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AFCON

Super Eagles await top and familiar top opponents at AFCON Draw

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

As the clock counts down to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations draw ceremony in Abidjan on Thursday, Nigeria’s Super Eagles are destined to face either the host country, Cote d’Ivoire  or any of the top four African countries.

The probability of drawing a North African team is very high, considering their preponderance in the Pot 1 which harbours the top seeds.

Nigeria will therefore face any of the following – Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt. The other options are two West Africans -hosts Cote d’Ivoire or Senegal.

In the last two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations – 2019 and 2021, the Super Eagles have had confrontations with three of the top four from North Africa – Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia.

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It is only Morocco that the Super Eagles have not faced in recent time. Nigeria’s last major confrontation with Morocco at top flight level dates back to 27 January 2004 during the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. Morocco won the Group D opener by 1-0.

The Team B of both countries however met at the final match of the African Nations Championships (CHAN) in 2018. Morocco won 4-0 at home.

Another North African side in Pot 1, Egypt lost to Nigeria in the opening Group D match last year in Garoua, Cameroon.

But unexpectedly, a highly depleted Tunisian side eliminated Nigeria in the Round of 16, just as Algeria did at the semi-finals of the 2019 edition.

Tunisia have been one of the most familiar North African opponents Nigeria drew at the Africa Cup of Nations in recent time. Since the controversial third place match at Ghana 1978, both teams have met five times.

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Egypt is another familiar opponents. They have faced Nigeria nine times in the framework of the Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria won 1-0, the last time out at last year’s edition in Cameroon.

Before then, Egypt beat Nigeria 3-1 in the opening group game at Angola 2010 and 6-3 in Ghana 1963. Otherwise, three of the  remaining  matches had been in Nigeria’s favour while other three were drawn.

Hosts, Cote d’Ivoire and fellow West Africans provide the possible surprise elements. There have been very few Africa Cup of Nations finals clashes.

Nigeria have met Cote d’Ivoire five times at the finals, winning twice, 2-1 in 2013 and 1-0 in 1990. The Ivoirians also won twice:1-0 in both 2006 and 2008 and drew goalless in Lagos in 1980.

Nigeria met Senegal twice in the Egypt 2006 edition winning both at the group stage and the third-place match. They met on identical date – 7 February in 2000 and 2002. Nigeria won 2-1 in Lagos in 2000 while Senegal won by the same scoreline at Mali 2002.

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Three other Nigerian opponents will come from Pots 3 and 4. In Pot 3 are Cape Verde, who keep on improving; 2012 champions Zambia, the 2012 champions;  South Africa, the 1996 champions as well as Guinea, Equatorial Guinea and Mauritania.

The Super Eagles have Guinea, Zambia and South Africa in the Africa Cup of Nations and had good results. But they had never faced Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea and Mauritania in the competition. Equatorial Guinea and Cape Verde were Nigeria’s qualifying opponents in 2010 and 2022 World Cup respectively.

One of those six teams will face Nigeria at the 2023 AFCON.

Pot 4 contains the lowest-ranked teams in the competition. Angola, hosts in 2010, are together with Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia, The Gambia and Tanzania.

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

AFCON

Behold, the decision-makers in the botched Libya-Nigeria duel

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Ousmane Kane, the Senegalese Chairman of the Disciplinary Board

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

With CAF referring the case of the botched Libya-Nigeria match to its

Disciplinary Board, a nine-man panel has the task of deciding which party was at fault.

Possible decision could be forfeiture of the match by the offending party or rescheduling of the fixture. The latter seems unlikely considering the already congested international calendar. 

Even if that were to be the decision, the match would likely be taken to a neutral ground.

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On the other hand, the board may also take it that it was Nigeria that refused to play the match after having hosted the first leg.

In that case, Article 62 of the competition’s regulations will be enforced. It reads: “Any team that withdraws or refuses to play the return match after having played the first leg on its territory must refund the association of the visiting team a minimum sum of fifteen thousand (15,000) U.S. dollars in reparation for the damage suffered by the host country.”

If the NFF is adjudged as the culprit, the body will be fined $15,000.  Chapter 19 of the regulations gives a window to appeal the fine. But judging from the CAF statement of the situation,  and the condemnation of the treatment meted out to the Super Eagles, the fine is very unlikely as the weight of evidence tilts against the Libyans who in the x-handle admitted keeping the Super Eagles in captivity with an explanation that episode was largely due to an airport protocol mishap.

