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Tag: AFCON

  • AFCON 2023 Tits-Bits : From Taofeek Babalola, Abidjan

    AFCON 2023 Tits-Bits : From Taofeek Babalola, Abidjan

    Ça va chauffer (Nigeria is hot)

    It was an electrifying atmosphere at the Stade d’Ebimpe yesterday when the Super Eagles of Nigeria locked horns with the Elephants of Cote d’ Ivoire in the second group A encounter. The hosts enjoyed maximum support from their home fans who trooped out en mass to the stadium to cheers them. At every moment, the cheering fans kept reminds their team of Nigeria’s quality. Their voice was loud and clear “Ça va chauffer (Nigeria is hot)”.

    The Nations reports that the government of Cote d’ Ivoire declared Thursday as a public holiday for students in both primary and secondary school while government agencies worked half day. They closed work at 1pm. The government did that to attract more home fans to the stadium.

    Nigerian supporters outnumbered

    The Nigerian Supporters club were outnumbered by the Cote d’Ivoire fans in the stadium during yesterday’s Africa Cup of Nations second group A game between Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire at the Stade d’Ebimpe, Cote d’Ivoire. Their presence in the stadium could be described as a drop in the ocean.

    Read Also: AFCON: Preview, team news, lineups of Nigeria vs Ivory Coast

    Although, they were few in numbers but they tried all they could to be heard. Also, the division in the Nigerian supporters’ club doesn’t help the situation as they worked differently.

    Akwaba Abidjan

    Abidjan is a beautiful and lovely place to be. Very calm and neat.

    One of the things you can quickly noticed when you arrived in Abidjan is how well the city was structured. To a new visitor, if you are not familiar with the city, you would think it is a newly constructed city. Why? Anywhere you go to in Abidjan, there are construction workers busy doing work on a new project. From roads to buildings and factories.

    Traffic situation in Abidjan

    However, one of the things that can easily piss you off of the city is the terrific traffic. Although, for people living in Lagos, they might have used to it and would not have more difficulty to adapt to the situation. Alas, in Lagos there are specific times for traffic and someone could schedule his or her programme to avoid the traffic. In the case of Abidjan, there are no specific periods for traffic. No peak period for it. Morning, afternoon or night. The situation does not limit to major roads, even in the street, you can still encounter traffic. The best way to avoid traffic is to programme your movement very well.

  • AFCON: Preview, team news, lineups of Nigeria vs Ivory Coast

    AFCON: Preview, team news, lineups of Nigeria vs Ivory Coast

    Ivory Coast, the host of the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), takes on Nigeria in the second group stage match of Group A today, Thursday, January 18.

    Ivory Coast enters this match following a convincing 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau in the tournament’s opening game.

    Nigeria, on the other hand, played a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea. Victor Osimhen secured the sole goal for the Super Eagles, making him the player to keep an eye on this evening.

    Ivory Coast Team news

    Ivory Coast did not have Haller available last time out, with the Borussia Dortmund forward battling an ankle injury, and a late decision is likely to be made on his fitness on Thursday.

    Brighton’s Simon Adingra was also absent against Guinea-Bissau but could return to the squad against Nigeria this evening after resuming training.

    Should Haller miss out, then Red Star Belgrade striker Jean-Philippe Krasso can be expected to lead the line again, having scored in his country’s opener.

    Read Also: AFCON: Okocha, Ambode charge Eagles to beat Cote d’Ivoire

    Nigeria Team news

    As for Nigeria, midfielder Alhassan Yusuf, who filled in for the absent Wilfred Ndidi, was forced off the field on a stretcher during the match against Equatorial Guinea.

    He will not be available for this game, although his injury is believed to be not serious.

    Porto midfielder Zaidu Sanusi has beaten Joe Aribo to replace him, while Samuel Chukwueze is also recalled after the AC Milan winger was only named on the bench in the Super Eagles’ first match.

    Ivory Coast XI: Y. Fofana; Aurier, Diomande, Ndicka, Konan; Kessie, Sangare, S. Fofana; Boga, Krasso, Kouame

    Nigeria XI: Nwabali; Troost-Ekong, Ajayi, Bassey; Aina, Onyeka, Iwobi, Sanusi; Chukwueze, Osimhen, Lookman

  • AFCON: Okocha, Ambode charge Eagles to beat Cote d’Ivoire

    AFCON: Okocha, Ambode charge Eagles to beat Cote d’Ivoire

    • Taofeek Babalola, Abidjan

    Former Super Eagles captain, Austin Okocha and former governor of Lagos state Akinwumi Ambode have charged the Super Eagles of Nigeria to go all out to beat host nation, Cote d’Ivoire in today’s Africa Cup of Nations second group A encounter.

