Sports

Afcon 2023 draws throws up interesting matchups as Nigeria face Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone again

Published

2 years ago

April 20, 2022

African teams on Tuesday, learned their opponents in the qualifying round for the continents’ biennial football competition, the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Afcon, billed for Cote d’Ivoire next year.

Three time winners, Nigeria has been pitched again against Sierra Leone whom they played out a spectacular 5-5 draw over two legs (4-4 in Benin City and 1-1 in Freetown) in the last qualifiers for the Cameroon edition.

The Super Eagles will also square up against Guinea Bissau whom they defeated 2-0 in Cameroon as well as Sao Tome and Principe or Mauritius in Group A.

The draw which was held in South Africa and anchored by former South African dedender Lucas Radebe and ex-Cote d’Ivoire striker, Salomon Kalou, threw up more interesting pairings as the 32 seeded nations look to qualify for the epic African football showpiece, with plenty of ambitious teams believing they can emulate reigning champions Senegal and go on to win the tournament.

The Lions of Teranga on their part, will be hoping to defend their crown in Cote d’ivoire but they will have to contend with the likes of Benin Republic, Mozambique and Rwanda in Group L.

The Black Stars of Ghana will have to negotiate their way past Madagascar, Angola and the Central African Republic in Group E if they hope to make it to the tournament proper.

1996 champions South Africa would be aiming for a return to Afcon after missing the last edition but standing in their path in Group K will be Morocco, Zimbabwe and Libya.

2021 host, Cameroon will have their hands full when they confront Kenya, Namibia, and Burundi in Group C, while hosts Cote d’Ivoire will tackle Zambia, Comoros and Lesotho even though they have already secured their place in the tournament.

What this means is that only one other team from their group will qualify for the competition which will make the group a group of death.

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers start in June 2022.

How the teams are grouped:

Group A: Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome e Principe or Mauritius

Group B: Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Togo, Eswatini

Group C: Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia, Burundi

Group D: Egypt, Guinea, Malawi, Ethiopia

Group E: Ghana, Madagascar, Angola, Central African Republic

Group F: Algeria, Uganda, Niger, Tanzania

Group G: Mali, Congo Brazzaville, Gambia, South Sudan

Group H: Ivory Coast (hosts), Zambia, Comoros, Lesotho

Group I: Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Mauritania, Sudan

Group J: Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Botswana

Group K: Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Liberia

Group L: Senegal (holders), Benin, Mozambique, Rwanda

Related Topics:AFCON African Football Featured Super Eagles

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Sports

CAF picks Morocco as 2024 Awards host on Dec. 16

Published

8 hours ago

October 17, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has again picked Morocco as the host of the 2024

African Player of the Year Award, making it the third straight year the North African country will be hosting the awards.

The prestigious CAF Awards ceremony which honors the best performers in African football, will take place on December 16 in Morocco, following successful editions in 2022 at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Maâmora and 2023 at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech.

While the exact venue for the 2024 ceremony has not been disclosed, the decision to award hosting rights to Morocco was made by the CAF Executive Committee on Thursday.

The awards will recognize outstanding achievements in both club and national team competitions during the period from September 2023 to June 2024, as well as pay tribute to the finest African footballers and figures in the sport.

The ceremony will encompass various categories including the coveted African Player of the Year award.

Other notable accolades include the African Women’s Player of the Year, Youth Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Club of the Year awards, among others.

Sports

NFF withdraws Eagles from Afcon match with Libya over shoddy treatment

Published

4 days ago

October 14, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has decided to pull out the Super Eagles from the 2025 Africa Nations Cup (Afcon) against Libya which was scheduled for Tuesday, October 15.

The decision stemmed from the shoddy and hostile treatment meted out on the Nigerian contingent by the Libyan authorities.

According to the NFF, in a statement on Monday, the Libyans subjected the Nigerian contingent to a hostage situation as they were locked up at the Al Abraq International Airport in Libya for over 12 hours after they arrived on Sunday, unable to reach their hotel in Benghazi, which is three hours away.

Explaining the chaotic situation, the NFF said the plane conveying the team had earlier been diverted, leaving the players and officials stranded without any assistance from the Libyan Football Federation, which failed to provide transportation.

“The Nigerian delegation for Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya is still at Al Abraq Airport, 12 hours after landing,” the NFF said.

“The chartered ValueJet aircraft was, strangely and in a dangerous manner, diverted to the small airport just as the pilot was completing his approach to Benghazi Airport,” the NFF stated.

The NFF added that the fatigued and frustrated players have now resolved not to play the match and in support of the players’ decision, is currently arranging for the team to fly back to Nigeria, effectively pulling them out of the fixture.

“Players have resolved not to play the match any longer, and NFF officials are making plans to fly the team back home,” the statement concluded.

Captain of the Super Eagles, William Troost-Ekong, also announced that the team will boycott the match against Libya.

Troost-Ekong’s who made the announcement via X in a series of tweets on Monday morning, expressed disappointment over the unfair treatment meted out to the Nigerian team in Libya.

“12+ hours in an abandoned airport in Lybia after our plane was diverted whilst descending. Lybian government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi with no reason. They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food or drink. All to play mind games,” Troost-Ekong wrote.

“I’ve experienced stuff before playing away in Africa but this is disgraceful behaviour. Even the Tunisian Pilot who thankfully managed to navigate the last minute change to an airport not fit for our plane to land had never seen something like this before.

“Upon arrival he tried to find a nearby airport to rest with his crew to be denied at every hotel again under Government instruction. He could sleep there but NO NIGERIAN crew members allowed. They have returned to now sleep on the plane which is parked up.

At this point we have called for our Nigerian Government to intervene and rescue us. As the captain together with the team we have decided that we will NOT play this game. CAF should look at the report and what is happening here. Even if they decide to allow.

This kind of behaviour, let them have the points. We will not accept to travel anywhere by road here even with security it’s not safe. We can only imagine what the hotel or food would be like given to us IF we continued.

We respect ourselves and respect our opponents when they are our guests in Nigeria. Mistakes happen but these things on purpose have nothing to do with int. football.