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Africa football legend Abedi Ayew Pele has said that it saddens him a great deal to see that big names such as Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa will be absent at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. The three-time Africa Player of the Year said such teams bring some excitement to the tournament and beating them to annex the trophy gives a side some sense of pride. �It is sad, really sad because these are big-name football countries who bring excitement to the game throughout Africa,� Abedi told AFP. �If you defeat Mauritania to win the Cup of Nations it will not be the same as defeating Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Nigeria or South Africa to win it.� �Having said that, a trophy is a trophy. If you are able to lift the Cup of Nations it means you have worked hard for it and you have sacrificed so much,� he added. The former Ghana captain is certain Gabon and Equatorial Guinea could spring up some surprises. �There are going to be a lot of surprises in this tournament because the teams who have qualified are not going to central Africa for a holiday,� Abedi said. �With the absence of some great countries, the small nations want to beat the big ones. Botswana and Niger will target the likes of Ivory Coast, Ghana and Senegal.� The 28th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Saturday, January 21.