The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AFCON

  • Eagles’ list for AFCON qualifiers to be unveiled Thursday

    Eagles’ list for AFCON qualifiers to be unveiled Thursday

    The Super Eagles list for next month’s African Nations Cup (AFCON) qualifiers against Egypt would be unveiled on Thursday, a Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) official has said.

    Nigeria hosts Egypt on March 25 in Kaduna, while the return leg takes place four days later in Cairo, africanFootball.com reports.

    Egypt leads a qualifying pool that also has Tanzania and Chad with six points from two matches, two points ahead of Nigeria.

    The Vice-chairman of the NFF technical committee, Ahmed Yusuf, said the committee will meet in Abuja on Thursday to vet the list of players to be submitted by a consortium of coaches led by Samson Siasia.

    “We will meet on Thursday to look at the list of players submitted by the newly appointed coaches,” he told africanFootball.com.

     

  • AFCON: Nigeria can defeat Egypt – Oliseh

    AFCON: Nigeria can defeat Egypt – Oliseh

    Former Nigeria coach, Sunday Oliseh, has said the North African side, Egypt is no longer a dominant force and can be defeated by Super Eagles in next month’s African Nations Cup (AFCON) qualifiers.

    Oliseh quit as Eagles coach on Thursday after claiming several contractual breaches by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    Nigeria hosts the Egyptians in Kaduna on March 25, while the reverse fixture takes place two days later in Cairo.

    Oliseh left his position with just a month to the all-important qualifiers, but he has restated his belief that his former charges will defeat the North Africans.

    “The Egyptians are not as good as they were four years ago, we can beat them,” africanFootball.com quoted the ex-Eagles skipper as saying on a radio interview on Saturday morning.

    He refused to comment on the coaches that had been appointed to replace him ahead of next month’s matches.

    “It doesn’t matter who is there, what matters is that Nigeria advance,” he said when asked about the Samson Siasia-led coaching crew named to lead the team against Egypt.

     

  • AFCON: I hope we defeat Nigeria – Egypt’s coach

    AFCON: I hope we defeat Nigeria – Egypt’s coach

    Egypt national team coach, Hector Cuper, is hoping to defeat Nigeria when both sides meet in the African Nations Cup (AFCON) qualifiers next month.

    The Egyptians top their qualifying group with six points from two games, Goal reports.

    Before the crunch tie with Nigeria on March 25, the North Africans will face Burkina Faso on Saturday.

    Speaking at a press conference ahead of the encounter with the Burkinabes, the Argentine tactician said he will be hoping to use the game against the 2013 AFCON runners to test some players in the Egyptian league.

    “I am happy to meet with the players again in order to explain my thoughts and therefore increase the harmony between them and the coaching staff,” Goal quoted Cuper as saying on the match against the Stallions.

    “Burkina Faso’s game will prepare us well for the Nigeria clash in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, despite not having our players abroad, this is a good chance to test our local league’s best players,” he added.

    He also revealed the possibility of new players joining the camp ahead of Nigeria’s clash, claiming he is not moved by the inconsistency of  Cairo giants – Al Ahly and Zamalek.

    “The exclusion of some players from this training camp, doesn’t mean they won’t be called up for Nigeria’s clash,” he continued.

    “They just have to work harder and prove their worth. Therefore new players might get called up for Nigeria training camp.

    “I’m not worried by Al Ahly and Zamalek’s inconsistent form, this is the time for new teams and players to shine.

    “I hope we beat Nigeria or at least maintain the two-point difference between us, in order to qualify to the African Cup of Nations.”

     

     

  • AFCON: Egypt must fall – Oliseh

    AFCON: Egypt must fall – Oliseh

    Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, has said he does not expect his team to play beautiful football when Nigeria hosts Egypt in a crucial African Nations Cup qualifier next month, but still expects victory over the North Africans.

    The two super powers of African football will clash in Nigerian town of Kaduna on March 25, africanFootball.com reports.

    A home win will lift Nigeria above the Pharaohs in the race for the automatic ticket to next year AFCON in Gabon.

    “It may not be beautiful, but we must win,” africanFootball.com quoted Oliseh as saying on next month’s encounter.

    “We can carry the day, if we play at the level they can play and with the support of the fans.”

    The coach added that he expects to open training camp with players from the domestic league at least two weeks to the AFCON qualifier.

  • AFCON: Egypt will not fear Nigeria – Cuper

    AFCON: Egypt will not fear Nigeria – Cuper

    Egypt national team coach, Hector Cuper, has said his side will respect any team and be fearless in the bid to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.

    The Egyptians had won the AFCON a record seven times but had failed to qualify for the last three editions of the tournaments and last played at the World Cup in 1990 in Italy, Goal reports.

    Nigeria and Egypt meet in next month’s AFCON qualifier and the Argentine tactician insists his side will not look down on any team because it has hurt them in the past.

    “There is no such thing as easy opponents as journalists call them,” Goal quoted Cuper as saying on Fifa.com.

    “We must respect any team regardless of the ranking and history, because Egypt itself has suffered in the past qualifiers because it dropped points in what you call easy games.

    “I would be lying if I said that I don’t wish to avoid certain teams in the World Cup draw, but my job is to get Egypt prepared for any opponent.

    “My job is to make the likes of Côte d’Ivoire, for instance, be worried that they will face us.

    “I repeatedly tell my players that we can make people happy. Many people are suffering from the problems of everyday life.

    “Some are poor, some are unemployed. For those people, football might be their ultimate source of joy,” he concluded.

