AFCON
From AFCON Touchlines to an Open-Air Geography Class in Tangier
By Kunle Solaja, Cape Spartel in Tangier
Travelling, they say, is the most effective Geography teacher. Nowhere has that lesson been more vivid than in Morocco during the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, a competition that has doubled as a passport to discovery. Beyond goals and scorelines, the journey has unfolded across landscapes that explain why Moroccans affectionately describe their country as “The Kingdom of Light.”
Thanks to the thoughtful hospitality of the Moroccan National Association of Media and Publishers (ANME), the Africa Cup of Nations became far more than a football assignment. It turned into an excursion—one that carried me to places I would never have imagined visiting under the familiar routines of tournament coverage.
One such return journey on Tuesday led me back to Tangier, the legendary coastal city that has long served as Africa’s gateway to Europe. I arrived confident that I knew Tangier inside out. After all, this was my fourth visit. Its medina, cafés, sea breeze and cosmopolitan history felt familiar. Or so I thought.
Tangier, it turns out, always has another chapter.
Beyond Proximity to Europe
Yes, Tangier is famed as Africa’s closest point to Europe, gazing across the narrow waters at Spain. But the city is far more than a geographical footnote. It is a layered crossroads of continents, cultures and currents—both human and natural. This latest visit peeled back yet another layer, revealing landmarks that had somehow escaped me on previous trips.
The most breathtaking of them all was Cape Spartel, a place locals proudly describe as where two seas shake hands.
A Climb Through Living Landscapes
The journey itself set the tone. A tourist open-roof bus snaked its way up the undulating but impressively well-paved terrain, climbing steadily away from the city. From the elevated seats, Tangier unfolded in moving pictures: stretches of manicured botanical gardens, clusters of camels resting nonchalantly by the roadside, and pockets of small, inviting beaches tucked between rocky outcrops.
With every bend, the air grew cooler and the views wider. The road felt less like a commute and more like a guided lesson in physical geography, ecology and tourism planning—each curve revealing another postcard moment as we ascended toward the summit.
Where Two Seas Meet
Cape Spartel is not merely a scenic lookout; it is a living geography lesson. Here, the deep blue of the Mediterranean Sea meets the vast, restless Atlantic Ocean in a dramatic convergence that feels almost ceremonial. Standing at the edge, you sense movement, history and power—two great bodies of water acknowledging each other before continuing their separate journeys.
From the hilltop overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean flows eastward while the Atlantic pushes west toward the Americas, forming a two-layer exchange with currents moving in opposite directions at different depths. To the naked eye, the Mediterranean appears a calmer, deeper blue, contrasting with the visibly restless Atlantic.
The convergence of two great seas. The darker one is the Mediterranean, and the lighter coloured one is the Atlantic Ocean as viewed by Kunle Solaja
One member of Team ANME, Mamoune Kadiri, pointed to a cliff to my right and calmly noted that it was Spain, less than 14 kilometres away from Morocco and the African continent. In that instant, continents felt closer than ever.
Light, Wind and Memory
One historic feature anchoring the site is the Cape Spartel Lighthouse, a silent sentinel that has guided ships for generations. Around it, a beautifully organised tourist centre blends nature with thoughtful infrastructure, making the site accessible without diluting its raw grandeur.
Cliffs plunge toward the water below, winds whisper stories of ancient sailors, and the horizon stretches endlessly. Tangier, true to character, was windy. I paid the price for inadequate warm clothing, leaving with a cold and catarrh—small souvenirs from a place where the breeze never truly rests.
Yet what struck me most was not just the physical beauty, but the symbolism. Morocco, in calling itself the Kingdom of Light, seems to speak of clarity—of history, identity and place. At Cape Spartel, that light feels both literal and metaphorical, illuminating the meeting of seas, continents and cultures.
As the Africa Cup of Nations continues, the memories will naturally include goals, matches and stadium noise. But for me, one of the tournament’s most enduring legacies will be this rediscovery of Tangier—proof that even familiar destinations can still surprise, and that travel, when given the chance, remains the finest Geography teacher of all.
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By Kunle Solaja, Tangier
Nigeria’s Super Eagles will step onto the semi-final stage of the Africa Cup of Nations this Wednesday with a distinction no other team in the last four can boast: a perfect record. Five matches played, five victories secured, and a goal tally superior to those of the remaining three contenders underline a campaign that has steadily gathered momentum from the opening whistle.
As they prepare to confront hosts Morocco, Nigeria are the only side among the semi-final quartet still moving strictly from victory to victory at this Africa Cup of Nations. It is a rare achievement in a competition historically defined by tight margins, tactical caution and late twists—and one that may well be unprecedented in Nigeria’s AFCON history at this advanced stage.
