The Nation Newspaper

Tag: CAF

  • CAF draws: Pillars, Enyimba, Bayelsa know opponents December

    • List of clubs to get to CAF Nov 30

    Nigeria’s representatives in CAF club competitions will know their respective opponents when the draws holds in December this year in Cairo, Egypt.

    Kano Pillars and Enyimba are the country’s flagbearers in the more prestigious CAF Champions League after emerging champions and runners up of the Glo Premier League of the outgone season.

    In the less lucrative Confederation Cup, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have failed to issue an emphatic statement on which team joins Bayelsa United as the country’s second representative in the competition.

    There has been controversy over whether it should be El Kanemi Warriors or Warri Wolves because the football house set a precedent in 2008 when the same scenario happened.

    That year, Enyimba defeated Sharks in the final of the Federation Cup and still went ahead to win the league title but the NFF awarded the Confederation Cup ticket to Wolves that placed fourth on the league table.

    The NFF has to sort out this issue as CAF has ordered that the four representatives for the 2014 inter-clubs competitions confirm their participation by 30 November.

  • Kano Pillars’ official wants CAF glory

    Kano Pillars’ official wants CAF glory

    Kano State Sports official Shuaibu Gara Gombe would like to see Kano Pillars go all the way in the CAF Champions League next year.

    Masu Gida successfully defended their Nigerian Premier League (NPL) title, after collecting 63 points in 38 matches played, one point ahead of their nearest challengers, Enyimba.

    Gombe says the state will do all it can to support the back-to-back champions and give governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso the honour to lift the CAF trophy.

    “So many things went wrong when we lost out in the CAF Champions League the last time, and this time, I can tell you that we will do all we can to get it right,” the Kano State official said.

    “Now that we have won the league, the job will now start. My own desire is for Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to lift the Champions League; and I want him to set the record as the first governor from the northern part of the country to lift the Champions League trophy, and this is the time because after this I cannot guarantee it.”

    He added: “Presently we have everything, the political will is there, the resources are there, the team is there, the antecedents of performance are there, the only thing we need is to put our house in order, make some corrections and adjustments where we need. We have to reinforce the team, get the best hands from the head to the last man to go into this campaign.

    “We must reorganise the team properly and put everything in place, and Insha Allah, we will get there. Kano Pillars will become the first team from the North to win the CAF Champions League title, and I want Governor Musa Kwankwaso to lift the trophy for the first time for northern Nigeria.”

  • BRAZIL 2014 WORLD CUP: CAF tips Eagles for semi-finals

    BRAZIL 2014 WORLD CUP: CAF tips Eagles for semi-finals

    • Challenges the five qualifiers to surpass Cameroon’s, Segenal’s feats

    resident of the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Isaah Hayaotou has tipped Nigeria’s senior team Super Eagles to qualify for the semi-finals of the Brazil 2014 World Cup, if the team scales the two-legged hurdle againat the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia.

    Disclosing this exclusively to SportingLife in a telephone conversation on Saturday in Lagos, First Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Mike Umeh stated that eggheads of CAF in Egypt were optimistic that one of Africa’s qualifiers would play in the finals of the Brazil 2014 World Cup.

    According to Umeh: “Most of the CAF men that I interacted with in Egypt during the course I went for last Tuesday picked Nigeria as the current African champions to qualify for the semi-finals, if the players play to their strenghts.

    “I told them that we must first qualify as one of the five qualifiers before thinking about playing in the semi-finals. Of course, I agreed with them that we have the capacity to actualise their dreams given the way that our team is prosecuting their matches. Our players compete with the best in the world and our coach has shown that he knows what it takes to assemble good players to win the matches. We can surpass what Cameroon did in 1990 by playing in the quarter-finals just like the Senegalese did in 2002, when they lost in the quarter-finals stage.

    “As for the two-legged Ethiopian games, I can tell you for free that the Eagles will leave Addis Ababa with all the three points at stake. We want to make the second leg in Calabar less stressful. What the NFF has proposed as travelling plans will help our Europe-based stars to give their best during the match.

    “We hope to arrive in Addis Ababa on Friday and play the game the next day. We will head back to Nigeria that night, so the altitude won’t affect our players. We are no strangers in this business of playing games in high altitude zones,” he said.

  • 2014 CHAN: Nigeria draws Mali

    2014 CHAN: Nigeria draws Mali

    Nigeria has been drawn alongside Mali, South Africa and Mozambique in the Orange African Nations Championship billed for South Africa in January 2014.
    The draw held in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday also pitched Zimbabwe, Uganda, Burkina Faso and Morocco together in group B.
    South Africa and Mozambique will play the first match of the three-week soccer fiesta on January 11 in Cape Town.
    The pairings:
    Group A
    South Africa
    Mali
    Nigeria
    Mozambique
    Group B
    Zimbabwe
    Uganda,
    Bukina faso
    Morocco
    Group C
    Ghana
    Congo Brazaville,
    Ethiopia
    Libya
    Group D
    DR Congo
    Mauritania
    Burundi
    Gabon
    CHAN will take place between 11 January  and 1 February next year.
  • Ameobi removes ‘controversial’ Newcastle clause

    Ameobi removes ‘controversial’ Newcastle clause

    Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi has cancelled a clause that stopped him from featuring for Nigeria at the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    There have been several reports that Ameobi may no longer play for the national team following the insertion of the controversial clause in his contract at Newcastle United that led to his exclusion from Nigeria AFCON squad.

    But officials have now disclosed that the striker has cancelled this clause, which means he is now fully committed to the Super Eagles.

    “He said the clause has been removed and he will be ready to play for the Super Eagles anytime he is called upon,”MTNFootball.com quoted a Super Eagles official, Dayo Enebi Achor , as saying on the issue on Friday.

