TRIPOLI, Jan 10: Only one of the 16 contenders for the African Nations Cup title in Egypt can boast an unbeaten record at the tournament. And it is not the Samuel Eto’o-inspired Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, nor the Jay Jay Okocha-led Super Eagles of Nigeria, or the Mido-driven Pharaohs of Egypt.

Take a bow, Libya.

No-hopers for the 2006 title they may be, but the Greens go into the opening match on Jan 20 against hosts Egypt having won two and drawn the other three matches in their previous appearance.

That was 24 years ago at home on artificial turf and wins over Tunisia and Zambia helped them into a final lost on penalties to a Ghana side that included then largely unknown teenager Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew.

While ‘Pele’ went on to be voted African Footballer of the Year three times in a row and achieve European Cup glory with Marseille, Libya disappeared from the international stage as abruptly as they strode on to it.

When an American jumbo jet blew up over Lockerbie in Scotland some years later, the finger of blame pointed to Libya and the north African nation became a pariah state with many international sporting contacts severed.

By the late 1990s the political winds of change were blowing, Libya returned to the international football fold, and a fourth-place finish in Group 3 behind Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Egypt sees them back among the elite.

It does no financial harm when two sons of Libyan leader Muammar Kadhafi are involved in the running of the sport, and the Greens were formidable at home, defeating Egypt and holding Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire goalless.

Away from the June 11 Stadium in Tripoli, Libya were much less impressive, scoring only once when going down to the Ivorians, Egyptians and Cameroonians and they even suffered the indignity of losing at previously winless Benin.

Therein lie the problems confronting coach Ilija Loncarevic, a Croat with a receding hairline and bushy moustache, who was fired after a win in Sudan only to be recalled when Libya took a hammering in Egypt.

Perhaps memories of the collapse in Cairo haunt the wily man from the Balkans as he seems obsessed with defence, even on home territory, and Brazil-born Ruben Alejandro is among the contenders for the goalkeeper berth.

In a group boasting Egyptian superstar Mido and 2005 African Footballer of the Year finalists Didier Drogba of Cote d’Ivoire and Marouane Chamakh of Morocco, Libya have little to offer when it comes to household names.

Tarek al-Taib captains the team from midfield and after a successful spell at leading Tunisian club CS Sfaxien, moved to Turkey, the starting point for many African footballers with sights on the big leagues of Europe.—AFP