Update

Well, the group stages are almost over but there are still a few teams with everything to play for- and a few teams for whom progression has already faded as a tantalising dream, missed either by a whisker or a country mile. Here’s Computers 4 Africa’s take on the tournament so far:

It’s been a turbulent time for the hosts. South Africa did well in their opener against Mexico, putting in a spirited performance against an excellent Association Football team. Bafana Bafana did less well against the marauding Uruguay side- but then, so did everybody in Group A- but they bounced back to give a spirited, vintage performance against an admittedly fractured French side. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough- they fell short on goal difference at the last- but with a point score equal to that of second-placed rivals Mexico they can leave the tournament with their heads held high. Honestly nobody expected them to do well in this tournament, and recording a win against France- even a France team as fractious and divided as that on display yesterday- is no mean achievement.

Cameroon have had a torrid time of it, the African Cup of Nations quarter-finalists losing both of their opening games against Denmark and Japan. The Danish side is well-regarded, the Japanese a little more unknown- though Cameroon’s widely publicised problems with team coach Pul Le Guen can’t have helped. Their only remaining hope to salvage some face from this tournament comes against the Netherlands on Friday, but given that the Dutch are expected to do very well in this World Cup and will want to keep their momentum up after winning both of their opening games, it will not be easy. Indomitable the Lions may be, but for this tournament they have been beaten back.

Nigeria came achingly close to qualifying for a place in the last 16 yesterday, Argentina’s convincing win over Greece meaning that they just needed to win their game against the South Koreans. With veteran player Kanu back in the team and Yakubu leading the charge, they looked likely to do it at numerous stages throughout the game, too- they led 1-0 during the first half and had numerous chances to put another in even in the closing stages at 2-2, with Yakubu surely feeling disappointed with his miss in the 68^th minute. Nigeria did finally produce the exciting, attacking football they are capable of in this game, but you can’t help but think that if they’d brought their A-game out before, particularly against an inferior Greece side, they would be celebrating today instead of heading home disappointed.

Côte D’Ivoire must surely be rueing their abysmal luck in the draw. For the second World Cup running they were put in a “Group of Death,” and while they’ve done well against some stern opposition and they’re not technically out of the tournament yet there was always going to be a mountain for them to climb and it’s going to take something of a miracle for them to progress at this stage. A draw against Portugal gave them a respectable start, and there is no shame in losing to Brazil- but it is the result achieved by Portugal against North Korea, a game the Elephants had no control over, which has made their final task all but impossible. It is well within their ability to beat the North Korean side, make no mistake- but with a goal difference of nine to make up, they must surely be hoping that the Brazilians put in some serious demolition work of their own if they are to have any real hope of qualifying.

Algeria have managed to punch a little above their weight in this tournament. Aided by an abysmal showing from England, they are technically still able to qualify- although it would take a win over an in-form United States team and a victory for England for them to do it, which seems unlikely at this stage given that the States will absolutely be looking to win the game in order to seal their place in the last sixteen and England- as you almost certainly know- have been playing extremely badly so far this tournament. Nonetheless, expect the Desert Foxes to play their hearts out this afternoon- a last-16 place would be a fantastic achievement for them.

All of which leaves us with Ghana. The Black Stars need at least a draw with the Germans to make sure of their progression into the last 16, giving them the best chance of any African side. They will still stand a good chance at progressing as long as they don’t lose by more than one goal this afternoon, though that would put them at the mercy of the Serbian team- if the Serbs beat Australia, then Ghana must win or draw.

The issue here is, of course, that they are playing against Germany. You can never expect the Germans to be anything less than fully committed, especially at a World Cup, and they will be a dangerous side to face regardless of their poor form against Serbia last Friday. Expect a tough match.

Ghana

The Ghanaian team dominated their Group D match against Serbia on Sunday, as the Black Stars got off to the ideal World Cup start with a 1-0 victory against their head coach Milovan Rajevac’s hotly tipped compatriots. With a weak Australia still to play, they are moving tantalisingly close to the last 16, with the best result of any African team so far. The only blip on their horizon- and it’s a big blip, let’s be honest- is the ever-threatening German team that thrashed Australia 4-0 over the weekend in an aggressive, clinical display.

Australia qualified easily from their World Cup group this time around, but their form does not look like it has carried over into the finals tournament: Ghana will be looking forward to their match on Saturday (19^th June) and definitely hoping for a win.

The Serbian side that Ghana beat has also looked promising in the qualifiers, and was not entirely without teeth on Sunday either- they are still looking to qualify for the second round and will definitely consider it achievable in spite of the certainty of a tough game against Germany on Friday (18^th June). If they can score points this week, they should not be counted out!

