2012 Africa Cup of Nations

* Copa Africana de Naciones 2012
* Campeonato Africano das Nações de 2012
* Coupe d'Afrique des Nations 2012
* AFCON 2012
* CAN 2012

Tournament details
Host countries| Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Dates| 21 January – 12 February
Teams| 16
Venue(s)| 4 (in 4 host cities)
Final positions
Champions|  Zambia (1st title)
Runners-up|  Ivory Coast
Third place|  Mali
Fourth place|  Ghana
Tournament statistics
Matches played| 32
Goals scored| 76 (2.38 per match)
Attendance| 456,332 (14,260 per match)
Top scorer(s)|  Manucho
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Didier Drogba
Cheick Diabaté
Houssine Kharja
Christopher Katongo
Emmanuel Mayuka
(3 goals each)
Best player(s)|  Christopher Katongo
Fair play award|  Ivory Coast

← 2010

2013 →

International football competition

The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 28th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The competition took place between 21 January and 12 February 2012, and it was co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. The bidding process for hosting the tournament ended in September 2006.

The matches were played in four stadiums in four host cities, with the final played at the newly built Stade d'Angondjé in Gabon's capital and largest city, Libreville. Fourteen teams were selected for participation via a continental qualification tournament that began in July 2010.

The 2012 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations took place against the backdrop of political turmoil. Libya and Tunisia qualified for the tournament, even as the Arab Spring brought upheaval and regime change to both nations.[1] Traditional African footballing nations such as reigning champions Egypt (also affected by political events), as well as Cameroon, Algeria, Nigeria and South Africa had failed to qualify. Players from third-placed Mali had pleaded for the insurgency in the north of their country to end.

In the first round of the tournament finals, the teams competed in round-robin groups of four teams for points, with the top two teams in each group proceeding. These eight teams advanced to the knockout stage, where three rounds of play decided which teams would participate in the final. Both host nations, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, were eliminated from the competition at the quarter-final stage.

In the final, unfancied Zambia defeated third-time finalists Ivory Coast after a dramatic penalty shootout, despite the fact that Ivory Coast did not concede a single goal during the entire tournament,[2] giving Zambia their first continental title.[3] Manager Hervé Renard dedicated their win to the members of the national team who died in a plane crash near the final's venue in Libreville in 1993.[4]

## Host selection

[edit]

Bids :

* Angola (selected as hosts for 2010)
* Gabon / Equatorial Guinea (selected as hosts for 2012)
* Libya (selected as hosts for 2013)
* Nigeria (selected as reserve hosts for 2010, 2012 & 2013 tournaments)

Rejected Bids :

* Benin / Central African Republic
* Botswana
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Senegal
* Zimbabwe

On 4 September 2006, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) approved a compromise between rival countries to host the Africa Cup of Nations after it ruled out Nigeria. CAF agreed to award the next three editions from 2010 to Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Libya respectively. They assigned Angola in 2010, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, which submitted a joint bid in 2012, and Libya for 2014.

This edition was awarded to Gabon and Equatorial Guinea to rotate the hosting of the cup and give hosting chance for first-timer nations.

Two-time former host Nigeria was the reserve host for the 2010, 2012 and 2014 tournaments, in the event that any of the host countries failed to meet the requirements established by CAF, although this ended up being unnecessary.

The 2014 tournament was pushed forward to 2013 and subsequently held in odd-numbered years to avoid clashing with the FIFA World Cup.[5]

## Qualification

[edit]

Main article: 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

The qualification process involved ten groups of four, one of which was reduced to a group of three after the withdrawal of Mauritania, and one group of five. The top team from each group goes through, as well as the second placed team from the group of five. The two best second place teams also qualify. At the end of the qualification process, fourteen teams would have qualified, as well as the two host nations. The first qualifiers were held on 1 July 2010.[6]

### Qualified teams

[edit]

A map of Africa showing the qualified nations, highlighted by stage reached. Country  | Qualified as  | Qualification date  | Appearance in finals  | Previous best performance  | Regional body  | FIFA ranking1 | Continental ranking1

