Cymru and Africa (pt.3) – Gambia and Egypt
In this series of blogs coinciding with the 2023 African Cup of Nations (but held in 2024…go figure) exploring the links between Cymru and that continent, parts 1 and 2 have visited Tunisia and this year’s AFCON hosts Cote D’Ivoire.
In part 3 we head to…Egypt via The Gambia
Gambia
The Scorpions are making only their second ever appearance at AFCON. In the 2021 edition they were the lowest ranked team to qualify but won their group before a quarter final exit to hosts Cameroon.
In 2021 Ebou Adams – then of Forest Green, now at Cardiff City – was in the squad and is this time round too.
Wrexham’s Jacob Mendy has also made the cut having received his first call-up to the national squad for an AFCON qualifier against South Sudan in June 2023. He subsequently made his international debut in a 0-2 World Cup qualifying defeat to the Cote D’Ivoire later that year. AFCON viewing figures in North America will no doubt increase exponentially….
That said, Barron’s is reporting that the Gambian players boycotted their final training session in protest over a bonus payment for qualifying for the tournament. It apparently angered supporters who had come to watch the final training before they departed for Cote D’Ivoire.
Other Gambians to play in Wales are Ibou Touray who spent the 2105-16 season at Rhyl, joining a couple of months after making his Scorpions debut in a friendly versus Uganda. Born in Liverpool he is eligible for Gambia via his father and is also going to the AFCON.
Cambridge forward Saikou Janneh had a loan spell cut short by injury at Newport County during the 2020-21 season
Egypt
In between his two spells as manager of Wales Mike Smith was appointed manager of Eqypt in 1985. As hosts of the 1986 AFCON tournament and with the most appearances and two titles (only Ghana had won it more times at that point), much was expected of The Pharoahs.
They lost the tournament’s opening game to Senegal but wins against Cote D’Ivoire and debutants Mozambique saw them sneak through on goal difference after they, Senegal and Cote D’Ivoire all tied on four points. Egypt beat Morocco in the semi-finals thanks to a Taher Abuzaid free kick (Abuzaid later became Minister for Sport) and then faced the reigning holders Cameroon in the final.
The game finished goalless and went to penalties. One miss each sent it to sudden death. Ashraf Kassem sent Thomas N’Kono the wrong way to put all the pressure onto Andre Kana-Biyick. Egyptian keeper Thabet El-Batal guessed correctly and saved Biyick’s weak penalty for Smith to become the first, and so far only, British manager to win the AFCON title
Smith remained at the helm for the 1988 AFCON in Morocco for which Eqypt qualified as hosts. In a tough group containing Kenya, Nigeria and Cameroon, Egypt again lost the opening game with Roger Milla scoring early to gain revenge for the defeat two years earlier. Nigeria and Cameroon could only draw and after beating Kenya 3-0, Egypt had it all in their own hands, needing to beat Nigeria to go through. A goalless draw was insufficient and Egypt departed the tournament. Oddly, Nigeria and Cameroon met each other again in the final, with Emmanuel Kundé’s goal proving the winner for Cameroon.
Smith departed after the tournament but had left Egypt in a healthy state. They qualified for Italia 90, their first World Cup since 1934, and for another AFCON in 1990.
The story of Wales’s backdoor route to qualification for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden is, by now, well-known from a Welsh perspective. But from an Israeli perspective perhaps less so. At the time Asia and Africa were a single region for the purposes of qualification.
In a preliminary round Israel were awarded a walkover when their opponents Turkey refused to play them. The group stage saw Israel drawn with a trio of predominantly Muslim countries: Egypt, Indonesia and Sudan. The Pharoahs refused to play Israel due to the escalating Suez crisis, while Indonesia were prepared to face Israel but only on neutral territory which FIFA refused to countenance. Sudan then showed solidarity with the Arab League and also refused to face Israel. FIFA however could not allow a country to qualify without playing a game other than the hosts and holders…so it was over to Wales (via Belgium…) to end the farce.
Finally. former Eqypt, Spurs, Middlesborough and Roma striker, Mido was recently in Wales completing his coaching badges.
