CHAN
A look at every team Super Eagles-B will face in CHAN 2024 Group Stage
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
For the fifth time in the continental title chase, a Nigerian team will have to face a defending champion at a group stage.
The other instances that the Nigerian national team had to face defending champions in group stages were in the Africa Cup of Nations of 1976, 1984, 2010 and 2013 when the Super Eagles faced Zaire (now DR Congo), Ghana, Egypt and Zambia respectively.
This time at the African Nations Championship, the Super Eagles B have been drawn to play against Senegal who won the last edition in Algeria two years ago.
Senegal
They won the last edition, beating the home team, Algeria in a keenly contested final match that went beyond regulation time and had to be settled by penalty shoot-out.
In winning, Senegal became the first country to simultaneously hold the continental flagship competition, the AFCON and also CHAN.
They extended their dominance to the winning of both the U-20 and U-17 AFCON.
Two of the players who featured in the last edition of CHAN are in the current squad that has again qualified.
They are Serigné Koita and Aboudoulaye Dieng. It is expected that their experience will count a lot for Senegal.
The team is under Coach Souleymane Diallo, a rising coaching figure in Senegalese football.
He had distinguished himself by developing promising talents on the international stage.
Senegal’s Coach Souleymane Diallo
According to information supplied by CAF, Diallo’s record testifies to his ability to combine training and character development in players, making him a key asset in the progression of Senegalese football.
He is distinguished by a pragmatic and balanced tactical approach and a solid and structured defence, built around a compact block.
This defensive organisation is based on strict discipline and fluid communication between the lines.
In the attack, Diallo favours a direct approach. The rapid transition phases are at the heart of his system, exploiting the speed and technicality of his attackers to catch the opposing defences by surprise.
Congo
The Congolese are going to the African Nations Championship for the fifth time in eight editions. They are therefore a step ahead of Nigeria in terms of attendance.
They were quarter-finalists in 2018 and 2020. The team is nicknamed the Red Devils.
The team’s head coach is Barthélémy Ngatsono. The player to watch is Chelcy Bonazebi, the team’s goalkeeper.
Almost a replica of Nigeria’s legendary Emmanuel Okala, Bonazebi stands at 1.97m and has exceptional reflexes. He is just slightly shorter than Okala who is 1.98m.
Just like Okala in those days, Bonazebi is known for his commanding aerial ability and excellent game reading. His calm demeanour under pressure and ability to organize the backline has been a major factor in Congo’s qualification.
Sudan
The team is known as Falcons of Jediane. Like Nigeria, the Sudanese are going to the African Nations Championship for the fourth time. Their best outing has been at the 2011 and 2018 edition when they finished third.
In Nigeria’s march to the title match of 2018, the Super Eagles eliminated Sudan in the semi-final after a hard-fought 1-0 win. Great thanks to Gabriel Okechukwu’s 16th-minute strike.
The team is being handled by Ghana’s Kwesi Appiah who achieved a double by also qualifying Sudan’s main national team for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana’s Coach Kwesi Appian steering Sudan to great heights
Appiah previously coached several clubs, such as the Ghanaian outfit Asante Kotoko and the Sudanese club Khartoum between 2014 and 2017, where he achieved remarkable success.
Former Ghana international Appiah coached Ghana from 2012 to 2014 and played a big role in their qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
He led them for a second time too between 2017 and 2020. Apart from the tactical approach of Kwesi Appiah , the Nigerian team will have to watch out for Mohamed Abdel Rahman ‘Al-Ghorbal’, a striker of the Sudanese club Al-Hilal.
He is the most prominent player in the Sudanese national team and the third-highest scorer for Sudan.
Rahman has a lot of experience due to his experience with clubs in Sudan and abroad, which will undoubtedly benefit the Falcons of Jediane during the 2024 CHAN finals.
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Head Coach Eric Chelle has released a 35-man provisional squad for Nigeria’s Super Eagles B ahead of the 8th African Nations Championship (CHAN), set to hold next month across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Among the invited players are team captain Junior Harrison Nduka, Papa Mustapha Daniel, and striker Anas Yusuf. First-choice goalkeeper Henry Ani also made the list, alongside defenders Waliu Ojetoye, Ifeanyi Onyebuchi, Mohammed Kabiru, and Uzondu Harrison.
The midfield ranks are bolstered by the inclusion of Saviour Isaac and Haddi Haruna, while the attacking lineup features Sunday Megwo, Adamu Abubakar, and Godwin Obaje.
Also making the squad are goalkeepers Kayode Bankole and Ebenezer Harcourt, defenders Sodiq Ismaila and Stephen Manyo Egbe, midfielder Adam Aminu, and forwards Atule Joseph and Temitope Vincent.
Nigeria, runners-up in the 2018 edition, are drawn in Group D of the expanded 19-team tournament. They will face defending champions Senegal, as well as Sudan and Congo.
The Super Eagles B are scheduled to play their first two matches—against Senegal and Sudan—at the Amman Stadium in Zanzibar, before traveling to Dar es Salaam to take on Congo at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
All invited players have been directed to report at the Remo Stars Sports Institute in Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State, on Monday, July 7, with their international passports and valid club licenses.