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Angola | JWGroup J Winner  | 048 October 2011  | 066th  | 40Quarterfinals (2008, 2010)  | COSAFA | 85  | 19
Botswana | KWGroup K Winner  | 0126 March 2011  | 011st  | 20none  | COSAFA | 94  | 21
Burkina Faso | FWGroup F Winner  | 033 September 2011  | 088th  | 50Fourth place (1998)  | WAFU | 66  | 14
Ivory Coast | HWGroup H Winner  | 025 June 2011  | 1919th  | 80Winner (1992)  | WAFU | 18  | 1
Equatorial Guinea | AACo-host  | 0029 July 2007  | 011st  | 20none  | UNIFFAC | 151  | 41
Gabon | AACo-host  | 0029 July 2007  | 055th  | 30Quarterfinals (1996)  | UNIFFAC | 91  | 20
Ghana | IWGroup I Winner  | 048 October 2011  | 1818th  | 90Winner (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982)  | WAFU | 26  | 2
Guinea | BWGroup B Winner  | 048 October 2011  | 1010th  | 60Second place (1976)  | WAFU | 79  | 17
Libya | RU Top Two Runner-Up  | 048 October 2011  | 033rd  | 60Second place (1982)  | UNAF | 63  | 13
Mali | AWGroup A Winner  | 048 October 2011  | 077th  | 60Second place (1972)  | WAFU | 69  | 15
Morocco | DWGroup D Winner  | 059 October 2011  | 1414th  | 80Winner (1976)  | UNAF | 61  | 12
Niger | GWGroup G Winner  | 048 October 2011  | 011st  | 20none  | WAFU | 98  | 22
Senegal | EWGroup E Winner  | 033 September 2011  | 1212th  | 60Second place (2002)  | WAFU | 43  | 5
Sudan | RU Top Two Runner-Up  | 059 October 2011  | 088th  | 80Winner (1970)  | CECAFA | 120  | 30
Tunisia | KXGroup K Runner-up  | 048 October 2011  | 1515th  | 80Winner (2004)  | UNAF | 59  | 10
Zambia | CWGroup C Winner  | 048 October 2011  | 1515th  | 70Second place (1974, 1994)  | COSAFA | 71  | 16

1 FIFA World Rankings, release of 18 January 2012.

## Controversies

[edit]

### Togo

[edit]

Togo were initially banned from the 2012 and 2013 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments by CAF after they withdrew from the 2010 tournament following an attack on their team bus.[7] Togo appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with FIFA president Sepp Blatter stepping in to mediate. The ban was subsequently lifted with immediate effect on 14 May 2010, after a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee. Togo were therefore free to play in the 2012 and 2013 qualifiers.[8]

### Nigeria

[edit]

On 30 June 2010, after Nigeria's exit from the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan punished the team for a poor campaign by imposing a two-year ban from international competition.[9] This would have resulted in the Nigerians missing out on both the 2012 qualifying phase and the 2012 African Cup of Nations. However, on 5 July, the Nigerian government dropped the ban after FIFA threatened to impose harsher international sanctions as a result of the government interference.[10] Nigeria competed in qualifying for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations as scheduled but failed to qualify.

## Venues

[edit]

The opening match, one semi-final and the third place match were held in Equatorial Guinea, while the other semi-final and the final were held in Gabon.[11]

140km
87miles

Location of the host cities of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations

* Equatorial Guinea
*  1  Bata
*  2  Malabo

* Gabon
*  3  Franceville
*  4  Libreville

City  | Stadium  | Capacity

|
|

Bata | Estadio de Bata | 41,000
Franceville | Stade de Franceville | 22,000
Libreville | Stade d'Angondjé | 40,000
Malabo | Estadio de Malabo | 20,000

## Draw

[edit]

The draw for the final tournament took place on 29 October 2011 at the Sipopo Conference Palace in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.[12] The draw ceremony was attended by the two presidents from the host countries, President Ali Bongo of Gabon and President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea.[13] The draw saw the 16 qualified teams being pitted into four groups of four teams each. The two top teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals with the winners progressing to the semi-finals and final eventually.

The two hosts were automatically seeded into pot 1. The other 14 qualified teams were ranked based on their performances during the previous three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.[14] For each of the last three African Cup of Nations final tournaments, the following system of points is adopted for the qualified countries:

Classification  | Points awarded

|

Winner  | 7
Runner-up  | 5
Losing semi-finalists  | 3
Losing quarter-finalists  | 2
Eliminated in 1st round  | 1

Moreover, a weighted coefficient on points was given to each of the last three editions of the Africa Cup of Nations as follows:

* 2010 edition: points to be multiplied by 3
* 2008 edition: points to be multiplied by 2
* 2006 edition: points to be multiplied by 1

The teams were then divided into four pots based on the ranking. Each group contained one team from each pot. Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, as co-hosts, were automatically seeded as the top team in Group A and C respectively.

