Saturday, 8 October 2005.

Right across the continent, the established powers were being toppled. Fans were transfixed as the most enthralling African qualification campaign in history came down to a fittingly exciting climax. In Yaounde, the region's finest player, Samuel Eto'o, declined a vital injurytime penalty as Cameroon were drawing 1-1 with Egypt.

Inter's Pierre Wome assumed the responsibility. And missed. Ivory Coast were through to their first ever World Cup. In Abuja, celebrated names such as Jay Jay Okocha believed they were cruising to the finals as Nigeria led 5-1 against Zimbabwe.

Only for an unknown one such as Akwa to strike 10 minutes from time in Rwanda and send Angola through instead. By the end, Senegal and South Africa had followed Cameroon and Nigeria out. In their place were two other debutants in Togo and Ghana. Of the old guard, only Tunisia prevail. Africa rejoiced, celebrating the romance of the qualifiers and the new depth of the continent's football.

However, the dust has now settled on the revolution and it is worth a reappraisal because the 2006 World Cup has the potential to be Africa's worst tournament in decades.

Since 1986, when Morocco became the first of the continent's sides to escape the opening round, at least one place in the latter stages had rightly come to be seen as a privilege by African fans.

They had united behind Cameroon in 1990, Nigeria in 1994 and 1998 and, in 2002, Senegal, the exuberant play of each illuminating the tournament. While still a long way off Pele's infamous prediction that a side from the continent would win the World Cup by the turn of the millennium, with each tournament progress was being made. This time though, there is a strong possibility that none of the five teams will make it beyond the group stages.

For this, there are two reasons . . . dreadful luck in the draw and the poverty in quality of two of the new upstarts.

The draw in particular has been exceptionally harsh.

Before it was made in December, three of the sides . . . Ivory Coast, Ghana and Tunisia . . .had realistic anticipations of making the last 16. However, they seem to have been assigned groups in direct relation to their ability.

The strongest of the five and Africa's greatest hope, Ivory Coast, were placed in the tournament's most challenging group with Argentina, Holland and a solid Serbia and Montenegro. Ghana . . . for so long the continent's main power but belatedly reaching their first World Cup . . .

had similar misfortune, and will face a resurgent Italy, the Czech Republic and a well organised USA team. Tunisia then, in their third consecutive tournament, will have to overcome Spain and Ukraine.

Though both the 2002 event and 2004 European Championships showed there is no longer any guarantee of these fixtures conforming to reputation, the omens are not good. While Ivory Coast are a robust and athletic side containing players of genuine ability such as Didier Zokora, Kolo Toure and a Didier Drogba freed of his defensive work at Chelsea, they have yet to prove themselves against a team of true quality. Indeed, they lost twice to Cameroon in the qualifiers, only making it through due to the early complacency of Eto'o's side against Egypt and Sudan.

Ghana on the other hand qualified with surprising ease, defeating a poor South Africa home and away.

And while they have a competent first 11, they are overreliant on their midfield of Michael Essien (right), Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari. They struggle to cover their deficiencies in defence and attack if any of the three are missing, as in February's African Nations Cup when, without Essien, they went out in the first round 2-1 to Zimbabwe. A dynamic Tunisia were unfortunate to go out at the quarter-finals of that tournament and while they have the experience of Euro 2000-winning manager Roger Lemerre and the two last World Cups, they will struggle with the class of Spain and Ukraine.

The frustrating aspect for African football is that if any two of the three swapped places with Angola or Togo, a momentous tournament could have been in store. In two of the weaker groups, they are unfortunately two of the poorest sides to make it through from Africa since Zaire in 1974. Their passage to the finals was aided by the qualification draw as, like the World Cup, it left two pools heavily weighted with the stronger teams. A glance over their squads reveals a worrying lack of depth. Angola's only player at a top European club is Benfica striker Mantorras and, frequently injured, he has barely played for either his club or country in the last year.