The Germans are not the terrifying proposition that they once were, but they’re always going to threaten big things at a World Cup finals tournament. They’ve reached more semifinals than any other team in the world, and won the tournament more times than anybody apart from Brazil. Their team has recently undergone significant change, and the inexperience of some of the newer players may yet show this year: However, their demolition of Australia set down an imposing marker for the other teams in their group. Germany will expect to qualify for the last 16 at the top of their group, and will be disappointed with anything less than a semifinal place this year.

Ghana themselves have one of the most successful footballing histories of any African nation- the Black Stars have won the African Cup of Nations a full four times, were runners-up this year and are certainly on form coming into this World Cup. Their game against Serbia showed some very convincing attacking play and some solid defending- the only real worry on the footballing side was the lack of a clear finisher at the front: It eventually took a penalty earned for a handball in the Serbian box for striker Asamoah Gyan to put the ball in contact with the Serbian net. However, their disciplined play and attacking ethos mean that they’re well-placed to go through to the second round!

Ghana’s success on the football pitch mirrors its success at home- it is rated as one of the most stable and best- governed nations in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, and its abundant natural resources have helped to reduce the percentage of its population below fifty per cent and give it quite a good GDP by African standards. On the other hand almost thirty per cent still live in poverty, just under half of the population cannot read or write and the country is still dependant on foreign aid and the national debt. There is still, then, plenty of room for improvement in Ghana, not least in the education system- and plenty of space for Computers 4 Africa, with your support, to get involved!

Cameroon

Cameroon promised much before this World Cup kicked off, being one of the first African nations to qualify. With Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto’o and Arsenal midfielder Alex Song in the side, they looked set to produce some exciting attacking football, but unfortunately that failed to materialise in their opening 1-0 loss to Japan. Things changed against Denmark and the Indomitable Lions made a roaring start against the aging Scandinavian side, but unfortunately their weak defensive play and a certain nervousness in finishing proved to be their downfall. As a result, Cameroon have the unfortunate distinction of being the first African side to be eliminated from the World Cup after eventually losing 2-1.

The Japan game will be considered an opportunity missed by many followers of Cameroon’s disappointing campaign, as the Samurai Blue did not have a particularly stellar match- but some decidedly risky experimentation from coach Paul Le Guen, along with some understandable early World Cup nerves left the Lions seeming lost and uncertain. The Japanese were arguably still worse off, but they managed a goal against the run of play in the first half and Cameroon could not find a reply.

Against Denmark, Cameroon fared better: With Eto’o back in his customary central attacking position and Alex Song back on the pitch, the Indomitable Lions scored in the first half for an early lead: However, several missed chances and a couple of defensive blunders saw the Danes regain an even footing later in the first half, and a cooler nerve on the firing line saw them draw ahead in the second. The game itself was fantastic, exciting football, and Cameroon were continuing to create good chances well into the second half- but unfortunately they failed to capitalise again, and will now be unable to progress beyond the group stage.

If the Cameroonian team is to leave this tournament with any battle honours, its last chance is against the Netherlands on Thursday evening. The Netherlands have already qualified for the knockout stages however, winning both of their opening matches against Denmark and Japan 2-0 and 1-0 respectively: They are unlikely to be easy opponents, as if either Japan or Denmark win their game earlier in the day the Netherlands will be playing to head up the group, potentially giving them an easier first knockout round.

Cameroon itself has a stable Government and a strong economy. Its GDP, at $2300, is one of the highest in sub-Saharan Africa, and it is the dominant partner in the Bank of Central African States. Strong investment in the colonial era and a relatively stable Government since independence have ensured that Cameroon’s infrastructure is quite robust, and diverse natural resources and fertile ground have kept the economy strong.

Unfortunately however, Cameroon’s strong economy is at the expense of significant inequality and widespread corruption, particularly in government. Almost half the population still lives in poverty, and just under a third are still unable to read or write: The universities are over-subscribed and it is hard to find qualified teachers, particularly in the north of the country. Education is our primary focus at Computers 4 Africa, and we believe that this is exactly the sort of situation where our help is needed the most: Cameroon is a country with huge potential, where there is ample opportunity for individuals with the right skills to bring themselves and their families out of poverty because there is a shortage of skilled workers. The people are hungry for education and advancement, and with your help we can give them what they need!

Computers 4 Africa has partnered with an NGO call HINT check out our website to see how they are doing!

Algeria

Algeria’s football team, “Les Fennecs” (The Desert Foxes), was the first African side to beat a European national team at the World Cup when they defeated West Germany 2-1 in 1982. Since then they’ve had a turbulent path, qualifying for the finals this year in a huge playoff with reigning African Cup of Nations holders Egypt only to suffer a disappointing 1-0 defeat in their first game of the tournament against a poorly-regarded Slovenia team.