Pot 1  | Pot 2  | Pot 3  | Pot 4

|
|
|

Equatorial Guinea (co-hosts)
Gabon (co-hosts)
Ghana (22 pts)
Ivory Coast (17 pts) |  Angola (11 pts)
Tunisia (9 pts)
Zambia (9 pts)
Guinea (6 pts) |  Mali (5 pts)
Senegal (5 pts)
Morocco (3 pts)
Burkina Faso (3 pts) |  Sudan (2 pts)
Libya (1 pt)
Botswana (0 pts)
Niger (0 pts)

## Match officials

[edit]

The following referees were chosen for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.[15]

Referees  | Linesmen

|

Mohamed Benouza
Djamel Haimoudi
Néant Alioum
Noumandiez Doué
Gehad Grisha
Eric Otogo-Castane
Bakary Gassama
Hamada Nampiandraza
Koman Coulibaly
Ali Lemghaifry
Rajindraparsad Seechurn
Bouchaïb El Ahrach
Badara Diatta
Eddy Maillet
Daniel Bennett
Khalid Abdel Rahman
Slim Jedidi
Janny Sikazwe

Albdelhak Etchiali
Jean-Claude Birumushahu
Evarist Menkouande
Yanoussa Moussa
Richard Bouende-Malonga
Songuifolo Yeo
Angesom Ogbamariam
Theophile Vinga
Aboubacar Doumbouya
Marwa Range
Moffat Champiti
Balla Diarra
Balkrishna Bootun
Redouane Achik
David Shaanika
Peter Edibe
Felicien Kabanda
Djibril Camara
Jason Damoo
Zakhele Siwela
Bechir Hassani

## Squads

[edit]

Main article: 2012 Africa Cup of Nations squads

Each team's squad for the tournament consisted of 23 players; only players in these squads were eligible to take part in the tournament. Each participating national association had to submit their squad by 11 January 2012 (midnight CET). Replacement of seriously injured players was permitted until 24 hours before the team in question's first match of the tournament.[16]

## Group stage

[edit]

Groups A and B took place in Equatorial Guinea, while Groups C and D were held in Gabon.[17] Notably, there was not a single goalless draw during the group stage.

### Tie-breaking criteria

[edit]

If two or more teams end the group stage with the same number of points, their ranking is determined by the following criteria:[16]

1. points earned in the matches between the teams concerned;
2. goal difference in the matches between the teams concerned;
3. number of goals scored in the matches between the teams concerned;
4. goal difference in all group matches;
5. number of goals scored in all group matches;
6. fair play points system taking into account the number of yellow and red cards;
7. drawing of lots by the organising committee.

All times are West Africa Time (UTC+1).

### Group A

[edit]

Main article: 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Group A

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Zambia | 3  | 2  | 1  | 0  | 5  | 3  | +2  | 7  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  Equatorial Guinea (H) | 3  | 2  | 0  | 1  | 3  | 2  | +1  | 6
3  |  Libya | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 4  | 4  | 0  | 4  |
4  |  Senegal | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 3  | 6  | −3  | 0

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed]
(H) Hosts

21 January 2012

19:30

Equatorial Guinea | 1–0|  Libya

|
|

Balboa 87' | Report |

Estadio de Bata, Bata

Attendance: 35,000[18]

Referee: Noumandiez Doué (Ivory Coast)

21 January 2012

22:00

Senegal | 1–2|  Zambia

|
|

N'Doye 73' | Report | Mayuka 12'
Kalaba 20'

Estadio de Bata, Bata

Attendance: 17,500[18]

Referee: Néant Alioum (Cameroon)

* * *

25 January 2012

18:15[note 1]

Libya | 2–2|  Zambia

|
|

Saad 5', 48' | Report | Mayuka 29'
C. Katongo 54'

Estadio de Bata, Bata

Attendance: 1,500[18]

Referee: Koman Coulibaly (Mali)

25 January 2012

21:15[note 2]

Equatorial Guinea | 2–1|  Senegal

|
|

Randy 61'
Kily 90+3' | Report | Sow 89'

