African Cup of Nations: Underdogs Niger no forlorn hope

10Jan 2013

Jonathan Wilson tells us all about the rise of Niger as a football nation, and why the rank outsiders to win the African Cup of Nations might spring a surprise or two...

The first time, for the tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon a year ago, Niger pretty much got there by mistake. A second straight qualification for the African Cup of Nations, though, suggests that there might be some substance to their rise.

Given the economic background, given the difficulties Niger face, it might sound churlish to be dismissive of qualification last time round but the fact is that as the Menas - the Gazelles - were losing 3-0 to what was essentially an Egypt Under-23 side, South Africa, having misunderstood the qualification criteria, were playing out a goalless draw with Sierra Leone. On a three-way head-to-head, Niger, despite having lost all three away games, went through.

Niger is the largest country in Africa but it is also one of the most impoverished, lying second bottom of the UN's Human Development Index. It has suffered drought in each of the last six years and players from the country featured in an Oxfam campaign last year to raise awareness of drought in the Sahel, which reduced crop yields by 25%.

Last year, it took a last-minute fund-raising drive to raise enough money to pay for the trip to Gabon. Coaching staff would scour the capital, Niamey, looking for the inner tubes or burst tyres and the plastic cones kiosks use to display lollipops for use as training equipment.

"In Niger we are not generally big and physically powerful," admitted Frederic Acosta, a member of the coaching staff who had been a hero of the side that narrowly missed out on World Cup qualification in 1982. "So, we need to find our best style of play, to be clever with the ball."

There were fears that Niger would be humiliated in Gabon but, although they failed to pick up a single point, they went home with reputations enhanced. They were well-organised, recovered well after an iffy first-half in which they twice conceded to Gabon in their opening game, and were within a minute of achieving an improbable draw with Tunisia. The centre-forward Mouusa Maazou, who has played for seven European clubs including Monaco and CSKA Moscow but in now in Tunisian with Etoile du Sahel, had a rangy muscularity that made him ideally equipped for the role of lone front man.

The curtailed qualification process necessitated by the switch to odd-numbered years gave a great opportunity to the less fancied sides who had made it to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Niger took full advantage, having been fortunate to draw Guinea in their two-legged play-off for qualification. They lost 1-0 in Conakry, and were still a goal down with 15 minutes to play back in Niamey when Mohamed Chikoto equalised. Ten minutes later Issoufou Boubacar Garba struck and Niger were through to their second finals.

Money was found in September to appoint a European coach in Gernot Rohr, who led Gabon in the finals a year ago. There may have been the odd tweak to the shape but essentially the former Bordeaux manager has stuck to the style of his predecessor Harouna Doula Gabde, focusing on getting men behind the ball and breaking quickly.

Defeat to Ethiopia - who are back at the Cup of Nations after a 39-year hiatus - at the end of December was worrying, but a 3-1 win over Togo last Saturday - albeit a Togo without Emmanuel Adebayor - suggested a team coming into form.

The draw has been relatively kind. Ghana (7.8 to be champions and 1.51 to win the group) are, for all their in-fighting and inconsistency, one of the best two sides on the continent, but Mali, third last year, have found their build-up undermined by conflict back home (political strife can pull a side together but 3.05 for them to win the group looks short). DR Congo are the minnows of the group and were poor in their last game, losing 1-0 to Burkina Faso in November.

Ghana should top the group - and are worth backing to do so even at 1.51 - so the 12.0 on Niger to finish in first place probably isn't worth it. They're not going to win the tournament but given they could easily make it through the dogfight for second, 210.0 on them to be champions is attractive as a back-to-lay.