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Tag: Bafana Bafana

  • AFCON: Rohr not under pressure to field players

    AFCON: Rohr not under pressure to field players

    The Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr, says he is not under pressure to field players for Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Bafana Bafana of South Africa.

    Rohr made the assertion on Thursday in Uyo while fielding questions from sports journalists during a pre-match briefing on the Super Eagles’ preparedness for the tournament.

    “Nobody is telling me how to work, I work independently with my assistants. There is no pressure on me to field any player.

    “We have good players from Nigeria in this team, I have some fine players. We have good players who can play well for this country,’’ Rohr said.

    He said that as a professional, he monitored the progress of players in their respective clubs and watched video clips of their performances.

    Rohr said that nobody gave him directives on how to coach and he was satisfied with the selection made so far with the assistance of his technical team.

    “No pressure on me, the team is open to all good players from Nigeria,’’ the coach said.

    Rohr said that his squad for Saturday’s match was a blend of young talented players with the experienced ones.

    He added that the team was in top form feeling very good just as the people of Uyo appreciated the Super Eagles playing in the town.

    Also, the Super Eagles’ Captain, Ogenyi Onazi, said the team’s objective in Uyo was to win the game and qualify for AFCON and the even the World Cup.

    “We want to do our own and make sure we win the match on Saturday,’’ Onazi said.

    “Definitely, we need the prayers of all Nigerians. We just want to let them know that it is not going to be easy.

    “We need your support, you should come out and support us to make sure we get the three points on Saturday.’’

    Contributing, an Akwa United FC player, Alhassan Ibrahim, who is one of home-based players in the team, said that he was excited about being in the national team.

    Ibrahim said that it was an honour for him to be selected to feature for Nigeria at the national level out of the three players invited by the coach.

    He lauded the cooperation he enjoyed from the experienced players since he joined the Eagles camp in Corsica and Paris.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Bafana Bafana of South Africa had arrived in Uyo on Thursday afternoon for the match.

  • Super Eagles need more media support – Sanusi

    Super Eagles need more media support – Sanusi

    Mohammed Sanusi, the General Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), on Thursday appealed for media support for the Super Eagles as they resume their campaign for qualification for major events.

    Sanusi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the media needed to report positive issues which could encourage the players and push them to winning ways.

    “The media stands between the players and fans but when the players realise that reports on them are only negative it discourages them.

    “When the players know that they are being supported at home, they will give their all in a match and that is what we all want to see,’’ he said.

    The General Secretary also advised the senior national team not to underrate any side in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

    NAN reports that the Super Eagles will take on the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in Uyo on Saturday in a Group A match of the 2019 AFCON Qualifiers.

  • AFCON qualifiers: Bafana Bafana arrives Wednesday

    AFCON qualifiers: Bafana Bafana arrives Wednesday

    • As Eagles commence training

    The South African Football Association has confirmed that the Bafana Bafana delegation will fly to Nigeria on Wednesday ahead of Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles slated for the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.

    Meanwhile, 21 invited  Super Eagles players, alongside their  technical crew and backroom staff, have commenced training sessions today ahead of  Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

    Although the Bafana Bafana have never beaten the Super Eagles in a competitive game, Nigerians would remember that a 2-2 draw at the same venue between both teams in November 2014 meant the Eagles missed the cut for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals.

    Tokelo Rantie scored both goals, before left –sided midfielder Sone Aluko also replied with a brace – something that is a usual occurrence in matches between both nations.

    Before Rantie and Aluko, Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory), pacy wingers Tijani Babangida and Osaze Odemwingie and forwards Uche Nwofor and Ejike Uzoenyi had bagged braces in matches between both nations at senior level.

    Midfielder Ogenyi Onazi, who will lead out the Super Eagles on Saturday in the absence of recuperating captain Mikel John Obi, told thenff.com on Tuesday: “It is a big game, and we are one for the big occasion.

    I have confidence in the group that we have now and the ambition oozing in the camp. We want to go to the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations. Starting well on Saturday will be key to our aspiration

    Winger Ahmed Musa, who netted a brace in a 3-0 defeat of Togo in a friendly in Paris on Thursday, alongside defender Kenneth Omeruo and newly–wed wing back Elderson Echiejile were the only squad members given until Tuesday to arrive camp.

    Nigeria’s army on Saturday will include former junior international Kelechi Iheanacho, who has scored in seven of his last eight matches for the Super Eagles, as well as record scorer in the FIFA U17 World Cup, Victor Osimhen. There are also this season’s top scorer in the Austrian Bundesliga, Olanrewaju Kayode, the pacy Moses Simon and the nimble –footed Alex Iwobi.

