AFCON

By Sabiu Abdullahi  

The Super Eagles of Nigeria soared to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, edging out the resilient Bafana Bafana of South Africa in a tense penalty shootout.

The match, which culminated in a one-all draw through regular play and extra time, showcased the grit and determination of both sides. 

The encounter marked the Super Eagles’ record 15th appearance in the AFCON semi-finals, a testament to their enduring legacy in African football.

However, it was far from an easy feat, as the match pushed them to their limits. 

Nigeria’s journey to the final was fraught with challenges, including last-minute fitness concerns.

Star striker Victor Osimhen overcame abdominal discomfort to lead the line, while a late injury forced coach Jose Peseiro to shuffle his starting lineup, with Bright Osayi-Samuel stepping in for the injured Zaidu Sanusi. 

The tactical battle unfolded with Nigeria opting for a 3-4-3 formation, mirrored by Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana. However, the Eagles initially struggled to contain the pace and positional awareness of South Africa’s attacking duo, Percy Tau and Evidence Makgopa. 

Despite the early setbacks, Nigeria showcased resilience and determination, gradually asserting control as the match progressed.

The defensive trio of William Troost-Ekong, Semi Ajayi, and Calvin Bassey weathered the storm, thwarting numerous attempts from the South African side.

As the tension mounted, neither team could find the breakthrough, leading to a nail-biting penalty shootout. In a display of nerves of steel, the Super Eagles held their composure, clinching a thrilling 4-2 victory from the spot, much to the delight of their passionate supporters. 

With this hard-fought triumph, Nigeria secures a spot in the AFCON final, poised to vie for continental glory against a formidable opposition.

By Aliyu Yakubu Yusuf

The reigning champions and the best national team in the continent, Senegal, had met its waterloo at the hands of the host, Ivory Coast, who must be buoyant, having qualified to the Round of 16 by the skin of their teeth when all around them was doom and gloom. 

The Teranga Lions entered the tournament as the undisputed favourites to record a back-to-back triumph. They justified their billing by becoming the only country to win all three group games, often at a canter. The stage was set for Mane and Co. to dominate the knockout stages. However, the Ivorians read a different script.

The Elephants came into the tournament as the host country with little expectations. Gone are the days of Drogba, Yaya and Kolo Toure, Kalou and Zokora. So, one expected the host to mount a serious title challenge. But no one expected them to lose embarrassingly to Equatorial Guinea either. Ultimately, they qualified into the knockouts as the worst of all the 16 entrants. Few people gave them a chance to overcome the swaggering Senegal. And that’s what they just did.

Such is the cruel nature of winner-takes-all international football. The Ivorians must now be cautiously optimistic about their chances, having surmounted the most difficult of obstacles. Senegal must be ruing what might have been while they lick their wounds.

By Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani

It is no longer news that another African coach has won the African Cup of Nations, bringing it to six out of the last nine editions won by African coaches. Coach Aliou Cisse of Senegal joined the illustrious list of African coaches that have won it in the period under review:  Hassan Shehata of Egypt, three times, Steven Keshi of Nigeria, Djamel Belmadi of Algeria,  all once.

While I don’t know have anything personal against expatriate coaches, I have everything against the perception that our African coaches are not technically sound to manage our national teams. This is absurd. There are good coaches all over the world.

There are brilliant football managers all across mother Africa who should not be disapproved merely because of what can be referred to as our syndrome of not valuing our own. It shouldn’t be so. 

Of course, Nigeria’s best coach in history is a Dutchman, Clemens Westerhof, who coached Nigeria from 1989 to 1994: winning silver in Algeria 1990, bronze in Senegal 1992, and winning gold in Tunisia 1994.

Westerhof Qualified Nigeria to her maiden World Cup, played some of the most entertaining football ever in Africa and achieved the highest ranking by an African national team, 5th in April 1994 FIFA rankings.

Thus, there isn’t any way I would despise foreign coaches. It isn’t logical. However, I advocate that they be given fairgrounds to compete with our local coaches, and when appointed, all should be supported sufficiently to succeed. 