Estadio de Bata, Bata

Attendance: 35,000[18]

Referee: Khalid Abdel Rahman (Sudan)

* * *

29 January 2012

19:00

Equatorial Guinea | 0–1|  Zambia

|
|

| Report | C. Katongo 68'

Estadio de Malabo, Malabo

Attendance: 44,000[18]

Referee: Mohamed Benouza (Algeria)

29 January 2012

19:00

Libya | 2–1|  Senegal

|
|

Boussefi 5', 84' | Report | D. N'Diaye 10'

Estadio de Bata, Bata

Attendance: 10,000[18]

Referee: Rajindraparsad Seechurn (Mauritius)

### Group B

[edit]

Main article: 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Group B

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Ivory Coast | 3  | 3  | 0  | 0  | 5  | 0  | +5  | 9  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  Sudan | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 4  | 4  | 0  | 4
3  |  Angola | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 4  | 5  | −1  | 4  |
4  |  Burkina Faso | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 2  | 6  | −4  | 0

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed]

22 January 2012

17:00

Ivory Coast | 1–0|  Sudan

|
|

Drogba 39' | Report |

Estadio de Malabo, Malabo

Attendance: 5,000[18]

Referee: Rajindraparsad Seechurn (Mauritius)

22 January 2012

20:00

Burkina Faso | 1–2|  Angola

|
|

A. Traoré 58' | Report | Mateus Galiano 48'
Manucho 68'

Estadio de Malabo, Malabo

Attendance: 17,000[18]

Referee: Mohamed Benouza (Algeria)

* * *

26 January 2012

17:00

Sudan | 2–2|  Angola

|
|

Bashir 32', 74' | Report | Manucho 4', 50' (pen.)

Estadio de Malabo, Malabo

Attendance: 2,500[18]

Referee: Ali Lemghaifry (Mauritania)

26 January 2012

20:00

Ivory Coast | 2–0|  Burkina Faso

|
|

Kalou 16'
B. Koné 82' (o.g.) | Report |

Estadio de Malabo, Malabo

Attendance: 4,000[18]

Referee: Gehad Grisha (Egypt)

* * *

30 January 2012

19:00

Sudan | 2–1|  Burkina Faso

|
|

Mudather Karika 33', 79' | Report | Ouédraogo 90+5'

Estadio de Bata, Bata

Attendance: 132[18]

Referee: Eric Otogo-Castane (Gabon)

30 January 2012

19:00

Ivory Coast | 2–0|  Angola

|
|

Eboué 33'
Bony 64' | Report |

Estadio de Malabo, Malabo

Attendance: 1,500[18]

Referee: Slim Jedidi (Tunisia)

### Group C

[edit]

Main article: 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Group C

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Gabon (H) | 3  | 3  | 0  | 0  | 6  | 2  | +4  | 9  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  Tunisia | 3  | 2  | 0  | 1  | 4  | 3  | +1  | 6
3  |  Morocco | 3  | 1  | 0  | 2  | 4  | 5  | −1  | 3  |
4  |  Niger | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 1  | 5  | −4  | 0

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed]
(H) Hosts

23 January 2012

17:00

Gabon | 2–0|  Niger

|
|

Aubameyang 31'
N'Guéma 42' | Report |

Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville

Attendance: 38,000[18]

Referee: Eddy Maillet (Seychelles)

23 January 2012

20:00

Morocco | 1–2|  Tunisia

|
|

Kharja 86' | Report | Korbi 34'
Msakni 76'

Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville

Attendance: 28,000

Referee: Daniel Bennett (South Africa)

* * *

27 January 2012

17:00

Niger | 1–2|  Tunisia

|
|

N'Gounou 9' | Report | Msakni 4'
Jemâa 89'

Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville

Attendance: 20,000

Referee: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)

27 January 2012

20:00

Gabon | 3–2|  Morocco

|
|

Aubameyang 76'
Cousin 79'
Mbanangoyé 90+10' | Report | Kharja 24', 90+1' (pen.)

Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville

Attendance: 35,000[18]

Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)

* * *

31 January 2012

19:00

Gabon | 1–0|  Tunisia

|
|

Aubameyang 61' | Report |

Stade de Franceville, Franceville

Attendance: 22,000

Referee: Noumandiez Doué (Ivory Coast)

31 January 2012

19:00

Niger | 0–1|  Morocco

|
|

| Report | Belhanda 78'

Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville

Attendance: 4,000[18]

Referee: Hamada Nampiandraza (Madagascar)

### Group D

[edit]

Main article: 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Group D

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Ghana | 3  | 2  | 1  | 0  | 4  | 1  | +3  | 7  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  Mali | 3  | 2  | 0  | 1  | 3  | 3  | 0  | 6
3  |  Guinea | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 7  | 3  | +4  | 4  |
4  |  Botswana | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 2  | 9  | −7  | 0

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed]

24 January 2012

17:00

Ghana | 1–0|  Botswana

|
|

John Mensah 25' | Report |

Stade de Franceville, Franceville

Attendance: 5,000[18]

Referee: Badara Diatta (Senegal)

24 January 2012

20:00

Mali | 1–0|  Guinea

|
|

B. Traoré 30' | Report |

Stade de Franceville, Franceville

Attendance: 10,000[18]

Referee: Slim Jedidi (Tunisia)

* * *

28 January 2012

17:00

Botswana | 1–6|  Guinea

|
|

Selolwane 23' (pen.) | Report | S. Diallo 15', 27'
A. R. Camara 42'
Traoré 45'
M. Bah 83'
Soumah 86'

Stade de Franceville, Franceville

Attendance: 4,000[18]

Referee: Bouchaïb El Ahrach (Morocco)

28 January 2012

20:00

Ghana | 2–0|  Mali

|
|

Gyan 64'
A. Ayew 71' | Report |

Stade de Franceville, Franceville

Attendance: 7,000[18]

Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria)

* * *

1 February 2012

19:00

Botswana | 1–2|  Mali

|
|

Ngele 50' | Report | Dembélé 56'
Keita 75'

Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville

Attendance: 20,000[18]

Referee: Khalid Abdel Rahman (Sudan)

1 February 2012

19:00

Ghana | 1–1|  Guinea

|
|

Agyemang-Badu 27' | Report | A. R. Camara 45'

Stade de Franceville, Franceville

Attendance: 5,500[18]

Referee: Daniel Bennett (South Africa)

## Knockout stage

[edit]

Main article: 2012 Africa Cup of Nations knockout stage

In the knockout stage, extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winners if necessary.

### Bracket

[edit]

| Quarter-finals| | Semi-finals| | Final

|
|
|
|
|

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

| 4 February – Bata| | | | |

|  Zambia| 3

| 8 February – Bata

|  Sudan| 0 |

|  Zambia| 1

| 5 February – Franceville

| |  Ghana| 0 |

|  Ghana (a.e.t.)| 2

| | 12 February – Libreville

|  Tunisia| 1 |

|  Zambia (p)| 0 (8)

| 5 February – Libreville

| |  Ivory Coast| 0 (7)

|  Gabon| 1 (4)

| 8 February – Libreville|

|  Mali (p)| 1 (5) |

|  Mali| 0

| 4 February – Malabo

| |  Ivory Coast| 1 | | Third place play-off

|  Ivory Coast| 3

| | 11 February – Malabo

|  Equatorial Guinea| 0 |

|  Ghana| 0

|  Mali| 2

### Quarter-finals

[edit]

4 February 2012

17:00

Zambia | 3–0|  Sudan

|
|

Sunzu 15'
C. Katongo 66'
Chamanga 86' | Report |

Estadio de Bata, Bata

Attendance: 200[18]

Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)

* * *

4 February 2012

20:00

Ivory Coast | 3–0|  Equatorial Guinea

|
|

Drogba 35', 69'
Y. Touré 81' | Report |

Estadio de Malabo, Malabo

Attendance: 12,500[18]

Referee: Eddy Maillet (Seychelles)

* * *

5 February 2012

17:00

Gabon | 1–1 (a.e.t.)|  Mali

|
|

Mouloungui 54' | Report | Diabaté 85'
Penalties
Poko
Mbanangoyé
Mouloungui
Aubameyang
Manga | 4–5 |  Diabaté
Yatabaré
Kanté
B. Traoré
Keita

Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville

Attendance: 30,000[18]

Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria)

* * *

5 February 2012

20:00

Ghana | 2–1 (a.e.t.)|  Tunisia

|
|

John Mensah 9'
A. Ayew 100' | Report | Khelifa 41'

