Comoros have qualified for the African Cup of Nations for the first time in their history, and will face Gabon on Monday (8pm). A historic event for the country, recognized by FIFA in 2005.
What will the Comoros think when they set foot in the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaounde at around 8 pm? There is no doubt about all the progress made by the 132nd country in the world, which on Monday plays its first ever African Cup of Nations match against Gabon. A historic moment for Comoros, the archipelago of 870,000 inhabitants, they will not miss any victory from the first steps of their team in the competition, which was held in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6.
But before he could live these unforgettable moments, the Comoros national team had to navigate a path strewn with pitfalls. If the selection coached by Amir Abdo has existed since 1979, then it was recognized by FIFA only in 2005. Immortal for its representatives, who for years had to be content with games on the islands of the Indian Ocean.
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Wooden planks in a trowel
The day of glory finally comes in September 2006, when Comoros participate in the 2009 Arab Cup qualifiers, a year after they skipped the African Cup of Nations qualifiers, due to a lack of standards infrastructure. The Kolakanth national team entered the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, and occupies the last place in its group with one point. The following days are far from rosy.
After withdrawing from the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers due to financial problems, the selection collected losses in the COSAFA Cup and the Indian Ocean Islands Games, which led to his fall in the FIFA rankings. Despite everything, Comoros participate in the 2015 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, without succeeding in qualifying. During the 2019 campaign, the federation went even further, by launching an action at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against CAF’s decision to keep Cameroon in the competition, which was due to be the host nation before being rejected due to its inability to do so. Organizing the competition. Maneuvering in a vacuum, since the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected the FFC on 4 June 2019
March 25, 2021, engraved forever
With a workforce from Marseille’s neighborhoods gradually taking shape, the Kolakanths began to have convincing results, notably by suspending Ghana in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, before being eliminated in the second preliminary round. Comoros’ history will finally be written on March 25, 2021 against Togo. Amir Abdo participated in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with Kenya, Egypt and Togo, and the selection of Amir Abdo is about to qualify for the competition two days after the end.
This was done during the second leg match against Togo (0-0), plunging the archipelago into an unforgettable jubilation. Second in their group after Egypt, the Comoros have already written the history of their country. The star of the team measuring progress, Yusuf Machangama, did not escape notice. Guingampais said in columns cable.
Amir Abdo’s men, who temporarily left his training cap from Nouadhibou (Mauritania), traveled to Saudi Arabia on December 26 to attend a training camp, where they could only play a friendly match against Malawi (loss 2-1), after the Cote d’Ivoire match was postponed due to Covid. .
Most of the players play in France
The group of 26 players, led by Yusuf Machangama, arrived in Cameroon on January 5 and are preparing in a good mood, taking advantage of every moment. Captain Gangan is accompanied by his brother Mohamed, the striker in Nouadhibou, Ali Hamadeh (formerly Toulouse), in addition to many players who play in the amateur environment in France (Ben Salim Bouena, Kassem Abdullah, Najim Abdo, Kassem Madhouma, Benjloud Youssef and Captains Abou Bakari and Moussa). Gummi).
“Going to the Africa Cup of Nations is no small feat, breathes Youssef Machangama. They are great nations, we know we are Petit Bouké but we’re going to play it hard. The team is so fun, sometimes it’s just too much. In Africa, it’s pounding in the front! I wish I could come back from this enclosure! With the stars in my eyes.” Why don’t we add one or two chapters during the competition where they will face Gabon, Morocco and Ghana? All dreams are allowed.
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