    The last outing between both teams was a friendly match at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit two years ago, which ended 1-1. Ahmed Musa scored a late goal in a game in which Daniel Akpeyi (likely to start in goal for Nigeria on Saturday) saved a penalty, but there was still time for the Bafana Bafana to draw level.

    Eagles for Battle
    Daniel Akpeyi
    Ikechukwu Ezenwa
    Dele Alampasu
    Kenneth Omeruo
    William Ekong
    Abdullahi Shehu
    Tyronne Ebuehi
    Elderson Echiejile
    Chidozie Awaziem
    Maroof Youssef
    Ogenyi Onazi
    Wilfred Ndidi
    Oghenekaro Etebo
    John Ogu
    Uche Agbo
    Mikel Agu
    Alhassan Ibrahim
    Ahmed Musa
    Kelechi Iheanacho
    Moses Simon
    Alex Iwobi
    Henry Onyekuru
    Victor Osimhen
    Olanrewaju Kayode

     

    NIGERIA & SOUTH AFRICA AT SENIOR LEVEL

    10 Oct 1992: Nigeria 4 South Africa 0 – Lagos (World Cup Qualifier)
    16 Jan 1993: South Africa 0 Nigeria 0 – Jo’burg (World Cup Qualifier)
    10 Feb 2000: Nigeria 2 South Africa 0 – Lagos (AFCON semi final)
    31 Jan 2004: South Africa 0 Nigeria 4 – Monastir (AFCON group stage)
    17 Nov 2004: South Africa 2 Nigeria 1 – Jo’burg (Mandela Challenge)
    1 June 2008: Nigeria 2 South Africa 0 – Abuja (World Cup Qualifier)
    6 Sep 2008: South Africa 0 Nigeria 1 – Port Elizabeth (World Cup Qual.)
    11 Aug 2013: South Africa 0 Nigeria 2 – Durban (Mandela Challenge)
    19 Jan 2014: South Africa 1 Nigeria 3 – Cape Town (CHAN group stage)
    10 Sept 2014: South Africa 0 Nigeria 0 – Cape Town (AFCON Qualifier)
    19 Nov 2014: Nigeria 2 South Africa 2 – Uyo (AFCON Qualifier)
    29 Mar 2015: South Africa 1 Nigeria 1 – Nelspruit (Friendly)

  • Nations cup qualifier:Supporters club to storm Uyo Wednesday

    Nations cup qualifier:Supporters club to storm Uyo Wednesday

     

    Super Eagles tie against Bafana Bafana billed for June 10 in Uyo is a must win as Nigeria cannot afford to miss the Nations Cup again.  National Chairman of Nigeria Football Supporters Club, Vincent Okumagba who made the submission while baring his mind on current form of the Eagles and the Nation’s chances in the Nations Cup and world cup qualifiers, said the supporters club is determined to provide the team massive support revealing that the party will hit Uyo the Akwa Ibom state capital on Wednesday, 72 clear hours to the match.

    Okumagba who expressed satisfaction with Eagles display against Hawks of Togo in Thursday’s friendly in Paris, said the decision to move three days ahead is to enable the supporters club mobilise members and non members alike to ensure massive turn out to ginger the Eagles to victory.

    “”We cannot afford to miss the Nations cup again. We will move into Uyo by Wednesday to mobilise everybody, be on ground to usher the team into the city and ensure massive turn out so that we can play the role of the 12th player for Eagles. It is a must win match so are ready to offer the needed support to make that happen, “he enthused.

    Minister of Sports Barrister Solomon Dalung had earlier dismissed submission by South Africa’s new Coach Stuart Baxter that he has never lost to Nigeria and will shock the Eagles at the nest of Champions come June 10.

    The minister described the talk as mere body massage aimed at boosting the moral of his boys to put in their best.  He said it is normal for technical bench to make comments that can lift the spirit of their boys even if the odds does not favour them.

    “” He needs to avoid dwelling on the past.  He probably has not seen the Eagles play under this current dispensation. But of course that is to be expected for technical hands to say things to ginger their teams ahead of important matches.

    If the Eagles can go to Ndola and win Chipolopolo at home then you can have an idea of what is likely to happen in Uyo come June 10″ he enthused.

    Baxter is making a return as coach of Bafana Bafana after handling the team initially from May 2004 to November 2005.

  • Onyekuru wants South Africa defeat as birth day gift

    Onyekuru wants South Africa defeat as birth day gift

     

    Nigerian prodigy Henry Onyekuru can hardly wait to celebrate his 20th birthday come June 5 and dreams of having Super Eagles resounding victory against South Africa come June 10 as the icing on the cake.