Stade de Franceville, Franceville

Attendance: 8,000

Referee: Néant Alioum (Cameroon)

### Semi-finals

[edit]

8 February 2012

17:00

Zambia | 1–0|  Ghana

|
|

Mayuka 78' | Report |

Estadio de Bata, Bata

Attendance: 12,000[18]

Referee: Mohamed Benouza (Algeria)

* * *

8 February 2012

20:00

Mali | 0–1|  Ivory Coast

|
|

| Report | Gervinho 45'

Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville

Attendance: 32,000[18]

Referee: Daniel Bennett (South Africa)

### Third place play-off

[edit]

11 February 2012

20:00

Ghana | 0–2|  Mali

|
|

| Report | Diabaté 23', 80'

Estadio de Malabo, Malabo

Attendance: 15,000[18]

Referee: Gehad Grisha (Egypt)

### Final

[edit]

Main article: 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Final

12 February 2012

20:30 UTC+1

Zambia | 0–0 (a.e.t.)|  Ivory Coast

|
|

| Report |
Penalties
C. Katongo
Mayuka
Chansa
F. Katongo
Mweene
Sinkala
Lungu
Kalaba
Sunzu | 8–7 |  Tioté
Bony
Bamba
Gradel
Drogba
Tiéné
Ya Konan
K. Touré
Gervinho

Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville

Attendance: 40,000

Referee: Badara Diatta (Senegal)

## Awards

[edit]

* Player of the tournament:  Christopher Katongo
* Top goalscorer of the competition:  Emmanuel Mayuka
* Fair Player of the competition:  Jean-Jacques Gosso
* Fair Play award:  Ivory Coast[20]

### Team of the tournament

[edit]

Goalkeeper

* Kennedy Mweene

Defenders

* Jean-Jacques Gosso
* Stophira Sunzu
* John Mensah
* Adama Tamboura

Midfielders

* Emmanuel Mayuka
* Yaya Touré
* Gervinho
* Seydou Keita

Forwards

* Christopher Katongo
* Didier Drogba

Substitutes

* Boubacar Barry
* Rui
* Youssef Msakni
* Manucho
* Éric Mouloungui
* Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
* Sadio Diallo
* Cheick Diabaté
* Houssine Kharja
* Mudather El Tahir
* Rainford Kalaba
* Kwadwo Asamoah[21]

|

### Tournament rankings

[edit]

Ranking criteria

For teams eliminated in the same knockout round, the following criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the final rankings:[22]

1. Goal difference in round eliminated;
2. Goals scored in round eliminated;
3. If teams eliminated in the semi-finals or quarter-finals are tied, the above criteria are reapplied for the previous knockout round, with this process repeated once more should two semi-finalists remain tied;
4. Points in group stage;
5. Goal difference in group stage;
6. Goals scored in group stage;
7. Disciplinary points.

For teams eliminated in the group stage, the following criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the final rankings:[22]

1. Position in group;
2. Points;
3. Goal difference;
4. Goals scored;
5. Disciplinary points.

Pos. | Team  | G | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | GF | GA | GD

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Zambia | A | 6  | 4  | 2  | 0  | 14  | 9  | 3  | +6
2  |  Ivory Coast | B | 6  | 5  | 1  | 0  | 16  | 9  | 0  | +9
3  |  Mali | D | 6  | 3  | 1  | 2  | 10  | 6  | 5  | +1
4  |  Ghana | D | 6  | 3  | 1  | 2  | 10  | 6  | 5  | +1
Eliminated in the quarter-finals
5  |  Gabon | C | 4  | 3  | 1  | 0  | 10  | 7  | 3  | +4
6  |  Tunisia | C | 4  | 2  | 0  | 2  | 6  | 5  | 5  | 0
7  |  Equatorial Guinea | A | 4  | 2  | 0  | 2  | 6  | 3  | 5  | −2
8  |  Sudan | B | 4  | 1  | 1  | 2  | 4  | 4  | 7  | −3
Eliminated in the group stage
9  |  Guinea | D | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 4  | 7  | 3  | +4
10  |  Libya | B | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 4  | 4  | 4  | 0
11  |  Angola | C | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 4  | 4  | 5  | −1
12  |  Morocco | A | 3  | 1  | 0  | 2  | 3  | 4  | 5  | −1
13  |  Senegal | A | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 0  | 3  | 6  | −3
14  |  Burkina Faso | B | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 0  | 2  | 6  | −4
15  |  Niger | C | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 0  | 1  | 5  | −4
16  |  Botswana | D | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 0  | 2  | 9  | −7

