Ten things you might not know about Ghana and the Nissan / AFCON partnership

Source: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
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ACCRA, Ghana, January 29, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Group stages is almost over and all the final 8 teams are about to start their journey to become the best football team in Africa at the 2015 Orange Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Equatorial Guinea.

Nissan (http://www.nissan-global.com), the “Official Global Automotive Supplier”, shares 10 things fans might not have known about AFCON 2015.

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1. Ghana finished in top spot of their qualifying group to qualify for the finals

Ghana's football team, better known as the Black Stars, are the fifth-highest ranked team in Africa. They have won the Africa Cup of Nations four times, alongside Cameroon, and are behind Egypt, who have won the title seven times.

Ghana, South Africa, Algeria and Senegal will play against each other in Group C, the “group of death”, during the group stages of AFCON starting on 17 January 2015 in Equatorial Guinea.

Teams had to finish first or second in their qualification group or be the best placed third team of the seven groups to qualify for the last 16 teams. Equatorial Guinea, as hosts, qualified automatically.

2. Ghana is the second most successful team at AFCON, having won the tournament four times

The Black Stars were the second African football team to make the quarterfinals of a FIFA World Cup. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, they met Uruguay where they were eliminated after losing in a penalty shootout. Ghana are ranked fifth in Africa and will be looking for a win at AFCON 2015, having last won the tournament 32 years ago, in 1982, in Libya.

Nissan continues to enjoy massive success in Ghana, where it is the number one auto brand with a 30.6% market share.

3. Yaya Touré, three-time African Footballer of the Year and UEFA Champions League winner with FC Barcelona as well as English Premier League winner with Manchester City, has teamed up with Nissan to bring fans closer to the game during AFCON 2015

The Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfielder is Nissan's newest global ambassador and will be at the forefront of Nissan's Orange AFCON 2015 and global UEFA Champions League partnerships.

As a midfielder, Touré is at the heart of the football team and acts as the chief engineer, controlling the play and making sure the team is performing optimally. He's the perfect ambassador for Nissan as he possesses great all round skills combining pace, power and high technical ability - features Nissan engineers incorporate into its vehicles.

4. Equatorial Guinea is hosting the games for the second time, having previously hosted the finals in 2012

Equatorial Guinea co-hosted AFCON 2012 alongside Gabon. The opening match, one semi-final and the third place match were held at the 37 000-seat Estadio de Bata.

Equatorial Guinea recently upgraded four stadiums that will host the 2015 matches. The opening game and final will be played at Estadio de Bata, in Bata. The tournament kicks off when Equatorial Guinea take on Congo on 17 January. Ebibeyin, Mongomo and Malabo are also host cities.

5. Orange AFCON 2015 will be watched by thousands in Equatorial Guinea and millions more around the world

Nissan stands for Innovation that Excites and nothing excites football fans in Africa, and beyond, more than the Africa Cup of Nations. The original tournament in 1957 had only three participating nations: Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. South Africa was originally scheduled to compete, but were disqualified due to apartheid. Since then, the tournament has grown greatly, making it necessary to hold a qualifying tournament.

South Africa hosted The Orange Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 and was watched by an estimated 2.3 billion people around the world. In 2012 when the tournament was co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, the games were watched by a record of 6.6 billion television viewers across the world. More than 550 000 tickets were bought for the tournament in South Africa and the final match at the FNB stadium in South Africa was attended by 87 000 people.

6. Nissan is the “Official Global Automotive Supplier” of Orange AFCON 2015

Nissan first sponsored the AFCON tournament in 2013 in South Africa and is, once again, the “Official Global Automotive Supplier” in 2015. Nissan's dedication and growth in global sports already includes the sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League, Rio 2016 Olympic & Paralympic Games, Olympic Team Brazil, official sponsorship of the Colombia and Mexico Olympic Teams, Team GB and Paralympics GB, Canadian Football League, and sporting ambassadors including Olympics Gold medallists Usain Bolt and Sir Chris Hoy. Nissan is also the corporate partner for Heisman Trust/Heisman Trophy and the official global automotive partner of City Football Group, owners of Manchester City, the English Premier League champions.