It is still fresh in my mind how Nigeria Football Federation got itself trapped in a web it is still striving to overcome. They sacked Gernot Rohr at the eleventh hour, which I still think is debatable. Yet, they went ahead to ‘appoint’ a new manager while an interim manager was in place. Who does that before a major tournament and the World Cup playoff around the corner? 

I had thought they should have waited for the AFCON to conclude before appointing any manager, especially with an interim manager already appointed. And all those who shared my views have been proven right with the latest development of allowing the interim manager, Austin Eguavoen, to continue until after the World Cup playoff against Ghana.

I think we would have been saved all this rigmarole if the NFF had at least trusted him enough to be the interim manager and not gone ahead to supposedly have an agreement with someone to succeed him regardless of his performances. 

Until, the Nigerian football fanatics reigned and rallied around the interim manager after some spectacular displays at the group stage of the AFCON, which seemed to have been adequate to make NFF take this recent decision, despite our shock elimination at the last 16 by Tunisia.  May we learn to give our best any job, support, and trust them to deliver. God bless Nigeria. 

Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani wrote from Turaki B, Jalingo, Taraba State via abdulrazaksansani93@gmail.com.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A stadium is set to be named after Sadio Mane in his home town of Sedhiou in Senegal after helping his country to win the just concluded AFCON.

Senegal’s minister of culture and communication, Abdoulaye Diop, confirmed the news this past week.

According to Diop, the stadium is named after the region’s favourite son.

“I would like, through this decision to give the name of Sadio Mané to the Stade de Sédhiou, to express the recognition of all the daughters and sons of the region, towards a man who makes known to the humanity as a whole, Bambali and its regional capital, namely Sédhiou,” Diop was quoted saying by the local media.

Diop added that “Sadio Mane really deserves this honour.”

The Liverpool forward scored the winning penalty as Senegal beat Egypt 4-2 to win the 2021 African Cup of Nations held in Cameroon for the first time in history. Mane also earned the love and respect of millions of people owing to his charity works.

By Usama Abdullahi

If there’s anything I have learnt from Super Eagles’ sad loss in this year’s AFCON is the absurdity associated with it. Of course, it’s unfortunate Nigeria lost to Tunisia in the round of 16 yesterday. But, as a patriotic citizen, what do you do? Of course, you express your grief about that and hope for the better next time. Period!

Contrary to this, several unpatriotic citizens who are also lacking in maturity attribute the team’s misfortune to Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari. I thought they were joking, but it turned out that they meant what they said. Before the commencement of the match, Buhari had a virtual call with the team in which he encouraged them. 

But as the match ended in favour of Tunisia, the media was full of aggressive and disparaging remarks about the call and the President. Some foolishly described the President’s call as a disastrous one, which, however, ‘led’ to the painful yet unexpected exit of the Nigerian Super Eagles from the AFCON.

However, this didn’t surprise me because, before the match kickoff, some simpletons had already predicted and discounted the team’s failure out of obviously immutable dislike for the President’s encouraging call. We are a society easily driven by silliness. 

If you buy into the nutty notion that the President’s call was the reason for the team’s woeful undoing, then you’re no different from the person living with psychosis. This mental illness makes you behave abnormally and believe things that aren’t true. 

Let’s stop this nonsense, accept the defeat smilingly, congratulate our lads for their previous victories, and encourage them to do better ahead of the Qatar World Cup playoff match.

Usama Abdullahi wrote from Abuja, Nigeria. He can be reached at usamagayyi@gmail.com.

By Aliyu Yakubu Yusuf

The group stages have come and gone at the ongoing AFCON in Cameroon, with Algeria and Ghana being the biggest casualties. For the 2-time winners Algeria, it was nothing short of a travesty that they failed to qualify from their pool. After all, they were on a 33 game unbeaten streak before the tournament. They were also odds-on favourite to go all the way. And to be fair, they crafted more than enough chances to win their opening two games against Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea before they met their waterloo against Ivory Coast. But unfortunately, their tournament can best be summarized as a combination of poor finishing, complacency and rotten luck.

As for the 4-time champions Ghana, the least said, the better. They played some of the most dreadful football in the tournament. Add this to their ill-discipline, and you have the Ghanaians knocked out in the first hurdle. That they couldn’t defeat the debutant Comoros is a damning indictment of the once-proud footballing nation.

