International Football
SUPER FALCONS TO GO BIG AGAINST BANYANA FOR NINTH AFRICAN TITLE
African champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria will throw in their aces from the referee’s first blast of the whistle in Saturday’s Women Africa Cup of Nations final against South Africa at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Coach Thomas Dennerby and the captain, Onome Ebi have spoken of high level of motivation and determination in the team to retain the Women AFCON trophy and continue Nigeria’s near-absolute domination of the continental championship.
In 20 years of its existence, reigning champions Nigeria have dominated the Women AFCON to an embarrassing degree, with only Equatorial Guinea breaking their clean sweep on only two occasions.
Not just that; Nigerian players namely, Mercy Akide, Perpetua Nkwocha (on four occasions), Desire Oparanozie and Asisat Oshoala have emerged top scorers at different championships.
The latter two – Desire and Asisat – are still in the mix, and in fact constitute the Dreaded Duo that the Banyana Banyana will do well to keep sharp eyes on throughout the 90 minutes on Saturday.
Nigeria and South Africa have been in the final together once – in 2000, when the South Africans hosted but the Nigerians successfully retained the trophy after a 2-0 defeat of the hosts in Johannesburg.
While the whole team worked together for the hard –fought win over Cameroon in the semi finals, special credit must go to goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi for her calmness and confidence throughout, including stopping Gaelle Enganamouit’s kick in the penalty shoot –out, which lifted the Nigerians’ confidence.
On Saturday, Oluehi would as usual, be protected by the quartet of Josephine Chukwunonye, Onome Ebi, Osinachi Ohale and Ngozi Ebere, with Rita Chikwelu, Halimatu Ayinde and Ngozi Okobi likely to star in the middle, behind Ordega, Oparanozie and Oshoala.
Experience is an advantage standing ramrod on the Nigerian side, but it would not be an easy afternoon against a skilful, creative, energetic and technically –savvy Banyana Banyana side boosted by their 1-0 defeat of the Cup holders in the opening match of Group B in Cape Town on 18th November.
Some other positives have put the South African camp in buoyant mood. Victory over Mali in Cape Coast on Tuesday meant the Banyana will make a first –ever appearance at the FIFA World Cup come summer of 2019, and players like Thembi Kgatlana (whose goal put Nigeria to the sword) and Lebohang Ramalepe (sumptuous effort against Mali) are fired up for Saturday’s final.
Kgatlana has already been installed as the revelation of the tournament as she leads the goals’ chart with five, and in Captain Janine Van Wyk, who will be making her 159th international appearance, the Banyana have a leader who knows where all the crumbled cookies in African women football have been deposited.
An excellent atmosphere is guaranteed, with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo of Ghana to head a cast of dignitaries for the evening. CAF President Ahmad, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Olufemi Abikoye, NFF President and CAF 1st Vice President Amaju Pinnick and SAFA President and CAF Executive Committee member, Danny Jordaan are also on the list.
AWCON FINAL MATCHES IN HISTORY
1998: Nigeria 2 Ghana 0 (Abeokuta)
2000: South Africa 0 Nigeria 2 (Johannesburg)
2002: Nigeria 2 Ghana 0 (Warri)
2004: Nigeria 5 Cameroon 0 (Johannesburg)
2006: Nigeria 1 Ghana 0 (Warri)
2008: Equatorial Guinea 2 South Africa 1 (Malabo)
2010: Nigeria 4 Equatorial Guinea 2 (Johannesburg)
2012: Equatorial Guinea 4 South Africa 0 (Malabo)
2014: Nigeria 2 Cameroon 0 (Windhoek)
2016: Cameroon 0 Nigeria 1 (Yaounde)
2018: Nigeria Vs South Africa (Accra)
International Football
Grudgingly, Eto’o accepts new Cameroon coach Brys, but fails to attend ceremony
Cameroon’s new coach Marc Brys penned a contract on Monday but the Belgian’s appointment by the government remains contentious as the football federation did not attend the signing ceremony.
Brys has been handed a 2-1/2-year contract by Cameroon’s sports ministry but the federation (FECAFOOT) was conspicuous by its absence at the event in Yaounde.
Last week, FECAFOOT criticised the unilateral decision of sports minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombito to appoint the 61-year-old Brys, who has no prior experience as a national team coach and has not previously worked on the African continent.
FECAFOOT president Samuel Eto’o issued a statement on Monday, excusing himself from the unveiling event.
“We thank you for inviting us to the ceremony. Following this, we inform you of the fact that we received the letter two hours before the said ceremony,” wrote Eto’o.
“Unfortunately, we are busy organising the funeral of our late Dad, and for this reason we will not be able to attend presence at the ceremony.”
His father’s funeral is to be held at the weekend.
Eto’o balked at Brys’ appointment and is now in a deepening standoff with the minister.
