Afcon 2017: wider spread of talent makes winner impossible to predict | Jonathan Wils

[Jonathan Wilson]

A range of teams could win the 2017 tournament, which takes place against a backdrop of political unrestThe pattern has become familiar: a country wins the right to host a tournament and there is excitement, then come doubts about costs and readiness, but in the days before the tournament, the negativity falls away and excitement takes over. Not here. In 2015, Gabon stepped in to replace Libya as hosts because of the ongoing conflict there but, as the 31st Africa Cup of Nations approaches, there is a clear sense that a significant proportion of the country does not want it to happen.
Related: Afcon 2017: a group-by-group guide to the Africa Cup of Nations
Related: Guinea-Bissau: intrepid outsiders who will make history at the Cup of Nations
Continue reading...

More...