Now that the group stages are over, the margin for errors is entirely gone. Our own Super Eagles have been the team of the tournament so far, but that counts for nothing if we fail to get the job done in the subsequent tournament rounds. Our reward for winning three out of three games is a tantalizing tie against former champions Tunisia, who have largely underwhelmed in the tournament. On the evidence of what has been seen so far, bookmakers would have Nigeria as the firm favourite to advance to the quarter-finals; and rightly so. However, I earnestly pray that our fantastic showing does not get our players and coaching staff complacent. The winner takes all nature of knockout rounds makes it an unforgiving business. It only takes an avoidable error by a player or a coach for a team to book the next flight home. Besides, the Tunisians are no pushovers. On the contrary, they have the experience and the pedigree to cause an upset.

Often, a team performs wonderfully at the group stages only to be undone by their heralded opponents. I always remember the 2002/2003 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in which Juventus sent Barcelona parking. At the time, Barcelona got 16 points from the second group and had won a total of 11 out of 12 group stage games (there were two group stages then, in case you were wondering), and Juventus managed to crawl their way out of the second group with 7 points. When they were paired against Barcelona, many football fans and pundits regarded it as a foregone conclusion. Against all odds, Juventus not only defeated the seemingly unbeatable Barca, but they went all the way to the final, where AC Milan narrowly defeated them via penalty shootouts. The biggest lesson I have learned from that encounter is that as long as a team is still standing, it stands a chance to win a tournament. I hope our players think the same way.

The round of 16 fixtures has drawn up the path to the trophy, with Nigeria, Senegal, Mali and Tunisia as the biggest teams on the same half of the draw and Egypt, Morocco, Cameroon and Ivory Coast on the other half. If (not when) we overcome Tunisia, we are scheduled to play the winner of Burkina Faso and Gabon. And if we win that tie, we would be facing one of Senegal, Cape Verde, Mali and Equatorial Guinea before the final showdown at Yaoundé. So here’s wishing the Super Eagles all the good luck in the world.

Aliyu is a lecturer at the Department of English and Literary Studies, Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via aliyuyy@gmail.com.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

President Muhammadu Buhari congratulates Super Eagles on their brilliant wins against Egypt, Sudan and Guinea Bissau at the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

The President took to his verified Facebook account to commend the victories of the Super Eagles and urged them to maintain the zeal in making Nigeria proud.

The President posted, “Congratulations to our Super Eagles on winning all their three games and advancing to the second round of the AFCON in grand style. “

The President also advised the players to be good ambassadors of their country on and off the pitch.

He also noted that Nigerians are looking forward to Super Eagles bringing the cup home and assured them of his unflinching support.

He wrote, “They are assured of my unflinching support as they soar like the Eagles that they are to write yet another brilliant chapter of the unfolding story of Nigerian football”

By Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani 

I had initially not titled this article “AFCON: The gigantic tournament” not because I had less respect for it hitherto. “I’ve heard that so often, that there’s no international break until March,” Jurgen Klopp said. “In January, there’s a little tournament in Africa, I just want to say, and I think Asia is playing games, too – South America as well. Great, can’t wait!” But I have done so now primarily to respond to the purported disregard, misinformation, or rather outright disrespect directed at the most prestigious football tournament in Africa, which Jurgen Klopp’s comment on the African Cup of Nations seems to convey, as less relevant.  I have tremendous respect for Klopp, one of the finest tacticians in football. I can’t certainly say he meant to disrespect the AFCON, though, this doesn’t stop me from tackling what is gradually gaining credence in Europe whether glaringly or subtly: the scanty regard for AFCON. 

I had once written an article titled the Pinnacle of African football and the quest for glory. It would have been published ahead of the last edition of AFCON in Egypt. However, it was never published. The said title aptly captured how I view African football. I believe this is how the vast majority of African football fanatics regard it. And no amount of disrespect, misunderstanding, red herrings, or disinformation could alter that. 

The biggest event in African football commences on 9th January,  with five times Champions Cameroon taking on Burkina Faso in Olembe Stadium in Yaounde. It is the curtain-raiser for the most important tournament in African football. The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, known as the Total 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, is the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the tournament will be hosted by Cameroon, the Champions of the 31st edition. The competition was held in June/July in the previous edition, which Algeria won. 

