AFCON: Mozambique without Geny Catamo and David Malembana for opening game against Egypt

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AFCON: Mozambique without Geny Catamo and David Malembana for opening game against Egypt

2:30 CAT | 12 Jan 2024

Photo: Federação Moçambicana de Futebol

The Mozambican football team will play its opening match at the African Football Cup of Nations (CAN2023) without Geny Catamo, who is suspended, and David Malembana, out due to an injury.

“It’s always sad when a member of our group gets injured, in a short tournament like this. That’s why I made a point of bringing, in the 23-man squad, two players for each position,” Mozambican coach Chiquinho Conde told the media yesterday at the end of another training session in Ivory Coast, where the competition is being held.

The Mambas face Egypt, led by Portuguese Rui Vitória, on Sunday.

Key winger Geny Catano (Sporting Clube Portugal) is suspended for one match after an accumulation of cautions in the qualifying competition.

“David Malembana (Armenian Premier League club FC Noah) suffered a hamstring injury in training in the lead up to Mozambique’s opening game on Sunday against Egypt in Abidjan. This type of injury takes at least eight days to fully recover,” said Mozambique team doctor Mussa Calú.

Lancemoz.fb_ — *Photo: Federação Moçambicana de Futebol*

After five participations in the competition, Mozambique is still looking for its first victory in an AFCON match.

The Mambas are drawn to play in Group B and, after Sunday’s match, will take on the Cape Verde Islands in their second game in Abidjan on Friday (19-01) before finishing their group fixtures against Ghana on Monday (22-01).

“What we will find on the field are astute players who will put a lot of pressure on and we have to decide quickly and in a short space of time,” coach Conde said.

Mozambique, which occupies 111th place in the FIFA world rankings, returns to the finals 13 years after its last appearance, in 2010, having achieved only two draws in the 12 games played in the CAN in its previous appearances.

The winners of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations will receive a record US$7 million (€6.4 million), the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced. The runners-up will receive US$4 million.

Losing semi-finalists get $2.5 million each and quarter-finalists 1.3 million each.

AFCON 2023 sees 24 African nations competing, including four Portuguese-speaking nations – Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau, the team that plays Ivory Coast in the opening game of the tournament in Abidjan on Saturday.

Source: Lusa