The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AFCON

  • AFCON 2013 SHOCKER Keshi drops Martins

    AFCON 2013 SHOCKER Keshi drops Martins

    LEVANTE of Spain striker Obafemi Martins may not be selected in the Super Eagles list for the African Cup of Nations next January. Close source to coach Stephen Keshi informed on Monday that the handler has completed his list of attackers, and Martins was not part of the list.

    “Martins may not make it to AFCON next year. Keshi has completed his list of attackers for the Nations Cup,” the source told futaa.com on Monday.

    Martins, however, has a slim chance of making the team if any of the listed attackers get injured.

    “Keshi has placed him on standby, just incase anything happens to the listed players,” the source added.

    Martin was among the players paraded in Miami USA in an international friendly against Venezuela on November 14. His performance was reportedly not convincing for Keshi, and that may have led to the latest development.

  • AFCON 2013 NFF: Keshi yet to submit Eagles plans

    AFCON 2013 NFF: Keshi yet to submit Eagles plans

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has disclosed that the head coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi is yet to submit his 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) programme for its assesment and approval.

    The country’s national team booked a passage to January’s AFCON in October when they defeated the Lone Stars of Liberia 8-3 on aggregate but the NFF said a full picture of Keshi’s blueprint for the biennial tournament was yet to reach the Glass House.

    The NFF’s Technical Sub-Committee Chairman, Barrister Christopher Green revealed this to SportingLife in a chat in Calabar shortly after the Golden Eaglets’ 2-0 victory over Mali in an African U17 Championship qualifier.

    Green revealed that the NFF’s Technical Committee would move swiftly to convene a meeting towards having a critical look at the programme submitted and from there make adequate suggestions in the interest of Nigerian football.

    “We can’t say for now how the whole programme will look like. We are still to get the programme meant for the Nations Cup because Super Eagles’ coach Keshi is yet to submit it.

    “We will be able to give full details as soon as he submits his programme,” Green informed SportingLife.

     

  • Super Eagles to get $100, 000 each for AFCON victory

    Super Eagles to get $100, 000 each for AFCON victory

    Each Super Eagles player could earn as much as $100,000 should they win next year’s African Cup of Nations in South Africa, MTNFootball.com reports.

    “Incentives will not be the Super Eagles problem at the Nations Cup.

    “If they go all the way and win the competition, they will each take away about $95,000 and when you add that to their daily allowances of around $5,000, you will have about $100,000.

    “And the chief coach (Stephen Keshi) will get double this amount,” a top official told MTNFootball.com at the weekend.

    In the proposed budget for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, each Super Eagle player will earn $10,000 for a win in the first round, where they are drawn against defending champions Zambia, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.

    This would translate to $30,000 each if they win all three first round matches, the same amount they also received when they qualified for the quarterfinal of the 2010 tournament in Angola.

    However in Angola, the bonus was a winner-take-all one in the sense that the players were paid $30,000 each for going past the first round rather than being paid per game.

    The team’s win bonus will then be reviewed upwards as they move up in the knockout stage of the biennial competition.

    Victory in the quarterfinal will fetch each player $15,000, while victory in the semi-final will see them $20,000-a-man richer.

    And should the Eagles clinch Nigeria’s third Nations Cup trophy inside the magnificent Soccer City in Johannesburg on February 10, each player will pocket a win bonus of $30,000.

    Each player to the Nations Cup in Angola two years ago earned about $80,000 when they placed third.

     

  • AFCON 2012: ‘Eagles good for the Cup’

    AFCON 2012: ‘Eagles good for the Cup’

    The Nigeria Football and other Supporters Club (NFSC) said on Monday that it would fully back the Super Eagles to win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa.

    Rafiu Ladipo, President-General of the club, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the club’s supporters were of the belief that their presence could propel the Eagles to victory at the AFCON.

    “We are making these efforts because we believe that our impact can motivate the Eagles to go all out for victory in South Africa. We have a good team; what they need at the moment is for us (the Supporters Club), to play our own part and we are making plans for that,’’ he said.

    Ladipo said he believed the national team’s campaign could be boosted by the supporters club. “Nigeria can win the cup in South Africa.’’

    He said that what had kept the club going had been its patriotic drive at setting a positive international image for the country.

    “This is because we believe in Nigeria. It is also because we believe that we have roles to play in giving the country a good image. We are committed toward ensuring that our national teams get the best of support because we believe that our influence is always making a big difference. Right now, we are among the top 10 rated supporters clubs in the world and it tells how influential we have been to sports in the country,’’ he said.

    The NSFC president also commended the Super Falcons for their impressive run so far at the ongoing Africa Women Championship holding in Equatorial Guinea.

  • Yobo may miss Nations Cup

    Yobo may miss Nations Cup

    Super Eagles captain, Joseph Yobo, may miss next year’s African Cup of Nations as a result of a major knee injury, officials told MTNFootball.com.

    MTNFootball.com gathered that Yobo, who is set for his 90th international cap, has suffered a cruciate ligament knee injury, which could rule him out of action for at least six months.

    Yobo missed the decisive Nations Cup qualifier against Liberia in Calabar earlier this month.

    He was replaced by Efe Ambrose due to injury in the first leg match played in September.

    The former Everton defender is also expected to miss his Turkish club’s UEFA Europa League clash on Thursday against AEL Limassol of Greece.

