The Nation Newspaper

Tag: CAF

  • AFCON 2019: Eagles may play in a military zone

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria may use the Cairo International Stadium, a military prone venue on the outskirts of city, and the controversial Port Said Stadium for their group matches at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

    This indication emerges as the host country; Egypt has confirmed the two stadium among the six venues across five cities for this year’s Nations Cup.

    The Cairo Military Academy Stadium is located has a total capacity of 28,500. It was one of six stadiums used in the 2006 African Cup of Nations, held in Egypt.

    Seven miles up the road from Cairo International Stadium, heading for Cairo International Airport, there is the Academy Stadium at the far end of Orouba Street in the north-eastern Heliopolis district of Cairo.

    It was built in 1989 for the use of military teams and students at the military academy. The ground accommodated home games of Al Ahly and Zamalek during the refurbishing of the Cairo International Stadium and occasionally still serves to stage matches of the old foes.

    The stadium has a small roof extension serving as a cover for the main stand. On demand, during matches rent-a-crowd military cadets serve as ground-fillers in addition to the sparse paying spectators for football matches.

    Read Also: CAF names Egypt host of 2019 AFCON

    The venues for the new-look 24-team tournament were decided by the Egypt Football Association (EFA), who have also named Alexandria, Ismailia and Suez.

    “We had initially proposed eight sites for the tournament but after an inspection by a Caf [Confederation of African Football] delegation, we chose only six,” EFA spokesman Ahmed Megahed said.

    The Cairo International Stadium has remained largely unused since the Arab Spring and the subsequent restriction on attendance at football in Egypt.

    But the iconic Cairo venue, which can hold up to 75 000 spectators and generate an intimidating atmosphere, is due to make a return, having been the site of three previous Nations Cup finals in 1974, 1986 and 2006 and numerous African Champions League deciders.

    The Port Said Stadium achieved infamy in 2012 when more than 70 people died in Egypt’s worst sporting disaster after rioting at a league game between hosts Al Masry and Al Ahly.

    The stadium was renovated after the disaster and Al Masry were only allowed to return there last year.

    The Air Force Stadium in Cairo replaces Al Salam Stadium, which had been originally proposed but is being used to host matches of two Cairo clubs – Ahly and El Entag Al Harby.

    With the local league only due to finish in the weeks before the Nations Cup kicks off on 21 June, there will be no time to spruce up that stadium for the tournament, Megahed explained.

    “It was decided then to replace it with the Air Force Stadium, which is also called the June 30 Stadium,” he said.

    The Alexandria Stadium and Ismailia Stadium both return as venues after also serving in 2006. The Suez Sports Stadium has a capacity of 27 000.

    The organisers are yet to give details about which venue will host the semi-finals and final. Those are expected to be finalised before the 12 April draw in Cairo.

    The Confederation of African Football chose Egypt in early January to take over as host of the 2019 finals from Cameroon.

    2019 Africa Cup of Nations Stadiums:

    Cairo International Stadium

    Air Force Stadium

    Port Said Stadium

    Ismailia Stadium

    Suez Sport Stadium

    Alexandria Stadium

  • CAF Confederation Cup: Rangers intensify training for C S Sfaxien

    Rangers International FC of Enugu have opted to train twice daily for their upcoming Confederation Cup match against C S Sfaxien of Tunisia on Feb. 13.

    The fixture between the Flying Antelopes and their North African opponents in Tunisia is the second match of the ongoing Confederation of African Football (CAF) Confederation Cup Group B.

    Confirming the club’s preparedness to newsmen in Enugu on Friday, Rangers’ spokesman, Norbert Okolie, said that the club would train in the morning and evening hours.

    “We know what it takes to survive the North African clubs and that is why we are preparing seriously for the match.

    “C S Sfaxien is a big club and one time Confederation Cup champion, so, we are not going to take them for granted and do not forget that they subdued Etoile du Sahel 1-0 in their first match of the group.

    “Sfaxien is a familiar foe in the continent and I remember we beat them in 2013 but they used protest to kick us out and went ahead to win the competition.