The remaining teams in Group C are England and the USA. Unfortunately for the Algerian side, both of these opponents will be fielding stronger teams than the Slovenia side that eventually made a shot count on Sunday, and while “Les Fennecs” did appear to be slightly better on the pitch against Slovenia until they had a man sent off, they are likely to struggle against the two group favourites.

On the other hand, the Algerians have shown a flair for taking on “tougher” opposition recently- notably they were semifinalists in the African Cup of Nations, and beat the eventual winners Egypt in order to secure their place at the World Cup finals.

Slovenia have been to the World Cup once before, in 2002, and in spite of avoiding defeat completely in their qualifying campaign they failed to score a point in the group stages of that tournament. This time around they finished second in their qualifying group to Slovakia, and won the drawn two-leg playoff against Russia by virtue of scoring one of their goals away from home. This year they have already bettered their previous record, recording a first World Cup victory as well as their first group-stage points. Given the strength of opposition in Group C, they will be delighted if they make it into the last 16.

The United States aren’t really known for their footballing prowess, but their national team has been steadily growing in strength since the 1980s, and they are currently a respectable 14^th in the FIFA world rankings after reaching the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup against Brazil. As such, they will definitely be looking to secure a place in the knockout stages this year, and are likely to put in a strong showing- if Algeria are to make it out of the group, they will need to play with purpose against this team.

And then there is of course England. England are almost certainly the toughest team in this group, with a FIFA ranking of 8^th in the World and a very strong qualifying campaign behind them in which they won nine of their ten games. They do have a reputation for dropping their game against “weaker” opposition, however, and also for making silly mistakes in big games. Algeria will certainly be hoping that the English team lives down to this reputation when they play them on the 18^th!

Algeria itself is currently in a period of almost unprecedented stability in its post-colonial era, and with that has come a lot of growth- including a dramatic increase in literacy rates and quality of education, resulting in an almost 70% literacy rate and a reduction in the number of Algerian citizens living in poverty to an estimated 23 per cent- lower than South Africa’s 50 per cent- in spite of the average GDP per person being only £7,100 (in SA the figure is £10,000).

Algeria has undergone a struggle for independence from the French as well as a series of long civil wars, and is still feeling the after-effects- but it is coming out the other end still fighting, with its education system and job market continually improving. If this continues, then who knows? Perhaps the Algerian team will start to become a force to reckon with in future tournaments!

Nigeria

Nigeria played their first game of this year’s tournament on Saturday afternoon against a well-respected Argentine side. The Nigerian team, known as the Super Eagles, didn’t manage to pull off an upset, but can hold their heads high after a narrow 1-0 defeat as the Argentine side is well recognised as one of the most skilled and dangerous teams in world football.

The other teams in Group B are Greece and South Korea. Greece are the team in form at the moment, with a current FIFA ranking of 13, but suffered a surprise 2-0 loss to South Korea in the opening game, casting doubt on their pre-tournament status as favourites for the second qualifying spot (almost certainly behind Argentina). While their showing in the 2008 European Championship left little to write home about, the 2004 European Champions will still be disappointed if they don’t make it to the last 16.

South Korea, for all that they are relatively unknown as a footballing nation in the West, still field a strong national side. The 2002 World Cup semi-finalists and 2010 runners-up for the East Asian Championship will be looking to build on their recent form and have already given their fanatical support base something to shout about in this tournament with a 2-0 victory over Greece on Saturday. A player to watch out for is Captain and midfielder Park Ji-Sung, who plays for Manchester United and scored their second goal in this year’s tournament.

The Argentine team is widely expected to lead the group, and with one look at their team roster, it’s easy to see why. Their entire team is rife with first- choice players for top-flight European clubs, and not just on the pitch- the Argentine bench is as scary as a lot of first teams here at the tournament!

For all that though, the Argentines have had a bit of a rough patch in qualifying, and footballing icon Diego Maradona’s coaching credentials have yet to come through a major test. They also labour under the pressure of being a favourite to do well in the tournament, and football is a game well-known for unexpected results.

Nigeria aren’t exactly short of the sort of talent needed to take advantage of that either- with players like Everton’s Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Joseph Yobo in the side, they are ranked a respectable 21^st in the World according to FIFA, the third-highest ranking African side after Egypt and Cameroon. They are also the only African side to have made it to the last 16 of a World Cup on more than one occasion, qualifying in two of their three appearances in 1994 and 1998. Their group in 2010, in fact, presents them with some familiar faces- in 1994, they beat out Greece and Bulgaria to qualify second to Argentina! They will certainly be hoping for a repeat performance here, though their ambition will aim to lead them even further.

