AFCON
HOW NIGERIA’S INTERNATIONAL DEBUT ANNIVERSARY BRINGS LUCK
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
It is 71 years today since the Nigerian national football team made international debut, beating Sierra Leone 2-0 in Freetown on 8 October 1949.
Ever since, especially for 66 years till 2015, the 8 October had offered a sort of magic for the Nigerian national football team.
Only once in eight instances did the 8 October ‘magic’ fail to favour the Nigerian national team. Sports Village Square recalls that that was in 2015 when the team in Ahmed Musa’s debut as Nigeria captain, lost 2-0 to DR Congo in a friendly match at Vise, Belgium.
Otherwise, www.sportsvillagesquare.com points out, it had been Nigeria all the way on a 8 October date. The facts speak clear. It was on that date that the national team played its first full international in 1949.
It was on that date in 1993 that the Super Eagles first qualified for the FIFA World Cup after being held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in Algiers.
It was also the first time that a Nigerian team had avoided a defeat against Algeria at the 5th July Stadium in Algiers and thus became the first Anglophone African team at the World Cup.
Even FIFA inadvertently paid tribute to 8 October when it provisionally lifted a Nigerian ban on 8 October 2010.
There is more! It was on 8 October 1977 that the then Green Eagles inflicted a 4-0 defeat on Egypt in Lagos in a World Cup qualifier.
Up till 15 October 2013 when Egypt lost 6-1 to Ghana, the defeat by Nigeria was the heaviest cup-tie loss recorded by Egypt, Africa’s most successful Nations Cup champions.
Before the 1977 4-0 defeat of Egypt, Nigeria had in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The ‘8 October Magic’ was active, even in an away match.
Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. Another memorable 8 October match for Nigeria was the 5-1 defeat of Zimbabwe in Abuja in 2005.
Even though the 1-0 defeat of Rwanda by Angola on that same day neutralise Nigeria’s win in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, it was all the same a win by Nigeria and an Africa Cup of Nations’ ticket was obtained as a consolation.
Avoiding a defeat on a 8 October date at least saw the Super Eagles coming out of their last competitive match at the now MKO Abiola National Stadium with a 2-2 draw with Guinea in 2011.
How did the 8 October become a Nigerian football milestone? Sports Village Square recalls that on this date in 1949, the Nigerian national team played their first full international match in Freetown against Sierra Leone.
It was during the return journey of the famed UK Tourists, Nigeria’s first national football team selection which played nine matches against amateur clubs during the goodwill visit to the United Kingdom.
For the records, those matches in the UK are not regarded as official matches as they were not played against national teams.
Also, even though there had been inter colonial matches between Lagos selected sides and their Accra counterparts from the then Gold Coast (now Ghana), those matches were not full internationals as attested to in the NFA Handbook 1959 by Reginald Banham Allen, then the Secretary of the then Nigeria Football Association who pointed out that it was the 8 October 1949 match that is Nigeria’s first international match.
Nigeria won the match 2-0, the first goal being an own goal by Sierra Leone skipper, Ashman who deflected into his net, a cross by Nigeria’s left winger, Titus Okere.
Thus, Sports Village Square pontificate that Nigeria’s first international goal was obtained by an opponent hitting the wrong target! It happened just before half time.
In the second half, Sierra Leone had a penalty award, the first ever to be conceded by Nigeria in an international match.
It was taken by Wallace Johnson. Isaac Akioye, who later rose to become a Director of Sports in the National Sports Commission (NSC) saved the kick to become the first Nigerian goalkeeper to save a penalty kick!
When Tesilimi Balogun later scored the second goal to give Nigeria a 2-0 win, he became the first ever Nigerian scorer at an international goal.
What a delightful and pace setting that 8 October 1949 date later became. Sports Village Square recalls that the 8 October became a ‘magical’ date in Nigeria’s football history:
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly): Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly): Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier): Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier): Algeria 1-1 Nigeria* qualified for World Cup
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup/Afcon qualifier): Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe * qualified for Afcon
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect for 8 October, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2010 – Abuja (Afcon qualifier): Nigeria 2-2 Guinea.
The African Football Confederation (CAF) and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) have sealed a historic strategic partnership that grants Morocco’s national airline the status of “Official Global Partner” for upcoming major African football competitions.
The agreement was signed Saturday morning in Casablanca, in the presence of Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President Fouzi Lekjaâ.
This partnership encompasses several prestigious tournaments, including the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (AFCON) 2025 (December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026) and CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAFCON) 2024 (July 5-26, 2025).
The agreement also covers CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF Champions League 2024/2025 Finals, CAF Confederation Cup 2024/2025 Finals, and the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe voiced enthusiasm about the collaboration.
“We are excited about the partnership between CAF and Royal Air Maroc, a world-class airline that will provide comfort and fly NationalTeams participating in the CAF competitions,” he said.
“We are confident that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be the most successful AFCON in the history of this competition.”
The agreement strengthens RAM’s footprint across Africa and globally, solidifying its role as a strategic gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. It also aligns with Morocco’s emergence as an international sports hub, with the country preparing to host AFCON 2025 and co-host the FIFA World Cup 2030.
