German Gernot Rohr must wonder sometimes whether he is coaching the national soccer team of Gabon or France.
A study of the venues where the Gabonese Panthers have played international friendlies this year — Mantes-la-Ville, Moanda, Saint Leu-la-Foret, Nice, Cannes — includes four in France and only one in the Central African country.
Gabon has been a land of cranes, concrete mixers and construction crews as the oil-rich nation on the Atlantic coast prepares to co-host the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations from Jan. 21 with Equatorial Guinea.
Photo: AFP
However, the situation for Rohr and his squad changes dramatically tomorrow evening when record five-time world champions Brazil provide the opposition in Gabon’s capital city, Libreville.
The friendly marks the opening of the Chinese-backed “Stade de la l’amitie Sino-Gabonasie,” which will host numerous Africa Cup of Nations fixtures, including the Feb. 12 final.
Rohr is thrilled at the prospect of finally parading his team before local supporters and at the quality of the opposition, even if star attraction Kaka has been forced to withdraw owing to a muscular injury.
Photo: AFP
Ask any soccer follower from Cairo to Cape Town which national team beyond Africa they would most like to watch and 99 percent will scream: “Brazil ... Brazil ... Brazil.”
“We have been traveling a lot and not had an opportunity to play in front of the Gabonese people. This has been the only problem as the authorities are fully behind the squad,” Rohr said in a recent interview.
A glance at the FIFA world rankings suggest a mismatch, with Brazil at No. 5 and Gabon at 68, and a glance at the clubs the South Americans and Africans play for says a lot.
While the withdrawals of Kaka and defender Marcelo means no Real Madrid representation in the Brazil squad of coach Mano Menezes, there are stars from Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Chelsea, Manchester United and Porto.
Contrast that mouth-watering list with Le Mans, Olympique Beja, Dynamo Minsk, Zalaegerszegi, Stabaek and Churchill Brothers — an Indian club and home to striker Henry Antchouet.
As 2014 World Cup hosts, Brazil are exempted from qualifying so this year they played four Copa America games, before a shock quarter-finals exit to Paraguay, and 10 friendlies with a 7-5-2 overall record and a 17-9 goal tally.
The losses came in Paris and Stuttgart against France and Germany. Brazil supporters will expect nothing less than victory against Gabon and against fallen African giants Egypt on Monday in the Qatari capital Doha.
Gabon have been less active with a 3-1-1 record and 6-2 goal tally. The wins came against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger and Equatorial Guinea and a surprise loss at home to Gambia in the southeastern town of Moanda.
Roguy Meye, a 25-year-old Hungary-based striker, could threa-ten Brazil as he struck the winner last month against French second-tier club Monaco and fired the first of two goals past Equatorial Guinea.
The best known Gabon player outside the country is another striker, 34-year-old Daniel Cousin, because of spells with Scottish giants Rangers and Hull City when they were in the English Premier League.
With Rohr insisting that only active players will be considered for their Cup of Nations Group C clashes with Niger, Morocco and Tunisia, unattached Cousin returned home recently to join the Sapins club.
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