But this edition has been moved back to January/February. Cameroon were to host the last edition, only for them to be stripped of the hosting right in  November 2018 mainly for three reasons: Anglophone crisis, delays in the delivery of critical infrastructure, and the Boko Haram crisis. This edition of the AFCON has come with numerous challenges even before it starts. Strong opposition has come from many angles centred on the timing of the AFCON. Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reverted back to AFCON’s traditional calendar, as against the normal Summer calendar used in major international competitions like the World Cup and European Football competition, though the former is set to be played in November this year, unlike the prior editions. 

The bulk of the opposition to the timing of the AFCON has understandably come from European clubs, who have a lot to lose by having some of their key players miss some features for the duration of the AFCON. These have made many clubs to devise means to keep their players against the wishes of the players or in collaboration with the players. This has allegedly seen some of the clubs going out of their ways to engage in unethical practices in order to keep their players from playing for their countries. We heard former Super Eagles player, John Ogu made startling revelations about his manager asking him to fake injuries in order to prevent him from playing for the Nigerian national team, ‘not even surprised at the situation of the foreign managers or clubs not wanting their players to go represent their country in tournaments,’ Ogu tweeted.

‘One certain manager in Portugal asked [that] I tell the coach of Eagles then that I was injured so as not to go for a friendly game.

‘After I left, went back to the club, he stopped playing me, and this was prior to the World Cup coming that year. I made mentioned it here and many out here said I was lying and so on. Una don see how them be now?’

Ogu, who eventually missed out on the 2014 tournament, has been without a club in 2020, as reported by Goal.com Africa.

‘I missed out on that World Cup list,’ he continued. “The evil part of it was when the list came out and he found out I wasn’t invited, man, walk up to me and asked I call the manager to list me and that if he wants, he can start me in the last game in the league.” ‘I was shocked how evil one can be.’  You could see the length some of these clubs could go. It is absurd, gratuitous, unacceptable, and a blatant disregard for African football and Africa in general. 

European Club Association wrote FIFA, stating why they might not release players for AFCON: health, the welfare of players, and the timing of the AFCON. The ECA further accused African football affiliated associations of failing to “properly implement protocols with worrying degrees of negligence.” The ECA said they would release African players for the forthcoming 2021 African Cup of Nations only when national football associations in Africa meet certain stringent conditions. At its meeting of December 2, 2021, the ECA in an official letter to FIFA Deputy Secretary-General Matthias Grafstrom and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), made their position known, especially with the raging Omicron variant of Covid_19. The ECA mandated FIFA and CAF to ensure necessary precautions are in place to protect players and club interests ahead of the tournament.

I have to concede that there are vital issues to iron out in the timing of the AFCON and the ECA are entitled to protect their interests. So also are CAF and its member associations. CAF will be unfair to its affiliated associations if it remains adamant on the current calendar merely to prove a point that it has sufficient grounds. However, all these don’t give the ECA the impetus let alone the justification to insult African football. Going forward there should be a clearly defined means, concessions, and major decisions must be made by all stakeholders for a mutually beneficial solution.

I know certainly that if it were the other way round: The backlash from the European press, clubs, and fans would have been deafening. A Series of sanctions would have been in place on those clubs from FIFA. CAF, FIFA, and all stakeholders should treat this matter thoroughly with a view to finding a lasting solution that has the players, the fans, and everyone in mind. Above all, a workable remedy that upholds the dignity of Africans and aids the development of the beautiful game should be rigorously pursued. 

Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani Writes from Turaki B, Jalingo, Taraba State and can be contacted via abdulrazaksansani93@gmail.com.

