Cape Verde Names a “Strong Squad” for the Capo Verdeans: AFCON 2022
Cape Verde’s Coach, Pedro Leitão Brito aka Bubista released his final 26-man Cape Verde squad for the 2021 CAF Africa Nations Cup. The list includes Cape Verde professional players from Belgium, Portugal, Greece, the Netherlands, and the USA.
Cape Verde is one of the underdog teams in this competition, but this squad is capable of doing the impossible at the African biennial showpiece.
The squad features high profile players like Steven Fortes Oostende in Belgium, Vozinha, AEL Limassol in Cyprus, and Joao Paulo Fernades, Feirense in Portugal.
Tiago Almeida alongside Rely Cabral and Dodo are among the big names in Cape Verde football not included in the team representing the blue sharks in Cameroon.
The bi-annual Africa showpiece will see the appearance of Roberto Lopes of Shamrock Rovers in the Republic of Ireland, the USA’s Philadelphia Union’s Jamiro Monteior, and UAE-based Ryan Mendes.
Foreign stars dominate the Cape Verde 2021 Afcon 26-man squad, with just one home based player, Keven Ramos playing for Mindelese in the Cape Verdean elite division.
The blue sharks are making their third appearance in this competition, after their last appearance at the 2015 edition in Equatorial Guinea.
Their best performance in the Afcon was in South Africa in 2013, where they reached the quarter-finals for the first time, but could not progress after losing to Ghana by two goals to nothing.
The blue shark will be aiming to leave Cameroon with some honours.
They are in the same group as the hosts, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia. Cape Verde will start their campaign against Ethiopia on January 9 at the Olembe stadium before playing the stallion four days later. They will end their campaign on January 17 when they take on the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.
Cape Verde squad for Afcon 2021
Goalkeepers: Keven Ramos (Mindelese, Cape Verde). Vozinha (AEL Limassol, Cyprus), Marcio da Rosa (Montalegre, Portugal).
Defenders: Joao Paulo Fernandes (Feirense, Portugal), Diney Borges (AS Far, Morocco Steve Furtado (Beroe, Bulgaria), Stopira (Fehervar, Hungary), Steven Fortes (Oostende, Belgium), Jeffry Fortes (De Graafschap, Netherlands), Steve Furtado (Beroe, Bulgaria), Roberto Lopes (Shamrock Rovers, Republic of Ireland), Ponck (Istanbul Basaksehir, Turkey), Dylan Tavares (Neuchatel Xamax, Switzerland).
Forwards: Willis Furtado (FK Jerv, Norway), Willy Semedo (Pafos, Cyprus), Garry Rodrigues (Olympiakos, Greece), Ryan Mendes (Al Nasr, UAE),), Gilson Tavares (Estoril-Praia, Portugal), Julio Tavares (Al Faisaly, Saudi Arabia), Lisandro Semedo (Fortuna Sittard, Netherlands), Djaniny Semedo (Trabzonspor, Turkey).
