The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AFCON

  • Kalli to commission U-23 AFCON preliminary match

    Member of the NFF Executive Committee, Alhaji Babagana Kalli will serve as the match commissioner in Saturday’s Africa U-23 Cup of Nations preliminary match between Togo and Ghana in Lome.

    The match, billed for the Stade Municipal in the Togolese capital, will see Beida Dahane from Mauritania taking charge in the middle as the referee.

    Dahane’s fellow Mauritanian, Ismaile Hamidou Diallo will be assistant referee 1, and their compatriots Cheikh Mamadou Pene and Mohamed Cheikh Mhamed Vall will serve as assistant referee 2 and fourth official respectively.

    Alex Kotey from Ghana will play the role of referee assessor.

    The finals of the 3rd Africa U-23 Cup of Nations will hold in Egypt in November 2019. Nigeria’s U-23 boys are the Cup holders.

  • AFCON 2019: Supporters Club in South Africa to support Eagles

    The Nigeria Football Supporters Club in  South Africa says it will be in Cameroon to cheer the Super Eagles during the AFCON tournament.

    Nigeria booked a place after playing a one-all draw with South Africa in a Group E match played in Johannesburg on Saturday.

    Nigeria is leading the group with 10 points while South Africa is second with nine points.

    Libya is third with seven points while Seychelles is the last in the group with one point.

    Osita Okeke, the Chairman of Super Eagles Supporters Club in that country, told the Agency on the telephone from Johannesburg that members of the club were happy with Nigeria’s qualification.

    “Members of the supporters club join other Nigerians to celebrate Nigeria’s qualification for the AFCON tournament.

    “Though two goals scored by Nigeria were disallowed; we are still happy with the qualification,” he said.

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    Okeke said that the South African chapter of the club would begin early preparation to ensure that Super Eagles get total support in Cameroon.

    “We will meet soon to start preparing for the AFCON tournament. But, we will liaise with our national body before going to Cameroon.

    “We appeal to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to commence early preparations for the tournament in Cameroon,” he said.

    Okeke said the club was delighted that the  Super Eagles team was made up of young players, adding that the team had performed well under the tutelage of manager, Gernot Rohr.

    The chairman commended the NFF for ensuring that the Eagles qualified for the AFCON tournament after missing the last two editions.

    NAN

  • AHMED MUSA WARNS: We’re here to pick the AFCON ticket today

    Stand–in Captain Ahmed Musa, who is the last Nigerian player to score against South Africa at senior level, when both teams finished a friendly match 1-1 in Nelspruit in March 2015, told thenff.com that the Super Eagles are not thinking of simply gaining a point from the encounter.

    “They are a strong team and we will not underrate them. But we are here for the three points,” Musa emphasised.

    “Our determination is to win and pick our ticket to the AFCON ahead of the final matchday next year. South Africa came to Nigeria to beat us and we are here to return the compliment. We will not be playing for a draw. We won in Seychelles and against Libya in Tunisia and we are here to win as well.”

    Three-time African champions Nigeria flew into Johannesburg in the early hours of Friday with a commitment to picking all three points in tonight’s Group E top-of-the-table clash with South Africa at the FNB Stadium.

    The chartered MAX Air plane that flew the Nigeria delegation, led by NFF 1st Vice President, Seyi Akinwunmi, landed at the Oliver R. Tambo International Airport around 3.30am South Africa time, with 23 players, team officials led by Technical Adviser Gernot Rohr, members of the NFF Executive Committee, some members of NFF Management and NFF Staff and a number of media representatives.

    The delegation was met on arrival by President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr Amaju Pinnick, who travelled 24 hours earlier for a meeting with a prospective commercial partner, as well as top officials of the Nigeria High Commission in Pretoria and the Nigeria Consulate in Johannesburg.

    Ahmed Musa and teammates trained on the turf of the FNB Stadium (nicknamed Soccercity) at 3 pm on Friday.

    Musa admits that tonight’s encounter would not be for the faint-hearted. Nigeria has not beaten South Africa at senior men level in the last four encounters between both nations, though it was in South Africa that Nigeria won her third and last Africa Cup of Nations title in February 2013.

    A 2015 AFCON qualifier in Cape Town in September 2014 ended scoreless before the Bafana Bafana held their ground for a 2-2 draw in Uyo two months later to deny the Super Eagles a place at the 2015 AFCON in Equatorial Guinea.

    Both teams tied 1-1 in a friendly in Nelspruit in March 2015 before Bafana shocked the Eagles in Uyo 2-0 on Matchday 1 of the current qualifying series.

