AFCON
Fire Brand Afcon Sharp Shooter, Nsue Set Equatorial Guinea FA Ablaze –
The Equatorial Guinea sanctioning of the lead scorer at the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations, Emilio Nsue Lopez has opened another crisis.
The player who scored five goals in four matches at Cote d’Ivoire 2023 was slammed with indefinite suspension by the Equatorial Guinea football federation which alleged indiscipline on the part of the player.
Nsue has reacted, alleging corruption on the part of the football federation officials.
He has launched a scathing attack on the country’s football authorities, exposing a series of distressing incidents that he claimed led to his suspension and that of Ivan Edu Salvador who scored the goal against Nigeria in their opening match.
Nsue has brought to light financial mismanagement within the football federation.
According to Pulse Kenya, Nsue alleged that over €1 million from the tournament’s earnings remains unaccounted for, painting a grim picture of neglect and exploitation.
The striker recounted how players were forced to pay for their own equipment and detailed the federation’s failure to clear debts with service providers, including a hotel.
In a heartfelt live Instagram broadcast, Nsue did not mince words as he criticised the lack of support from Equatorial Guinea’s football leaders, particularly during his top scorer award presentation.
“Before the match against Nigeria, the players did not have any outfits ready. The equipment used in the national team is paid by the players and not the federation,” Nsue revealed.
Nsue’s revelations extend beyond just financial mismanagement. He expressed his dismay at the federation’s treatment of players and their apparent indifference to the team’s needs.
“The FA threatened certain local players and taking money from them but I said, no and this is unfair and they humiliated me and thrown me out. The national team is above everything and everyone,“ he stated.
The Equatoguinean striker also voiced his frustration over plans to overhaul the national team’s sporting project, which includes introducing Brazilian players to the squad.
“They want to change the sports project and bring in Brazilians. You are shameless, we are the tenth best team on the African continent. They take money everywhere, they owe us money and they are stealing it,“ he accused.
Nsue’s criticism of the football administration in Equatorial Guinea is a damning indictment of the systemic issues plaguing the sport in the country.
“These cancerous and corrupt people who manage football in Equatorial Guinea took 1 million euros for themselves by leaving the national team in bad conditions,” he remarked, emphasising the depth of the corruption within the federation.
Despite his achievements on the field, Nsue feels a lack of appreciation from his home country.
“The only congratulations I received when I got my top scorer award came from the Ivorian authorities. My country has been ungrateful to me,“ he lamented, indicating a sense of betrayal and disappointment.
He also spoke out against Equatorial Guinea’s plans to introduce Brazilian players to the national team, calling it a shameful move that would undermine the country’s football development.
“They want to change the sports project and bring in Brazilians. You are shameless, we are the tenth-best team on the African continent. They take money everywhere, they owe us money and they are stealing it,” he accused.
Sports Village Square recalls that due to fielding of a certain Jade Boho from Spain without completing her one-time switch, Equatorial Guinea was disqualified from the Women’s Football event of the 2012 Olympics in London.
Equatorial Guinea has always had problems with naturalised players, mainly from Brazil and that also caused a ban from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic tournament and the 2019 World Cup.
Ghana Black Stars lost 2-0 to Sudan Tuesday afternoon in matchday 4 of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series putting their prospects in great doubt.
The former three-time African champions are now third in Group F having accrued just two points from four matches. Sudan, with seven points, are second.
Angola, who still have a match to play later in the day with bottom-placed Niger, are on top with nine points.
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.
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:
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
Hamoud T’feil Bowbe, Mauritania
Mohamed Robleh Djama, Djibouti
Asogbavi Komlan, Togo
Justice Masauko Timothy Msungama, Malawi
Lubamba Ngimbi Hector, DR Congo
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.
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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