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JOHANNESBURG. — With South Africa and Zambia making the 2015 African Cup of Nations soccer finals’ cut, Southern Africa has barely met its self-prescribed quota, whereas the absence of East Africa representation is a fresh harsh reality. So, going to Equatorial Guinea next January for the finals, West and North Africa will have a lion’s share of representation, thereby increasing their players’ marketability and enhancing prospects of teams from this domain producing the eventual champion.

Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Gabon, Burkina Faso and Guinea represent West Africa; the North has contributed Algeria, Tunisia and Cape Verde, with Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo representing the Central Africa.

From Southern Africa, only Zambia and South Africa have won Afcon, whereas East Africa is yet to win it.

That none from the East made the final cut should not be very startling, as the region — reputed for world class athletes — did not have the sufficient numbers in the Afcon final qualifying round stage as only three teams, including Sudan, reached this stage.

On the other hand, Southern Africa or the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) had seven representatives, including Mozambique, Botswana Lesotho, Angola and Malawi who came so close, but ended up drawing 0-0 in Ethiopia on Wednesday to enable Mali to make it to Equatorial Guinea from Group B.

The Chipolopolo of Zambia hold the Cosafa distinction of winning the 2012 edition, even though they have never hosted Afcon, whereas South Africa’s 1996 feat was achieved on home soil.

At next year’s Afcon finals, Cosafa representation drops from three to two as Angola, who made the cut for the 2013 edition are absent, whereas the Cecafa football bloc was in the previous edition represented by Ethiopia.

There are many reasons why the East and the South cannot simply get enough Afcon bite. — AFP.