Perfect Run, Powerful Statement
From the group phase through to the quarter-finals, the Nigeria Super Eagles have combined defensive assurance with attacking punch, finding the net more often than Morocco and the other semi-finalists. Each outing has added to the sense of inevitability surrounding their progress, with confidence building match by match rather than peaking too early.
Tournament football rarely accommodates such flawless runs. Fatigue, suspensions and the law of averages usually intervene. Yet Nigeria have navigated all five hurdles with composure, suggesting a squad finely tuned both mentally and physically for the decisive week.
Hosts, History and a Heavy Atmosphere
Standing in their way are the Atlas Lions, buoyed by home support and familiar conditions. Morocco’s path to the last four has been less emphatic but no less dangerous, shaped by resilience and tactical discipline. The semi-final therefore sets up as a clash between Nigeria’s flowing momentum and Morocco’s home-driven resolve.
For Nigeria, the challenge is not merely to extend an unbeaten run, but to protect perfection in the most unforgiving phase of the tournament. Victory would not only deliver a place in the final, it would also preserve a sequence that has already etched this Super Eagles team into rare AFCON territory.
Moving From Victory to Victory
As Wednesday approaches, the narrative is clear: Nigeria arrive as the tournament’s most consistent force, the only semi-finalist yet to stumble. Whether that remarkable sequence continues against the hosts will define not just this semi-final, but potentially the entire championship.
One more win, and the Super Eagles will be 90 minutes away from converting an extraordinary, perfect run into continental glory.
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By Kunle Solaja, Casablanca enroute Tangier
Nigeria’s Super Eagles will this Tuesday discover the roadmap to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations when the Confederation of African Football conducts the draw for the qualifying series of the continent’s flagship tournament.
The draw marks the formal start of the qualification race for the 2027 finals, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It will be the first time three nations co-host the Africa Cup of Nations and also the last edition to be staged on a biennial cycle before the competition switches to a four-year format.
According to the Confederation of African Football, the qualification process will begin with preliminary rounds involving the lowest-ranked teams on the continent.
The six winners from those preliminary ties will advance to join 42 other nations already assured of a place in the main qualification phase.
Nigeria, ranked among Africa’s top sides, are expected to enter directly into the group stage of the qualifiers, avoiding the preliminary hurdle. Once the full list of 48 teams is confirmed, CAF is widely expected to place them into 12 groups, with each group producing two qualifiers.
That format would see 24 teams secure tickets to the finals, known as the “Pamoja” tournament — a Swahili word meaning “together”, symbolising the joint-hosting arrangement by the three East African nations.
For the Super Eagles, the draw will offer early clues about the difficulty of their qualification campaign, including potential long-haul travel challenges, regional rivalries and scheduling demands. Nigeria have qualified for 20 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and will be targeting a smooth passage to the 2027 finals as they continue rebuilding after recent continental campaigns.
CAF is yet to publish the full calendar and match windows for the qualifiers, but the process is expected to align with FIFA international windows, allowing European-based stars to feature regularly for their national teams.
As Nigeria await Tuesday’s draw, attention will be firmly fixed on which opponents stand between the Super Eagles and a place at what promises to be a historic Africa Cup of Nations in East Africa — and the closing chapter of AFCON’s long-running biennial era.
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A man who styled himself as a marabout on social media and boldly promised Mali victory at the Africa Cup of Nations has been arrested for fraud after collecting more than 22 million CFA francs (about €33,500), local sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The man, identified only as Sinayogo, had solicited donations online in exchange for spiritual assurances that the Eagles of Mali would lift the continental trophy. His claims collapsed dramatically on Friday night when Mali were knocked out of the tournament at the quarter-final stage by Senegal, losing 1–0.
According to one of his associates, Sinayogo had raised more than 22 million CFA francs during Mali’s run at the Africa Cup of Nations. But following the elimination, anger spilt onto the streets. An irate crowd reportedly gathered at his residence, forcing police to intervene and remove him for his own safety.
Sinayogo was arrested on Saturday and placed in detention at the cybercrime unit, according to two videographers who previously worked with him and later visited him in custody. Authorities confirmed he is being held on suspicion of fraud linked to online deception.
“Charlatanism is punishable by law in Mali,” an official from the cybercrime unit told AFP. The official added that taking action earlier would have been difficult while the national team remained in the competition, describing the period as “the heat of the Africa Cup of Nations.”
Further details have since emerged about Sinayogo’s rise. A social media content creator close to him said the man was previously known as a political activist before “proclaiming himself a marabout overnight and making a fortune.”
The case has ignited debate in Mali over superstition, social media influence and the emotional pull of football, as hopes of continental glory once again gave way to disappointment — and, this time, a police investigation.
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