Topics: Egypt, Niger, South Africa, 2012 Africa Cup of Nations
Niger, as a country, is hardly associated with football. This year, however, the national team will experience the task of vying for the Africa Cup of Nations trophy.

Niger go into the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations with pride.Coach Harouna Doula Gabde and his men, nicknamed the Menas, have been tipped to rock the stage at the 2012 AFCON with their spirit of underdogs. Let’s see how good the 97th ranked nation could turn out to perform at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

Niger – no Cup of Nations experience

Niger’s current generation of national team players is privileged. With hard work, the Menas have managed to make a blur dream come to life. When the draw for the 2012 AFCON qualifiers was revealed, no one really thought about Niger as potential finalists.

Pundits based their analysis around South Africa and Egypt’s chances in Group G as Sierra Leone and Niger were tipped to fail. However, the Menas proved everyone wrong. Despite commencing the campaign with a 2-0 loss in the hands of Bafana Bafana, Niger found themselves with 3 points in the bag at the end of Matchday 2. They stunned reigning African champions Egypt 1-0 to achieve this feat.

 

Pursuing their adventure on a bright note, they got the better of Sierra Leone. Second-half goals from Issoufou, Sidibe and Daouda settled the win for Niger in Niamey. The Leone Stars got their revenge in the return leg but they didn’t destroy the Menas’ confidence.

At the Stade General on September 4 last year, Niger’s football team defied the odds by defeating 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts South Africa 2-1. This result proved extremely vital. Niger’s 3-0 defeat to Egypt in Cairo put them level on points with Bafana Bafana and the Pharaohs.  Based on CAF’s rules, the Menas qualified for Gabon-Equatorial Guinea in total miraculous fashion.

Niger at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations

Co-host Gabon, struggling Morocco and fallen giants Tunisia must not overlook Niger’s presence in Group C. The Menas will kick off their first ever Cup of Nations tournament in Libreville. All their group matches will take place at the Stade d’Angondje. They will face Tunisia on Matchday 2 and Morocco on Matchday 3. What will their fate be by then?

Niger’s 2012 Africa Cup of Nations squad goes as follows:

Goalkeepers: Losseni Doumbia, Daouda Kassaly, Saminou Rabo

Defenders: Jimmy Bulus, Mohamed Chikoto, Kader Dodo, Issiaka Koudize, Koffi Dan Kowa, Souleymane Mazadou, Djibrilla Moussa, Mohamed Soumaïla

Midfielders: Yacouba Ali, Moutari Amadou, Olivier Harouna Bonnes, Issoufou Boubacar, Laouali Idrissa, Abdoul-Karim Lancina, Boubacar Talatou, William Tonji Ngounou, Idrissa Saïdou

Forwards: Alhassane Dante, Kamilou Daouda, Moussa Maazou        

Read next team profile - Senegal.