AFCON
It is End of an Era
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
South Africa on Saturday proved that winning a mach is not about the duration of camping, but how tactical you are! Match reading ability is essential. So also is ability to gather credible intelligence about the opposition. Those were the lessons handed over to Gernot Rohr and his band of Super Eagles as they were handed a 0-2 defeat on home soil.
It is the second time since 1962 that Nigeria had lost an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at home. The first time was the 2-3 loss to Congo in the opening game for the 2015 edition.
Great Tokelo Rantie! Despite the scoring ability of the man who had scored two goals against Nigeria before, he was often left unmarked. That is a stocky player Nigerians will never forget. He had scored three goals against Nigeria on the lovely Uyo stadium pitch. He easily put Bafana Bafana on the victory path when he strategically positioned himself to nod past clay-footed Daniel Akpeyi in goal for Nigeria in the second half.
While the Super Eagles were desperately searching for a leveller, South Africa in a counter attack doubled their lead as Percie Tau rounded up an advancing Goalkeeper Akpeyi to compound the Super Eagles’ woes.
Even though third on the log of four teams, the Nigerian side remains, the only team in Group E that has not scored. Even the routed Seychelles managed to put a last minute goal past Libya on Friday night.
And so, Gernot Rohr’s short unbeaten run has been cut short. It is the first time South Africa beat Nigeria in a competitive game and also the second time Stuart Baxter led South Africa to beat Nigeria having earlier done that in a friendly match 13 years ago in Johannesburg.
Focus has now shifted from Nigeria beating South Africa to when last did Nigeria beat South Africa. One has to look back to nearly four years ago at the 2013 Nelson Mandela Challenge. The Bafana Bafana have now not extended their unbeaten run to 18 matches, the longest current streak in the African continent.
They are now confident of beating the Super Eagles on any ground! If there is any redemption left for the Super Eagles, they will have to wait for nine months when they will be away to Seychelles on March 23 the same day the two front runners, Libya and South Africa will be meeting in South Africa.
Intelligent Baxter! His assessment of the Nigerian side was very accurate. He had plotted out every possible scenario. The match virtually followed the script he had written. He plotted every stage of the game from the beginning to the closing stage.
His plan of curtaining the Super Eagles in the first 20 minutes worked and his intention was to get the team frustrated. Then to open up in the second half. That was the stage his team got the two goals. It could have been more, if Nigeria had not been saved by the wood work in the 69th minute.
The South Africans have proven that the Super Eagles can be beaten at home. This will undoubtedly boost Cameroon’s hope of picking points in the next major assignment, the World Cup qualifier in August.
RESULTS SO FAR
FRIDAY
Group E: Libya 5-1 Seychelles
Group A: Sudan 1-3 Madagascar
SATURDAY
Group B: Malawi 1-0 Comoros
Group C: Burundi 3-0 South Sudan
Group B: Cameroon 1-0 Morocco
Group K: Zambia 0-1 Mozambique
Group I: Botswana 0-1. Mauritania
Group J: Niger 0-0 Swaziland
Group K: Guinea-Bissau 1-0 Namibia
Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe would welcome an investigation into corruption at the organisation, saying they have nothing to hide following a meeting with Senegalese officials in Dakar on Wednesday.
Senegal’s government last month demanded an investigation into corruption after the country was stripped of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title by the CAF Appeal Board, and the trophy was awarded to the final opponents, Morocco.
It follows unruly scenes in the January 18 decider in Rabat that Senegal won 1-0, but during which they left the field for several minutes in protest at a late refereeing decision.
Motsepe met with officials from the Senegalese Football Federation and Senegal president Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Wednesday, where he urged unity following the fallout from the final. He will be in Morocco on Thursday for a similar set of meetings.
“I would welcome any investigation into corruption at CAF, be it by a government or any institution,” Motsepe told reporters. “In fact, I would encourage it. We will give them our full cooperation.
“I have been told there were problems in the past and we intervened. It is not just in football, but in business and politics too. We cannot give our children the perception that if you want to succeed in life, be corrupt. There has to be zero tolerance (for corruption).
“That’s the best gift we can give football in Africa. Not just talking about corruption, but intervene, put the necessary laws in place) and implement them.”
Motsepe would not be drawn on the matter between Senegal and Morocco, which is now before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“There is nothing I can tell you that I haven’t said already 10, 15, 20 times. You can ask me the same question 100 times, I’ll give you the same answer 100 times. I have an obligation to respect that the matter is now in front of the highest (sports) court in the world.”
Motsepe quashed any suggestion that Morocco had been treated favourably in the appeal process.
“Under no circumstances will any single country in Africa be treated more preferentially or more favourably than any other. That will never happen,” he said.
“We are confident we will come out of these challenges more united amongst the 54 nations in Africa.”
-Reuters
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By Kunle Solaja.
Patrice Motsepe has intensified his diplomatic shuttle across African football corridors with a crucial visit to Morocco scheduled for Thursday, as the fallout from the controversial AFCON 2025 Final continues to reverberate across the continent.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed that Motsepe will meet with Fouzi Lekjaa, President of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF), alongside other key stakeholders within Morocco’s football ecosystem.
Fouzi Lekjaa, President of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF)
The high-level engagement in Rabat comes barely 24 hours after Motsepe’s crisis-management visit to Senegal, underlining CAF’s urgency in addressing the tensions and conflicting reports that have trailed the AFCON final.
Thursday’s meeting is expected to focus on fact-finding, reconciliation, and institutional alignment following the chaotic circumstances that marred the tournament’s climax. The Moroccan FA has been central to the unfolding controversy, with administrative and refereeing decisions from the final still under scrutiny.
CAF disclosed that the visit will conclude with a press conference in Rabat at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT), where Motsepe is expected to address the media and possibly provide updates on CAF’s ongoing review of the final.
While details of the agenda remain closely guarded, the visit signals a continuation of Motsepe’s hands-on approach to crisis resolution, engaging directly with national federations in a bid to preserve the integrity of African football competitions.
CAF and the FRMF have indicated that further details regarding the outcomes of the visit will be communicated in due course, as stakeholders across the continent await clarity on one of the most contentious finals in recent AFCON history.
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CAF President Patrice Motsepe is set to visit Senegal on Wednesday for high-level talks with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and the leadership of the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football, in what is widely seen as a crucial diplomatic move amid lingering controversy over the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Final.
The visit comes against the backdrop of the chaotic and disputed AFCON 2025 final in Rabat, a match marred by heavy rainfall, administrative confusion, and conflicting official reports from within CAF and its committees.
The uncertainty surrounding the outcome of that final has cast a shadow over African football governance, prompting urgent calls for clarity and institutional accountability.
Sources indicate that Motsepe’s meeting with President Faye will extend beyond routine courtesy, touching on broader issues of football governance, tournament integrity, and the role of national associations in safeguarding the credibility of continental competitions.
Senegal, a major stakeholder in African football and one of the continent’s most influential football nations, is expected to play a key role in shaping the narrative going forward.
Motsepe will also hold discussions with Abdoulaye Fall, focusing on collaboration between CAF and its member associations, as well as mechanisms to prevent a recurrence of the controversies that plagued the AFCON final.
While CAF has yet to officially outline the agenda, observers believe the visit signals an attempt by the continental body to consolidate support among key football nations and manage the fallout from the final’s unresolved issues.
The optics of engaging directly with political leadership further underline the seriousness of the situation.
CAF and the Senegalese Football Federation have both stated that more details regarding the visit will be released in due course, leaving stakeholders across the continent watching closely for signals on how African football’s governing body intends to restore confidence in its competitions.
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