  • Lucas Radebe to Bafana: Don’t allow Nigerians to bully us

    Heading into Bafana Bafana’s all-important 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against traditional foes Nigeria, former captain Lucas Radebe feels the only way to outwit the Super Eagles is to bar them from playing to their physical strength.

    Having convincingly beaten them 2-0 away in June last year in their first Group E meeting, Bafana would hope to replicate the same display against the Super Eagles at FNB today (3 pm). It was Percy Tau and Tokelo Rantie who ensured that SA record this famous win.

    “Yes, we are capable of beating them again but on one condition, we must not allow them to bully us with their physicality. Our biggest challenge against countries like Nigeria is that we allow them to play to their strength,” said Radebe at a Jawitz Properties function in Sandton yesterday, where he was confirmed as this real estate company’s ambassador.

    “I remember in 1993 when I was still playing, Nigeria beat us 4-0 (in a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier) simply because we tried to be physical to counter their game plan. Those guys are so big – we cannot out-muscle them. We must be clever and play the ball not the man, that’s our identity as SA.”

  • Eaglets ‘ll maintain current lineup, says Ugbade

    The Assistant Coach of the Golden Eaglets, Nduka Ugbade, said on Monday that the team would maintain its line up in their next match against Niger Republic at the ongoing U-17 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

    The match will take place on Sept. 12 against the hosts.

    Ugbade made the disclosure in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria  from Niamey, venue of the ongoing WAFU Zone B qualifiers.

    “I don’t think the Head Coach, Manu Garba, would make any change. We’re not going to make any alteration at this moment, except if anyone of them becomes injured in training.

    Read Also: AFCON: Don’t relax over victory, Chukwu tells S/Eagles

    “All the athletes are in good form as I speak with you and we don’t pray for any injurie. There’s no injury worries among the team and no sickness at all. So we’re good to go.

    “The situation is not bad at all. We’re all greatly looking forward to the next match.

    “Our match is a semi-final game and at 7 p.m. Nigeria time, ” said Ugbade.

    The Eaglets’ lost 3-2 to Burkina Faso in their opening game and defeated Cote d’Ivoire 5-1 in their second game.

    The Eaglets are optimistic of making a return to the global stage by qualifying for Tanzania 2019.

  • AFCON: Don’t relax over victory, Chukwu tells S/Eagles

    Christian Chukwu, former coach of the Super Eagles has called on the team not relax, following their victory over Seychelles as they still more grounds to cover to qualify for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

    Chukwu made the call in an interview with the told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

    “Nigeria of course will qualify for the Nations cup, but the team should not relax because they beat Seychelles.They should work harder to win other matches ahead, especially against countries like South Africa, “Chukwu said.

    The former coach also called for more inclusion of home-based players in the team to boost the success of the team.

    NAN reports that the Super Eagles on Sept. 8 stunned Seychelles 3-0 in an away AFCON second qualifying match.

    The former coach, however, also urged Nigerians not assess the Super Eagles’ performance against the Seychelles team to rate them in the ongoing African Cup of Nation’s, (AFCON).

    According to him, only stronger teams like Libya and South Africa can be used as true tests of the super Eagles’ form.

    The former Nigerian coach, however, expressed optimism that the Super Eagles would qualify for the African cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon.

  • Plot against Super Eagles’ AFCON ticket thickens

    Super Eagles of Nigeria will brighten their chances to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nation, not without out-playing British Bafana Bafana’s coach, Stuart Baxter’s new plot to stop them from securing the ticket.

    It was gathered that the 65-year-old football manager, has plotted with his players to go all the way to defeat Libya in their Saturday’s home game in the bid to consolidate on their away 2-0 win against Nigeria in Uyo.

    Baxter reckoned that a win against the table-top Libyans in Durban will not increase the point gap between Bafana Bafana and Nigeria, but as well have South Africa on the top of the group, from which only one team will qualify for Cameroon 2019.

    Baxter, though, warned Bafana that the AFCON 2019 qualifiers will not be one-sided, as he says no team should be considered small any longer in African and global football.

    He recounted how the team flopped in last year’s World Cup qualifiers, when they were beaten both home and away by Cape Verde, a country whose population could fit into a Johannesburg suburb.

    After naming a 22-player squad for the Group E clash with Libya, Baxter also recounted the heroics of Iceland at Euro 2016, but said Bafana are determined to bounce back from failing to qualify for the World Cup in Russia.

    Baxter said: “In all humility, it has not been a strength of South Africa when they take on some of these countries that, on paper, are not the greatest on the planet.

    “To start with, names mean nothing anymore but performances mean something and we have got to try to make sure that we give the sort of performance that is going to give us the three points.