## Scorers

[edit]

3 goals

* Manucho
* Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
* Didier Drogba
* Cheick Diabaté
* Houssine Kharja
* Christopher Katongo
* Emmanuel Mayuka

2 goals

* André Ayew
* John Mensah
* Abdoul Camara
* Sadio Diallo
* Ihaab Boussefi
* Ahmed Saad Osman
* Mohamed Ahmed Bashir
* Mudather El Tahir
* Youssef Msakni

1 goal

* Mateus
* Mogakolodi Ngele
* Dipsy Selolwane
* Issiaka Ouédraogo
* Alain Traoré
* Javier Balboa
* Kily
* Randy
* Daniel Cousin
* Bruno Zita Mbanangoyé
* Éric Mouloungui
* Stéphane N'Guéma
* Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu
* Asamoah Gyan
* Mamadou Bah
* Naby Soumah
* Ibrahima Traoré
* Wilfried Bony
* Emmanuel Eboué
* Gervinho
* Salomon Kalou
* Yaya Touré
* Garra Dembélé
* Seydou Keita
* Bakaye Traoré
* Younès Belhanda
* William N'Gounou
* Deme N'Diaye
* Dame N'Doye
* Moussa Sow
* Issam Jemâa
* Saber Khelifa
* Khaled Korbi
* James Chamanga
* Rainford Kalaba
* Stophira Sunzu

Own goal

* Bakary Koné (playing against Ivory Coast)

## Mascot

[edit]

The mascot for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations was unveiled on 16 September 2011 at a ceremony in Libreville, Gabon. The mascot, named Gaguie, is a gorilla sporting the national team colors of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.[23]

## Match ball

[edit]

The official match ball for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, manufactured by Adidas, was the Comoequa. The name was inspired by the Komo River, which runs through the host nations, and the Equator, which runs throughout Africa and unites the host nations.[24]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Original kick-off at 17:00 but was delayed due to heavy rain.[19]
2. ^ Original kick-off at 20:00 but was pushed back due to the delay of the Libya–Zambia match.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Arab Spring, Libya and the African Cup of Nations: The effect of revolution has been to inspire, unite and embolden". Sporting Intelligence. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
2. ^ "Zambia win dramatic shoot-out". BBC Sport. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
3. ^ "Zambia Takes a Modest and Emotional Path to Victory". The New York Times. 13 February 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
4. ^ "Zambia coach dedicates Africa Cup of Nations win to crash dead". BBC Sport. 13 February 2002. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
5. ^ "Africa Cup of Nations Cup to move to odd-numbered years". BBC Sport. 16 May 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
6. ^ "African International Competitions". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
7. ^ "Togo officially disqualified from Africa Cup of Nations". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 11 January 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
8. ^ "Togo's African Cup ban is lifted". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 14 May 2010. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
9. ^ "Nigeria's President Suspends Soccer Team". CBC Sports. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 30 June 2010. Archived from the original on 3 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
10. ^ "Nigeria backs down on soccer ban". ESPN Soccernet. 6 July 2010. Archived from the original on 8 July 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
11. ^ "Gabon : Libreville et Malabo s'accordent pour la CAN 2012" [Gabon: Libreville and Malabo agree for the 2012 ACN]. Gaboneco (in French). 5 January 2010. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
12. ^ "Official Draw for the Orange CAN 2012 fixed for October 29, 2011". CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. 26 June 2011. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
13. ^ "2012 Africa Cup of Nations draw conducted". CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. 29 October 2011. Archived from the original on 31 October 2011.
14. ^ "Orange CAN 2012 Official Draw 29 Oct 2011 – Procedures" (PDF). CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. 12 October 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2013.
15. ^ "Referees". CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. Archived from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
16. ^ a b "Regulations of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations Gabon-Equatorial Guinea 2012" (PDF). CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
17. ^ "Fixtures of the 28th Orange -Africa Cup of Nations, CAN 2012 Equatorial Guinea –Gabon" (PDF). CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. 29 October 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2011.
18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "2012 African Nations Cup Fixtures and Results". ESPN Soccernet. Archived from the original on 29 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
19. ^ "Rain delays Libya-Zambia match". ESPNStar.com. 26 January 2012. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
20. ^ "Orange CAN 2012 Awards Orange CAN 2012 Awards". cafonline.com. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
21. ^ "Orange CAN 2012 Best XI". cafonline.com. 12 February 2012. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
22. ^ a b "AFC Competition Operations Manual (Edition 2023)" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
23. ^ "Orange CAN 2012 mascot Gaguie unveiled". CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. 16 September 2011. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
24. ^ "CAF and Adidas present the official match ball for the African Cup of Nations". CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. 3 January 2011. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2011.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

