The Nation Newspaper

Tag: QUALIFIERS

  • Dike focuses on AFCON qualifiers with Eagles

    Dike focuses on AFCON qualifiers with Eagles

    • FC Toronto hitman fully recovers from injury 

    Toronto FC striker Bright Dike has stated that he has put behind him the injury that prevented him from featuring for the Super Eagles at the Brazil 2014 World Cup.

    Dike suffered  knee ligament damage injury in February during a training session with his Canadian based side and it put paid to his dream to play in his first World Cup finals after impressing in the country’s senior national team colours.

    It was as if the whole world was about to crash before him when he received the news he would miss out on the greatest football competition about four months to the start.

    In an exclusive chat with SportingLife, Dike said he had fully recovered from the injury that kept him out of action and has begun serious training with a view to match fitness ahead of the Major League Soccer (MLS) season.

    “I am fine and training hard with my club. It was as if my whole world was about to crash when I got the news but now I am better and raring to go.

    “I still believe that I still have role to play in the Super Eagles with the African Cup of Nations qualifiers around the corner. I will be willing to assist after our World Cup campaign where we exited at the second round again,” Dike told SportingLife.

    The combative Eagles star is yet to be capped at competitive game having failed to play in any of Nigeria’s 2014 World Cup qualifiers ties in the past. He, however, made the bench in few of them.

  • CHAN QUALIFIERS Ivorians prepare for Eagles with Ghana friendlies

    CHAN QUALIFIERS Ivorians prepare for Eagles with Ghana friendlies

    IVORY COAST have started their preparations for the crunch African Nations Championship qualifier against Nigeria, by arranging a friendly match with Ghana. Both nations will face off in a two legged friendly encounter, and the home-based Black Stars will assemble on Monday for the up-coming double international friendly.

    The Ivorians will arrive in Ghana today for the matches scheduled for June 12th and 14th at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium and the Len Clay Stadium. The first leg will be played in Kumasi on Wednesday at 4pm.

    Coach Dauda Lutterodt’s 26-man squad for this friendly will return to camp after the weekend’s round of Premier League matches. The next edition of the CHAN tournament will take place in South Africa next year, and Nigeria has never qualified for the Finals.

  • 2014 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS: Kenya keep tab on Mikel, Moses, others

    2014 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS: Kenya keep tab on Mikel, Moses, others

     Four axed from Stars squad

     Harambe to  name foreign-based Stars next week

    KENYA’S Harambee Stars assistant coach, James Nandwa says the coaching crew are keeping tabs on the performance of Super Eagles stars in Europe as they prepare for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers 2nd leg clash against Nigeria in

    According to him, “We are aware of the changes they have made in the squad, we know that they will train outside Nigeria, probably Europe because the bulk of the players are professionals based there. From there, they will fly directly to Nairobi,” he explained.

    Meanwhile, four players have been dropped from the Harambee Stars squad gearing for the June 5 2014 World Cup qualifier against Nigeria on Tuesday by head coach Adel Amrouche.

    Tusker FC forward Ismail Dunga, Sofapaka midfielder David Owino and Thika United pair Daniel Mwaura and David Kingatua have been axed from the team.

    Nandwa confirmed the changes as he said injuries have knocked out Dunga and Owino, while Mwaura and Kingatua “need to take a break”.

    At the same time Eugene Asike and John Njuguna, both of Sofapaka, Sher Karuturi’s Andrew Murunga, Edwin Lavatsta (Gor Mahia) and Boniface Onyango of City Stars have been called up to fill the void.

    “Those are the only changes in the team so far, the rest of the players called up when we started training remain in the team,” Nandwa added.

    He als informed that the foreign-based legion for Stars is expected to be named by next week.

    Stars, who embarked on non-residential training on April 27, under Amrouche, are determined to book a ticket to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

  • Afcon 2015 qualifiers: Nigeria may draw Cameroon, Egypt

    Afcon 2015 qualifiers: Nigeria may draw Cameroon, Egypt

    Qualification for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Morroco may turn out a herculean task for Nigeria with the Super Eagles likely to be drawn against former champions Cameroon or Egypt.

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has revealed the seeding for the draw for the qualifiers which expectedly sees champions Nigeria in pot 1 while the likes of Egypt and Cameroon who hitherto used to be amongst the continent’s super powers in pot 2.

    The draw ceremony will take place on March 10 in Morocco during CAF General Assembly, with the qualification procedure reverting to its normal format as opposed to the modified mode for the just-concluded edition.

    Forty-four teams are on the starting line and seeded in four pots of 11 teams each according to their current ranking.

    The Preliminary Round is scheduled to start in June. As host country, Morocco qualified automatically.

     

    Seedings

    Pot one: Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Mali, South Africa, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Zambia, Tunisia, Ghana.

    Pot two: Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gabon, Uganda, Congo, Central African Republic.

    Pot three: Ethiopia, Benin, Angola, Niger, Zimbabwe, Equatorial, Mozambique, Malawi, Burundi, Liberia, Sudan.

    Pot four: To be determined after the preliminary round.

     

  • AHEAD 2014 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS Don’t give up on Sidney Sam

    AHEAD 2014 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS Don’t give up on Sidney Sam

    NIGERIA’S coach stephen Keshi is still lamenting the possible absence of Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Sidney Sam to play for Nigeria at the 2013 African Cup of Nations AFCON but the former Super Eagles skipper is urging the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) not relent on the possibilities of getting the player to play for Nigeria.

    Keshi had established contacts with the player is born of Nigerian and German parents and said he believes the player will be useful in the World Cup qualifiers which will resume next year.

    ” There is no way we can give up on the player. The NFF should be pushing hard because we have the world Cup qualifiers after the Africa Cup of Nations and he could be very useful in the team for the qualifiers to the Nations Cup,” he said.

    ” I have watched Sam he’s a very good player and he will add quality to the team.”

    The NFF had during the week revealed that the former Germany U-20 player will not be able to make it to the 2013 AFCON due to the complexity of getting the documents that the player required to commit his international future to Nigeria but Keshi said the NFF must keep pushing for the course.