AFCON
Opinion: Youth Pays Bafana Price
ÛCLEMENT NWANKPA JR,
Courtesy: Nigeria Football Support Platform
I knew this moment will come but didn’t know it will come this soon. Frankly, I didn’t know it will be against South Africa. But the way this team was structured under Gernot Rohr, I always noted one shortcoming (I didn’t see many) “…the Experience Quotient” which is glaringly low.
It’s a very young team and you always sense a need to inject some experience. For this reason, I have always defended the inclusion of Mikel Obi even when he wasn’t making Chelsea’s bench.
I clamoured for Vincent Enyeama’s return; defended Ahmed Musa’s relevance despite limited outings at Leicester and explained away Victor Moses’ perceived ‘truancy’. The ingredient they bring to that team is priceless.
The fact remains that the Super Eagles is in dire need of some sprinkle of experience, anyhow. There are a lot of young talented players in there but the requisite experience that provides guidance is in short supply.
In international football, there must be commensurate blend of youth and experience to make success assured. Inexperienced teams don’t win major titles. Youth takes you to a point and experience takes you further.
You need the mobility of youth as much as guidance and direction of experience. We have been carried away by the abundance of young players available to Rohr but we failed to take note of the erosion of experience in the team.
Nobody is angling for an elders’ council in the form of a national team but you need players who had seen it all and done it all to take you through difficult times.
I had expected this rude awakening in the forthcoming World Cup fixtures against Cameroon and Algeria, if the needful wasn’t done, but I did not expect it to come so soon especially against South Africa.
We all expected it to be business as usual against South Africa. But today, youth ran dry and the experience that should oil the engine was not enough.
The kids got to their limit but the grey hairs that should take them further were lacking.
Result: No direction, no guidance at the middle of a battle where the opposition had taken full control. They needed some battle-tested ‘Generals’ to proffer alternative routes from the blockade mounted by the opposition.
But the ‘Generals’ had either been retired or are not fit for battle. Of course, there was a limit to what a fasting Ahmed Musa could have done when he was introduced.
Now pause and ponder: Couldn’t Algeria have done the same if Mikel Obi and Victor Moses were not on the pitch that day?
Was that doomsday postponed? Hmm…This Daniel Akpeyi ‘sef…’ Given the fact that the defence is this team’s weakest link; wouldn’t an Enyeama provide more security?
Can you imagine the scenario when we visit Algeria and Cameroon with the obvious shortcoming between the sticks? Even if we make it to the World Cup, where the competition is tougher, are we not safer with Vincent Enyeama?
Without the proper blend of experience, this team will have many of such moments, particularly at the biggest stage. Good that it happened now.
The AFCON ticket hasn’t slipped away and we are still in World Cup driver’s seat. Let us plug the loopholes. Let’s make necessary injections to equip this team for tougher times.
Let’s accord our heroes more respect… Let’s reduce the rate at which we force our internationals into premature retirement.
Sometimes, they are still doing it out there while the national team is in dire need of their services.
What the old man sees sitting, the youth won’t see even from a tree top
The Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) has kicked off a European promotional tour themed “Morocco, Land of Football” to boost the country’s visibility ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The roadshow, which began on June 16 and runs through June 23, is making stops in five key European cities: Madrid, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Milan.
According to a press release, the initiative is designed to enhance Morocco’s international profile through a blend of sports and cultural promotion, as the kingdom prepares to host the continent’s premier football tournament.
“Morocco is preparing to welcome Africa. Through this roadshow, we aim to tell a collective story of a country oriented towards the future, proud of its roots, and passionate about football,” said Achraf Fayda, Director General of ONMT.
The roadshow stems from a strategic partnership signed in April between the ONMT and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), with the shared goal of positioning Morocco as a leading global destination for both football and tourism by 2030.
At each stop, the tour is expected to engage over 100 travel agents, tour operators, media professionals, and African tourism experts. Participants are treated to immersive, multisensory experiences that highlight Morocco’s tourism offerings, while also facilitating networking with sports personalities.
The campaign targets travel professionals, sports industry stakeholders, and digital content creators as part of ONMT’s broader strategy to leverage AFCON 2025 for tourism development and international branding.
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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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