Badra suffers final misery

Report: Tunisia reach final

Tunisia captain Khaled Badra will have to sit out the Cup of Nations final against Morocco on Saturday after picking up two yellow cards.

The inspirational skipper was booked in the Carthage Eagles' quarter-final against Senegal and then again for a foul on Nwankwo Kanu just before half-time in Wednesday's semi-final victory over Nigeria.

Badra's second caution in a game where he scored his team's equaliser earned him an automatic one-match suspension.

"I am very disappointed I cannot play in the final," said Badra, who is appearing in his fifth Nations Cup tournament.

The 31-year-old left the field in tears after the game, yet the burly defender had shone for his side in a famous win as his uncompromising tackles and stout defending saw him named man of the match.

Karim Saidi will now come into the side and I am certain he will give a good account of himself Khaled Badra

The centre-back, who has won over 80 caps for the Carthage Eagles, kept Tunisia in the competition when he coolly converted a penalty with just eight minutes of normal time left.

The captain also led by example in the shoot-out, after the game had finished 1-1 after extra-time, when he crashed home the first successful penalty in Tunisia's 5-3 triumph.

And Badra is confident that his absence from the side will not affect the Carthage Eagles in the final.

There is no way Morocco can win From Film Star Have your say on 606

"Karim Saidi will now come into the side and I am certain he will give a good account of himself."

Badra is the first captain to miss a Nations Cup final since Ghana's Abedi Pele, a three-time winner of the African Footballer of the Year award, was suspended for the 1992 final - a game the Black Stars lost on penalties to the Ivory Coast.

Yet the Tunisian captain does not believe such a fate will befall his own team as they search for their first ever Cup of Nations title.

"God granted us the vow to go to the final and we will be guided to the conquest of the title with the help of the Tunisian public on what will be a great day," he said.