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.