RAM’s Chairman and CEO Hamid Addou stated: “This historic partnership with CAF aligns fully with our strategic vision as an airline deeply rooted in Africa and committed to its development.”
“Royal Air Maroc doesn’t just connect destinations; it builds bridges between cultures and passions. By supporting the continent’s biggest football competitions, we reaffirm our role as a facilitator of human and sporting exchanges,” he continued.
500,000 supporters expected
Beyond its partnership role, RAM will implement an exceptional operational system to meet increased demand during CAF competitions. The airline plans to welcome over 500,000 supporters for AFCON 2025.
“We believe we will surpass this figure by far,” revealed Addou. “We will be ready to accommodate these supporters across Royal Air Maroc’s entire network.”
The airline intends to double seat capacity from qualified countries already served by RAM, such as Dakar, Abidjan, Cairo, Tunis, Bamako, Lagos, and Douala.
RAM will also intensify flight frequencies from European cities with large African communities, including Paris, Brussels, Milan, London, Marseille, Lyon, Madrid, and Barcelona.
Additionally, the airline will establish a dedicated program for domestic air transport of national teams, shuttling them between their base camps and host cities.
This positioning establishes RAM as the primary connector between Africa and Europe through its Casablanca hub. FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaâ noted that the contract “reinforces Royal Air Maroc’s first-rate leadership role in Africa.”
“Royal Air Maroc is no stranger to football,” Lekjaâ added. “It has always supported generations of our athletes and footballers here in Morocco.”
“With this expertise and experience, they will contribute significantly to making AFCON 2025 Morocco exceptional, a historic turning point in African football, cultural coexistence and African cultural exchange,” he concluded.
Addou stressed RAM’s commitment to African unity: “We are all extremely proud to be African, and in every corner of this vast and magnificent continent, we share the same ambition—to actively contribute to Africa’s development and influence.”
The RAM CEO concluded by inviting everyone to upcoming CAF calendar events: “We’ll see you very soon for the great moments ahead in the CAF calendar, particularly the Women’s AFCON starting in July and, of course, the men’s AFCON, which kicks off on December 25.”
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The presidents of the regional councils concerned by the hosting of the matches of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025) unanimously affirmed that the implementation of infrastructure projects in anticipation of this continental event “is progressing at a sustained pace”, declaring themselves “fully mobilized” to crown with success the major sporting events scheduled in the Kingdom.
They specified, in statements to the press in Rabat following a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior devoted to the assessment of the progress of the construction and rehabilitation works of the stadiums, that major sports infrastructure projects are underway in the six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech and Agadir.
The President of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, Abdellatif Maâzouz, announced that the projects planned for upcoming international sporting events, in particular the 2025 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, “are proceeding under good conditions.”
The projects related to the organisation of the AFCON will be ready by next July at the latest, he assured, specifying that there is a clear vision regarding the preparations underway for the AFCON and the 2030 World Cup, both in terms of equipment and organisational arrangements related to human resources and animation.
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AFCON
‘Land of Football’ is ‘Kingdom of Light’ as Moroccan Tourism Office and Football Federation Strike Accord
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Morocco’s football federation and tourism office have signed a groundbreaking agreement to establish the country as a major football and tourism destination leading to the milestone 2030 World Cup when the global football tournament clocks a century.
The Moroccan football body and the Tourism Office are building on the national team’s recent international success.
Though with just one success in the Africa Cup of Nations, Moroccan football soars higher than the rest in Africa and the Arab world at the World Cup.
Apart from being the only African and Arab country to have reached the World Cup semi-final stage, Morocco in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico became the first African team not to be defeated in a World Cup match when they forced Bulgaria to a 1-1 draw on 11 June.
Again, in Mexico, this time at the 1986 World Cup, Morocco became the first African team to top a group and cross the group stage.
They were just two minutes away from a major upset of West Germany in the round of 16 before Lothar Matthäus’ back-breaking goal.
The success of the football team and the tourism potential of Morocco have found a harmonious chord.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and the National Moroccan Tourism Office (ONMT) will work together under the banner “Morocco, Land of Football,” placing the sport at the heart of the country’s tourism strategy.
“More than an institutional partnership, this convention is a shared vision: that of a Morocco that shines through football and makes it a lever for promotion, pride and tourist attractiveness,” ONMT said in a statement released after the signing.
The timing of this collaboration is strategic, coming ahead of two major sporting events: the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
The initiative builds on widespread public enthusiasm following the Atlas Lions’ historic World Cup performance in 2022.
Under the agreement, both organizations will implement an integrated communication strategy combining visibility campaigns, influence marketing, and joint promotional activities.
The initiative will mobilize iconic figures from Moroccan football to bring this vision to life, to showcase the country’s world-class sporting facilities, rich cultural heritage, and diverse tourist attractions.
ONMT has launched a major offensive at making Morocco, the ultimate tourism and business destination as the clock ticks down to the 35th Africa Cup of Nations holding in December.
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