In Cameroon, the government has long paid the salary of the national team coach and therefore held powerful sway over FECAFOOT’s affairs, even if such state interference is frowned upon by world football’s governing body FIFA.
Any heightened dispute risks a potential ban from international competition for Cameroon, one of the heavyweights of African football.
FECAFOOT held an emergency meeting on Saturday and asked Eto’o to propose an alternative coach for the national team.
Earlier on the weekend, the minister had defended the appointment, saying he had acted in accordance with national and international regulations.
In a letter to FECAFOOT, Kombi said his ministry’s appointment of coaching staff “in no way affects the autonomy of FECAFOOT and does not violate any of the ‘supranational regulations”.
He said FECAFOOT had suggested three candidates to the ministry but their salary demands ranged between 1.5 million euros and 2.5 million euros ($1.63 million and $2.71 million) per year.
“These are excessive amounts never paid to any coach in the history of the Indomitable Lions,” Kombi said.
-Reuters
Cameroon’s football federation (FECAFOOT) held an emergency meeting on Saturday and asked its president to propose an alternative coach for the national team, deepening a standoff with the sports ministry.
FECAFOOT on Wednesday accused the ministry of unilaterally appointing Belgian Marc Brys as coach and other staff to manage the Indomitable Lions, who are five-times African champions.
The dispute risks a potential ban from international competition as world soccer’s governing body FIFA has strict rules against government interference in national federations.
In a statement, FECAFOOT said its emergency committee had met on Saturday and unanimously confirmed that the federation had not been involved in the appointments in alleged contravention of regulations.
As a result, it asked its president Samuel Eto’o to propose a national coach and other management staff for the national side within 72 hours.
Responding to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the ministry said the result of the FECAFOOT meeting was “an appeal. It is not yet a decision.”
On Friday, Sports Minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombi wrote to FECAFOOT to defend the coaching appointments, which he said were in accordance with national and international rules.
In a letter seen by Reuters, Kombi said the ministry’s move “in no way affects the autonomy of FECAFOOT and does not violate any of the ‘supranational regulations’.”
A spokesperson for the ministry confirmed the authenticity of the letter.
Kombi’s letter also said the salaries requested by three candidates earlier proposed by the federation for the position of coach ranged between 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) and 2.5 million euros per year.
“These are excessive amounts never paid to any coach in the history of the Indomitable Lions,” Kombi said.
FECAFOOT did not respond to a request for comment on the letter.
-Reuters
RELATED STORIES:
BREAKING! Turmoil in Cameroon federation over naming of new national coach Brys. https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/2024/04/03/breaking-turmoil-in-cameroon-federation-over-naming-of-new-national-coach-brys/
Soccer Cameroon appoint Brys as new head coach https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/2024/04/03/soccer-cameroon-appoint-brys-as-new-head-coach/
International Football
National team and club-mate Owolabi commiserates with grief-stricken Odegbami –
Powerful left-wing back in his playing days, Felix Owolabi has expressed great grief over the loss of a son of former teammate, Segun Odegbami.
Both Felix Owolabi and Odegbami share common traits as the earliest tertiary institution footballers featuring for clubs and the national team.
While Odegbami was a mechanical engineering student at The Ibadan Polytechnic, Owolabi was an undergraduate at the University of Lagos.
Both were players of the then rampaging IICC Shooting Stars and the Africa Cup of Nations winning team of 1980. The crucial goals that won the cup for Nigeria were scored by the duo.
While Owolabi’s goal against Morocco sent Nigeria to the Africa Cup of Nations final match for the first time, Odegbami’s two goals in the final against Algeria put a stamp of definity to Nigeria’s victory before another club-mate Muda Lawal put in the third.
“We have come a long way”, remarked Owolabi in a message to the Sports Village Square Thursday morning.
“I have just arrived from Morocco on a national assignment trying to adjust and deal with the extreme and gruelling hot weather here in Nigeria when I got the sad news of the sudden death of the son of my dear brother and senior colleague Dr Olusegun Odegbami.
“Hearing the death of Oluwagbeminiyi Omo Odegbami, I paused for a moment and did not know what to say.
“All the media both print and electronics carried it as a breaking news.
“And that was when it dawned on me that I had to call ‘Big Sheg’ as he is fondly called by me.
“His authoritative confirmation about it dealt a blow on me and put me total darkness.What would have happened to this our vibrant and such an enterprising Oluwagbeminiyi?
“Why would death be so so wicked to suddenly take this gentleman away from us without notice. Going on a journey that he will need not to look at anybody, an eternal journey till Christ come.
“My heart and that of my entire family are with you and the rest of the family”, remarked Owolabi.
“It is well. I pray that God grant him eternal rest. I pray also that the almighty God grant you the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. Today the death of Oluwagbeminiyi has made me to believe and conclude that death is real and it is universal
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