    The revelation of the season in Belgium for newly promoted Eupen, has been named in Coach Gernot Rohr’s squad to confront Bafana Bafana in Uyo, even as the list of clubs hoping to sign him ahead the new season keeps rising by the day.

    His 12 goals in 28 regular season matches followed by another 11 goals in 10 games during the play-offs for Europa spot, has made him center of attention.

    Onyekuru who dreams of playing for Arsenal, has former Gunners’ great Henry Thierry, as his idol which is why he prefers to have only his first name ‘Henry’ at the back of his shirt and is hoping to ultimately follow Thierry Henry’s footsteps when he eventually settles at the Emirates.

    Interestingly some analysts have noted that Onyekuru’s style is similar to that of Thierry Henry.

    The Nigerian claims that centre-forward is his best position but he’s frequently used on the left wing.

    Some coaches he has worked with believe his dribbling skill is phenomenal while some are rather tickled by his precision while running at defenders at full speed.

    For some other analysts however, Onyekuru is still very inexperienced at a high level, as he is yet to make his international debut for Nigeria and can’t be fully judged by his efforts against mediocre opposition in Belgium.

    But all that looks set to change within a few hours with strong indications that he will be handed playing opportunity against Hawks on Thursday in a friendly and then to the big one against South Africa. And with reports that Arsenal has agreed terms with Eupen, all that is needed is for him to agree personal terms to signal possible rise in career profile

    While Thursday’s friendly against Hawks of Togo will provide Eagles an opportunity to blend properly, the June 10 show down will offer Onyekuru and an opportunity to show what makes him tick,  in the hope that his effort  and that of the his teammates  will earn the much needed victory  to serve as garnishing to his 20th birthday .

  • NIGERIA VS SOUTH AFRICA: Bafana spies Iheanacho, Moses, Iwobi, others

    NIGERIA VS SOUTH AFRICA: Bafana spies Iheanacho, Moses, Iwobi, others

    South Africa coach, Stuart Baxter is not relaxing at all as the new Bafana Bafana tactician is making frantic effort to study Nigeria’s Super Eagles players very well ahead of the 2019 AFCON Qualifiers next month.
    Baxter said he’d go through all the video footage and facts gathered on Nigeria so far ahead of Bafana’s crucial trip to Uyo on June 10 for the opening fixture of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Group E, which also includes Libya and Seychelles.
    “I have done some work on the squad, their players and I am reading Nigerian newspapers every day to try and find out what they are thinking,” the coach told IOL website yesterday.
    He added: “It is obviously not perfect for our preparation, but I will get the DVD and all of that, break that down, get their last three games and break those down. “We played them a 2-2 game (in November 2014) and I saw that, and I will get that and break that down. I think the important thing is to get the squad right.”
    In picking “warriors” Baxter quickly dispelled the notion that he would select the tried and tested players in order to beat the Super Eagles in his first official match as national team coach.
    “We want to keep an element of development there all the time, and I don’t want to regress. We are going to have to look at players that have come in and ask if we should throw them in the deep end in Nigeria or should he be on the bench, or just in the squad and have a learning curve.
    “I think those that are going to have to play are the ones that have been there and done it, but I don’t’ mean we suddenly start bringing back Morgan Gould (34), although he’s been fantastic, but we need players with experience, like Dean Furman for example. Itumeleng Khune will also be important in these sort of games.” Baxter said, while also confirming that he’d already asked the SA Football Association (SAFA) to send out letters, asking clubs – locally and abroad – if players could report early for Bafana camp given that most leagues wrap up this coming weekend.
  • We will give Super Eagles a tough time – New S/Africa coach

    We will give Super Eagles a tough time – New S/Africa coach

    The new coach of South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, Stuart Baxter, says his team will give Nigeria’s Super Eagles a tough time when the two teams clash on June 10.

    “I hope we will be very competitive with Nigeria. We will give them a game,” Baxter said after his unveiling in Johannesburg on Monday.

    He was appointed earlier this month as a replacement for Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba who was sacked in December last year.

    The Englishman will start his second spell at Bafana Bafana with a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Eagles in Uyo in June.

    Baxter, who signed a five-year contract, said he would name his technical team and squad for the Nigeria game on May 25.

    “We need to be competitive and players will do it the South African way. That should reflect the play in the country,” he said .

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Baxter, had previously coached the 1996 African champions from May 2004 to November 2005.

    He will however continue to coach Premier Soccer League side SuperSport United until the end of the season.

    Speaking on his team, the 63-year-old said there was no shortage of talent in South Africa.

    “I believe the nation has enough players to succeed and I also believe in my abilities. I’m very optimistic,” he said.

    “I’m really looking forward to this latest challenge. If I wasn’t ready, I would not have accepted the challenge.

