SCA - Sport Consulting Agency

Gambia will lead a group of African underdogs to the FIFA U-17 World Cup after triumphing in a CAF African U-17 Championship notable for the absence of several of the continent's superpowers. With the likes of Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire all missing from the CAF finals, the Baby Scorpions rose to the challenge of claiming a place at the global showpiece alongside Algeria, Burkina Faso and Malawi, while the Nigerians - as hosts - will further boost the African contingent.

In triumphing, the Gambians regained a trophy they last won just four years ago, following which they went on to the FIFA U-17 World Cup Peru 2005 and claimed impressive victories over Brazil and Qatar. This time, a hugely impressive Baby Scorpions campaign established them beyond doubt as the tournament's most accomplished side.

They kicked off the competition by beating Guinea 1-0 before ending Cameroon's hopes of qualification with a 2-0 defeat and, although they by this stage they had already secured their place at Nigeria 2009, they reinforced their superiority with victory over hosts Algeria in the final group match. However, their best performance came in the semi-finals, when they put four unanswered goals past Malawi. In the final, despite facing an Algerian side backed by a passionate home support, the Gambians rose to the challenge by replicating their group stage win to claim the trophy.

"We played a wonderful tournament, we were full of confidence but never underestimated our opponents," Gambia's Egyptian coach, Tarek El Syagi told FIFA.com. El Syagi had made every effort to ensure that his team were properly prepared, organising a month-long pre-tournament camp in Egypt so that his players could acclimatise to the colder weather of the North African region.

Firsts for Algeria and Malawi
Algeria, meanwhile, may have missed out on the title, but qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time in their history represented mission accomplished. Striker Nadir Bendahmane was the hosts' hero, grabbing the winning goals against Cameroon in their group opener and then in the decisive encounter against Guinea.

Bendahmane did a great job and I know that he can be even better because there is a lot of time for him to develop.

Hakim Midan on Nadir Bendahmane.

The France-based youngster, who is on the books of Cannes, proved to be one of the stars of the tournament, and his manager Hakim Midan voiced a belief that more is yet to come. "Bendahmane did a great job and I know that he can be even better because there is a lot of time for him to develop," said the Algeria coach. "I am sure we will achieve good results in Nigeria."

It was no surprise that Burkina Faso, who had already eliminated Tunisia, claimed third place, but Malawi - who will be competing in their first-ever FIFA finals - exceeded even their own expectations. They replaced Niger in the semi-finals following a decision by CAF to disqualify the Group B winners for age cheating. A protest from Zimbabwe, who lost all three games of their group campaign, led CAF to discover irregularities in the official documents of Niger's Boubacar Talatou, and eventually led to the team's disqualification.

Niger's loss was Malawi's gain, and they will now form one fifth of an African quintet aiming to ensure that the FIFA U-17 World Cup trophy stays in Africa.

souce:www.fifa.com

With 30 goals in 48 appearances for Arsenal last season, it is little surprise that Emmanuel Adebayor was voted the 2008 CAF African Footballer. The rangy striker tormented defences both in England, Europe and Africa with his pace, skill and aerial prowess.

Having started his career as a teenager with Metz, the Lome-born star moved to Monaco in 2003 and picked up a UEFA Champions League runners-up medal after the French club were defeated 3-0 by Porto in Gelsenkirchen.

Yet, the proudest moment of the 25-year-old's career came in February when he was selected as Africa's footballer of the year, pipping Mohamed Aboutrika and Michael Essien to the award. It was the first time that a Togo international had picked up the honour, and seemed the perfect place for FIFA.com to begin our exclusive interview.

FIFA.com: You were recently voted African Footballer of the Year. Was that the greatest honour of your career so far?
Emmanuel Adebayor: Yes, of course. When I was young I told myself that I wanted to play football, I want to enjoy myself - but once I'd like to have the chance to be the African player of the year. For me, it's like a dream come true. I'm very happy and very pleased, but as you know in football - what you beat, what you win or what you get - you've got it already. So, what am I going am I going to win next? What am I going to achieve next? That's what I'm fighting for now. The African footballer of the year award for 2008 is already gone, it's finished; everyone knows it's Emmanuel Adebayor. Am I going to be able to win it again? I don't know. I just have to give 100 per cent and keep enjoying myself on and off the pitch.