7. Nigeria are the current champions

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are the current holders of the Africa Cup of Nations after they overcame Burkina Faso 1-0 in the finals of the AFCON 2013 tournament held in South Africa. The Super Eagles did not qualify for the 2015 tournament, finishing third behind South Africa and Congo and just ahead of Sudan. They previously did not qualify for the 2012 AFCON tournament when it was co-hosted by Gabon Equatorial Guinea. They have failed to qualify on 5 occasions out of a possible 30 tournaments, in 1968, 1974, 1986, and 2012 and now in 2015.

Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation and now also boasts Africa's biggest GDP. Nissan is excited by the Nigerian opportunity. It became the first major manufacturer to assemble cars in Nigeria in April 2014 after the government introduced new policies to encourage domestic production.

8. The final draw for Orange AFCON 2015 took place in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on 3 December 2014

Fifty-one teams started the AFCON qualification process, which came to an end on 19 November. The final 16 teams were placed in their respective groups on 3 December.

Each group comprises four teams, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals. Algeria was drawn alongside four-time winner Ghana, one-time winner South Africa and African football powerhouse Senegal. This group has been dubbed the “group of death”.

9. Nissan promises that 2015 will have all the excitement of AFCON 2013 and more

Nissan's Orange AFCON 2013 “Let's get you to the game” campaign exposed millions of football fans to Nissan's exciting and innovative product line-up.

In the build up to the tournament, fans from all 16 participating nations were given the opportunity to write messages of support for their teams on a Nissan QASHQAI. No fewer than 15 441 football fans from across Africa signed the vehicles, which were displayed at the tournament. A further 9 015 messages of support were posted on the Nissan mobisite.

10. Orange AFCON 2015 will see Nissan ignite anticipation among its African customers

Nissan is on the march in Africa, expanding manufacturing, developing sales outlets and making its product line-up even more innovative and exciting as part of its mission to grow market share.

During AFCON 2015, Nissan will launch the new Nissan QASHQAI and X-Trail in a number of countries across the continent, including Algeria and Nigeria.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

Media contacts:

Roland Buerk

Senior Director, Communications for Africa, Middle East and India (AMI) region

Nissan Motor Co.

Tel: +971 564 175 296

Email: [email protected]

Nthabiseng Motsepe

Acting General Manager, Corporate Communications

Nissan South Africa

Tel: +27 (0) 12 529 8879

Mobile: +27 (0) 82 569 7944

Mobile: +27 (0) 83 654 8763

Email: [email protected]

Hany Eid

General Manager Marketing and Sales

Nissan Motor Egypt SAE

Tel: +202 383 40925

Mobile: +2 010 03477 076

Email: [email protected]

About Nissan Motor Co.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (http://www.nissan-global.com), Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 244,500 employees globally, Nissan sold almost 5.2 million vehicles and generated revenue of 10.5 trillion yen (USD 105 billion) in fiscal 2013. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment. For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/

About Nissan in Africa

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. supplies innovative and exciting cars across the hatchback, SUV, sedan and pickup segments in Africa and is targeting significant growth in the continent. Nissan has two operational hubs in Egypt and South Africa with long established factories, and is developing manufacturing in Nigeria as a third hub. In April Nissan, together with local partner Stallion Group, became the first automaker to build cars in Nigeria after the Government introduced new policies to stimulate the local industry. Nissan is revitalizing its sales network and expanding its product range in many countries with launches of new vehicles like the award-winning Qashqai and X-Trail. The Nissan LEAF is Africa's first electric vehicle, bringing zero emissions motoring to the continent. In 2014 the Datsun brand is returning to Africa with the launch of the Datsun GO in South Africa. In fiscal year 2013 Nissan sold nearly 110,000 units in Africa.