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- By Dennis Mac-Caulley
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As part of the profiling of the sixteen competing Nations, we direct the continental lense towards Burkina Faso, then known as Upper Volta. The French speaking country will be heading to Gabon for their 9th AFCON with onr final appearance under their belt.Ahead of their gruop A clashes with Gabon, Giunea Bissau and Cameroon, we ask our readers how well they know the Stallions.
Surrounded by six nations on its geographic poles, Upper Volta as it was known then made her AFCON bow in Ghana for the 197 edition of the tournament. The inexperienced side exited at the gruop stages but the lessons learnt later proved crucial as they sealed the final berth in the 2013 edition.
Then headed by Thormas Sankara before the renaming, the 274, 200 square km proved too small for the leader to control. He steered his side into one of the finest gold producing counties in the continent. Upper Volta soon outgrew its boundaries and was officially named as Burkina Faso on February 4, 1984. A combination of gold, Manganese, and marble are the natural resources based in Burkina Faso.
Name of country: Burkina Faso
Nick name of national team; Stallions
Captain: Charles Kabore
AFCON DEBUT:1978
AFCON APPEARANCE: 9
Best Ever Finish: Finalist in 2013
SUB FEDERATION: WAFU
LAND AREA: 274, 200 sq km
POPULATION: 17,million
President: Roch Mark Kabore
Burkina Faso will always remember 1978 not only as the year they made their continental bow but its legacy on their national team. The Stallions crushed out at the gruop stages alongside Ghana, Nigeri and Zambia.Nigeria walloped the newbie in a six goal thriller before Zambia sent them packng from the streets ofAccra, Ghana. Their three matchee at the tournament produced no point but the inspiration driven was enough to send them back to Ouga. Alhassan George and Mohammed Polo heaped more missery on the Stalions in a 3-0 win for the Black Stars.
In group B, Uganda and Tunisia sailed through at the expense of Morroco and DR Congo. The Cranes headed to the summit of the gruop that saw the Atlas Lions from Morroco heading back to Merreck.
In the semis stages, a solitary strike from golden boy Abdul Razak ended the campaign for the Carthage Eagles from Tunisia. A 57th minute magic from thr tourney’s best player set upa Ghana Uganda clash.
In the other semi final match, a goal each from Omondi and Nasir flawed the Super Green Eagles from Nigeria in a 2-0 win for the cranes. The Eagles attacking department failed to turn up for the show in a shocking results in Accra.
For the third and fourth place game, the Carthage Eagles abondoned the game after 42 minutes due to aledged poor officiating. CAF later declared Nigeria a 2-0 winners and a place in the podium.
In the final match, Ghana beat Uganda 2-0 thanks yo a double from Opoku Afriyie. The aced forward , exchanged strikes on either half to lift the trophy inside the 40,000 seater Accra Sports Stadium. Libyan referee, Yussif El Ghoul saw his final whistle met with a cacophony of jubilant voices as the Ghanaian lifted their third AFCON trophy and first on homesoil.
A total of 16 games and 38 goals saw Opoku Afriyie and three other players jointly finishing the competition as top scorers. Ghana’s Abdul Razak “Golden Boy” was adjudjed the best player of the tournament and the eventual CAF player of the year.
CAF XI:
Mohammed Al Hazaz(Mor), Mokhtari Dhoueib (Tun), James Kuuku Dadzie (Gha), Al Qasamy (Tun), Al Araby(Mor), Moses Nsereko(Uga), Abdul Razak(Gha)Adolf Armaah(Gha), Segun Odegbami (Nig), Mohammed Polo (Gha).
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Written by: Saani Abacha
@saani_abacha
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