The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AFCON

  • Keshi to be sacked if…

    Keshi to be sacked if…

    Stephen Keshi would be sacked if he fails to reach the semi-finals of the 2016 Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Championship for African Players based at home (CHAN), SL10.ng can exclusively report.

    The 53-year-old former Nigeria captain signed a new 2-year contract to continue as the Super Eagles coach, but SL10.ng understands he may not have as much ‘liberty of performance’ as he did in his previous contract.

    Clause 4.1 of the contract states that:

    “The NFF shall employ the head coach for a period of two (2) years. Provided in the unlikely event that the senior male national team (the Super Eagles) under the head coach fail to make it to the semifinals of the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN), the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in its absolute discretion may decide to terminate this present contract.”

    This now means Keshi must not just qualify Nigeria for the 2016 CHAN, but must also get to the semifinal of the competition at the very least.

    The former Togo coach won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa with the Eagles, after failing to lift the trophy in 19 years. But he was far less fortunate in 2014, as he failed to lead the team to the 2015 AFCON in a group that had South Africa, Congo and Sudan.

    The ‘Big Boss’ will also be sacked if the NFF feels he doesn’t possess the ability or competence to achieve the federation’s goals.

    Clause 4.3 reads:

    “Notwithstanding the provisions set out above or any other provision in this contract, the federation shall retain the right to terminate this agreement at any time where it is of the opinion that the coach, as demonstrated by his performance does not possess the ability or competence to achieve the federation’s objectives as set out in this contract. In such a case, the NFF shall summarily terminate this contract without prejudice to the settlement by the parties of any existing financial obligations between them.”

    Meanwhile, Keshi is also expected to consult with both the technical committee and the technical study group before selecting players for both friendly and competitive games.

    Clause 5.4 of the contract says:

    “The head coach shall select the best crop of players of the Super Eagles who are in his opinion ready to excel in friendly and competitive games in consultation with the technical committee and the technical study group of the NFF.”

    This is one area that could stir some controversy in the future, as it will be recalled that Keshi had some running battles with the immediate past technical committee of the NFF headed by Chris Green, over the invitation and selection of players.

    But speaking at the signing ceremony on Tuesday, Keshi says he has wholly agreed to the terms of the contract, and has no problems with the clauses.

  • Gabon to host 2017 Africa Cup of Nations

    Gabon to host 2017 Africa Cup of Nations

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Wednesday in Cairo, Egypt awarded Gabon the hosting rights of the 31st edition of Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

    Gabon defeated Ghana and Algeria to the hosting rights of the most prestigious football competition in the continent.

    Issa Hayatou, President of CAF, made the announcement of the winner, after a vote by the CAF Executive Committee at the 37th Ordinary General Assembly of CAF.

    Delegations of the bidding countries had earlier presented their bids to the CAF Executive Committee.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gabon had co-hosted the 2012 edition of the AFCON alongside Equatorial Guinea, while South Africa hosted the 2013 edition.

    Equatorial Guinea hosted the competition’s last edition in 2015 after Morocco pulled out of hosting the 30th edition because of the outbreak of Ebola in some part of Africa.

    Cote d Ivoire defeated Ghana in the final match of the tournament in a penalty shootout.

  • Afcon hosts look for redemption

    Afcon hosts look for redemption

    Africa Cup of  Nations hosts Equatorial Guinea will look to redeem themselves in the third-place playoff against DR Congo tonight at Nuevo Estadio de Malabo.

    Though the tournament hosts put together a remarkable run to reach the last four – easily their best Afcon showing – their 3-0 defeat to Ghana in the semifinals and the shameful behaviour of their fans at the end of that match has threatened to take the shine off their achievements.

    “I am really sad with what happened with the supporters,” Equatorial Guinea coach Esteban Becker said, though the Argentine is hopeful that his side can give the local fans something to cheer about by finishing in third place.

    The Leopards of DRC, meanwhile, have enjoyed their best tournament since finishing third at the 1998 Afcon in Burkina Faso. Nonetheless, their 3-1 defeat to Ivory Coast in the semifinal was a bitter pill to swallow, as the match was much closer fought than the scoreline suggests.

    Coach Florent Ibenge was rightly proud of his team for their strong showing and will hope they can end on a high in the third-place playoff  tonight in Malabo.

    “I am disappointed with the defeat, we are competitors, we wanted to qualify, but we saw a team that must not be ashamed of their performance, that showed a good side of Congolese football,” Ibenge said.

    “This team doesn’t have a lot of games behind her, six in the qualifiers and five here. It takes time and there were serious players on the other side. My players ran, they had some desire, but they lacked some maturity to disturb a well organised side.”

