AFCON
Sporting Lagos and Bendel Insurance goalkeepers make AFCON 2023 provisional list as CAF finally reveals squads
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
With the Nigeria Football Association (NFF) non-disclosure of the Super Eagles’ list for the Africa Cup of Nations in January, CAF has same list along with those of the other participating teams.
Nigeria submitted a provisional list of 41 players from which 27 will be chosen by January 3, the deadline for the final list submission.
From the 41 list, three are from the domestic league. They are: Ojo Olorunleke of Enugu Rangers, Christian Nwoke of Sporting Lagos and Amas Obasgie of Bendel Insurance. They are all goalkeepers along with South Africa-based Stanley Bobo Nwabali expected to outperform widely criticised Francis Uzoho.
From the list of 41, equally vilified coach Peseiro is expected to prune the squad to 27 by January 3.
In other words, he has to remove 14 names to compose the final squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
NIGERIA’S AFCON 2023 PROVISIONAL SQUAD
# | Full Name | Birthdate | Club | Club Country | |
NIGERIA | 1 | Francis Odinaka Uzoho | 10/28/1998 | Omonia FC | Cyprus |
NIGERIA | 2 | Temitayo olufisayo Olaoluwa aina | 10/8/1996 | Nottingham Forest | England |
NIGERIA | 3 | Jamilu Collins | 8/5/1994 | Cardiff City FC | England |
NIGERIA | 4 | Ndidi Onyinye wilfred | 12/16/1996 | LEICESTER CITY FC | England |
NIGERIA | 5 | William paul Ekong | 9/1/1993 | Paok C | Greece |
NIGERIA | 6 | Ajayi Oluwasemilogo adesewo | 11/9/1993 | WEST BROMICH | England |
NIGERIA | 7 | Ahmed Musa | 10/14/1992 | Sivasspor k | Turkey |
NIGERIA | 8 | Ogochukwu frank Onyeka | 1/1/1998 | Brentford FC | England |
NIGERIA | 9 | Victor James osimhen | 12/29/1998 | SSC Napoli | Italy |
NIGERIA | 10 | Ayodele-aribo Temitope Joseph oluwaseyi | 7/21/1996 | SOUTHAMPTON FC | England |
NIGERIA | 11 | Samuel chimerenka Chukwueze | 5/22/1999 | AC MILAN | Italy |
NIGERIA | 12 | Ademola Olajide lookman | 10/20/1997 | Atlanta BC | Italy |
NIGERIA | 13 | Zaidu Sanusi | 6/13/1997 | FC PORTO | Portugal |
NIGERIA | 14 | Iheanacho Kelechi promise | 10/3/1996 | LEICESTER CITY FC | England |
NIGERIA | 15 | Moses daddy Simon | 7/12/1995 | FC NANTES | France |
NIGERIA | 16 | Adebayo Adeleye | 5/17/2000 | Hapoel Jerusalem | Israel |
NIGERIA | 17 | Calvin Chinedu ughelumba | 12/31/1999 | Fulham FC | England |
NIGERIA | 18 | Alexander Chuka iwobi | 5/3/1996 | Fulham FC | England |
NIGERIA | 19 | Sadiq Umar | 2/2/1997 | Real Sociedad | Spain |
NIGERIA | 20 | Awaziem Chidozie collins | 1/1/1997 | Boavista FC | Portugal |
NIGERIA | 21 | Tyronne Efe Ebuehi | 12/16/1995 | Empoli FC | Italy |
NIGERIA | 22 | Kenneth josiah Omeruo | 10/17/1993 | Kasimoasa FC | Turkey |
NIGERIA | 23 | Ojo Olorunleke oluwasegun | 8/17/1995 | Enyimba International FC | Nigeria |
NIGERIA | 24 | Akpoguma kevin John ufuoma | 4/19/1995 | TSG Hoffenhem | Germany |
NIGERIA | 25 | Victor Okoh boniface | 12/23/2000 | BAYER LEVERKUSEN | Germany |
NIGERIA | 26 | Onyemaechi Sopuruchukwu bruno | 4/3/1999 | Boavista FC | Portugal |
NIGERIA | 27 | Samuel Osayi bright | 12/31/1997 | FENERBACHCE S,K | Turkey |
NIGERIA | 28 | Bonaventure emmanuel Dennis | 11/15/1997 | Basaksehir | Turkey |
NIGERIA | 29 | Ebere paul Onuachu | 5/28/1994 | TRABSZONSPOR | Turkey |
NIGERIA | 30 | Terem Igobor moffi | 5/25/1999 | OGC NICE | France |
NIGERIA | 31 | Dessers cyriel Kolawale paul | 12/8/1994 | RANGERS FC | Scotland |
NIGERIA | 32 | Tella nathan Adewale temitayo | 7/5/1999 | Bayern Leverkusen | Germany |
NIGERIA | 33 | Nwadike raphael Onyedika | 4/19/2001 | Club Brugge | Belgium |
NIGERIA | 34 | Oluwafisayo Faruq Dele-bashiru | 2/6/2001 | HATAYSPOR | Turkey |
NIGERIA | 35 | Torunarigha Jordan | 8/7/1997 | KAA GENT | Belgium |
NIGERIA | 36 | Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi | 7/20/2000 | ROYAL ANTWERP | Belgium |
NIGERIA | 37 | Kelechi Nwakali | 6/5/1998 | GD Chaves | Portugal |
NIGERIA | 38 | Christain Nwoke | 10/27/2000 | Sporting Lagos FC | Nigeria |
