Flames not seeded in 2013 Afcon draw
The Flames are not among the 15 teams that have been seeded for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations final qualifying round draw scheduled for July 5.
The tournament, to be staged in South Africa early next year, has seen continental giants such as defending champions Zambia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Tunisia, Nigeria and Guinea being seeded in Pot 1.
Egypt must overturn a 3-2 home deficit against Central African Republic in the return leg to also make it to Pot 1.
If the Pharaohs advance, Morocco will have to drop to Pot 2, which has the rest of the teams including the Flames.
The 30 teams in the final round of the qualifiers will be ranked based on their performances during the last three Africa Cup of Nations (2008, 2010 and 2012) editions.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will thus match the 15 top teams in Pot 1 against the 15 teams in Pot 2 for a final play-off to be decided on knockout basis between September and October.
Flames coach Kinnah Phiri and FAM president Walter Nyamilandu said they are not frightened by the prospect of facing any of the continental giants.
Said Kinnah: “When you reach this stage, it gets tougher. So, we have to be prepared to face the continental giants, that is the reality.”
On his part, Nyamilandu said: “Time has come for us to beat bigger teams in order to qualify. That is where we will prove our mettle and we need to seize the moment.”
Flames beat Chad 4-3 on aggregate to qualify for the second round.
Hosts South Africa have automatically qualified for the final tournament which will run from January 19 to February 10.