    “Although it is only change that is permanent, but I believe that they have not changed much and even if they did, not better than us,” he said.

    He said that the club had been doing well in the ongoing Confederation Cup and would not falter as they want to maintain their unbeaten run in the competition.

    Okolie also said that the club would do all in its capacity to record a good result in Tunis.

    According to him, two Tunisian clubs in their group may likely pose a major threat owing to their continental experiences.

    “I know that we have players that can withstand the North African weather and who are familiar with their style of play.

    “North African clubs are not new to our players as many of them have engaged them while playing for us or in another club in the country.

    On the tendency of playing at night in Tunis, Okolie noted that most of the player had played at night while in their previous clubs.

    “We have players who joined us from Enyimba FC, Akwa United FC, foreigners, even those who have played abroad before coming home to join us and they have night match experiences.

    Rangers top the group B with C S Sfaxien with three points but on superior goals difference, while Etoile du Sahel and Salitas FC of Burkina Faso remain third and fourth respectively without a point each. (NAN)

  • Fans urge Rangers on extra effort for CAF group stage

    Enugu Rangers International FC fans in Ebonyi have urged the team to put in extra efforts in the CAF Confederation Cup group stage which draws hold on Monday in Cairo, Egypt.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the team defeated Bantu FC of Lesotho 2-1 in the play-off return leg in Enugu on Sunday, to qualify for the competition’s group stage on a 4-2 aggregate.

    The fans, who spoke to NAN on Monday in Abakaliki, congratulated the team for scaling the preliminary round hurdles but noted that the group stage would be stiffer.

    Desmond Ome, Secretary of Ebonyi Football Association hailed the team’s resilience, noting that it had carried its AITEO cup winning streak unto the competition.

    “Rangers have been impressive in the confederation cup competition as the players have shown unparalleled dedication, commitment and desire to excel.

    “The team’s away-record in the competition has been splendid with the favourable results eliminating the pressure it would have encountered while playing at home,” he said.

    Melvin Uzor, Defunct Nitel-Vasco Dagama FC Player however noted that the competition in the group stage would be stiffer because of the presence of champions like Rangers.

    “Teams that would compete at the group stage are those which won their preliminary matches and are there for business.

    “The players should therefore redouble their efforts by heeding to the coaches’ instructions, playing with more sense of purpose and strengthening the bond of unity among them,” he said.

    Chief Basil Anagha, a businessman and soccer buff, urged the technical crew to review the team’s performance in all its matches to correct areas of defect.

    “From the team’s matches I watched, the players tend to relax and become serious only when their opponents ‘take the game to them’ or when they are on the ‘back foot’.

    “They should realise that teams competing at the group stage are highly technical and experienced and might seal the encounters if given such opportunities by Rangers,” he said.

    Read Also: Rangers seek icing on the cake as lobi battle Asec Mimosa

    Mrs Chika Okoro, a teacher and ardent Rangers fan, urged the team to still concentrate on its league matches despite participating in the confederation cup group stage.

    “The team should approach its first league encounter with MFM of Lagos on Wednesday with utmost seriousness, including other domestic engagements on its schedule.

    “It should avoid a repeat of the 2016/17 season where it was eliminated in the CAF Champions league preliminary rounds and struggled to remain in the domestic league’s elite division,” she said.

  • CAF names Egypt host of 2019 AFCON

    The Confederation of African Football ( CAF ) has named Egypt as the host of the 2019 AFCON tournament to be played in June 2019.

    CAF made the announcement in a live press conference on Tuesday that Egypt will take over the hosting rights for 2019.

     

    Details Later…

  • CAF names 2019 Nations Cup hosts

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) says the decision on who will replace Cameroon as hosts of this year’s African Nations Cup (AFCON) finals has been brought forward to Tuesday.

    Executive Committee members were initially set to vote in Dakar on Wednesday but will now do so 24 hours earlier, with the decision to be announced at a subsequent news conference.

    CAF, however, did not provide a reason for the change.

    Egypt and South Africa were the only two countries to put forward their candidacies to replace Cameroon, which was stripped of hosting rights late last year.

