It's time to play ball. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab reports on the African Nations Cup and Egypt's chances The 24th African Nations Cup (ANC) kicks off in Tunisia this week with Egyptians wondering whether the country can win the title for an unprecedented fifth time. Egypt coach Mohsen Saleh believes the chances are good. "Cameroon is the champion but we'll work very hard," Saleh said. "Algeria's intense rivalry with Egypt will be renewed at the tournament for the first time in 14 years. But Egypt and Cameroon are the two sides in the competition with a chance of winning the cup." Egypt will contest Group C in the finals alongside reigning champions Cameroon, Algeria and debutantes Zimbabwe. The Pharaohs play their first game against Zimbabwe on 25 January in the city of Sfax. They then meet North African rivals Algeria followed by Cameroon. Cameroon, Egypt and Algeria are all former champions and between them have won a total of nine African titles. However, Cameroon, which has won the cup four times, a record it shares with Egypt and Ghana, will take heart from the fact that they defeated both Egypt and Algeria in the quarter-finals en route to their last two African titles. "Egypt must win its first match against Zimbabwe to continue moving smoothly," Saleh said. Zimbabwe have regularly played Cameroon and Egypt in World Cup and Nations Cup qualifiers but the Warriors will have their work cut out at Tunisia. They last met the reigning African champions in 1997, losing 2-1 in Harare in a World Cup qualifier. The Warriors' last competitive match against Egypt was in 1993, when they drew 0-0 in a replayed World Cup qualifier played in France. The only time Zimbabwe have met Algeria was in a qualifying round of the 1986 World Cup. The Algerians won 2-0 at home and held Zimbabwe to a 2- 2 draw in the second leg. Saleh announced his 22-man squad before leaving for Tunisia. "We have some injury problems but still the team is prepared and ready for the mission," Saleh told Al-Ahram Weekly. Injuries have indeed decimated the back line. Veteran defender Hani Ramzi, who has been out of action since August due to injury, is a notable absentee from the Egyptian squad. Zamalek defender Medhat Abdel-Hadi was left out also due to injury, while another defender, Amr El- Desouki, who plays for Turkish club Ankaragucu, stays home because of the same problem. Ahli's Wael Gomaa was a last-minute call-up, replacing Desouki who was a casualty of the aggressive warm-up match between Egypt and DR Congo which ended in a 2-2 draw last week. The four goals came despite neither side playing with their top scorers, as the DR Congo's Lomana Lua Lua remained in England while Egyptian striker Ahmed "Mido" Hossam was still with his French side Marseilles. Saleh's tenure as coach depends on how well he does in Tunisia. He passed the first stage which was qualifying. Egypt cruised to the finals after topping Group 10 with nine points. It started off on the wrong foot though as Madagascar won its first two matches, including a 1-0 home win over Egypt. But Egypt, which is currently seeded No 2 in Africa behind Cameroon, stole a priceless 1-0 win in Mauritius in March to stay in the race, then crushed both island nations, scoring a combined total of 13 goals in Port Said to stage an impressive comeback. Under Saleh, Egypt played 25 friendlies, winning 15, losing five and tying five. The final warm-up ended in a 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso in Port Said. The visitors took the lead after 35 minutes through striker Moumouni Dagano, who plays for Guingamp in France. Egypt's equaliser came from Ahmed Bilal eight minutes into the second half. It was the Ahli striker's sixth goal in his last four internationals. The draw meant that Egypt remains unbeaten in its last eight internationals, of which it has won six and drawn twice. Egypt has appeared a record 19 times in the ANC finals, playing 69 matches, winning 35 and scoring 109 goals, including the fastest ever, after just 23 seconds, by Ayman Mansour. Former Egyptian coach Mahmoud El-Gohari is the only man to win the title as a player, 1957, and a coach, 1998. The ANC, held every two years, is the premier football competition on the continent. The first edition was staged in 1957 in Khartoum, with only Ethiopia and winners Egypt joining hosts Sudan as the inaugural participants. From 1968 to 1990 eight finalists took part. The number increased to 12 in 1992 then 16. The finalists consist of 14 qualifying teams plus the hosts and the defending champions. Goalkeepers Nader El-Sayed (Ittihad), Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed (Zamalek), Essam Mahmoud (Enppi) Defenders Beshir El-Tabei, Wael Qabani, Tarek El-Sayed (Zamalek), Abdel-Zaher El-Saka (Genclebirligi), Emad El-Nahas, Amr Faheem (Ismaili), Wael Gomaa (Ahli) Midfielders Hadi Khashaba (Ahli, captain), Hani Said (Viola), Tamer Abdel-Hamid, Tarek El-Said, Hazem Emam (Zamalek), Ahmed Hassan (Besiktas), Mohamed Barakat (Al-Arabi), Ahmed Fathi (Ismaili), Hossam Ghali (Feyenoord) Strikers Abdel-Halim Ali (Zamalek), Ahmed "Mido" Hossam (Marseilles), Ahmed Bilal (Ahli).
