1959 African Cup of Nations
Encyclopedia
African Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...
, the football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
championship of Africa (CAF
Confederation of African Football
The Confederation of African Football is the administrative and controlling body for African association football.CAF represents the national football associations of Africa, runs continental, national, and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those...
). It was hosted and won by the United Arab Republic
United Arab Republic
The United Arab Republic , often abbreviated as the U.A.R., was a sovereign union between Egypt and Syria. The union began in 1958 and existed until 1961, when Syria seceded from the union. Egypt continued to be known officially as the "United Arab Republic" until 1971. The President was Gamal...
, a short-lived confederation between Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. Only three teams participated: host team United Arab Republic, Sudan
Sudan national football team
The Sudan national football team represents Sudan in association football and is controlled by the Sudan Football Association, the governing body for football in Sudan. Sudan's home ground is Al Merreikh Stadium in Omdurman and their head coach is Mohammed Abdullah Mazda...
and Ethiopia
Ethiopia national football team
The Ethiopia national football team represents Ethiopia in association football and is controlled by the Ethiopian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Ethiopia...
. All three matches took place in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
.
With only three teams, the format changed into a round robin group, but the results were the same, the United Arab Republic won over Ethiopia 4-0 and over Sudan 2-1. The Sudanese finished second, defeating Ethiopia 1-0. This edition will also be remembered because of the three coaches from Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
: the Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
n Starosta (Ethiopia) and Hada (Sudan), the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
Pal Titkos, coach of Egypt.
Mahmoud El-Gohary
Mahmoud El-Gohary
Mahmoud El-Gohary is an Egyptian football coach and former player.-Career:El-Gohary is one of the most important figures in the history of Egyptian and African football, and is considered by many as the best Egyptian football coach ever. He was the top scorer of the 1959 edition of the African...
, who would later become manager of the Egyptian team between 1988 and 2002, would be the top scorer of this edition of the tournament.
Final tournament
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 |
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Goalscorers
3 goals Mahmoud El-GoharyMahmoud El-Gohary
Mahmoud El-Gohary is an Egyptian football coach and former player.-Career:El-Gohary is one of the most important figures in the history of Egyptian and African football, and is considered by many as the best Egyptian football coach ever. He was the top scorer of the 1959 edition of the African...
2 goals Essam Baheeg
1 goal Mimi El-Sherbini
Mimi El-Sherbini
Mohamed Abdel Atif "Mimi" El-Sherbini is an Egyptian former footballer who played as a defender for Al-Ahly and the Egyptian national team. He took part in the 1959 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring in Egypt's 4–0 victory against Ethiopia, and went on to win the tournament with the team...
Drissa Manzul