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You know, I really need somthing to rant over, and I think I have found something.  I'm going to talk about the African Cup of Nations, hosted by Ghana.  You know, for never ever seeing one of these matches I have to say that I love the idea of it.  I just wish that I could see the rest of the matches.  They are currently in the Quarter-final stage and I'm going to talk about those matches. 

 PART 1

1. Ghana vs. Nigeria- this match just gives me goosebumps without even seeing it.  These are two of the greatest teams in Africa and could be one for the ages.  For the host-side you have one of the better midfielders in the world in Micheal Essien leading his very capable side, which includes Captain Steven Appiah and striker Asamoah Gyan, who happened to steal the show in the World Cup in my opinion.  And then on the other side, you have a side that are stacked of players.  They have Martins, Kanu, Mikel, and Yobo just to name a few.  So how do I see the match turning out?  Well I haven't seen much of late, but I'm going to say that the hosts get it done. 

2. Tunisia vs. Cameroon- this one should be good, but I ain't as excited for this one.  For Tunisia, you have one of the great, unknown Brazilians in this world.  His name is Francileudo dos Santos, and he is a goal scorer.  The guy is danger in the box, so Cameroon must be careful against this guy.  Now for the side with Samuel Eto'o.  Cameroon will be lead by the Barca striker all the way to the Semi-final.

3. Egypt vs. Angola- once again, we have another big matchup.  For Egypt, well, I have no clue because Mido isn't playing so it could be tough waters to wade in.  For Angola, you also have a bunch of unknown players, and I won't talk about them because I don't know who they are.  So I'll go with Egypt in this one.

4. Ivory Coast vs. Guinea- this match should be a blowout, but I don't see that happening all because Guinea has came this far, and they might as well fight as hard as they can in this one.  So let's look at the Ivory Coast roster.  They are led up front by striker Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou and in the back by Kolo Toure.  For Guinea, you have a lot of European-based players, but I just don't see them winning this one.  So my prediction is Ivory Coast goes on to the Semis.

PART 2

     Now for part 2, my rant.  I want to ask you a question.  Why in the world is this not on some sort of TV?  Any TV would do.  I'm not saying put in on ESPN, but it should be on Fox Soccer Channel or GolTV.  This tourney is one of the biggest in the world, and it deserves some attention.  This is what it boils down to.  Do you not want to see some of the best footballers in the world?  Drogba, Eto'o, Kalou, Toure, Martins, the list goes on and on, and the soccer gurus won't even put them on TV. 

     These teams are some of the best and they are being left out of a lot of things.  When it comes to the World Cup, Africa is short-changed.  They have way too many good teams, and not enough spots.  At the last Cup, we didn't have a chance to see two of the perennial powerhouses in Nigeria and Cameroon.  FIFA, I think it may be time to award some more spots to Africa, as they are gaining on Europe.  This is the only continent that has a chance at catching Europe. 

Please come back next Saturday when I talk about a topic that I've been wanting to do for a while.  It will be titled "The World's Next Brazil, taking a look at the world's next big side.  Well, until next time, it's been Keeper and I'm out.