Afcon 2012 Guide

The 28th Africa Cup of Nations, jointly hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, kicks off in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on January 21, 2012 and will run till the finals on February 12, 2012, in Libreville, Gabon.

Duration

Afcon 2012 will be held over a 22-day period from the opening match to the finals. There will be six match-free days in-between, meaning, there will be 16 match days. For the most part, there will be two matches daily on those days. All matches will be televised live on SuperSport 4. See our broadcast schedule for details.

Teams and Groups:

Sixteen countries will be taking part in the tournament, with Gabon and Equatorial Guinea qualified as hosts. They are joined by 14 countries from the qualifying rounds that have produced casualties in a proportion never seen in the history of the tournament.

Missing in Action

The traditional powerhouses of the tournament will be missing, including defending champions Egypt, who have won the last three tournaments and seven in total (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010), Cameroon (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002), Nigeria (1980 and 1994), 2010 World cup hosts, South Africa ( 1996), Algeria (1990) and Congo DR (1968, 1974).

Sweet Sixteen

The 16 teams have been grouped into four groups; two in the Gabonese cites of Libreville and France Ville and two in the Equatorial Guinea cities of Malabo and Bata.

Group A: Malabo - Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Senegal, Zambia

Group B: Bata - Cote d’Ivoire, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Angola

Group C: Libreville- Gabon, Niger, Morocco, Tunisia

Group D: France Ville - Ghana, Botswana, Mali, Guinea

Format and Regulations

The 16 teams have been drawn into four groups of four each and will play a round-robin with mini-league groups. The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarterfinals. There will be six matches in each group and 24 in total during the group stage.

Article 72 of the Caf nations cup regulations clarify the parameters that will determine who progresses from the group in event of a tie .This will ease the pains of the qualifying rounds when there was a lot of misinterpretation.

In case of equality of points between two or more teams, at the conclusion of the group matches, the ranking of the teams shall be established according to the following criteria:

72.1. Greater number of points obtained in the matches between the teams in question;
72.2. The best goal difference in the matches between the teams in question;
72.3. Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
72.4. Goal difference in all group matches;
72.5. Greatest number of goals scored in all the group matches;
72.6. Fair Play points system taking into account the number of yellow and red cards;
72.7. Drawing of lots by CAF Organising Committee.

Knockout stage

This will be a straight elimination series with games played out for 90 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of extra-time and, ultimately, if no winner emerges after full-time and extra-time, they will go straight to penalty shootouts (five kicks each) and thereafter, sudden death penalty kicks until a winner emerges.

Article 73

73.1. At the conclusion of the four group matches, the first and the second of each group shall be qualified for the quarter finals.

The quarterfinal matches shall be played in the following order:

i. Winner Group A/Second Group B

ii. Winner Group B/Second Group A

iii. Winner Group C/Second Group D

iv. Winner Group D/Second Group C

73.2. The quarterfinal matches shall be played in accordance with the direct elimination system of the loser. An extra time of 2 x 15 minutes shall be eventually played in case of a draw after the regular time. If, after extra time, the result is still not decisive, the winner shall be determined by the taking of kicks from the penalty mark.

73.3. The winners of the quarterfinals shall qualify for the semifinals. They shall be played in the following order:

- Winner of match (i) Winner of match (iii) or (iv)

- Winner of match (ii) Winner of match (iii) or (iv)

73.4. The semifinals shall be played in accordance with the same direct elimination system as applied in the quarter finals.

73.5. The losers of the semifinals shall play a match for the third place. In case of a draw after the end of the regular time, the winner shall be determined by the taking of kicks from the penalty mark.

73.6. The final shall be played between the winners of the semifinals. In case of a draw after the end of the regular time, an extra time of 2 x 15 minutes shall be played. If, after the extra time, the result is still not decisive, the winner shall be determined by the taking of kicks from the penalty mark.

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea
• Full name: The Republic of Equatorial Guinea
• Population: 507 000 (UN, 2007)
• Capital: Malabo
• Area: 28 051 sq km (10 830 sq miles)
• Major languages: Spanish, French
• Major religion: Christianity
• Life expectancy: 50 years (men), 53 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc = 100 centimes
• Main exports: Petroleum, timber, cocoa
• GNI per capita: US $930 (World Bank, 2001)
• Internet domain: .gq
• International dialling code: +240

Gabon
• Full name: The Gabonese Republic
• Population: 1.5 million (UN, 2009)
• Capital: Libreville
• Area: 267 667 sq km (103 347 sq miles)
• Major languages: French, Bantu-group languages
• Major religion: Christianity
• Life expectancy: 59 years (men), 62 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc = 100 centimes
• Main exports: Crude oil, timber, manganese, uranium
• GNI per capita: US $7 240 (World Bank, 2008)
• Internet domain: .ga
• International dialling code: +241