    Equatorial Guinea and DRC have met in just two previous official international matches. Both took place in the qualifiers for the 2013 Afcon – Nzalang Nacional won 2-1 in Malabo, while the Leopards claimed an emphatic 4-0 win in the return game in Kinshasa.

  • Oliseh: Cote d’Ivoire favourites but Ghana dangerous

    Oliseh: Cote d’Ivoire favourites but Ghana dangerous

    Former Nigeria skipper Sunday Oliseh has tipped Cote d’Ivoire as favourites to win Sunday’s AFCON final, but warned Ghana’s chances can also not be dismissed.

    It will be a dream final between two highly talented teams who have failed to be champions of Africa for a long time – Ghana last won the tournament 33 years ago and Cote d’Ivoire have not landed the trophy since 1992.

    Oliseh, who won the Nations Cup in 1994 and was only denied a repeat by Cameroon in the 2000 final, said the Elephants will go into Sunday’s final in the port city of Bata as top dogs but must also be wary of an impressive Black Stars especially in a championship game.

    “Cote d’Ivoire is clear favorite to win the final and if I didn’t know better I would tip them to be crowned Champions come final day. Finals are the most difficult to predict in soccer,” said Oliseh in an analysis he published on his personal website.

    “Player for player Cote d’Ivoire have better individual players as Ghana and they are playing better as a team now especially when they are not in possession.

    “A better regrouping defensively and a constant change of pace with bursts of speed forwards from the midfield that is so well complimented by Wilfried Bony’s strength and versatility in front is quite remarkable and worth taking into consideration by Ghana.”

    However, the former Nigeria World Cup star said he has been equally impressed by Ghana at Equatorial Guinea 2015.

    “Ghana are quite impressive and in (Christian) Atsu and the Ayew brothers (Andre and Jordan) are quite becoming unpredictable and champion material,” Oliseh rated.

  • CAF suspends Morocco from two AFCONs

    CAF suspends Morocco from two AFCONs

    The Confederation of African Football Executive Committee on Friday suspended the Moroccan national team from the 2017 and 2009 Africa Cup of Nations Cup tournaments, following  its meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

    The decision comes after Morocco refused to host the current edition as scheduled over fears of the Ebola virus and  Equatorial Guinea took over the hosting rights, africanFootball.com reports.

    Furthermore, the Executive Committee imposed on the Moroccan Royal Federation a fine of 8,050,000 Euros as compensation for all material damages suffered by CAF and other parties due to the late withdrawal.

    “The CAF Executive Committee, meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on the side lines of the 30th edition of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations took action on the refusal of Morocco to host this competition as scheduled and agreed i.e. from 17 January to 8 February 2015,”africanFootball.com quoted CAF as saying on the matter.

    Morocco had based its request to postpone the tournament by a year on October 10, 2014, on allegations “of the highest health risk.”

    The North African nation cited the outbreak of the Ebola virus as a case of force majeure in justifying its request for postponement, citing in particular the risk of contamination of its population because of anticipated fans’ flows.

    CAF raised objections and inadmissibility of Morocco’s request who were obliged to state their position of withdrawal from the organization of the tournament by November 11, 2014.
    The Executive Committee considered that, contrary to what the Royal Moroccan Football Federation cited, force majeure cannot be accepted for the benefit of the federation.

  • ‘Eagles would have won AFCON 2015’

    ‘Eagles would have won AFCON 2015’

    Former Nigeria striker, Pascal Patrick believes the Super Eagles would have ‘easily’ retained the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) if they had qualified.

    Pascal, an Atlanta ’96 gold medal winner for Nigeria, believes all the teams at the African championship have been poor, and believes it would have been an ‘easy ride’ for the Super Eagles if they had made the tournament.

    “This Africa Cup of Nations has not been interesting because all the teams have not been playing well,” he told SL10.ng.

    “The inconsistency is just too much and I believe we would have easily retained the cup if we had qualified because we would have beaten most of these teams,” he said.

    The tournament is at its semifinal stage, with hosts Equatorial Guinea beating Tunisia to advance – albeit controversially.

    Power-houses Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and pre-tournament favourites,Algeria have all struggled to impress, and this has left Pascal ruing Nigeria’s failure to make the Mundial.

    “I still feel sad whenever I think about it, especially when I watch the games. The big teams are not playing well and this would have been a big opportunity for us to win it for the fourth time, and put us in good stead to match Egypt, Cameroon and Ghana on the number of AFCONs won.”

