Cairo — Troubled by chaos behind the scenes, played in baking heat against a backdrop of empty stadiums, the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) has still managed to serve up some entertainment and drama in its expanded 24-team group stage.

World-class players such as Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Riyad Mahrez have shared the stage with the likes of Jean Romario Baggio Rakotoarisoa, who plays in Madagascar’s ramshackle league, and Selemani Ndikumana, who lived through the long civil war which ravaged Burundi until 2005...

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