     

  • ‘Dream Team Afcon’s best’

    ‘Dream Team Afcon’s best’

    Nigeria’s Dream Team VI striker Kingsley Sokari has hailed his side as the best outfit at the just concluded 2015 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Senegal.

    The Dream Team VI defeated their Algerian opposites, Fennec Foxes, 2-1 in the final on Saturday at the 60,000-seater Stade Leopold Sedar Senghor in Dakar.

    Forward Oghenekaro Etebo scored a brace in the hotly contested encounter while defender Segun Oduduwa gifted the Algerians a consolation goal.

    Sokari said the nation’s under-23 campaigners proved their doubters wrong by going the extra mile to win the championship’s top prize for the first time.

    “It’s really great for us to win the championship, more so as nobody believed we would win after our initial defensive challenges.

    “Of course, we thoroughly deserved to win the championship and are unarguably the best side of the tournament.

    “Definitely, you cannot be 100 per cent perfect in a championship, even in victory there is always room for further improvement.

    “We have some issues and I’m confident the shortcomings will be addressed before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil,” said the Nigerian and Enyimba marksman to supersport.com.

    Nigeria will head to the next summer Games in Rio as African champions together with the runners-up, Fennec Foxes of Algeria, and third-place winners, South Africa.

    South Africa defeated hosts Les Lionceaux de la Teranga of Senegal 3-1 on penalties in the loser’s match after the full-time score stood goalless in Dakar on Saturday.

  • Eagles target 13 points for AFCON ticket

    Eagles target 13 points for AFCON ticket

    Super Eagles is targeting 13 points to qualify for the 2017 African Nations Cup in Gabon, a team official has said.

    Egypt currently leads Group G with six points from two matches and a massive +7 goals difference.

    Nigeria, who failed to qualify for the 2015 AFCON, has four points from two matches and needs an additional nine points or three wins to advance to the AFCON as the qualifiers allow for two best runners-up.

    Therefore the outstanding home matches against Egypt and Tanzania are must-win, so too the away qualifier in Chad.

    Nigeria slug it out with Egypt in a double-header in March, before visiting Chad in June and round up the qualifying series in September at home against Tanzania.

    A top team official told africanFootball.com: “We sat down and did the permutation in Tanzania and we found out that qualification is still very much in our hands and usually the best losers who qualify for the AFCON do so on 12 points, but to play safe we are targeting 13 points.

    “This will qualify us for the AFCON, notwithstanding Egypt’s other results in the qualifiers.

    “And that is not taking into consideration the fact that we cannot beat Egypt in Cairo and Tanzania will not give Egypt a hard time at home as they did for us this month.”

    He added: “Qualification is a priority and it does not matter if we go through as one of the best losers.”

  • Omeruo ready for ‘tough’ Tanzania’s challenge

    Omeruo ready for ‘tough’ Tanzania’s challenge

    Nigerian International Kenneth Omeruo believes the Super Eagles has the depth and character to upset the Tanzania Taifa Stars at home on Saturday.

    The Kasimpasa defender pointed to both team work and cohesion as the key pillars that will work against Tanzania in the 2017 African Nations Cup qualifier slated for Tanzania capital.

    “We have a tough game against Tanzania, whom we don’t know well, but we have one purpose as a team and that’s to win the game on Saturday.

    “Millions of eyes are glued to our young squad but I believe we have the pedigree and we can rise up to the occasion. I don’t know any player in the Tanzanian squad but after the team talk later tonight our strategy for the game will be put in motion and hopefully we will go back home with the important points,” Omeruo told supersport.com after the team’s last training session.

    “The mood in camp is very positive. We want to build on that and give our new coach Sunday Oliseh his first international victory,” he added.

  • AFCON: Pinnick demands outright victory over Tanzania

    AFCON: Pinnick demands outright victory over Tanzania

    Nigeria Football Federation President, Amaju Pinnick, is expecting an outright victory over Tanzania in Saturday’s African Nations Cup qualifier in Dar Es Salaam.

    “We have come here for a win,” Pinnick told supersport.com shortly after arriving at the Tanzania capital on Thursday.

    “We have travelled from far and though we had slight delays we are finally happy to be in Tanzania ready for the Saturday game which we know will not be easy. But we want to go back home with all the three important points.”

    “As the federation we have endeavoured to give the technical bench and players a condusive atmosphere knowing our opponent will not be a push over on Saturday, “the NFF chief added.

     

  • Oliseh ready for ‘aggressive’ Tanzania

    Oliseh ready for ‘aggressive’ Tanzania

    Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, has said he expects surprises on Saturday from the Taifa Stars of Tanzania, whose style of play he describes as “aggressive.”

    The Super Eagles watched video clips of recent Tanzania matches on Tuesday night, africanFootball.com reports.

    “We have watched the video of Tanzania. They are a very aggressive team,” Oliseh told africanFootball.com.

    “We might get some surprises during the game and we expect anything from the side going by what we have seen in the tapes.”

    Tanzania trained in Turkey preparatory to African Nations Cup qualifier and the team will line up players from the country’s league with a sprinkling of foreign-based strikers led by the TP Mazembe pair of Thomas Ulimwengu and Mbwana Samata.

    This will also be Oliseh’s first match in charge of the three-time African champions and despite the huge expectations on his shoulders, the former Nigeria skipper said there would be only three outcomes on Saturday in Dar es Salaam.

    “There are three things that can happen in a game – we win, we draw or we lose,” he said.