The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated with the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The tournament was staged at four venues around Ghana between 20 January and 10 February 2008. This was the last Africa Cup of Nations to use the old CAF logo.
| MTN Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2008 | |
|---|---|
 Africa Cup of Nations 2008 official logo | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Ghana |
| Dates | 20 January – 10 February |
| Teams | 16 |
| Venue(s) | 4 (in 4 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Egypt (6th title) |
| Runners-up |  Cameroon |
| Third place |  Ghana |
| Fourth place |  Ivory Coast |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 99 (3.09 per match) |
| Attendance | 714,000 (22,313 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Samuel Eto'o (5 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Hosny Abd Rabo |
| Best goalkeeper | Essam El-Hadary |
← 2006 2010 → | |
Egypt won the tournament, beating Cameroon 1–0 in the final. As winners, they qualified for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup as the CAF representatives.
Host selection
editBids:
- Ghana (selected as hosts)
- Libya
- South Africa (withdrew)
The organization of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations was awarded to Ghana on 8 July 2004 by the CAF Executive Committee members which are 12 in Cairo, Egypt. Voters had a choice between Ghana and Libya which was disadvantaged by the fact that two countries in the North Africa region had already hosted the last two editions (Tunisia in 2004, and Egypt in 2006).
South Africa, also a candidate at the start, eventually withdrew in May 2004 after being nominated for the organization of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
This was the fourth time that Ghana hosted the African Cup after 1963, 1978 and 2000 (jointly with Nigeria).
| Results | |
|---|---|
| Nation | Votes |
| 9 | |
| 3 | |
| Withdrew | |
| Total votes | 12 |
Qualification
editThe entrants were divided into 12 groups. All group winners and the best three runners-up from groups with four teams (groups 2-11) qualified for the finals. Host Ghana qualified automatically. Qualifying took place between 2 September 2006 and 13 October 2007.
Teams
editGhana – Host, 16th appearance (4 titles)
Ivory Coast – Group 1 winner, 17th appearance (1 title)
Egypt – Group 2 winner, 21st appearance (5 titles)
Nigeria – Group 3 winner, 15th appearance (2 titles)
Sudan – Group 4 winner, 7th appearance (1 title)
Cameroon – Group 5 winner, 15th appearance (4 titles)
Angola – Group 6 winner, 4th appearance
Senegal – Group 7 winner, 11th appearance
Guinea – Group 8 winner, 9th appearance
Mali – Group 9 winner, 5th appearance
Namibia – Group 10 winner, 2nd appearance
Zambia – Group 11 winner, 13th appearance
Morocco – Group 12 winner, 14th appearance (1 title)
Tunisia – Group 4 runner-up, 13th appearance (1 title)
Benin – Group 9 runner-up, 2nd appearance
South Africa – Group 11 runner-up, 7th appearance (1 title)
Venues
edit| Accra | Kumasi | |
|---|---|---|
| Ohene Djan Stadium | Baba Yara Stadium | |
| Capacity: 40,000[1] | Capacity: 40,528 | |
| Tamale | Sekondi-Takoradi | |
| Tamale Stadium | Sekondi-Takoradi Stadium | |
| Capacity: 21,017 | Capacity: 20,088 | |
Tournament ball
editDuring the previous editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, the ball used was not a ball especially made for the tournament. As the tournament was held on even years, the same years big tournaments such as the UEFA European Championships or the FIFA World Cup were held, the official ball for the tournament held this year was used for the African Cup of Nations: the Adidas Roteiro in 2004, or the Adidas Teamgeist in 2006. However, for the 2008 tournament, Adidas made a special ball, clearly different from the Adidas Europass going to be used five months later for the Euro. The ball was named Wawa Aba and was designed to include host nation Ghana's red, yellow and green. The ball was later used for the other African competitions.
For the Akan culture originating from Western Africa, one of the Adinkra symbols named Wawa Aba is a symbol of hardiness, toughness, and perseverance.[2] People there particularly believe in the strength and team spirit of a community. The Wawa Aba literally means "seed(s) of Wawa tree (Triplochiton scleroxylon)”,[3] one of the strongest and most processible woods of Africa and whose seeds are very hard. For the population, the Wawa Aba mainly has mystical significance. These are people who don't let failure discourage them, who seize all opportunities successfully and who are thus just as strong and adaptable as the Wawa Aba.