    “I’m very optimistic if we can pull together, but don’t be too negative because it will affect everyone. I’m asking for buy-in from every South African.

    “I will be going abroad to watch players who ply their trade there. I will watch every South African. They will get a fair chance.

    “I want Bafana Bafana to unite South Africa in the long term. If we do that we will become a powerhouse of football,” said Baxter.

  • I like to coach Bafana Bafana – Siasia

    I like to coach Bafana Bafana – Siasia

    •Sia-One makes 4 shortlisted coaches

    Former Super Eagles Coach Samson Siasia has come out to declare that he cherishes handling the national team of South Africa popularly known as the Bafana Bafana.

    The coach confessed this to SportingLife in Abuja yesterday while confirming that he is also in the race for the Rwanda national team coaching job too.

    “You know that I don’t have any work for now, but my representatives are handling some jobs for me outside the country. I can confirm to you that it’s true I am in the shortlisted lists for the South Africa and Rwanda coaching jobs. There are other top club sides in Africa and outside that we are also looking at”, Siasia told SportingLife in Abuja.

    The coach popularly called Sia-One however cherishes handling the Bafana Bafana of South Africa when he disclosed that “it would be great if I get the chance to handle the Bafana Bafana. They are as great team with some good players.

    “The good thing is that my name is in the four shortlisted coaches for the job so anything can happen”, Siasia said with ray of hopes.

  • Ahead of 2019 AFCON Qualifiers Eagles can’t stop Bafana Bafana, Jordaan boasts

    Ahead of 2019 AFCON Qualifiers Eagles can’t stop Bafana Bafana, Jordaan boasts

    Aware of the present quality of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, President of South African Football Association (SAFA), Danny Jordaan believes Bafana Bafana can match the Eagles when both sides clash in the opening group match of the 2019 AFCON qualifiers in June.

    Jordaan told a Soweto-based newspaper, Sowetan that with the quality “displayed by the South African side in recent times, Eagles won’t run over his lads.

    Jordaan is confident that Bafana Bafana can topple the group to win the sole automatic ticket from the group to the 2019 finals in Cameroon.

    “It’s a reality of sport that you can get a tough draw‚ but I think we have shown over the last few matches that we are equal to Nigeria and that we have a good chance.”

    The South African side will tackle Nigeria in June‚ two months to the resumption of their 2018 World Cup qualifiers. “It’s going to be tough to juggle the two competitions at the same time but I think‚ strangely‚ the teams playing in this Nations Cup in Gabon will have an additional burden with a hectic programme for the year‚” Jordaan said.

    He added: “They have a much stronger possibility for injury and burnout. It’s going to be a huge challenge to play in two qualification tournaments in one year and‚ in addition to that you have the Nations Cup finals now and then there are also club commitments. So for many teams it is a huge task. It will require careful management by the technical teams of all of the countries.”

    Nigeria and South Africa are conspicuously missing from the 2017 AFCON which begins today (Saturday) in Gabon.

    South Africa’s other two group opponents are Libya and the Seychelles. War-torn Libya are still prohibited from playing at home because of the civil strife in the country and usually either host their games in neighbouring Egypt or Tunisia.

    Bafana’s opening game at Nigeria in June is followed by five matches in 2018‚ first home to Libya (March)‚ the home and away to the Seychelles (both September)‚ home to Nigeria (October) and finally Libya away.

  • Eagles: Stakeholders want fans to be patient with team

    Eagles: Stakeholders want fans to be patient with team

    Following Super Eagles’ 1-1 away draw with the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in a friendly game, some stakeholders have called for patience with the Nigerian team.

    The stakeholders who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the match said that the present crop of Eagles ‘were works in progress’.

    Ramson Madu, an Assistant coach of Heartland Football Club of Owerri said the team would improve with time.

    “Although their first friendly game against the Cranes of Uganda at home was disappointing, I believe they will perform well in future,” he said.

    Isa Akor, a player with the ‘Naze Millionaires’, as Heartland were widely known, said the players would need more matches to be able to understand one another on the pitch.

    “With more matches they will do well; what is needed in the team now is for players to sharpen their reflexes,” he said.

    He called on the handlers to look inwards into the various leagues to pick outstanding players.

    Obinna Anyamele, a Marketing Manager of Guinness Nigeria plc., the sponsors of the Eagles, said there was still room for improvements.

    “The guys are doing well but have not sufficiently imbibed the killer instinct as well as the right technical input envisaged in a big team in the making,’’ he said.

    He then appealed to fans in the country to stand firm with the team in order for them to play their hearts out.

    “If they know that Nigerian’s are massively behind them, they will play with the interest of the nation at heart,” Anyamele noted.