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Pele favours Ghana for Cup
16/01/2008 11:02 - (SA)
Accra - Former African superstar Abedi 'Pele' Ayew tips his native Ghana to win the African Nations Cup which kicks off on Sunday.
'Pele' believes the 'Black Stars' can overcome the loss of injured captain Stephen Appiah and equal the record of Egypt by winning the biennial tournament a fifth time.
"Ghana can go all the way because they are playing in front of their fans and the loss of Appiah will be overcome as Michael Essien, Laryea Kingston and Sulley Muntari are great midfielders.
"I also have high hopes for another midfielder, Ahmed Barruso, who played for Roma against Manchester United in the Champions League," said the man voted African Footballer of the Year three consecutive times in the 1990s.
He considers Group B rivals Ivory Coast and Nigeria the biggest threats to Ghana, a west Africa country who won two of the previous three Nations Cup tournaments it hosted, but has not conquered Africa for 26 years.
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"If Ghana slip then I fancy Ivory Coast or Nigeria to lift the trophy. The only worry I have about the Ivorians is all their stars want to be in the starting line-up, while there are great players in the Nigerian squad."
'Pele' collected a Nations Cup winners medal as a 17-year-old in 1982, coming on as a substitute to help Ghana edge hosts Libya 7-6 on penalties after the first African final settled by a shootout.
'Group of death'
While acknowledging Guinea have some great France-based players like midfielder Pascal Feindouno, he favours Ghana and Morocco to reach the knockout phase from Accra-based Group A.
"I do not like the term 'group of death' because in football you win, draw or lose," he said referring to Sekondi-based Group B where Benin, Ivory Coast, Mali and Nigeria challenge for two quarter-finals slots.
"This is a great group. Ivory Coast have the best team on paper but Nigeria have found successors to Stephen Keshi and Rashidi Yekini and Mali possess wonderful footballers like Frederic Kanoute," boasted 'Pele'.
The former midfield maestro of clubs in Ghana, Benin, France, Italy, Germany and the Middle East says that in Kumasi-based Group C dark horses Zambia could upset title holders Egypt and four-time champions Cameroon.
"I saw Zambia humiliate hosts South Africa in a qualifier and can defeat anyone in Ghana if they show the same form. Cameroon stars like Rigobert Song are growing old but the team remains dangerous and Egypt are always a threat."
'Good players
'Pele' fancies Senegal and 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa to finish above 2004 champions Tunisia and Angola in Tamale-based Group D, potentially the most open of the four first-round mini-leagues.
"Senegal lack the strength of the 2002 team that reached the Nations Cup final and the World Cup, but have good players capable of causing surprises," warned the ex-star born 43 years ago in the northern Ghanaian town of Dome.
"South Africa are building a team for the future and I hope they will continue using their local-based players in Ghana. Bafana Bafana (The Boys) possess the hunger to do well.
"Angola are a strong team who adopt very different approach to the rest of Africa. They use a kick-and-run style which is strange and very dangerous, but I believe Senegal and South Africa will go through."
A career highlight for Pele was helping French club Marseille win the 1993 European Champions League, 12 months after crying publicly when a controversial caution ruled him out of a Nations Cup final Ghana lost to Ivory Coast.
- AFP
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