Enjoy!

-BambaLaye
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Football fans around the globe are going to have get used to a new breed
of zoological nicknames at next year's World Cup finals in Germany.

The power shift in African football, which has seen Togo, Angola, Ivory
Coast and Angola reach their first finals, means some familiar monikers
are going to be absent.

And given the way most African football teams are lovingly known, a
different variety of animals will be forcing their way into supporters'
brains.

The continent has been represented at previous World Cups by a variety of
eagles, foxes and lions, but the latter will be absent for the first time
since 1978 in Germany.


 Lions no longer Indomitable

Cameroon's Indomitable Lions first qualified in 1982, Morocco's Atlas
Lions were one of two nations representing the pride of Africa four years
later and until Saturday, the Cameroonians had been at every World Cup
since 1990.

Yet all Lions are now caged and absent, whether they hail from Cameroon,
Morocco, 2002 World Cup quarter-finalists Senegal (the Teranga Lions) or
even DR Congo's Simbas (with simba meaning lion), who qualified for the
1974 finals as Zaire.

Instead, the roaring cats have been replaced by elephants, hawks and
black-faced impalas.

Ivory Coast's Elephants trampled over Cameroon in Group Three and are now,
with the pun too good to miss, packing their trunks for Germany.



Togo are called the Hawks

Togo's nickname is 'Les Eperviers', which translates as sparrowhawks.

Sparrowhawks are actually small hawks, but coach Stephen Keshi's
high-flying side are more commonly known as the Hawks.

Group Four winners Angola are nicknamed the 'Palancas Negras', which
translates as black-faced impalas, and while these can only leap a few
feet off the ground, the team has reached the dizzying heights of World
Cup qualification.

Although lions may be absent from Germany, eagles will be appearing at the
World Cup for the fourth time in succession despite Nigeria's absence.

The Super Eagles were shot down by their casual attitude to Group Four,
but in Group Five Tunisia diligently fulfilled their role as African
champions and the Carthage Eagles booked their third consecutive finals
appearance.

Where Africa has previously provided Pharaohs (Egypt), Desert Foxes
(Algeria) and South Africa's Bafana Bafana (which is Zulu for the boys),
this time around Ghana are introducing the Black Stars.

Yet this nickname has less to do with inspirational captain Stephen Appiah
and Africa's most expensive footballer ever, Michael Essien, than the fact
that the Ghanaian flag has a black star in its centre.

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