finalize a move abroad. They will kick off their campaign in a tough Pool C encounter against Niger on Monday at Kigali regional stadium. Niger: Nicknamed the Menas, Niger will be appearing in CHAN for the second time, in 2014, they reached the quarter -final stage. They will face a solid Nigerian side in the opening fixture. Group D Uganda: The Uganda Cranes, who are in Group D alongside Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mali, are in Rwanda for redemption after suffering early exits at the past two editions in Sudan (2011) and South Africa (2014). Coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic has named a bulk of his team dominated by players that successfully won the 14th CECAFA Senior Challenge in Ethiopia. Returning to his side are experienced striking duo of Robert Ssentongo and Geoffrey Sserunkuma, who missed the CECAFA due to injuries. The opening game will be against Mali on Tuesday at Rubavu-based Umuganda stadium, a newly revamped 5,300-seater arena. Zambia: The Chipolopolo will be playing their second CHAN, in 2009; they finished third but failed to qualify for the second and third showpieces. The 2012 African champions are always serious fighters and will be here to prove a point. Coach George Lwandamina has named a couple of veterans from the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations winning team. The duo of Christopher Katongo and Isaac Chansa will provide crucial balance between the experienced and the youth. Zambia’s opening game will be against Zimbabwe on Tuesday. Mali: Making their third appearance in CHAN, Mali reached the round of eight at the main attempt in South. At this year’s tourney, they will start the quest for first CHAN title against Uganda also on Tuesday at Umuganda stadium. Head coach DjibrilDrame has included 3 players from the U-17 Mali squad that was runner-up of the U-17 FIFA World Cup in Chile last year. Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe will be keen on putting on a good show at the continental tournament. Head Coach Calisto Pasuwa has integrated experienced and young upcoming players in his squad with the hope for a positive result. The Warriors finished fourth at the 2014 edition in South Africa. They face a challenge that lies ahead when they face Zambia in their opening game. Zimbabwe eliminated Zambia in the CHAN 2014 qualifiers before being drawn with Uganda in Group B. They progressed to the quarter-finals and eliminated Mali to make it to the semis. The Warriors have appeared at the finals of every tournament since the inception of the biannual CHAN tournament in 2009. ********************************** FIXTURES Saturday Group A Rwanda vs Ivory Coast 3pm Gabon vs Morocco 6pm Sunday Group B DR Congo vs Ethiopia 3pm Angola vs Cameroon 6pm Monday Group C Tunisia vs Guinea 3pm Nigeria vs Niger 6pm Tuesday Group D Zimbabwe vs Zambia 3pm Mali vs Uganda 6pm Jan. 20 Group A Rwanda vs Gabon 3pm Morocco vs Ivory Coast 6pm Jan.21 Group B DR Congo vs Angola 3pm Cameroon vs Ethiopia 6pm Jan. 22 Group C Tunisia v Nigeria 3pm Niger v Guinea 6pm Jan. 23 Group D Zimbabwe vs Mali 3pm Uganda vs Zambia 6pm Jan. 24 Group A Morocco vs Rwanda 4pm Ivory Coast vs Gabon 4pm Jan. 25 Group B Ethiopia vs Angola 4pm Cameroon vs DR Congo 4pm Jan. 26 Group C Guinea vs Nigeria 4pm Niger vs Tunisia 4pm Jan. 27 Group D Zambia vs Mali 4pm Uganda vs Zimbabwe 4pm Jan. 30 Quarter-finals Winner Grp A vs Runner-up Grp B 3pm Winner Grp B vs Runner-up Grp A 6pm Jan. 31 Quarter-finals Winner Grp C vs Runner-up Grp D 3pm Winner Grp D vs Runner-up Grp C 6pm Feb. 3 Semi-finals Winner Qrt 1 vs Winner Qrt 4 4pm Feb. 4 Winner Qrt 3 vs Winner Qrt 2 4pm Feb. 7 3rd place playoff Loser SF 1 vs Loser SF 23pm Final Winner SF 1 vs Winner S2 6:30pm ****************************************** How CHAN 2016 teams stand in latest CAF/FIFA rankings Country CAF FIFA Ivory Coast 1 19 Tunisia 4 40 Cameroon 8 57 DR Congo 10 60 Uganda 11 62 Mali 12 63 Nigeria 13 66 Zambia 14 67 Guinea 15 69 Morocco 17 76 Gabon 18 77 Rwanda 22 91 Niger 26 103 Angola 28 105 Zimbabwe 30 108 Ethiopia 36 118 editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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CHAN 2016: It is D-Day to sting