Match officials
edit16 referees and 16 assistant referees were selected for the tournament, including two from Japan and one from South Korea.[4]
Squads
editDraw
editThe draw for the tournament took place on 19 October 2007 in Accra. The sixteen teams were divided into four pots according to their performances in past Cup of Nations tournaments. Ghana, as hosts, were automatically seeded as the top team in Group A. Egypt, the defending champions, were seeded as the top team in Group C.[5] Tunisia and Nigeria had the two strongest records and so completed the top seeded Pot 1. Each group consists of four teams, one drawn from each of the pots.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
Group stage
editTie-breaking criteria
editWhere two or more teams end the group stage with the same number of points, their ranking is determined by the following criteria:[6]
- points earned in the matches between the teams concerned;
- goal difference in the matches between the teams concerned;
- number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
- goal difference in all group matches;
- number of goals scored in all group matches;
- drawing of lots by the organizing committee.
All times given as local time (UTC+0)
Group A
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 1 |
Group B
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 4 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 |
| Nigeria | 0–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Kalou |
| Ivory Coast | 4–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Drogba Y. Touré Keïta Dindane |
Report | Omotoyossi |
Group C
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage | |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 6 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 4 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | −9 | 0 |
| Sudan | 0–3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Chamanga J. Mulenga F. Katongo |
| Egypt | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Zaki |
Report | C. Katongo |
Group D
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | Advance to knockout stage | |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 2 |
| South Africa | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Van Heerden |
Report | Manucho |
| Senegal | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| H. Camara |
Report | Van Heerden |
Knockout stage
edit| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 3 February – Accra | ||||||||||
| | 2 | |||||||||
| 7 February – Accra | ||||||||||
| | 1 | |||||||||
| | 0 | |||||||||
| 4 February – Tamale | ||||||||||
| | 1 | |||||||||
| | 2 | |||||||||
| 10 February – Accra | ||||||||||
| | 3 | |||||||||
| | 0 | |||||||||
| 3 February – Sekondi | ||||||||||
| | 1 | |||||||||
| | 5 | |||||||||
| 7 February – Kumasi | ||||||||||
| | 0 | |||||||||
| | 1 | |||||||||
| 4 February – Kumasi | ||||||||||
| | 4 | Third place | ||||||||
| | 2 | |||||||||
| 9 February – Kumasi | ||||||||||
| | 1 | |||||||||
| | 4 | |||||||||
| | 2 | |||||||||
Quarter-finals
editSemi-finals
editThird place match
edit| Ghana | 4–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Muntari Owusu-Abeyie Agogo Draman |
Report | Sanogo |
Final
editAwards
edit
Player of the tournamentedit |
Top scoreredit
|
Best Goalkeeper
editBest XI
editThe following players were selected as the best in their respective positions, based on their performances throughout the tournament. Their performances were analysed by the tournament's Technical Study Group (TSG), who picked the team.[9]
| Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
- Substitutes
Goalscorers
edit- 5 goals
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
- Own goals
Tournament rankings
edit| Ranking criteria |
|---|
For teams eliminated in the same knockout round, the following criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the final rankings:
For teams eliminated in the group stage, the following criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the final rankings:[10]
|
| Pos. | Team | G | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 15 | 5 | +10 | |
| 2 | B | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 8 | +6 | |
| 3 | A | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 11 | 5 | +6 | |
| 4 | C | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 16 | 9 | +7 | |
| Eliminated in the quarter-finals | ||||||||||
| 5 | B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 6 | +1 | |
| 6 | C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4 | +1 | |
| 7 | A | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| 8 | D | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 10 | −5 | |
| Eliminated in the group stage | ||||||||||
| 9 | A | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | −1 | |
| 10 | D | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | −2 | |
| 11 | B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | +1 | |
| 12 | C | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | |
| 13 | D | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | |
| 14 | B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | −5 | |
| 15 | A | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | −6 | |
| 16 | C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | −9 | |
References
edit- ^ "Ohene Djan Stadium will last "forever"- Micheletti". ghananewsagency.org. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ^ Willis, W. Bruce (1998). The Adinkra Dictionary: A Visual Primer on the Language of Adinkra. Washington, DC: The Pyramid Complex. pp. 196–7.
- ^ Azindow, Yakubu M. (1999). Philosophical Reflections of Adinkra Symbols. Accra, Ghana. p. 29. ISBN 9988-0-0130-4.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Referees
- ^ Caf release Cup of Nations' seeds, "BBC Sport", 18 October 2007. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
- ^ Article 5, paragraph 13 in the Regulations of the XXVth Africa Cup of Nations guide.
- ^ Kick-off delayed by 15 minutes due to floodlight failure
- ^ "Abd Rabou wins best player award". BBC Sport. 10 February 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
- ^ "CAF names Best XI for Ghana 2008 ACN". cafonline.com. 10 February 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
- ^ "AFC Competition Operations Manual (Edition 2023)" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
External links
edit Media related to 2008 Africa Cup of Nations at Wikimedia Commons