    The match is slated for 5:45 pm (Nigerian time) at the Alassane Outtara Stadium in Abidjan, Cote d Ivoire.

    Read Also: AFCON 2023 Mnister urges Super Eagles to grind  result against  Elephants

    Okocha and Ambode accompanied the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau to say hello to the players ahead of their make-or-mar game against the Elephants after their dinner on Wednesday evening.

    Addressing the players, Ambode urged them to show Nigeria’s never-say-die spirit against Cote’d Ivoire today.

    Ambode said: “I just want to wish you well. We still have great support for everyone irrespective of the result, we are still happy to be Nigerians and we play as Nigeria. The greatest wish is to be able to beat the host nation tomorrow (today) well done.”

  • AFCON 2023: Cote d’Ivoire govt declares public holiday for students

    AFCON 2023: Cote d’Ivoire govt declares public holiday for students

    • Taofeek Babalola, Abidjan

    The government of Cote d’Ivoire has declared Thursday, January 18, a public holiday for students.

    It also said that some government parastatals will work half a day in the country as they are expected to close work by 1 pm.

    The gesture is to drum more support for the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire ahead of their second group A game against the Super Eagles of Nigeria slated for 5:45 pm (Nigerian time) at the Alassane Outtara Stadium in Abijdan this evening.

    According to the information, the government decided to give every citizen enough time to prepare for the all-important game.

    Read Also: AFCON 2023 Mnister urges Super Eagles to grind  result against  Elephants

    Cote d’Ivoire started their AFCON campaign with a 2-0 victory over Guinea Bissau while Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw by Equatorial Guinea in their opening game.  

    “All the students in the primary and secondary didn’t go to school today but the university students will go to class in the morning. Some government agencies will also work half day and they are expected to close at work by 1 pm today. Every citizen is expected to give maximum support to our team against the Super Eagles,” a citizen of Cote d’Ivoire told Nation Sport.  

  • AFCON: Yemi Alade deserves national honour, says Patrick Doyle

    AFCON: Yemi Alade deserves national honour, says Patrick Doyle

    Veteran Nollywood actor, Patrick Doyle, has said that Afrobeats singer, Yemi Alade deserves a national honour following her performance at the ongoing 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

    Doyle, via his Instagram page, described Alade as Nigeria’s most significant cultural ambassador.

    Sharing the clip of her performance, he wrote: “Behold, Nigeria’s most valuable cultural ambassador. Yemi Alade is nothing short of a national treasure, she deserves a national honour.”

    Read Also: Nigeria’s Yemi Alade performs at AFCON opening ceremony

    The Nation reported that Yemi Alade on Saturday performed at the opening ceremony of the AFCON tournament in Abidjan.

  • AFCON: Everything you need to know about a record year for Africa’s biggest football event

    AFCON: Everything you need to know about a record year for Africa’s biggest football event

    By Chuka Onwumechili

    Africa’s biggest football festival – the men’s Africa Cup of Nations 2023 – is being hosted by Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa and will culminate in its final match on 11 February 2024.

    More than ever before, the world will be watching the action at the 34th edition of the cup, given that some of football’s greatest athletes will be participating. Add to this the fact that the tournament takes place in the European winter and so it doesn’t face competition from any other major international tournaments except the AFC Asian Cup.

    The tournament has its critics, especially in Europe, where several clubs will be losing key players to African teams. Even so, very few will doubt that AFCON has entered a new era.

    As a scholar of sports communication with a focus on African football, I believe that this will be a record year for AFCON. Star attractions aside, the tournament continues to grow in terms of global viewership, improved facilities, media attention and increased prize payouts.

    Record prize money

    The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has announced a 40% increase in the prize money for winning Afcon. The winning national team will take home US$7 million while the runner-up takes US$4 million, third place takes US$2.5 million and the fourth placed team takes US$1.3 million. Though still a long way behind Europe, these prizes are larger than what the Copa América (the South American Football Championship) offered in 2021.

    Read Also; How I became Buhari’s special adviser on media, Femi Adesina narrates

    Star attractions

    Africa’s star players are household names in Europe, thanks to high profile positions in leading clubs. Big names like Victor Osimhen (Nigeria), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt) will all be representing their countries at the tournament. They won the top three most votes for the 2023 African Player of the Year award. In addition, other Caf Awards finalists – Fiston Mayele (Congo), Peter Shalulile (Namibia) and Percy Tau (South Africa) – will all be participating. Added to this line-up is the sensational Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

    Global viewers

    The tournament will be a global event. CAF has announced a new set of broadcasting rights agreements. These include media agreements with the BBC and Sky in the UK, Band TV in Brazil, beIN and Canal+, among several other entities. These agreements mean that the tournament will be watched live in 180 countries all over the world. CAF also announced over 6,000 media applications for accreditation. This is more than double the applications received for the previous AFCON.

