AFCON
Beninese journalist gives tips on how Cheetahs can bring down Super Eagles
Benin Republic and Nigeria are meeting for the third time this year and all within a space of five months.
This Thursday night match is the penultimate qualifying match for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. While Nigeria’s Super Eagles are relatively in a comfortable situation in the qualifying series, it is a cliffhanger for the Cheetahs of Benin.
They cannot afford to drop points as both Rwanda and Libya are in hot pursuit.
Christian Hounongbe, a Beninese journalist at La Nation, has analysed the path that the Cheetahs have to navigate to circumvent the Super Eagles’ hurdles.
Here are the points of interest that he enunciated. To him, the key for Benin to the match is “maintaining mental and physical stability in the face of the Nigerian assaults, while correcting past mistakes.”
According to him, in the first leg match played in Uyo last September, and the one against Rwanda in Kigali, the Cheetahs’ lack of resilience was felt, especially after each goal conceded.
Hounongbe added that those goals led to loss of morale and concentration that allowed their opponents to take the upper hand.
“Against a Nigeria team brimming with talent, the Beninese will have to demonstrate mental discipline at all times, even in the event of a hard blow.
“This time, there is no question of letting themselves be destabilized. The Cheetahs must show constant fighting spirit and concentration to stand up to the Super Eagles.”
Continuing, the journalist wrote: “Also, the tendency to withdraw must not be the order of the day in this return match. This attitude, observed after the opening goal against Rwanda, allowed the Amavubi to get back into the match.
“Against Nigeria in the first leg, an overly defensive approach left the field open to the Super Eagles, who finished with 57% possession compared to 43% for Benin.
“For this return match, it will be important for the Cheetahs to maintain a certain offensive presence, even in the event of a goal.
“The objective: not to allow Nigeria to impose its pace of play. Rather than giving in to the pressure of the opponent, the Beninese will have to build and maintain the pressure to avoid finding themselves locked in their half of the field.
Hounongbe took a retrospective view of Benin’s last match in October and pointed out that “against Rwanda, marking errors and spaces left allowed the Amavubi to multiply opportunities in the second half, putting the Beninese defense in difficulty.
“The same observation was made in the first leg against Nigeria where the Beninese defence had already conceded five shots on target.
“Against a team like Nigeria, which had attempted 13 shots in total during the first leg, the organization and defensive rigour will have to be flawless this Thursday in Abidjan.”
Hounongbe called on defenders like Rachid Mimouni, Olivier Verdon or Mohamed Tidjani to tighten the lines to minimize the positioning errors that had cost dearly in the past.
“Benin will also have to win the midfield battle. Because the loss of midfield duels was one of Benin’s weaknesses against Rwanda and Nigeria.
“In the first leg against the Super Eagles, Nigeria made 475 passes against 373 for Benin, with an accuracy of 84% against 79%.
“This dominance allowed them to impose themselves in this sector and put the Beninese under constant pressure.
“Against Rwanda, the Cheetahs also struggled, displaying only 34% possession. The key for the Cheetahs will be their ability to keep the ball in midfield and create openings.
“Better organization in midfield, avoiding losing duels and anticipating restarts, will be necessary to avoid repeating the scenario of previous matches.”
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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