A decision lies firstly on the nine-man panel. With the possibility of the losing side not satisfied, another nine-man panel, the Appeals Board will take a possible final decision which can only be contested at the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS)

Here are the decision-makers:

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Disciplinary Board

  • Ousmane Kane, Senegal. – President.
  • Jane Njeri Onyango, Kenya – Vice President.
  • Norman Arendse, South Africa – member
  • Mohamed Mostafa El-Mashta, Egypt. – member
  • Djonfoune Golbassia Felix, Chad. – member
  • Patrick Shale, Lesotho – member
  • Douma Ibrahim Issaka – Niger. -member
  • Ruth Kisaakye, Uganda. -member
  • Drucil Taylor, Sierra Leone. – member

Appeal Board

Justice Roli Daibo Harriman, Nigeria

Faustino Varela Monteiro, Cape Verde

Moez Ben Tahar Nasri, Tunisia

Moses Ikanqa, Namibia

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Hamoud T’feil Bowbe, Mauritania

Mohamed Robleh Djama, Djibouti

Asogbavi Komlan, Togo

Justice Masauko Timothy Msungama, Malawi

Lubamba Ngimbi Hector, DR Congo

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AFCON

Libya Delay Super Eagles’ Possible Early Landing at Morocco 2025

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

The Libya-Nigeria Group D tie of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers scheduled for this Tuesday has been put off owing to the refusal of the Libyan authorities to allow the Nigerian team to enter their territory for the match.

As a result, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has referred the case to its Disciplinary Board to make an appropriate decision. The immediate consequence of this is the delay of the Nigerian team picking an early qualification as has been done by Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Algeria who have all qualified after four matches.

A  win by Nigeria on Tuesday would have taken their point haul to 10 while a draw would take their total to eight.  That way, irrespective of the result of the Rwanda-Benin Republic corresponding match would have qualified the Super Eagles for Morocco 2025 as they would not have ended below second position in Group D.

They now await the decision of the CAF body. A possible outcome could be Libya’s forfeiture of the match.  A case in point is that of USM Alger of Algeria versus Morocco’s RS Berkane in last year’s Confederation Cup semi-final duel when the Moroccans were unjustly delayed at the airport by the Algerians.

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In the case of the Super Eagles, it was worse as theirs was not just delayed, they were locked up in a desolate airport in what was a psychologically draining and energy sapping tactics.

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AFCON

Cameroon, Algeria seal Cup of Nations finals places

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Africa Cup of Nations - Third Place Playoff Match - Burkina Faso v Cameroon - Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon - February 5, 2022 Cameroon players celebrate after winning the penalty shoot-out REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo

Five-time winners Cameroon and 2019 champions Algeria both booked their places at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco after victories in qualifying on Monday, bringing the number of qualified teams to four.

Cameroon defeated Kenya 1-0 when Boris Enow scored the only goal of the game in neutral Kampala, while Ramy Bensebaini netted a first-half spot-kick winner for Algeria against Togo in Lome.

Enow drilled a low free-kick into the goal from just outside the box as Cameroon dominated the contest and did enough to win in the absence of their federation president Samuel Eto’o, who is serving a six-month stadium ban by world governing body FIFA.

The victory takes Cameroon to 10 points from four games in the pool and ensured they cannot finish outside of the top two, which is enough to secure a place at the 24-team finals.

Algeria have a full haul of 12 points from four games after Bensebaini converted a penalty on 18 minutes to give them lead, but they had to weather heavy pressure from their hosts, who created enough chances to get something from the game.

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Cameroon and Algeria join the hosts and Burkina Faso as the four teams so far confirmed for the finals.

Zimbabwe moved into a strong position in their pool with a 3-1 win over Namibia in neutral Johannesburg that leaves them on eight points, four ahead of third-placed Kenya with two rounds to play. One of those fixtures is at home to Kenya next month.

Walter Musona scored a brace, one a penalty, to go with a strike from Prince Dube.

Equatorial Guinea are five points clear in second place in their pool after a 2-1 win over Liberia in Monrovia.

Luis Asue had them in front early, but William Gibson equalised for the hosts. Just as it appeared the game would end in a draw, Dorian Hanza netted a 94th minute winner.

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Musa Barrow scored the decisive goal for Gambia in their 1-0 victory over Madagascar, making up for a penalty miss earlier in the game

Gambia move into second place in their pool, ahead of Comoros on head-to-head record, but having played a game more.

Mozambique moved to the top of their pool with a 3-0 win over Eswatini in Nelspruit, their first goal scored by 40-year-old winger Domingues.

They are five points clear of third-placed Guinea Bissau, who host Mali on Tuesday.

-Reuters

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