ABIDJAN (Reuters) – Factbox on Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers Burkina Faso.
Africa Cup of Nations record:
Previous appearances in finals: (12) 1978, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021
Best performance: Runners up 2013
Drawn in Group D with Algeria, Angola and Mauritania.
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Coach: Hubert Velud
The 64-year-old Frenchman was shot in the arm in an attack on the Togo team bus by separatists in the Angolan enclave of Cabinda on the eve of the 2010 Cup of Nations finals. He and the rest of the Togo side went home before the tournament started. Velud then qualified Sudan for the last finals in Cameroon but was fired weeks before the tournament’s kickoff after a poor performance at the 2021 Arab Cup in Qatar. A former player at Stade de Reims, his coaching career has taken him to Algeria, Morocco, DR Congo and Tunisia.
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Key player: Edmond Tapsoba. Age: 24. Defender.
Despite his young age, Tapsoba is already in his fifth Bundesliga season at Bayer Leverkusen and is a regular this campaign as they have gone to the top of the standings. He was 17 when he made his debut for the national team and was an 18-million euro ($19.7 million) signing from Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes while still a teenager. He was one of the stars of the last Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon, where the Burkinabe reached the semi-finals, with his aggressive tackling but also his ability to burst into attack from defence.
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FIFA world ranking Dec. 2023: 57
How they qualified: Top in Group B, ahead of the Cape Verde Islands, Togo and Eswatini.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Herve Koffi (Charleroi), Hilel Konate (Chateauroux), Kilian Nikiema (ADO Den Haag), Sebastien Tou (Sabadell)
Defenders: Issoufou Dayo (Renaissance Berkane), Nasser Djiga (Red Star Belgrade), Abdoul Razack Guiebre (Modena), Issa Kabore (Luton Town), Adamo Nagalo (Nordsjaelland), Valentin Nouma (FC St Eloi Lupopo), Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen), Steeve Yago (Aris Limassol)
Midfielders: Sacha Banse (Valenciennes), Adama Guira (Racing Rioja), Stephane Aziz Ky (Young Africans), Ismahila Ouedraogo (Panserraikos), Dramane Salou (Urartu), Gustavo Sangare (Quevilly-Rouen Metropole), Blati Toure (Pyramids)
Forwards: Cedric Badolo (Sheriff Tiraspol), Hassan Bande (HJK Helsinki), Mamady Bangre (Toulouse), Mohamed Konate (Akhmat Grozny), Djibril Ouattara (Renaissance Berkane), Dango Ouattara (Bournemouth), Abdoul Tapsoba (Amiens), Bertrand Traore (Aston Villa).
($1 = 0.9149 euros)
(Compiled by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Toby Davis)
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