2011 CAF U-23 Championship

The 2011 CAF U-23 Championship was the first edition of the football tournament for players under 23 years.[1] It was originally scheduled to be hosted by Egypt from 26 November to 10 December 2011. However, less than two months prior to the start of the tournament, Egyptian authorities decided against hosting the competition because of security concerns.[2] On 13 October 2011, Morocco was chosen as the replacement to host the tournament.[3]

2011 CAF U-23 Championship
بطولة إفريقيا تحت 23 سنة لكرة القدم 2011
Tournament details
Host country Morocco
Dates26 November – 10 December
Teams8 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)2 (in 2 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Gabon (1st title)
Runners-up Morocco
Third place Egypt
Fourth place Senegal
Tournament statistics
Matches played16
Goals scored35 (2.19 per match)
Top scorer(s) Abdelaziz Barrada
Raheem Lawal
(3 goals)

The tournament also doubles up as the qualifiers for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The top 3 placed teams qualified automatically for the 2012 Summer Olympics football tournament, while the 4th best placed team qualify for a play-off with an AFC counterpart.[4]

Qualified teams
Further information: 2011 CAF U-23 Championship qualification

The Confederation of African Football chose to create a tournament and qualifying phase to decide which associations could represent Africa at the 2012 Olympic Games. Of CAF's 53 association nations, 39 agreed to participate in the qualifiers for the tournament.

To qualify for the tournament, participating nations had to overcome three two-legged qualifying stages.

Qualified teams:

Venues
Marrakech
Locations of the 2011 CAF U-23 Championship venues
 Tangier
Stade de Marrakech Stade de Tanger
Capacity: 45,000 Capacity: 45,000

Draw

The draw for the tournament was held on 24 September 2011 during the CAF Executive Committee meeting in Cairo, Egypt.[5]

Match officials

The following referees were chosen for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.[6]

Referees Linesmen

Néant Alioum
Bakary Gassama
Sylvester Kirwa
Hamada Nampiandraza
Ali Lemghaifry
Bouchaïb El Ahrach
Slim Jedidi
Janny Sikazwe
Reserve
Joseph Lamptey
Aboubacar Mario Bangoura

Jean-Claude Birumushahu
Moussa Yanoussa
Richard Bouende-Malonga
Angesom Ogbamariam
Aden Marwa Range
Moffat Champiti
Redouane Achik
Felicien Kabanda
Jason Damoo
Anouar Hmila
Reserve
Yacin Hassan Egueh

Squads
Main article: 2011 CAF U-23 Championship squads

Group stage

All times given as local time (UTC)

If two or more teams tied in their points, the following tie-breaker is used:[7]

  1. Points in the matches between the concerned teams,
  2. Goal difference in the matches between the concerned teams,
  3. Number of goals in the matches between the concerned teams,
  4. Goal difference in all group matches,
  5. Number of goals in all group matches,
  6. Fair Play point (number of yellow and red cards),
  7. Drawing of lots.
Legend
Teams that advanced to the semifinals

Group A
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Senegal 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 6
 Morocco 3 2 0 1 2 1 +1 6
 Nigeria 3 1 0 2 5 4 +1 3
 Algeria 3 1 0 2 2 5 −3 3
Source:
Nigeria 0–1 Morocco
Report Barrada  28' (pen.)
Referee: Sylvester Kirwa (Kenya)
Algeria 1–0 Senegal
Benaldjia  77' Report
Referee: Néant Alioum (Cameroon)
Morocco 1–0 Algeria
Tighadouini  59' Report
Referee: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)
Senegal 2–1 Nigeria
Mbodj  34'
Sané  42'		 Report Uchechi  49'
Referee: Slim Jedidi (Tunisia)
Nigeria 4–1 Algeria
Lawal  47', 75', 85'
Uchechi  87'		 Bounedjah  42'
Referee: Bakary Papa Gassama (Gambia)
Morocco 0–1 Senegal
Report Wade  31'
Referee: Hamada Nampiandraza (Madagascar)

Group B
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Egypt 3 2 0 1 3 1 +2 6
 Gabon 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4
 Ivory Coast 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4
 South Africa 3 0 2 1 2 4 −2 2
Source:
Egypt 1–0 Gabon
Magdi  50' Report
Referee: Bakary Papa Gassama (Gambia)
South Africa 1–1 Ivory Coast
Bhengu  21' Report Griffiths  81'
Referee: Bouchaïb El Ahrach (Morocco)
Gabon 1–1 South Africa
Lengoualama  80' Report Masango  40'
Referee: Ali Ould Lemghaifry (Mauritania)
Ivory Coast 1–0 Egypt
Koné  82' Report
Referee: Hamada Nampiandraza (Madagascar)
Egypt 2–0 South Africa
El Nenny  46'
Mohsen  63'		 Report
Referee: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)
Gabon 3–1 Ivory Coast
Ndong Mba  46', 49' (pen.)
Yacouya  78'		 Traoré  30'
Referee: Slim Jedidi (Tunisia)

Knockout stage

All times given as local time (UTC+1)

 
Semi finalsFinal
 
      
 
6 December
 
 
 Senegal0
 
10 December
 
 Gabon (a.e.t.)1
 
 Gabon2
 
7 December
 
 Morocco1
 
 Egypt2
 
 
 Morocco3
 
Third place play-off
 
 
10 December
 
 
 Senegal0
 
 
 Egypt2

Semi-finals
Senegal 0–1 (a.e.t.) Gabon
Report Poko  119'
Referee: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)
Egypt 2–3 Morocco
Salah  36'
Shroyda  82'		 Report Barrada  1', 9'
Mokhtar  66'
Referee: Néant Alioum (Cameroon)

Third place play-off
Senegal 0–2 Egypt
Report Shroyda  32'
Gomaa  68'
Referee: Slim Jedidi (Tunisia)

Final
Gabon 2–1 Morocco
Obiang  33'
Nono  40'		 Report Mokhtar  21'
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Hamada Nampiandraza (Madagascar)
 2011 CAF U-23 Championship Winners 

Gabon
First title

Best eleven

The team of the tournament with substitutes:[8]

Goalscorers
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal

Criticisms

Some have questioned the need for the tournament and believe that the CAF-organised Under-23 football tournament, the 2011 All-Africa Games' football tournament should have been used as a qualifying tournament. The increase in number of national U-23 fixtures caused some domestic league schedules to be revised and some league games took place with weakened teams.[9]

There has been criticism from fans towards clubs who have not allowed their players to participate in the qualifying stages as the tournament is not featured on the FIFA Calendar whilst the Olympics tournament is. In effect this means that African nations can call on European-based players for the Olympic tournament who were not able to participate in qualifying due to club commitments.[10]

Qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics

Inter-continental play-off

See also

References
  1. "Football - 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament". bbc.co.uk. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  2. Egypt denied from staging Olympic qualifiers; FilGoal.com, 10 October 2011.
  3. Morocco to host Olympic qualifying tournament; BBC, 13 October 2011.
  4. "Egypt hosting Olympic qualifier". FIFA. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  5. "Egypt to host CAF U-23 Championship serving as 2012 London Olympic qualifiers". cafonline.com. Confederation of African Football. 22 August 2011.
  6. "Referees". CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  7. "Regulations of the African U-23 Championship, Morocco 2011" (PDF). CAF. Retrieved 30 November 2011. (see art. 35.6)
  8. "Best eleven CAF U-23 African Championship 2011". CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. 10 December 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  9. "Who is fooling who?". Botswana Gazette. 26 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  10. "Ghana's U-23 soccer team transit through Nairobi". MichezofAfrika.com. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
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