  • AFCON 2015: In Eagles’ absence, Pinnick soars

    AFCON 2015: In Eagles’ absence, Pinnick soars

    Though feeling the pang of the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for and participate to defend their continental crown at the 30th Africa Cup of Nations finals on-going in Equatorial Guinea, President of Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick has been soaring high in his role as Match Commissioner at the tournament.

    There are a number of prominent Nigeria football administrators working at the tournament, including Etubom Paul Bassey (General Coordinator), High Chief Emeka Inyama, Chairman of the NFF Marketing, Sponsorship and Television Advisory Committee (who is working as a Media Officer); Ms Aisha Falode (also working as Media Officer) and Samson Adamu (Assistant General Coordinator).

    However, the NFF President has been shining brightly, after he was appointed Match Commissioner for the Group D match between Cameroon and Mali, immediately he finished playing the same role in the earlier match between Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea in Malabo on Tuesday.

    The Confederation of African Football has now confirmed that Pinnick will also be Match Commissioner for the Group D clash between Cote d’Ivoire and Mali, kicking off at the Estadio Malabo by 5pm Nigeria time on Saturday, 24th January.

    He has also been penciled down to take charge of one of the semi-final matches, which will come up at the 35,000 –capacity Bata Stadium.

  • Mba pained by Eagles’ AFCON miss

    Mba pained by Eagles’ AFCON miss

    Nigeria 2013   Africa Cup of  Nations (AFCON) hero Sunday Mba has voiced his sentiments over Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

    Mba scored twice at the 2013 AFCON, his second the winner as the Super Eagles overpowered Burkina Faso 1-0 in the final in Johannesburg to become African champions for the third time.

    The CA Bastia midfielder said failure to make it to the AFCON just two years after emerging champions underlines “falling standards” in Nigerian football.

    “I was actually shocked after we drew (our final qualifying) match against South Africa. It was a painful moment because it meant that we would not be going to Equatorial Guinea,” Mba told supersport.com.

    Nigeria failed to reach the 2012 AFCON finals co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea but were crowned kings of the continent a year later and Mba sees a similar script playing out yet again.

    The 26-year-old predicts that the Super Eagles will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes “if the rights steps are taken.”

    “Standards have fallen and we have to go back to the basics of giving the home-based players a chance to shine.

    “The national team coaches appear to be doing that from what I saw of our last two games against the Ivory Coast and Yemen. It is a very sad thing for the football world for an AFCON to be held without Nigeria but we must strive to bounce back from this,” he said.

    Mba, once touted as the new golden boy of Nigerian football, has dropped out of reckoning in the past 12 months.

    He was dropped from Nigeria’s final 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup by head coach Stephen Keshi, a decision which he said numbed him with shock.

    “I was very, very sad (to be excluded) but I always believe that God has a reason for everything that happens in life. But as soon as the matches commenced, I did not waver in my support for the Super Eagles. We did well by reaching the second round where we lost to a very good France side,” he said.

    Mba has scored five times in 21 senior appearances for Nigeria.

     

  • AFCON 2015: Senegal shocks Ghana 2-1

    AFCON 2015: Senegal shocks Ghana 2-1

    At the just ended African Cup of Nations (AFCON) group C match opening, Senegal has dramatically defeated the Black Star of Ghana by 2 goals to 1.

    The Ghanaian team add an impressive performance withing the first 15 minutes of the game and was able to record the first goal in the match through a penalty but returned for the second half only to play more of what seemed to be defensive.

    Meanwhile,  the Senegalese came all out for victory in the second half and got it.

    Senegal got the equaliser and continued to mount more pressure n the Black Stars until Moussa Sow got a long pass at the 93rd minute of the match to put the score line at 2-1.

  • Keshi possibly AFCON bound

    Keshi possibly AFCON bound

    Former Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac has applied to manage Equatorial Guinea national team, ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, which the central African country will be hosting from January 17 to February 8, 2015 but so has Stephen Keshi.

    The Nzalang Nacional are in search of a renowned coach for the tournament and are likely to fire current coach Andoni Goikoetxea, whose performance is widely criticised in the country.

    The Equatorial Guinea Football Federation has confirmed the receipt of several applications, with Rajevac showing as a strong candidate, according to local officials. The Serbian led the Black Stars to the quarter finals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

    Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi also figures on the list and remains a top favourite, officials said.

    Although Keshi failed to qualify the outgoing African Champions Super Eagles to Afcon, he could participate at the competition if given the job.

    Rajevac’s agent Marc-Antoine Kiplé has also confirmed the 60-year-old’s bid for the post.