35 PLAYERS FOR SUPER EAGLES B CAMPING IN IKENNE-REMO
Goalkeepers: Henry Ozoemena Ani (Enyimba FC); Kayode Bankole (Remo
Stars); Nurudeen Badmus (Kwara United); Lawal Mustapha (Shooting Stars);
Ebenezer Harcourt (Sporting Lagos)
Defenders: Sodiq Ismaila (Remo Stars); Waliu Ojewole (Ikorodu City);
Bankole Afeez (Kwara United); Taiwo Abdulrafiu (Rivers United); Uzondu
Harrison (Ikorodu City); Junior Harrison Nduka (Remo Stars); Mohammed
Kabiru (Kwara United); Ngengen Leonard (Ikorodu City); Ifeanyi Onyebuchi
(Rangers International); Steven Mayo Egbe (Rivers United)
Midfielders: Adebayo Olamilekan (Remo Stars); Adejoh Ojonugwa (Abia
Warriors); Saviour Isaac (Rangers International); Musa Zayyad (El-Kanemi
Warriors); Haddi Haruna (Remo Stars); Otaniyi Taofik (Rivers United);
Papa Daniel Mustapha (Niger Tornadoes); Adam Aminu (Kano Pillars);
Michael Tochukwu (Remo Stars)
Forwards: Anas Yusuf (Nasarawa United); Adamu Abubakar (Plateau United);
Shola Adelani (Ikorodu City); Sikiru Alimi (Remo Stars); Temitope
Vincent (Plateau United); Ijoma Anthony (Abia Warriors); Atule Joseph
(Enyimba FC); Ayomide Cole (Ikorodu City); Sunday Megwo (Abia Warriors);
Aniekeme Okon (Rivers United); Godwin Obaje (Rangers International)
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With just over a month to the kick-off of the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN), defending champions Senegal have begun early preparations by opening a two-week residential training camp ahead of the tournament.
The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) confirmed that the camp, which commenced on Monday, June 30, is taking place at the Jules François Bocandé Technical Development Centre in Toubab Dialaw. The training programme will run until July 11 and serves as a key phase in the Teranga Lions A’ team’s build-up to the continental competition.
CHAN 2025, which runs from August 2 to 30, will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Senegal, drawn in Group D alongside Nigeria, Sudan, and Congo, will play their group matches in Zanzibar.
A total of 28 players have been called up for this initial training phase, with selections drawn largely from standout performers in Senegal’s domestic league. Teungueth FC, reigning champions of Ligue 1, lead the contributions with four players in the squad. Other top clubs including Generation Foot, AS Pikine, Casa Sports, and ASC Jaraaf are also well represented.
According to the FSF, the camp is focused on tactical drills, fitness conditioning, and fostering team chemistry as the West African side seeks to retain the title they won in Algeria in 2023.
The coaching crew will use this period to assess player form and fitness while planning a series of test matches to fine-tune the squad ahead of the final list for the tournament.
The CHAN tournament, staged biennially, is exclusively reserved for players who compete in their respective national leagues. It serves as a key platform for local talent to gain international exposure and plays a vital role in player development across the continent.
Senegal’s early move into camp signals their serious intent to mount a strong title defence in what promises to be a fiercely competitive tournament. Their opening group game against Nigeria is already drawing attention as one of the headline clashes of the group stage.
Below is the full list of 28 players invited to camp:
Marc Phillips Arona Diouf (Teungueth FC), Idrissa Ndiaye (Génération Foot), Mouhamed Sissokho (Amitié FC), Amar Fall (AS Pikine), Elhadji Malick Sembene (Dakar Sacré-Coeur), Seyni Mbaye Ndiaye (US Gorée), Baye Assane Ciss (Teungueth FC), Ousmane Konate (AS Douanes), Daouda Ba (Dakar Sacré-Coeur), Alfred Gomis (US Ouakam), Amadou Bene Coly (AJEL Rufisque), Joseph Layousse Ifra Samb (Teungueth), Issa Kane (Casa Sports), Issaga Kane (ASC Jaraaf), Mbaye Yaya Ly (AS Pikine), Pape Abasse Badji (Génération Foot), Ousseynou Fall Seck (AJEL Rufisque), Insa Boye (Diambars), Libasse Gueye (Teungueth FC), Mangone Ndiaye (AS Pikine), Oumar Ba (US Gorée), Ameth Niang (ASC Jaraaf), Moustapha Fanne (Guédiawaye), Isma Gueye Kouate (Génération Foot), Mapathe Mbodj (AS Kaffrine), Christian Gomis (Essamaye FC), Seydina Madione Mbaye (AJEL Rufisque), Bonaventure Bonito Fonseca (US Ouakam)
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CHAN
CHAN 2024: Nigeria to Play Group Matches in Zanzibar as Tournament Serves as AFCON 2027 Dress Rehearsal
Nigeria’s Super Eagles B team will play their Group B matches of the 8th African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Zanzibar, an island territory of Tanzania, when the competition kicks off from August 2 to 30, 2024.
The island, located off the East African coast, has a population of under two million and is one of three host venues selected for the tournament.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Thursday that the CHAN tournament—reserved for players plying their trade in domestic leagues—will serve as a dress rehearsal for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Group B, where Nigeria is drawn, includes reigning champions Senegal, Congo, and Sudan. Congo was recently reinstated into the group following the expulsion of Equatorial Guinea by the CAF Appeals Committee.
The opening match of the tournament will be held at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Kampala’s Mandela Stadium in Uganda will host the third and fourth matches, while the final is scheduled for Saturday, August 30, at the Moi International Sports Centre in Nairobi, Kenya.
Nigeria, silver medallists in the 2018 edition and bronze winners in 2014, booked their place at this year’s finals after defeating Ghana 3-1 on aggregate in their qualifying tie last December.
GROUP A: Kenya, Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, Zambia (Nairobi)
GROUP B: Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic (Dar es Salaam)
GROUP C: Uganda, Niger, Guinea, South Africa, Algeria (Kampala)
GROUP D: Senegal, Congo, Sudan, Nigeria (Zanzibar)
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