    World class facilities

    Côte d’Ivoire has pulled out all the stops to ensure that this year’s Afcon is a world class event. The host nation is estimated to have spent US$1 billion renovating roads, stadiums, hospitals and other infrastructure in preparation for the tournament. Beyond renovating existing stadiums, the country built three new venues. There are two new 20,000 capacity stadiums. Laurent Pokou Stadium is in San-Pédro in the extreme south-west of the country and Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium at Korhogo in the north.

    The biggest new facility, Alassane Ouattara Stadium, is located just outside the economic capital, Abidjan, and was built with $260 million to seat 60,000 spectators all under a roof.

    Some of these venues, like the one in Korhogo, are accompanied by newly built hotels, villas and roads. As host nation, Ivory Coast will also enjoy the benefit of a fan base that could boost its team’s morale and chances of winning.

    The favourites

    A healthy rivalry between nations – especially from west Africa and north Africa – will increase the stakes at this year’s AFCON. Twenty-four teams are playing in the group stage and 16 of them will qualify for the knockout stage. This means that three teams will go through from four of the six groups.

    Although Morocco became the first African team to reach the semi-final of a men’s football World Cup, the Moroccans may find it difficult to win AFCON. Morocco has won only one AFCON title, back in 1976 in Ethiopia, and reached the final in 2004 in Tunis. But the North African country is firmly among the favourites in Côte d’Ivoire. Joining them are the host nation and the defending champions, Senegal. Nigeria and Algeria are also strong contenders, with Mali a dark horse for the championship.

    Considering all these developments, there’s no doubt that the tournament will set records in viewership and for stadium attendance, in the process opening up a new vista for Africa’s most prestigious tournament.

    • Onwumechili is professor of Communications, Howard University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. https://theconversation.com/afcon-everything-you-need-to-know-about-a-record-year-for-africas-biggest-football-event-221020“

  • Three-star Senegal begin AFCON defence on winning note

    Three-star Senegal begin AFCON defence on winning note

    Holders Senegal began their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with victory over 10-man underdogs The Gambia.

    Pape Gueye gave the Teranga Lions the ideal start, collecting Sadio Mane’s pass to fire in a fourth-minute opener from inside the penalty area.

    Cardiff City midfielder Ebou Adams was dismissed for The Gambia for an off-the ball challenge just before half-time.

    Lamine Camara doubled Senegal’s lead with a low finish after the break and curled in a classy third from distance.

    Senegal’s fourth win of a five-match unbeaten run gave Aliou Cisse’s side early control of the group as they kept a fifth successive clean sheet.

    The Gambia, whose Fifa ranking of 126th  is the lowest of any team involved in the tournament in the Ivory Coast, threatened first when Edouard Mendy beat away Alasana Manneh’s fierce left-footed attempt from distance.

    Read Also: AFCON: Super Eagles boosted by Moffi’s arrival

    After Gueye’s opener, Habib Diallo also went close for Senegal, while Musa Barrow and Ali Sowe sent first-half efforts wide for The Gambia.

    Despite Adams’ dismissal, via the video assistant referee, in first-half stoppage time, the underdogs almost equalised early in the second period but for a flying Mendy save to deny Barrow.

    After Camara doubled Senegal’s advantage, Gambia goalkeeper Baboucarr Gaye produced a fine stop to prevent Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson from scoring off the bench, and Ismail Jakobs also fired wide from a tight angle.

    Camara’s second owed much to a flourish of trickery from Iliman Ndiaye on the right, as he demonstrated masterful control to toy with his markers and angle a low pass back to the Metz midfielder, whose right-footed strike from outside the box arced over Gaye and into the far corner of the net.

    Senegal will return to Yamoussoukro’s Charles Konan Banny Stadium to meet Cameroon in their second group-stage match on Friday (6:00pm Nigerian Time)

    Tom Saintfiet’s Gambia will attempt to end a run of three successive defeats against Guinea – the team they beat to reach the quarter-finals against the odds at AFCON 2021 – in the subsequent game at the same venue (9:00pm Nigerian time ).

  • Senegal get AFCON defence off to winning start

    Senegal get AFCON defence off to winning start

    Holders Senegal began their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign with victory over 10-man underdogs The Gambia.

    Pape Gueye gave the Teranga Lions the ideal start, collecting Sadio Mane’s pass to fire in a fourth-minute opener from inside the penalty area.

    Cardiff City midfielder Ebou Adams was dismissed for The Gambia for an off-the ball challenge just before half-time.

    Lamine Camara doubled Senegal’s lead with a low finish after the break and curled in a classy third from distance.