    “This is certainly a Libyan team that is capable They are almost constantly in camp together, affording their coach a lot of time to prepare the team and I have seen this team give Morocco a real scare.

    “I see this team as a well organised team – maybe not with the household names that Senegal, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast have, but this is a workman-like team that will present a real challenge for us.

    “When you look at global football, the names of the countries are becoming less and less important.

    “Iceland were only four or five years ago a total no-hoper and on this African continent we get constant surprises from teams that only five or six years ago would have been whipping boys.”

  • AFCON qualifiers: Rohr inspects Ahmadu Bello Stadium

    Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, on Wednesday inspected the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna as part of preparations for the team’s qualifiers for the 2019 AFCON, an official has said.

    Ademola Olajire, the Director of Communications at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), said in a statement on Wednesday the inspection was an indication preparations have begun in earnest.

    The senior men’s national football team have five matches remaining in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying series.

    Nigeria play away to Seychelles in Victoria on Match Day 2 on Sept. 7 and then host Libya’s Mediterranean Knights in Nigeria on Match Day 3 on Oct. 10.

    “The Technical Adviser checked out the facilities at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in company of NFF’s Second Vice President Shehu Dikko and Super Eagles’ Team Administrator Dayo Achor,’’ Olajire said in the statement.

    Read Also: Rohr to inspect Stephen Keshi Stadium

    He added that the former Germany defender Rohr would on Friday release his list of invited players for the away clash with Seychelles.

    After hosting Libya, the Super Eagles will visit the Knights three days later, before heading to South Africa for the return tie against the Bafana Bafana on Nov. 17.

    The last match of the series will see the three-time African champions hosting Seychelles on March 22.

    The Eagles had, in their opening game of the qualifying series in June 2017, lost 0-2 to the Bafana Bafana in Uyo.

    The finals of the 2019 AFCON, which is the 32nd edition, are scheduled to be staged in Cameroon in June.

  • 2019 AFCON: CAF to inspect Cameroon January 11

    2019 AFCON: CAF to inspect Cameroon January 11

     

    After initially expressing dissatisfaction with Cameroon’s readiness to host the 2019 CAF African Cup of Nations. CAF has concluded arrangement to inspect the country again to ascertain the current state of affairs. The Ahmad Ahmad led continental body has announced January 11 as commencement date for the next round of inspection.

    According to the BBC, the visit was originally due to take place in August 2016 but audit firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers withdrew at short notice without giving reasons.

    Latest reports suggest that business management consultants Roland Berger have now stepped in as the independent assessors.

    This comes after CAF President Ahmad voiced his concerns on several occasions that his organisation will find an alternative host if Cameroon is unable to host the finals.

    Although the Central African country insisted that it will be ready to host the 24-team tournament, inspection is set to get underway.

    “If the host country is unable to organise it, we will find a country that will organise it,” Ahmad was quoted last month.

    “The authorities in the country, up to the head of state, have always confirmed to us that they will be ready.”

    Meanwhile, the country has stepped up preparations for the continental showpiece on a number of proposed new stadiums and training grounds.

    The inspection team will first visit Yaounde from January 12-13, followed by Garoua on 14-15.

    Baffoussam will take its turn on January 16 and 17 whilst Doula will be visited on the 18 and 19, before wrapping up with Limbe and Buea on January 20 and 21 respectively.

     

     

     

  • CAF scraps award for home-based Players

    CAF scraps award for home-based Players

    The hope of African footballers who ply their trades not outside the shores of the continent have been dashed as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Wednesday Scrapped the award for their category.
    The decision to scrap the Africa-based Player award came just as the stage has already been set for the 2017 edition of CAF Award in Ghana.
    CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad, in a pre-award night presser, declared the category had been scrapped because there could not be any other best or “ two levels of football in Africa.”
    Nigeria’s Junior Ajayi – the only Nigerian on the list – was in the running list for this year’s “home-based” award, but, with this development, he could solemnly ditched whatever hopes he nursed for an honour.
    In the words of Ahmad: “There are no two levels of football in Africa. Best is best, not best for the bad or best for the best. That’s the reason.”
    He added: “It’s very simple – we want to promote African football.”
    The governing body of African Football had introduced the category in order to balance out what it realised was a lopsided yet more illustrious African Player of the Year award i.e having the AFCON and CHAN.
    However, it is not clear if the decision enjoyed a consensus in Ahmad’s power bloc.
    But, before bed time there will be an answer to the question of who would be the next African football king?
    In the race for the crown are; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon, Mohamed Salah (Egypt) and Sadio Mane (Senegal).
    The CAF Award for footballer of the year comes up in Accra, Ghana on Thursday.