AFCON
‘Let’s do it again’ – Super Eagles on cusp of AFCON glory
BY DANLADI BAKO
The African Cup of Nations is upon us again, this time Cote d’Ivoire, two time winners are the hosts. Nigeria is gearing up to browbeat it’s was into the final and probably win the trophy not because of the strength of its preparation, quality friendly matches, pedigree of coaching crew but more because of the providence nature bestowed on us as a country by having a few top class players in the mould of Victor Osimhen and the rave of the German League Victor Boniface of Bayer Leverkusen.
But winning the African Cup of Nations or indeed major football tournaments go beyond the quality of players and coaches, it also tasks each country’s football administration cascading from the Sports Minister, his drive, personality, charisma, and his hold at the presidents office down to the aura of the Football Federation President to the tactical depth of the coaching crew and very importantly the commitment, passion, grit, energy technical ability and discipline of the players individually and collectively.
Another major factor in winning tournaments is the quality of the opposition. Today in Africa, the reigning champions are Senegal and also FIFA rankings put them ahead of Nigeria. Morocco is another country tipped to excel due to the sterling performance at Qatar 2022 World Cup where they got to the semi-final.
The host country Cote d’Ivoire is a contender simply because they have a legendary youth football culture spewing up such great legends of the past like Didier Drogba , Yaya Toure Omar Ben Sallah and Abdullahi Traore.
Among the contenders for every edition are six time winners Egypt. Not only have they entrenched a solid home-based club football culture, they have the best club-sides on the continent in Al Ahli, former Ahli National and Zamalek football club.
They have midwifed generations of legends like goalkeeper Ekramy Ahmad El-Shahat, Hossam Hussain and today One of Africa’s greatest export to the English Premier league, Mohamed Salah of Liverpool.
One cannot but also mention Algeria and Riyad Mahrez, South Africa and Percy Tau, three time winners Cameroon and Andre Onana along with Chuppa-Mouting of Bayern Munich.
Even with all these great players , no country is guaranteed of excelling without the tactical prowess of it’s coaches.
Here we are talking about the formation and style of play of the team. Gehnot Rohr when he was Eagles gaffer was accused of not being offensive enough in the teams play.
Peseiro has also been criticized for a weak defence and choice of sloppy, error-prone goalkeepers like Uzoho.
But with the abundance of talent we have today , how do we evolve a team that defends well , enforce a good defensive midfield wall and even without the mercurial skills of Jay Jay Okocha create defense splitting passes to feed Osimhen and Boniface.
For want of designing a winning team and strategy together with the coaching crew, I might suggest Nwabili of Chippa United in goal because the South African league tests you enough especially as a first team goalkeeper.
African Cup of Nations football is gritty, rough, and rigorous. Not sure Uzoho is that tough and rugged or if he can maintain optimal concentration throughout ninety minutes of African weather.
Ola Aina, Trust Ekong , Semi Ajayi and Zaid Sanusi hopefully are experienced and will do a good back four for me. Ndidi sits in front of the back four while Iwobi and Kelechi play as 8 and 10.
Of course the three attackers will be Chukwueze of AC Milan , Boniface of Leverkusen and African Footballer of the year Victor Osimhen leads the attack.
Tactically, the definitive transition from defence to attack is not only extremely key it is imperative and on the field of play, Ndidi and “senior man” Iheanacho must assume leadership on the pitch and service the attackers.
Having attended 12 AFCON tournaments and six FIFA World Cups between Spain ’82 and South Africa 2010, I guess one have acquired an intuition and sixth sense that guides one towards who are likely winners , contenders and the pretenders to the title.
I dare say countries like Cameroon , Cape Verde and Ghana might likely be surprise packages of the tournament despite not being top notch during qualifiers.
As a note of caution, I was in Cote d’Ivoire in 1984 when Super Eagles boasted of the likes of Stephen Keshi, Patrick Okala, Muda Lawal, Henry Nwosu and Cameroon knocked us out in the final with a star -studded team of Thomas Nkono, Stephen Tawtaw, Djonkep Bonaventure and Doumbe Lea.
We were overpowered by their stars. The reverse is the case today. We have the stars like Victor Osimhen and Wilfred Ndidi.
Can we overwhelm Morocco, Egypt, Senegal and the hosts Cote d’ Ivoire?
Are dollar issues and greed of officials going to affect and distract the team?
Is there luck associated with Presidents and Sports Ministers in our favour during tournaments?
In less than 14 days the games will begin in Abidjan then the real challenge will start. I dare say the success or failure of the Super Eagles will depend on not only the technical and tactical strategies on the pitch but the diplomacy, the politics, the administration and the positivity of all Nigerians to the team.
As we move to battle I love the new jerseys but the players must know that wearing that jersey means they carry the hopes, dreams and pride of 200 million Nigerians. One can only admonish them and say to them “Fly Super Eagles, fly”.
Dr Danladi Bako attended six FIFA World Cup and 12 AFCON Tournaments and was Chairman Sokoto State Football Association 2000 – 2003.
AFCON
Royal Air Maroc named official partner for AFCON 2025, WAFCON 2024

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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AFCON
Morocco speeds up stadium upgrades ahead of AFCON 2025

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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