* Africa Cup of Nations at CAFonline.com

* v
* t
* e

2012 Africa Cup of Nations finalists

Champions|

* Zambia

Runners-up|

* Ivory Coast

Third place|

* Mali

Fourth place|

* Ghana

Eliminated in quarterfinals|

* Equatorial Guinea
* Gabon
* Tunisia
* Sudan

Eliminated in group stage|

* Angola
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Guinea
* Libya
* Morocco
* Niger
* Senegal

* Qualification
* Squads

* v
* t
* e

2012 Africa Cup of Nations

Stages|

* Group A
* Group B
* Group C
* Group D
* Knockout stage
* Final

General information|

* Squads
* Qualification

* v
* t
* e

Africa Cup of Nations

Editions|

* Sudan 1957
* United Arab Republic 1959
* Ethiopia 1962
* Ghana 1963
* Tunisia 1965
* Ethiopia 1968
* Sudan 1970
* Cameroon 1972
* Egypt 1974
* Ethiopia 1976
* Ghana 1978
* Nigeria 1980
* Libya 1982
* Ivory Coast 1984
* Egypt 1986
* Morocco 1988
* Algeria 1990
* Senegal 1992
* Tunisia 1994
* South Africa 1996
* Burkina Faso 1998
* Ghana/Nigeria 2000
* Mali 2002
* Tunisia 2004
* Egypt 2006
* Ghana 2008
* Angola 2010
* Gabon/Equatorial Guinea 2012
* South Africa 2013
* Equatorial Guinea 2015
* Gabon 2017
* Egypt 2019
* Cameroon 2021
* Ivory Coast 2023
* Morocco 2025
* Kenya/Tanzania/Uganda 2027
* TBD 2029

Qualification|

* 1957
* 1959
* 1962
* 1963
* 1965
* 1968
* 1970
* 1972
* 1974
* 1976
* 1978
* 1980
* 1982
* 1984
* 1986
* 1988
* 1990
* 1992
* 1994
* 1996
* 1998
* 2000
* 2002
* 2004
* 2006
* 2008
* 2010
* 2012
* 2013
* 2015
* 2017
* 2019
* 2021
* 2023
* 2025

Finals|

* 1957
* 1959
* 1962
* 1963
* 1965
* 1968
* 1970
* 1972
* 1974
* 1976
* 1978
* 1980
* 1982
* 1984
* 1986
* 1988
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* 2006
* 2008
* 2010
* 2012
* 2013
* 2015
* 2017
* 2019
* 2021
* 2023
* 2025

Bids|

* 2027
* 2029

Squads|

* 1957
* 1959
* 1962
* 1963
* 1965
* 1968
* 1970
* 1972
* 1974
* 1976
* 1978
* 1980
* 1982
* 1984
* 1986
* 1988
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* 1998
* 2000
* 2002
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* 2012
* 2013
* 2015
* 2017
* 2019
* 2021
* 2023

Statistics|

* Finals
* Appearances
* Awards
* Records and statistics
* Hat-tricks

Miscellaneous|

* Balls
* Mascots
* Music
* Trophy

Notes
The 2021 and 2023 tournaments were actually held in 2022 and 2024 respectively.
There were no 1957 and 1959 qualifications as places were given by invitation only.
The "finals" articles for 1959 and 1976 are about the decisive matches of final group stages.

Football in Africa portal
*[Pos]: Position
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Pld]: Total games played
*[W]: Total games won
*[D]: Total games drawn (tied)
*[L]: Total games lost
*[GF]: Total goals scored (goals for)
*[GA]: Total goals conceded (goals against)
*[GD]: Goal difference (GF−GA)
*[Pts]: Total points accumulated (teams receive three points for a win, one point for a draw and no points for a loss)
*[Pos.]: Ranking in tournament
*[G]: Group