Group 12. Africa. Perhaps the most grumbling continent about misrepresentation – Africans complained bitterly, that they deserve more spots at the World Cup finals. Now the spots were doubled – from one to two. Many felt it was right – the rise of African football was advocated for the most of the 1970s. African players were well respected professionals, even stars, for a long time in Europe and their numbers gradually increased. In Africa, players developed ‘naturally’, something lost not only in Europe, but during the 1970s in South America as well – the Africans were fresh, close to the origins of football, the only hope to make attractive already too mechanical game. Critics pointed out, that African football was notoriously poorly organized and ridden with corruption, the prediction of great African football were not only stale, but becoming an empty myth, for nothing materialized for so long. Instead, African teams were just a punching bags at World Cup finals and who needs more of that? The shadow of laughable Zaire in 1974 was very strong and dark. And skeptics were seemingly right… 29 countries entered qualifications Less than in Europe… Entry was one thing, actual participation – quite another. As ever before, teams started to withdraw – Ghana, Uganda, and later Lybia. The formula was messy as ever, scandals erupted as ever, money were short as ever, walkovers happened as ever – Egypt, Madagascar, teams went ahead without having to play – Sudan, Liberia, Togo, and Zimbabwe, rules were seemingly improvised on the spot – there was no overtime to break a tie, but immediate penalty shoot-out. Eventually, the qualifications reached culmination: two pairs, the winners going to Spain. Both finalist practically emerged after the first leg: Algeria won over hosting Nigeria 2-0 and Cameroon also beat the home team, Morocco 2-0. Curiously, the second legs ended in entirely same results too: at home, Cameroon beat Morocco 2-1 and with the same result Algeria prevailed over Nigeria. If anyone paid attention, they would note some goalscorers – Madjer and Belloumi (Algeria) and Milla (Cameroon). Tokoto (Cameroon) was already well known in Europe. But except the French, the old and biggest buyers of African players, nobody cared to look closer.
Newcomers to the finals. Noted for successful club football and few players, playing well in Europe, but generally unknown, following the dubious tradition of Black Africa – a new team going to World Cup finals and disappearing without a trace after that. As ever, European coach to get them to some success, but also questioning the class of the football on the continent: if little known coach, if known at all, like Branco Zutic, could lift the team to the finals of the planet, imagine the other teams, the opposition. That was the immediate impression.
Arabic country going the finals was, by far, the preferable option – they performed better than Black African teams at world finals. But… here it was again: no consistency, no continuation. No Egypt, no Morocco, no Tunisia, which left good impression in 1978. Newcomers, perhaps as mercurial as those before them. And since better organized and structurally developed Arabic countries were unable to get more than a single spot… forget about the ‘rising’ football in Africa. Skeptics having a field day at the moment.