NIGERIA | 40 | Stanley Bobo Nwabali | 6/10/1996 | Chippa United | South Africa |
NIGERIA | 41 | Obasogie Amas | 12/27/1999 | Bendel Insurance | Nigeria |
AFCON
Libya sacks coach ahead of AFCON qualifying back-to-back matches with Nigeria
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has sacked its Serbian coach, Milutin Sredojević who is popularly known as Micho.
This is coming ahead of Libya’s back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations clashes with Nigeria next month.
Paradoxically, Sports Village Square gathered that the coach’s contract was only recently renewed for six months before the axe fell on the Serbian.
His sack was precipitated by the results obtained in their teo matches of the AFCON qualifiers.
Libya drew 1-1 with Rwanda at home and lost 2-1 away to Benin Republic despite beig a goal up at half time.
The Libyan side, Mediterranean Knights are due to play against the Nigeria Super Eagles in Uyo on 6 October while the return leg holds on 14 October at the 11 July Stadium in Tripoli.
According to information Sports Village Square gathered from Tripoli, the Mediterranean Knights’ coach, Micho led the Libyan national team to win nine matches since taking over in October of last year, he failed to build a strong team due to his poor choices.
He also took a risk with the footballers chosen in the AFCON qualifiers, and the result was shocking to the Libyan sports audience.
According to sources close to the Libyan Football Federation, there is a strong tendency to sign a national coach to lead the Libyan team during the remaining qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations.
AFCON
CAF president blasts Ghana, others over stadium ban
CAF President Patrice Motsepe has lashed out at Ghana and some other African countries whose home grounds were recently banned from hosting CAF matches owing to inadequate facilities. He made the remarks in Nairobi, Kenya during a press conference,
After the MatchDay 2 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, CAF ruled Ghana’s Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi as being inadequate to host international matches. Being the only approved ground in the country, Ghana will now look towards either Cote d’Ivoire or Togo for their remaining home matches of the Afcon qualifiers.
Other African countries without approved home grounds are: Djibouti, Chad, Niger, Eritrea, Gabon, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, São Tomé and Burundi.
Motsepe voiced his frustration over the recurring issue of nations being unable to host home games.
“Nothing frustrates me more than a national team or club side having to play home matches outside,” he stated.
He stressed the significance of playing in front of home fans, adding, “You can’t grow football if the national teams or club sides aren’t playing in front of their home fans.”
Motsepe reiterated CAF’s commitment to working with countries to ensure they have at least one suitable stadium to host international fixtures.
“Our conversations in every country are to make sure there is at least one stadium capable of hosting a CAF category C game,” he emphasized.
AFCON
Present and Past as CAF Coaches Symposium unites Rohr, Peseiro and Eguavoen
The on-going CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Coaches Symposium in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire has brought together, the last three coaches that handled the Nigeria national football team.
Gernot Rohr, Jose Peseiro and Austin Eguavoen are part of the the elite coaches currently gathered in Abidjan.
Gernot Rohr whose tenure of 5 years and 55 matches is the longest ever by any coach in Nigeria, is currently handling Nigeria’s Africa Cupof Nations and World Cup qualifying rivals, Benin Republic. He was succeeded in the interim by Austin Eguavoen who is currently having another interim stint.
Peseiro left his position after the Africa Cup of Nations
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