Izuchukwu Okosi
Teams: Mali, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia
Before we get down to it, there is a tie between this group and that which houses Egypt and Ghana (Group B) as well Cameroon and Senegal ( Group C) as the group of death.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelWhatever group pundits consider to be the toughest of the lot, there is a sense that the eventual winners of the tournament will likely come from one of these three groups.
Of course barring Algeria who are campaigning in Group D.
Tunisia and Mali have faced off several times in the past at the Africa Cup of Nations, World Cup qualifiers and friendlies albeit the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia edges it
The 2023 Afcon group game will be the sixth time both sides have faced off in the last four years and the third straight tournament they have found themselves in the same group.
Mali were victorious in one of those meetings but the north Africans have dominated in the World Cup qualifiers and friendlies they played.
Memories of the last game between these nations, at the 2021 AFCON, will be aplenty.
On that occasion, referee Janny Sikazwe prematurely ended the game twice with the official match clock indicating that the game was not over before later failing attempts to restart play more than 20 minutes after players had left the pitch.
The farcical nature of the incidents infuriated Tunisia officials who called for a replay of the game albeit it was not played for a second time but concluded same day after interventions from important African football personalities.
Hosts and winners of the 1996 Afcon, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana are also in the groove and can be regarded as one of the contenders for qualification our of the group although Maali has a slight edge due to the exposure of their players to top clubs abroad.
Only a few optimistic ones will see Namibia causing an upset in this pool.
Prime Business Africa’s Verdict: Tunisia is surely favourites to advance from this group but one of South Africa or Mali will make do with a round of 16 berth as one of the four best losers.
Namibia as a country, based on the strength of the squad, will not make it past the group stage but a few of their players could find personal glory and attract interests from club scouts in attendance.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
