The small West African nation were a Portuguese colony until 1975, but most of their stars have and still continue to turn out for their former rulers and other larger national sides as the majority of Cape Verdeans emigrate as soon as they get the chance to do so. In fact, there are more Cape Verdeans outside of the islands than there are currently inhabiting the country.
To match that trend, only one member of the squad plays in the national leagues and some of the Tubarões Azuis (Blue Sharks) weren’t actually born there.
This will be their first ever appearance at the African Cup of Nations and their first ever major tournament appearance. Despite their short history (they only became part of FIFA in 1986) they have two minor African tournaments, the Amilcar Cabral Cup as tournament hosts in 2000 and the 2009 football tournament in the Lusophony Games, a multi-sport event for Portuguese-speaking national Olympic committees.
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How Did They Qualify?
In the First Round of the shortened qualifiers, Cape Verde thumped minnows Madagascar 7-1 on aggregate, leading to a Second Round clash against continental giants Cameroon. A shock 2-0 victory over The Indomitable Lions at home with goals from put the pressure onto their bigger opponents, and although Cameroon won 2-1 in Yaounde, Cape Verde went through 3-2 on aggregate to book their ticket to South Africa 2013.
Manager
Head coach Lúcio Antunes has been involved with the national set-up since 2007, stepping up from assistant manager after João de Deus left the position in July 2010. Antunes was the man who led the under-21 side to victory in the 2009 Lusophony Games, which earned him his chance in the main seat.
His son Tiago is a professional footballer but interestingly has never been called up to the national side at any level.
Star Men
Fredson Jorge Ramos Tavares, better known as Fock, played for Batuque FC of the São Vicente Island League last season and is the current number one for his country. His performances have just earned him a move to Angolan side Petro de Luanda.
He is best known for his performance against a full-strength Portugal side in 2010 where his heroics earned Cape Verde a draw against their former rulers. He’ll be kept busy in Group A and Cape Verde need him to perform similar miracles to have any chance against their opponents.
Nando is the captain of the side and defensive lynchpin of an inexperienced defence. The 34-year-old made his début in 2005 and has gone on to gain 38 caps, making him the most capped player in the squad. He has never played league football in his native country, having had spells in Portugal, Tunisia and Switzerland before moving to Czech side Banik Ostrava in 2009.
After a successful spell, Nando moved to French side Châteaurouxin 2011, becoming first choice centre back and marshalling a very young defence to a 14th place finish in his first season.
Ryan Mendes has spent his entire playing career in France, moving to Lille for 3 million Euros in July 2012 after consistently impressing scouts while at Ligue 2 side Le Havre. Aged 22, he has scored four games in 11 appearances for his country and has a similar goalscoring ratio at club level.
Playing on either the wing or as a forward, the diminutive speed merchant has made of his appearances for Lille as an impact sub and Cape Verde will be hoping for some more class from him.
How Far Can They Go?
The odds of 50/1 suggests not very far. Despite their relatively good FIFA ranking, Morocco and South Africa will have too much for them to handle. They may grab a point against Angola, but I expect to see them bottom of Group A at the conclusion of the group stages.