By Aliyu Yakubu Yusuf

Compared to its more illustrious continental equivalents, the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) receives far little media fanfare. With its scheduling in the winter when European football is well underway, the AFCON has been a pain in the ass for many a European club. And the actions on the pitch so far have elicited little excitement among watching fans. Goals have been at a premium, with just nine goals scored in the opening eight games in the tournament, making it a ratio of just over a goal a game.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria took on the Pharaohs of Egypt in a much-anticipated clash of African football titans. With Mohamed Salah at his mesmerizing best for his club, Liverpool and Nigeria having to play without two of its most in-form forwards, Victor Osimhen and Emmanuel Dennis, who are unavailable for various reasons, many pundits and bookmakers earmarked Egypt as the favourite. However, the Eagles didn’t read the script. As soon as the match kicked off, the Nigerians asserted themselves and dominated the early exchanges. However, they were made to wait until the 30^th minute of the game before they got the deserved breakthrough.

Moses Simon, who was a menace for the Egyptian defence all first-half long, left the Egyptian full-back, Tawfik, for dead before putting in a teasing cross that Hegazy partly cleared. The ball fell nicely to Joe Aribo, who directed the ball to Kelechi Iheanacho, who fired an unstoppable missile into the Egyptian net to send thousand Nigerians who crossed the border to Garoua to watch the game into rapture. That was to prove the game’s only goal that turned into a topsy-turvy affair in the second half.

If the Super Eagles were great in the first half, they were effective in the second. The Pharaohs improved massively in the second half. However, the Nigerians fashioned many gilt-edged chances on the break. With a little more composure in front of the goal, the Super Eagles would have won by at least three clear goals. But, assisted by the evergreen Wilfred Ndidi and the silky Joe Aribo at the middle of the park, the Nigerian defence line comprised Ola Aina, Troos-Ekong, Kenneth Omeruo and Zaidu Sunusi successfully managed the unenviable task of keeping Mohamed Salah at bay.

Credit must go to the coach Agustin Eguavon who made his debut today. The Super Eagles had been a shamble for long stretches at the end of Gernot Rohr’s tenure. If this match is anything to go by, the future looks promising for the Super Eagles. Of course, as a traditional footballing powerhouse in the continent, Nigeria goes to any AFCON tournament as one of the favourites. However, it is still early days, and there are better teams in this tournament than the Pharaohs. So, I think Nigeria has an outside chance to go over the finish line.  

Aliyu is a lecturer at the Department of English and Literary Studies, Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via aliyuyy@gmail.com.

By our Reporter who is in Garoua

Hours ahead of Nigeria’s Group D opener against the Pharaohs of Egypt, many residents of Garoua have expressed their support for the Super Eagles and vowed to cheer the Nigerian national team to victory. 

After a grand opening ceremony, the twice-postponed Africa Cup of Nations finally kicked off on Sunday in Yaounde. The opening match ended with the hosts, Cameroon, beating Burkina Faso 2:1 to lead Group A.

Nigeria, playing in Group D alongside Egypt, Sudan and Guinea-Bissau, will get into action Tuesday evening against the Mohamed Salah-led Egyptians. All Group D matches will be played at the Roumde Adjia Stadium in Garoua.

Thousands of Super Eagles fans have stormed the Northern Cameroon town “to offer their maximum support” for Nigeria’s national team “to emerge victorious”. While many arrived by air, fans mostly from northern Nigerian states crossed the land and water borders between Nigeria and Cameroon through Adamawa state.

Garoua, a predominantly Fulani Muslim town, is wearing a new look with all major roads and streets adorned in Cameroon flags alongside flags of other participating countries. Nigerian flags can be sighted in many different locations, including on cars and motorbikes, signalling the level of support the Super Eagles have among Cameroonians as well as Nigerians residing in the country.

Many residents interviewed by TDR throw their weight behind the Super Eagles in the promising encounter against the North African opponents “in the spirit of good neighbourliness”, they said. 

“Though I like Salah (Liverpool star who is expected to lead the Egyptian onslaught against Nigeria), I will support Nigeria. When they play against Cameroon, I will support my country”, said a uniformed Cameroonian man who chose to remain anonymous. His position was echoed by Adamu (27) and Usman, a Cameroon-based Chadian.

This reporter caught up Tuesday morning with a group of vuvuzela blowing Cameroonian youths along one of the busiest roads in Garoua. “Nigeria is at home”, the over-excited youths told TDR as they chanted and waved Nigeria’s flag.

Meanwhile, the sale of tickets is ongoing at various locations in Garoua ahead of the crucial Group D tie expected to record a massive attendance.