AFCON
AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS 2019 DRAW IS HERE!
At the foot of the famous pyramids in Egypt in front of the Sphinx, the air is pregnant with expectation as one of the ‘seven wonders of the world’ prepares to roll its red carpet for African football royalty ahead of Friday evening’s 2019 African Cup of Nations draw.
Under the scorching sun, the cool afternoon breeze sweeps away as workers at the venue battle against time to get the venue ready for Friday’s draw.
Members of the live production crew are putting up the equipment ready to beam the action live to millions of audiences across the world as teams get ready to know who they will face for the tournament that kicks off on June 21 running all the way to July 19.
On the ground, the support staff is preparing the magnificent venue to ensure it sparkles while the reception area is getting laid up ready for the after-party that will follow the draw.
Giza, where the pyramids are located in Egypt is an iconic part of Egyptian history and it was always a brilliant idea to bring the draw to this location as it hugely relates to the host country and its identity to the rest of the world.
In Cairo, the buzz and excitement is already building with millions eagerly anticipating the draw as they look to claim the African title they narrowly lost to Cameroon two years ago in Gabon. At the pyramids in Giza, not only are the tourists wowed by the beautiful set up of the draw but are also looking forward to know who their favorite teams will face.
Within the city and around Giza, Egyptians are looking forward with a lot of excitement to know which group they will fall in as they host the tournament for a fifth time, this time hoping to win it at home.
“We are eager to know our opponents at this AFCON. I hope that the teammates of Mohamed Salah will fall into an easy group, which will allow us to play the first round without pressure before to begin the other tours that will certainly be decisive,” one of the enthusiastic supporter saus.
For Asma, a 25-year-old student at Cairo University, the draw marks the kick-off of the African football’s apex competition.
“A few weeks before the beginning of the AFCON, we are all waiting for this ceremony of the draw because for us it marks the kick-off of a competition that we have not organized since 2006. Now, it will be necessary to wait for the composition groups but we hope to be part of an easy group and make good figure and why not having a seventh star on our jersey,” Asma says.
Ghana Black Stars lost 2-0 to Sudan Tuesday afternoon in matchday 4 of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series putting their prospects in great doubt.
The former three-time African champions are now third in Group F having accrued just two points from four matches. Sudan, with seven points, are second.
Angola, who still have a match to play later in the day with bottom-placed Niger, are on top with nine points.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
With CAF referring the case of the botched Libya-Nigeria match to its
Disciplinary Board, a nine-man panel has the task of deciding which party was at fault.
Possible decision could be forfeiture of the match by the offending party or rescheduling of the fixture. The latter seems unlikely considering the already congested international calendar.
Even if that were to be the decision, the match would likely be taken to a neutral ground.
On the other hand, the board may also take it that it was Nigeria that refused to play the match after having hosted the first leg.
In that case, Article 62 of the competition’s regulations will be enforced. It reads: “Any team that withdraws or refuses to play the return match after having played the first leg on its territory must refund the association of the visiting team a minimum sum of fifteen thousand (15,000) U.S. dollars in reparation for the damage suffered by the host country.”
If the NFF is adjudged as the culprit, the body will be fined $15,000. Chapter 19 of the regulations gives a window to appeal the fine. But judging from the CAF statement of the situation, and the condemnation of the treatment meted out to the Super Eagles, the fine is very unlikely as the weight of evidence tilts against the Libyans who in the x-handle admitted keeping the Super Eagles in captivity with an explanation that episode was largely due to an airport protocol mishap.
A decision lies firstly on the nine-man panel. With the possibility of the losing side not satisfied, another nine-man panel, the Appeals Board will take a possible final decision which can only be contested at the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS)
Here are the decision-makers:
Disciplinary Board
- Ousmane Kane, Senegal. – President.
- Jane Njeri Onyango, Kenya – Vice President.
- Norman Arendse, South Africa – member
- Mohamed Mostafa El-Mashta, Egypt. – member
- Djonfoune Golbassia Felix, Chad. – member
- Patrick Shale, Lesotho – member
- Douma Ibrahim Issaka – Niger. -member
- Ruth Kisaakye, Uganda. -member
- Drucil Taylor, Sierra Leone. – member
Appeal Board
Justice Roli Daibo Harriman, Nigeria
Faustino Varela Monteiro, Cape Verde
Moez Ben Tahar Nasri, Tunisia
Moses Ikanqa, Namibia
Hamoud T’feil Bowbe, Mauritania
Mohamed Robleh Djama, Djibouti
Asogbavi Komlan, Togo
Justice Masauko Timothy Msungama, Malawi
Lubamba Ngimbi Hector, DR Congo
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The Libya-Nigeria Group D tie of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers scheduled for this Tuesday has been put off owing to the refusal of the Libyan authorities to allow the Nigerian team to enter their territory for the match.
As a result, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has referred the case to its Disciplinary Board to make an appropriate decision. The immediate consequence of this is the delay of the Nigerian team picking an early qualification as has been done by Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Algeria who have all qualified after four matches.
A win by Nigeria on Tuesday would have taken their point haul to 10 while a draw would take their total to eight. That way, irrespective of the result of the Rwanda-Benin Republic corresponding match would have qualified the Super Eagles for Morocco 2025 as they would not have ended below second position in Group D.
They now await the decision of the CAF body. A possible outcome could be Libya’s forfeiture of the match. A case in point is that of USM Alger of Algeria versus Morocco’s RS Berkane in last year’s Confederation Cup semi-final duel when the Moroccans were unjustly delayed at the airport by the Algerians.
In the case of the Super Eagles, it was worse as theirs was not just delayed, they were locked up in a desolate airport in what was a psychologically draining and energy sapping tactics.
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