    With Cameroon facing Guinea in the other Group C match on Monday (17:00 GMT), Senegal’s fourth win of a five-match unbeaten run gave Aliou Cisse’s side early control of the group as they kept a fifth successive clean sheet.

    The Gambia, whose Fifa ranking of 126th is the lowest of any team involved in the tournament in the Ivory Coast, threatened first when Edouard Mendy beat away Alasana Manneh’s fierce left-footed attempt from distance.

    After Gueye’s opener, Habib Diallo also went close for Senegal, while Musa Barrow and Ali Sowe sent first-half efforts wide for The Gambia.

    Despite Adams’ dismissal, via the video assistant referee, in first-half stoppage time, the underdogs almost equalised early in the second period but for a flying Mendy save to deny Barrow.

    After Camara doubled Senegal’s advantage, Gambia goalkeeper Baboucarr Gaye produced a fine stop to prevent Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson from scoring off the bench, and Ismail Jakobs also fired wide from a tight angle.

    Read Also: AFCON: Firms promise free subscription

    Camara’s second owed much to a flourish of trickery from Iliman Ndiaye on the right, as he demonstrated masterful control to toy with his markers and angle a low pass back to the Metz midfielder, whose right-footed strike from outside the box arced over Gaye and into the far corner of the net.

    Senegal will return to Yamoussoukro’s Charles Konan Banny Stadium to meet Cameroon in their second group-stage match on Friday (17:00 GMT).

    Tom Saintfiet’s Gambia will attempt to end a run of three successive defeats against Guinea – the team they beat to reach the quarter-finals against the odds at Afcon 2021 – in the subsequent game at the same venue (20:00 GMT).

  • AFCON: Firms promise free subscription

    AFCON: Firms promise free subscription

    PaLMPay has partnered StarTimes to reward customers for Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

     Senior Marketing Manager, Kevin Olumese, said  customers who use the platform to subscribe to StarTimes could win a one-month free subscription.

    “Every day, a StarTimes customer who uses PalmPay app to subscribe could win a one-month free subscription. In addition, there are coupons to be won as they renew their subscriptions on the app.

    “PalmPay and StarTimes are proud fans of the Super Eagles as their group stage commenced yesterday.

    Read Also: Moghalu backs CBN’s decongestion move, says relocating staff to Lagos “logical”

    Marketing Strategy and Public Relations Manager of StarTimes, Lazarus Ibeabuchi, described AFCON as not just a football tournament but a celebration of unity in Africa.

    “For us, AFCON is not just a football tournament; it’s a celebration of unity, diversity, and the spirit of Naija.

    ‘’We look forward to the success of Team Nigeria and rewarding our subscribers with loads of goodies.”

  • AFCON 2023 costs Cote d’Ivoire  more than $1b, says Envoy

    AFCON 2023 costs Cote d’Ivoire  more than $1b, says Envoy

    Kalilou Traore, the Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire to Nigeria, has said his country spent more than US$1 billion to organize the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) competition.

    Traore made this known during an interview on sideline of the official unveiling ceremony of the ‘AFCON Village’ on Saturday night in Abuja, saying the AFCON village was set up in partnership with Continental Hotels.

    He said the facility will transmit live matches till the end of the tournament, which kicked off in Cote d’Ivoire with 24 countries seeking for the continent’s most coveted football trophy on Feb. 11.

    “The government of Côte d’Ivoire has spent more than US$1 billion to organize it. Most of the investments were designed to solve logistics issues like transportation, hotels, security and many others.

    “Right now, I was in touch with many people in Abidjan and they were saying that life is so good now in Abidjan.

    “So things are going very well and we pray God that it will continue like this till the end of AFCON.

    “Football tournament is an occasion for people to meet and when we meet we can talk about everything, particularly how to let things move forward.

     “When we meet, when we discuss all issues, we can solve lots of problems, so the power of football is to gather people and when they are together, we can solve problems.”

    Read Also: Tinubu to grace Uzodimma’s swearing in ceremony Monday

    The envoy described Côte d’Ivoire as a country of hospitality and peace, since its first president, Félix Houphouet-Boigny’s philosophy of peace, dialogue and prosperity for people.

    Traore reiterated that the country had continued to leave no stone unturned to do its best to unite the whole of Africa.

     “In Côte d’Ivoire right now, President Alassane Ouattara’s government has all Ivorians mobilized to make this AFCON the best ever organised since the past.

    “We as the Ivorian mission in Nigeria will implement this directive, to unite people, to make this occasion one of fraternity and friendship.

    “This is why we have organised here in Abuja the AFCON village with our partner, Continental Hotel. Throughout the tournament we will be here with all our friends.

    “To view all the matches and support all the teams; I wish that the best team wins this cup,” Traore said