    It will be the first time there will be 24 teams at the tournament.

    CAF, after several inspection visits over the last two years, said Cameroon would not be ready in time.

    There were no plans to have presentations from either Egypt or South Africa, but both countries have representation on the executive committee.

    Read Also: CAF Awards: Ordega, Kgatlana challenge Oshoala for 2018 women’s best player

    “We are ready to host the event tomorrow if needs be,” South African Football Association (SAFA) General Secretary Russell Paul told Reuters on Tuesday.

    “But we expect the vote will be a purely political decision.”

    South Africa plans to use the infrastructure built for the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup if it is awarded the tournament.

    Egypt also has extensive football facilities, although in recent years attendances at local matches have been restricted because of security concerns in the wake of the Arab Spring revolution.

    Morocco had been the favourite to step in after repeatedly promising to do so if needed, but then surprisingly said it was not interested once Cameroon was stripped of hosting rights.

  • 2019 Africa Cup of Nations: CAF strips Cameroon of Hosting Rights

    Cameroon was stripped of the right to host next year’s African Cup of Nations soccer tournament yesterday, with its preparations way behind schedule and a violent separatist rebellion in parts of the country making it a security risk.

    The decision was made by tournament organiser, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after a special meeting of its executive committee in Ghana, where the women’s African Cup is being played.

    CAF president Ahmad Ahmad, said the move to take the tournament away from the Central African country was ”a crucial and decisive moment for the good of African football.”

    A new bidding process was opened with countries interested in hosting Africa’s top soccer tournament, which starts in just six months, invited to apply by the end of December.

    The African Cup is scheduled to be played June 15 to July 13.

    Morocco, which this year lost out to a join United States-Canada-Mexico bid for the 2026 World Cup, is the favorite to step in and has frequently been touted as a short-notice host during Cameroon’s troubled preparations.

    Those preparations have been criticized regularly since Cameroon won the right to host in 2014, but gained momentum in September when CAF, which had previously been unwilling to criticize the country publicly, said there was a ”significant delay” with stadiums and other tournament-related infrastructure.

    The African soccer body gave Cameroon a final chance by planning two more inspection visits in October.

    One of those was to assess the security situation after an increase in violence in the southwest and northwest of the country involving English-speaking separatists and government forces.

    There was a ”horrific escalation of violence” in recent months in those regions, Amnesty International said. Two cities due to host African Cup games, Limbe and Bafoussam, are deep in the regions where the fighting is.

    Claiming they are being marginalized in the largely French-speaking country, the English-speaking, or Anglophone, separatists vowed to disrupt and even attack the African Cup if it went ahead.

    In a thinly-veiled threat, they said soccer players, officials and fans may not be safe.

    African Cup hosting has been a major headache for CAF, with the last four tournaments not held in the country they were initially awarded to.

    South Africa stepped in for war-torn Libya in 2013, Equatorial Guinea replaced Morocco in 2015 and Gabon stood in for Libya, which again couldn’t host last year.

    Morocco may be the favorite to rescue CAF this time but lost the tournament three years ago after it threatened to place travel restrictions on fans traveling from West African countries affected by that year’s deadly Ebola outbreak.

  • CAF picks Gambia’s Gassama for Nov 17 tie

    Gambian referee, Bakary Papa Gassama will be in charge of the matchday 5 AFCON qualifier between South Africa and Nigeria on 17th November at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, AOIFootball.com reports.

    The 39-year-old is regarded as one of the best referees on the continent and was among the few Africans selected for the FIFA World Cup in Russia.

    This will not be the first time Gassama will be at the centre in Nigeria’s games as he officiated Nigeria’s 3-1 victory over Algeria in Uyo prior to the World Cup.

    Nigeria currently leads Group E with nine points from four matches, one point ahead of South Africa which has eight points from the same number of matches.

    The Super Eagles, however, need just a point to qualify, whilst South Africa will be targeting maximum points to end the hopes of Libya from reaching the tournament in Cameroun next year.