    Enebi also quoted the vastly experienced striker as saying “I will love to play for Nigeria under Stephen Keshi because he is a good coach, above all I am very proud to be a Nigerian and will always grab the opportunity to don the green white colours of my fatherland.”

    An excited Keshi has already said he will talk to the player to reassess his u-turn in the national team and will invite him anytime he was needed in the national team.

    “He is no doubt a good player and the national team can make do with his experience anytime we call upon him,” Keshi said.

    Ameobi, who opted for Nigeria after he played for England at age-grade levels, made his long-awaited Eagles debut against Venezuela in a friendly in November last year.

  • CAF appoints Keita for Eagles, Elephants match

    CAF appoints Keita for Eagles, Elephants match

    The Confederation of African Football has appointed a Malian official, Mahamadou Keita as centre referee for the 2014 African Nations Championship qualifying match between Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire, billed for Saturday next week in Kaduna.

    Keita, 30, became an international referee in 2009. He will be assisted by compatriots Moriba Diakite, 33 (Assistant Referee 1), Nouhoum Bamba, 35 (Assistant Referee 2) and Ousmane Sidibe, 39 (Reserve Referee).

    The Match Commissioner is Idrissa Sarr, a renown former FIFA-graded referee from Mauritania.

    For the return leg in Abidjan on July 27, CAF has appointed officials from Morocco to take charge. Noureddine el Jaafari, a 35-year old who became an international referee only this year, will be at the centre, to be assisted by compatriots Bouazza Rouani, 39 (Assistant Referee1), Youssef Mabrouk, 38 (Assistant Referee 2) and Khalid Ennouni, 40

    (Reserve Referee).

    The Match Commissioner will be Kossi Adjodo from Togo.

  • CAF name 2014 CHAN host cities

    CAF name 2014 CHAN host cities

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) have named the host cities for next year’s African Nations Championship (CHAN) to be hosted by South Africa.

    Cape Town, Polokwane and Bloemfontein will host matches in the competition that featured national teams made up only players who ply their trade in their domestic league.

    Inspections began last week at the three venues, all of whom hosted matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals.

    The LOC have already been to Polokwane and Cape Town, and will visit Bloemfontein today.

  • Namibia will fall- DG NSC

    Namibia will fall- DG NSC

    The Director General of the National Sports Commission Gbenga Elegbeleye has boasted that the Mighty Warriors of Namibia will not be a threat to the Super Eagles in their World Cup qualifier holding in Windhoek, Namibia today.
    Speaking exclusively to Nationsports in Abuja, the former member of the Federal House of Representatives said “we have nothing to fear against Namibia in tomorrow’s match. The Kenyans were very boastful, and at the end of the day they were humiliated. Nothing would stop the Mighty Warriors of Namibia from falling. All the Super Eagles needs to do is remain focus, and endeavour to take the game to the Namibians just like what they did against the Kenyans, and ensure that they were not complacent at any point all through the match. I am sure nothing would stop them from picking the maximum points. Our target is getting to the World Cup in Brazil next year, and I don’t think the likes of Namibia will be a hindrance to us” he said
    The Namibia national football team, nicknamed the Brave Warriors. They have never qualified for the World Cup but have made two appearances in the Africa Cup of Nations.
    Namibia played its first international under the name South-West Africa on 16 May 1989 at home against neighboring Angola and lost 1–0. On 23 March 1990, only two days after gaining independence from South Africa, they hosted neighbour Zimbabwe and lost 5–1.

  • CAF CONFEDERATION CUP TIE Rangers draw CS Sfaxien in 3rd Round

    CAF CONFEDERATION CUP TIE Rangers draw CS Sfaxien in 3rd Round

    Flying Antelopes say no cause for alarm
    Return from Angola Tuesday

     

    Enugu Rangers will entertain Tunisian club, CS Sfaxien in the 3rd Round of CAF Confederation Cup after the Confederation of African Football(CAF) pitted the Nigeria’s representatives in a short draw held in Cairo, Egypt on Tuesday.

    Rangers stepped down to the second tier Africa’s club competition after they were eliminated by Recreativo Despotivo do Libolo of Angola 3-1 on aggregate in the second round.

    The Flying Antelopes will host the first leg on Sunday May 19 2013 while the second leg holds in Sfax in the weekend of May 31 to June 2.

    The Enugu based team represented Nigeria at the inaugural edition of the Confederation Cup in 2004 and they narrowly missed out on the final on the head to head rule after they ended on same number of points with Ashanti Kotoko. Kotoko had better head to head than the Nigerian having defeated Rangers 3-1 in Kotoko but the Flying Antelopes only beat the Ghanaian side 1-0 in the return leg in Enugu.

    Rangers’ media officer, Foster Chime assures that the club would scale through the hurdle called CS Sfaxien in the 3rd Round.

    He expressed that the Flying Antelopes would ensure they win well during the first leg in a fortnight in Enugu to deter the episode that transpired against Libolo based Recreativo.

    “We are aware of our opponents and we are going to devise means to beat them well during the first leg.

    “CS Sfaxien are a good side and we are not going to underrate them at all. We will not allow what happened against Recreativo to repeat itself again,” a confident Chime stressed.

  • CAF readjusts U-17 tourney semi finals

    CAF readjusts U-17 tourney semi finals

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has readjusted the semi-finals of the African U-17 Championship taking place in Morocco.

    In the first semi-final, the winners of Group A will clash with the runners-up from Group B in Casablanca on Tuesday, April 23, by 4pm Nigerian time.

    The second semi-final between the winners of Group B and runners-up in Group A will be played the following day in Marrakech at the same time.

    Supersport.com reports that the semis were originally scheduled to kick off at 7.30pm Nigerian time on same dates.