    “Yobo is nursing a very serious knee injury which may stop him from featuring at the Nations Cup. He has a cruciate ligament problem in the knee and such an injury could keep out a player for as long as six months,” a top source informed MTNFootball.com

    “The team officials are very much aware of this and have started working on several options in the team without Yobo,” the source added.

     

  • Angola wants Eagles AFCON warm-up

    Angola wants Eagles AFCON warm-up

    Angola has proposed a warm-up game against Nigeria before the 2013 Nations Cup, officials told MTNFootball.com.

    Angola Football Association vice-president, Joao Lusevikueno said in an interview on Monday they wish to test their readiness for the forthcoming AFCON in South Africa against Nigeria.

    “We have proposed to play a match against Nigeria and we hope it come through,” Lusevikueno said in a radio interview.

    Both countries clashed in a similar game in January while the Angolans were preparing for the 2012 tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

    The match against Nigeria’s home-based stars in Abuja ended in a goalless draw.

    Angola qualified for its seventh Nations Cup after eliminating Zimbabwe on away goals rule.

    The Palancas Negras, who played hosts in 2010, beat Zimbabwe 2-0 at home to cancel out a 3-1 loss in Harare.

    Nigeria defeated Liberia 8-3 on aggregate to reach 2013 AFCON.

    The Super Eagles will take on Venezuela in a friendly next month in the United States, while a training camp for players in the Nigeria Premier League has been planned for Europe before a final residential training most likely in Zimbabwe.

     

  • October 13 AFCON 2013 qualifier: Mikel boost for Eagles

    October 13 AFCON 2013 qualifier: Mikel boost for Eagles

    • No return ticket for Osaze yet

     •Team list out next week

    Coach Stephen Keshi has included Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi for next month’s AFCON clash, a Glasshouse official has revealed

    Mikel opted out of the first leg in Monrovia, which finished 2-2, when it was first learnt that the game will be played on an astro turf pitch.

    Keshi’s programme was on Tuesday handed to the NFF technical department, according to top officials of the Federation.

    “The coach has plans to name a killer squad that would include Chelsea stars John Mikel Obi and Victor Moses,” the official said.

    Several top officials who accompanied the Eagles to Monrovia earlier this month clamoured for the recall of Mikel after the team’s midfield collapsed against a rampant home team.

    Mikel has yet to play under Keshi, who took charge of the Eagles in November.

    However, West Bromwich Albion striker Osaze Odemwingie will have to wait a little longer before he returns to the Eagles fold, another top official told MTNFootball.com.

    “For Osaze, he would just be returning from his three-match ban and the coach feels he has not seen enough of him so I don’t think he would be making the Liberia game,” the official revealed.

    Keshi is expected to name his squad for the AFCON return leg next week with the camp opening for home-based players in the first week of next month ahead of the rematch billed for October 13 at the U.J Esuene Stadium Calabar.

  • Keshi lists Mikel for AFCON tie

    Keshi lists Mikel for AFCON tie

    Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi, has included Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi for next month’s AFCON tie with Liberia, MTNFootball.com reports.
    Mikel opted out of the first leg in Monrovia, which finished 2-2, when it was first learnt that the game will be played on an astro turf.
    Keshi’s programme was on Tuesday handed to the Nigeria Football Federation’s technical department, according to top officials of the glass house.
    “The coach has plans to name a killer squad that would include Chelsea stars John Mikel Obi and Victor Moses,” a top official told MTNFootball.com.
    Several top officials who accompanied the Eagles to Monrovia earlier this month clamoured for the recall of Mikel after the team’s midfield collapsed against a rampant home team.
    Mikel has yet to play under Keshi, who took charge of the Eagles in November.
    However, West Bromwich Albion striker, Osaze Odemwingie will have to wait a little longer before he returns to the Eagles fold, another top official told MTNFootball.com
    “For Osaze, he would just be returning from his three-match ban and the coach feels he has not seen enough of him so I don’t think he would be making the Liberia game,” the official revealed.
    MTNFootball.com also gathered that the Eagles coach is expected to name his squad for the AFCON return leg next week with the camp opening for home-based players in the first week of next month.
    The match will be played on October 13 in Calabar.

  • NFF: No plan B for Eagles

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) says there is ‘no plan B’ as the Super Eagles look to qualify for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
    The Nigerian national team failed to qualify for the 2012 edition of the AFCON as they were pipped to the post by Guinea in the final round of qualifying.
    Liberia’s Lone Star currently stand between the Super Eagles and a place at the 2013 Afcon and after a 2-2 draw between both nations in the first leg of the final round of qualifying, the NFF has declared failure to qualify for the 2013 edition will not be tolerated.
    “We have just one option for the 2013 AFCON and that is to qualify for the tournament. We don’t have an option B. We refuse to be negative,” Chris Green, chairman of the NFF technical committee told supersport.com.
    Super Eagles’ coach, Stephen Keshi had declared recently that he would quit his post if Nigeria fail to qualify for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and Green said it would be difficult to see the ‘Big Boss’ staying on should Nigeria fail to go past Liberia.
    “It goes without saying. If you can’t qualify, what are you doing (staying on as Super Eagles coach). If you can’t go past Liberia, what are we talking about? What pedigree has Liberia?
    “However, I don’t think Keshi made those comments in bad faith. What Keshi is saying is that his heart and soul are in this assignment and that he will do all he can to see Nigeria’s flag hoisted in South Africa next year,” he said.