You dedicated that award to your mother. How important has she been to making you the player and person you are today?
I think what I did in Nigeria last month made my mum very happy. She really appreciated it. I think she was one of the happiest mums in the world. You could tell that by her face! For me to give that trophy to her was a very important thing. She gave me a chance. She always told me to believe in myself, to do what I'm doing now, so by talking here (to FIFA.com) is another way of showing that the trophy was for her.

There was a lot of speculation during the summer about your future. Are you glad you stayed at Arsenal?
I'm very happy. I never regret anything. At the moment it is very difficult for the club because we haven't won at lot of games in the league, but I'm still happy to be at Arsenal. It's my desire - it's what I show everyone and it's what I tell everyone. I want to stay at Arsenal.

At the very least, we want to go to the African Cup of Nations, but if we manage to get to the 2010 World Cup, which is in Africa, that would be the best thing that ever happened in my life.

Adebayor on Togo

Arsene Wenger recently admitted that Manchester United are 'untouchable' in the title race. How disappointed are you not to be challenging them more closely?
Yes of course. What we did last season was unbelievable; it was very good. I think last season we played well and we were enjoying our football, but this season, we could have done better. This season everything's gone wrong again. We just have to focus on our jobs and try and finish fourth, which the club and the fans really need, because we cannot see Arsenal without Champions League football next season. We know what we have to do.

What are Arsenal missing at the moment?
Most of our players have been injured. We've missed Eduardo for several months, Tomas Rosicky for about a year, Theo Walcott for three or four months, Cesc Fabregas for almost six months and I've also been injured for two or three weeks. I think if Manchester United had to do without Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs, Berbatov and Nani, they wouldn't have the same team as they have now - they wouldn't be winning every game. When we get those players back, we'll have a chance of winning something.

Robin van Persie seems to have becoming increasingly important to the club this season. What is he like to play alongside?
I really enjoy it, because he's a great player. He creates space, he scores good goals; so playing with him is always good. I missed playing alongside him last season, when he was injured - and now, injury-free he's doing a good job.

Who is the toughest defender you've played against?
It's Nemanja Vidic. He's a very good player. He knows how to play against strikers. He's very strong and he's ready to give his life away for Manchester United. For me, he's one of the toughest defenders in the league and the best player of the Premier League this season so far. He also scores a lot of important goals for the club - and he saves a lot too!

Turning to Togo, how important is it to you and to the nation to qualify for the World Cup, especially as it's the first to be held in Africa?
When we were at Germany in 2006 it was a dream for the entire country and now we know what it's like, we want to experience it again. We're all motivated - and as players we have to give everything because our qualifying stage is very tough. We've got Cameroon, Gabon and Morocco in our group, but we're going to keep on going - and see what we can achieve. At the very least, we want to go to the African Cup of Nations, but if we manage to get to the 2010 World Cup, which is in Africa, that would be the best thing that ever happened in my life.

After the disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2008 Cup of Nations, do you feel the team is regaining some momentum?
Yes. I've spoken to some of my team-mates in the Togo national team and they're hungry to qualify for the next tournament. As soon as I listen to them, I know how motivated they are. That's a good sign!

Many people believe 2010 could be the year for an African team to go all the way. What is your view and which of the African nations do you believe is best equipped to challenge?
I hope so. In Africa, we have a lot of good countries like Côte d'Ivoire with Drogba, Zokora, Toure, Eboue, Cameroon with Eto'o and the Songs, Nigeria with Kanu, Yakubu, Yobo, Anichebe, not forgetting Ghana and Togo, so we have a lot of countries who could so well. The most important thing is that we have to make that happen once. I don't know if it's going to be 2010, but we all hope it will happen. I do wish that the 2010 World Cup is the best thing to happen on our continent.

What is your main remaining ambition in football?
To win the Premier League with Arsenal.

source: www.fifa.com