Nigeria itself has one of the largest economies in Africa, and one of the fastest growing economies in the World. It has a very influential presence in West African politics, all of which means that its relative stability since its return to democracy in 1999 is a good thing not just for Nigerians, but also for all of West Africa. However, the internal and international disputes that surrounded the 2007 elections, and the death of President Yar’Adua earlier this year, have served to indicate how fragile that stability still is- Nigeria has huge potential for growth and is one of the economic powers of the future, but it does labour under some heavy burdens.

While Nigeria’s economy is strong, for example, it is also the eighth most populous nation in the World, and roughly seventy per cent of its hundred and forty nine million citizens live in poverty. Nigeria’s natural resources are rich- it is an oil producer, among other things, and a member of OPEC- but problems with corruption still persist, and with the standard of education being generally poor, few Nigerians have the skills necessary to take advantage of the skilled jobs that foreign investment brings. That is one thing that we at Computers 4 Africa will be hoping to change, with your help, over the next few years.

South Africa

South Africa’s football team, known as Bafana Bafana or “The Boys,” open the World Cup this afternoon with a game against Mexico, a game they will be hoping to win if they are to progress past the group stages in this tournament.South Africa have made it to two World Cup finals tournaments before- in 1998 and 2002- but they have only recorded one victory, 1-0 against Slovenia in 2002. They did not progress past the group stages in either tournament but recent form in the Confederations Cup last year, in which they came fourth, indicates that they have a good chance of improving on that showing this time around. They will certainly hope to avoid being the first host nation not to make it!

Aiming to stop that happening are France, Mexico and Uruguay- the other teams in qualifying group A. France have traditionally been a strong side, but their form has suffered in recent years and famously it took a Thierry Henry handball in the playoff with Ireland to qualify them for this year’s tournament. They should never be discounted, however- after all, they made it to the final of the last tournament in 2006 and they’re still ranked 9th in the World according to FIFA.

Mexico are also a potentially dangerous team, ranked 17th in the World according to FIFA and with a good run of form going into this year’s tournament. They deserve a lot of respect after defeating current champions Italy 2-1 in Brussels earlier this month, and they are strong contenders for a qualifying spot in Group A which means a win against them this afternoon would go a long way to securing South Africa’s last-16 hopes.

South Africa won’t have an easy time of it, however- not if Uruguay have anything to say about it at least! Uruguay are ranked 16th in the World according to FIFA, but with their World Cup pedigree they will never be satisfied with anything less than a tournament win- so qualifying won’t be an easy task! All in all, South Africa will have an uphill climb to make the last 16 of this tournament, in spite of their status as the host nation- it’s a strong group- but with their recent international form in the Confederations Cup they’re certainly in with a shout!

There is a certain extent to which this reflects South Africa’s wider position at the moment. Since Nelson Mandela retired from politics in 1999, the country has struggled to find a strong and respected leader who can unite the country, and with no credible opposition in Parliament the ANC has begun to show signs of the strain. Rumours of corruption, an energy grid that is already running within a hairs-breadth of full capacity and the continuing issue of widespread poverty remain problems for the South African government and people, and AIDS has reached near epidemic levels in some areas.

Many of these problems have been highlighted in the build-up to the World Cup. There have been rumours of backroom dealings and disappearances among dissenting councillors over the contracts to build several of the stadiums, and much of the promised local development for the communities around the arena sites has yet to materialise- leaving many areas with the incongruous sight of slum townships within a stone’s throw of a brand new world-class football stadium.

Yet, for all that, there is hope: South Africa’s economy remains strong, and its governance is still widely regarded as being among the best on the sub-Saharan continent. It has more heavy industry than most African nations and an 86 per cent literacy rate, as well as a relatively well developed infrastructure- the roads are some of the best in Africa! With slightly less than ten per cent of the population on the Internet and a poverty rate of about fifty per cent there is still a way to go- and a lot that Computers 4 Africa can do to help- but South Africa has some bright prospects in its future, and is well-placed to overcome its present challenges!

World cup fever

The World Cup comes to Africa for the first time ever this year, and with no less than six African teams taking part, we at Computers 4 Africa thought it’d be a good idea to have a look at what’s going to be happening in South Africa over the next few weeks, and what it means for Africans to have the tournament hosted on their doorstep.

We will be running a series of stories throughout the next few weeks, examining each of the participating African nations in turn, as well as following their games as the tournament unfolds. We’ll start with the host nation, South Africa, who will be hoping for a win against Mexico when they kick off the tournament on Friday if their hopes of reaching the knockout stage are to be fulfilled. No host nation has ever failed to make it past the first group stage of a World Cup so far, and South Africa is certainly hoping not to break that that record.