  • Army Colonel Leads International Observers to Nigeria for NFF Elections

    The heat is in the air ahead of Thursday’s elections into the executive board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    As gathered on Monday, officials from world football –ruling body, FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will be arriving Nigeria in a couple of days as international observers for the elections which will be held in Katsina State.

    A background check indicates that a-no-nonsense- Army Colonel, Sita Sangare with experiences in  military justice is part of the CAF delegations.

    Sangare who doubles as the  President of the Burkina Faso Football Federation has been described as an iron man in his home country because of his high esteemed reputation and integrity. 

    FIFA released names of two strict protocol officials that work directly with FIFA President Gianni Infantino that will lead its delegation to Nigeria for the poll.

    The observers are; Messrs Luca Piazza who is a senior official in the FIFA’s President’s office and Solomon Mudege – Senior Manager for Development Programmes (Africa).

    A check on the two delegates revealed that they are men of unquestionable characters.

    Already the city of Katsina town is already bubbling for the much –anticipated polls with the arrival on Monday of an advance team from the NFF Secretariat.

    The NFF Electoral Committee put in place by the NFF Congress at the 2017 Annual General Assembly in Jos, which is headed by Mr Muhammed Sani Katu, will conduct the polls.

    The committee has already cleared incumbent Amaju Pinnick, former Nigeria international and one –time NFF Secretary General Taiwo Ogunjobi, former NFF President Aminu Maigari and Chinedu Okoye to contest for the Presidency.

    Incumbent Seyi Akinwunmi will vie with Sunday Dele-Ajayi for the 1st Vice President’s position, while Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah will oppose incumbent Ibrahim Musa Gusau for the slot of Chairman of Chairmen.

    A total of 15 other persons will battle for the remaining eight available positions on the Executive Committee.

    All 44 Members of the Nigeria Football Federation Congress will cast their votes on Thursday. A number of the voters will arrive in Katsina on Tuesday. 

  • World Cup: ref gets life ban for bribery

    A Kenyan referee who had been due to officiate at the ongoing World Cup in Russia has been handed a life ban after being caught in a bribery sting.

    Aden Marwa was filmed receiving a 600-dollar bribe during Confederation of African Football (CAF) assignment in Ghana.

    He is one of 22 referees sanctioned by the CAF in an unprecedented clean up, announced at the weekend.

    Marwa, who was a reserve at the 2014 finals in Brazil, had earlier been removed from the list of match officials due to officiate in Russia.

    The life ban was handed out by CAF’s disciplinary board, which also banned 10 other referees for between two years and 10 years for similar offences.

    A further 11 persons have been suspended pending an appearance at the board in August.

    African football has long been plagued by allegations of bribery but never before has CAF banned such a large number of officials.

  • CAF reserves Friday, Saturday for Champions League

    The CAF Interclub Committee says the Total CAF Champions League will henceforth be played on Friday and Saturday for weekend matches and Tuesday for mid-week matches.

    CAF said on its website on Tuesday that Sundays had also been reserved for the Total CAF Confederation Cup and Wednesday for the mid-week games.

    The continental football governing body said this would be effective from the group stages.

    “CAF Interclub competitions will witness a new identity regarding the broadcast of the matches with dedicated days and kick-off times,’’ it said.

    CAF General Secretary, Amr Fahmy, also said the decision was to create a stronger identity for the club competitions, exposure, marketable and accessible to a wider global audience.

    “We strongly believe in having a unique identity for the club competitions and also creating a rendezvous for the fans, a major stakeholder to identify with the two competitions.

    Read Also: Coach laments club’s inability to register key players for CAF

    “It will also increase the number of matches broadcasted by the TV Rights Holders.

    “There will be a few exceptions in some special cases since it is a novelty. However, we are hopeful it will mark a giant leap for our club competitions,’’ Fahmy said.

    Meanwhile, for the first time, the fixtures ( date, venue ) of the Group stage matches of the Total CAF Champions League has been finalised well ahead of kick-off after consultation with the various stakeholders.

    The same will be replicated for the Total CAF Confederation Cup after the draw of the group phase on Saturday, April 21, at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

    The group stage of the two competitions will kick-off on the weekend of May 4 to May 6.

    NAN