Their firstchoice goalkeeper meanwhile, Joao Ricardo, has been training on his own all season, the only player at the World Cup unable to secure a contract at any club since being let go by Portuguese side Moreirense. A former colony of Portugal, who they face in the tournament, they have been forced to exhaust the Jack Charlton method, recruiting a host of Angola-linked players from the Portuguese lower divisions. Just as with Ivory Coast and Cameroon, it was the complacency of Nigeria's established stars in a weak group that let them slip through. They already got a worrying glimpse of what the World Cup could hold, eliminated in the first round of the African Nations Cup.

Togo are in an even worse state. Completely dependent on Emmauel Adebayor, so thin is their squad that they have looked to neighbouring countries such as Ghana and Nigeria for players with even tenuous Togolese links. They qualified for the finals on the back of the Arsenal striker's 10 goals and the team spirit generated by Nigerian manager Stephen Keshi. However, Keshi fell out with Adebayor prior to the Nations Cup, accusing him of not training properly as he secured his move to London.

Adebayor refused to play before Keshi was forced into an embarrasing climbdown.

With their morale ruptured, the team lost all three games and Keshi was sacked. German coach Otto Pfister was hired but, displaying the country's farcical preparation, a friendly with Saudi Arabia last week was the first time the squad had been together since the Nations Cup shambles.

As Eto'o emphasised in the aftermath of Cameroon's disappointment, the pressure is on those who have qualified to succeed. With the 2010 tournament to be held in South Africa, the continent will have the best opportunity yet to finally fulfil Pele's prediction and the Confederation Africain de Football are pushing for six places in it. That will be hard to justify, however, if 2006 proves a failure.

The fans wait in hope but the revolution may yet fail.

And the old elite may be demanded back.

OUT OF AFRICA: HOW THE CONTINENT HAS FARED AT THE WORLD CUP ITALY 1934

Egypt are the first African team to enter. In a straight knock-out they lose 4-2 in the first round to Hungary.

MEXICO 1970 Morocco win the new African qualifying tournament and shock West Germany by going 1-0 up after 11 minutes but eventually lose 2-1.

Easily beaten by Peru 3-0, they drew 1-1 with Bulgaria to finish bottom of the group.

WEST GERMANY 1974 Zaire have a dismal World Cup, losing all three games including a 90 defeat to Yugoslavia. Defender Alunga Mwepu gains notoriety for kicking the ball away before a Brazilian free-kick is taken.

ARGENTINA 1978 Tunisia become the first team from the continent to win a game, defeating Mexico 3-1. Undeservedly lose 1-0 to Poland before a 0-0 draw with West Germany narrowly eliminates them.

SPAIN 1982 An enlarged tournament gives Africa two entries and there is further improvement as Cameroon are edged out of a second-round place by eventual champions Italy through goals scored. Algeria defeat Chile and runners-up West Germany but are shamefully robbed of quali"cation for the knock-out stages as Austria play out a gentleman's agreement with the Germans, losing 1-0 so both European teams go through.

MEXICO 1986 Morocco become the first African team to qualify for the second round, topping England's group before losing to runners-up West Germany 1-0. Algeria finish bottom of their group.

ITALY 1990 Cameroon produce one of the shocks of the tournament by beating defending champions Argentina 1-0 in the opening game and go on to finish first in their group. Inspired by Roger Milla, they are only eight minutes from a semi-final before reckless fouls grant England two penalties and a 3-2 win. Egypt finish bottom of Ireland's group.

USA 1994 Now granted three places, Nigeria follow Cameroon by beating Bulgaria and Argentina to win their group. They are only a minute away from knocking Italy out when Roberto Baggio equalises and then scores a penalty in extra-time.

Morocco lose all three games while Cameroon only manage one draw.

FRANCE 1998 The tournament is enlarged once more, giving Africa five places.

Nigeria again qualify for the second round, finishing first in their group, but then lose 4-1 to Denmark.

Morocco beat Scotland 3-0 but are ousted by Norway and Brazil, going home at the first stage with South Africa, Cameroon and Tunisia . . .none of whom managed a win.

JAPAN/KOREA 2002 Senegal emulate Cameroon with 1-0 win over champions France in the opening game, going on to the quarter-finals where they are defeated on a golden goal by Turkey.

Cameroon, South Africa, Tunisia and Nigeria are all eliminated in the first round.