AFCON
VIDEO: FOOTBALL STAKEHOLDERS HAIL NEW BOOK ON SUPER EAGLES
BY FOLAKE OKEGBENLE
The
new book on Super Eagles has started to get acclaims even before it hits the
shelves. The book is aptly titled “Super Eagles @ 70…Soaring On the Wings”. It
captures the evolution of the team, which will hit a major milestone on June
26, the 70th anniversary of when Nigeria first composed a national
football team.
Coincidentally,
www.sportsvillagesquare.com
recalls, it is on that date that Nigeria will play its most challenging 2019
Africa Cup of Nations’ most challenging group match against Guinea.
The NFF President, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, whose regime also has the honour of marking the country’s football governing body’s 60th anniversary of affiliation to FIFA on April 22, is excited at the unfolding events.
He has asked Nigerians and citizens of the world to join in celebrating the NFF and the Super Eagles as they mark major milestones.
In a video trailer heralding the coming of the book, he looked back at the days of the bare-footed and famed UK Tourists to the era of the ‘Red Devils’ and that of the glorious ‘Green Eagles’ to that of soul-lifting ‘Super Eagles’ and summed up that “we have reasons to celebrate.”
“Written in lucid and infographic manner, virtually all that is needed about the Super Eagles is encapsulated in one package
“It is written by Kunle Solaja, the only journalist in Africa to have covered eight consecutive World Cup finals from 1990 to 2018, and with great prospects of covering more – A 28-year adventure at the zenith of global football.
“He is consequently the most imbued with the depth of information regarding the Super Eagles’ adventures at the six World Cup finals that the team has featured in.
“He watched every minute of the 21 World Cup matches the
Super Eagles played from USA ’94 to Russia 2018. A multiple award winner,
Solaja had written two other books on related subject matter – Super Eagles…Through the Ages (2010)
and Going For Goals (2014)”
Consequently, the NFF partnered with the Nigeria’s foremost football diarist, Kunle Solaja, to produce a compendium on the Super Eagles. The milestone book is due for public unveiling later this June, before the Africa Cup of Nations’ kick-off.
Stakeholders in Nigerian football have been very generous in their preview of the book. Seyi Akinwunmi, a lawyer and 1st Vice President of the NFF remarked:
“Kunle Solaja, a foremost Nigerian football historian has given me the privilege of having a preview of his latest piece of work titled “Super Eagles@70…Soaring On The Wings”
“I have never doubted the quality of his research nor the authenticity of his assertions on our football history, but from my sneak preview I can confidently say that the quality of this current work surpassed my high expectations.”
Akinwunmi
is not alone. Patrick Ekeji, the only Nigerian sports personality to have had
roles in all sphere of football as a player for both clubs and national teams,
as a coach for both clubs and national team, as a teacher of coaches at the
National Institute of Sports and as an administrator who rose from stat sports
council and climbed through the rungs to become Nigeria’s Director General of
Sports, also commented on the latest work of the author.
“Kunle Solaja has obsession for record keeping. He is a human data bank on Nigerian sports. No one else can better chronicle the Nigeria national team which I also played roles in.”
His words are further corroborated by easily Nigeria’s most
charismatic footballer of all time, Segun Odegbami. “If
anyone can do justice to the delicate subject of chronicling the Super Eagles,
Kunle Solaja’s name would pop up first. His eyes for detail and authenticity
are unequalled in our ‘football planet’.
Sports and Communication entrepreneur,
Dr. Larry Izamoje who established Africa’s first all-sports radio station, the
famous Brila Radio remarked:
“With decades of successful media practice, the author stands out as a first grade sports statistician .A meticulous researcher, he presents a riveting excursion on Nigeria’s most celebrated team in his uniquely captivating way.”
Another football legend,
Dr. Felix Owolabi whose solitary goal against Morocco paved the way for
Nigeria’s first ever qualification for an Africa Cup of Nations’ final match
and the attendant eventual victory, prayed that the author’s sacrificial effortsin the front burner of reportage in Nigeria football coverage
will not go unnoticed.
Journalist and marketing
expert, Muyiwa Akintunde remarked in similar way. “KS (King of Soccer-journalism) is
at it again! The serial author of historical accounts of Nigerian football is
set to launch his new work.
“Excellence is his watchword. And this particular one to mark an epoch for Nigerian football and its administration is not going to be different.”
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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