Football: African Nations Cup 2008-Prep under way for Sudan clash |25 August 2006

The team’s preparation started Monday and the players are in camp at the Maison Football, Roche Caïman, until they travel to Sudan on Thursday August 31.

The Sudan match will kick off The Pirates’ qualifying campaign for a shot at a first participation in the African Nations Cup.

With most of the country’s team members coming from top flight teams, there will be no first division matches until further notice.

Rwandan coach Raoul Shungu has called 26 players to the squad but only 20 will make the trip to Sudan.

The players called to the squad are Nelson Sopha, Ricky Rose, Vincent Euphrasie (goalkeepers), Verna Rose, Lorenzo Mathiot, Jones Joubert, Denis Belle, Godfrey Denis, Alain Larue, Jonathan Bibi, Ronny Hoareau, Geal Jessinghaus, Ted Esther (defenders), Henny Dufresne, Brian Dorby, Denis Barbé, Bernard St Ange, Alex Nibourette, Roderick Rose (midfielders), Don Anacoura, Wilnes Brutus, Yelvanny Rose, Jude Ladouce, Nelson Laurence and Jules Désir (strikers).

Missing through injury are Philip Zialor (neck) and Robert Suzette (ankle).

Having gained five places in the Fédération internationale de Football Association (Fifa) world ranking - 136th - The Pirates are following two training sessions a day and also on the programme are test matches to get the team to gel.

Speaking to Sports Nation, coach Shungu, who is assisted by Seychellois Marc Mathiot, said that “all is fine within the team. We are working on different tactical plays and the test matches will help us put everything together and we hope to be ready for the Sudan clash.”

The other two teams in group Four are neighbours Mauritius and Tunisia, African Nations Cup winners in 2004 but who were eliminated on a penalty shoot-out by Nigeria this year in Egypt at the quarterfinal stage.

Tunisia are ranked 30th, Sudan 113th and Mauritius 139th worldwide.

The qualifiers will be played on a home and away basis and the final round of games have been scheduled for September 7-9, 2007.

Forty-seven countries were drawn in 12 groups to qualify for 15 out of the 16 places at the 2008 finals. Recently, Djibouti pulled out of the qualifying competition. The Horn of Africa nation had been drawn to play this year’s runners-up Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar and Gabon in Group One.

Teams who top each group will automatically qualify for the finals along with the top three runners-up in the groups consisting of four teams.

The fact that Groups One and 12 comprise only three teams, only one of them will have the chance of qualifying. Ghana qualify for the 2008 tournament as hosts.

Holders Egypt will start the defence of their title against Burundi in Cairo. The 2006 winners have been paired with Botswana, Burundi and Mauritania in their qualifying group.

G. G.

Seychelles’ fixtures
Sudan v Seychelles – September 3, 2006
Seychelles v Mauritius – October 6-8, 2006
Seychelles v Tunisia – March 23-25, 2007
Tunisia v Seychelles  - June 1-3, 2007
Seychelles v Sudan – June 15-17, 2007
Mauritius v Seychelles – September 7-9, 2007