AFCON
AMUNEKE’S TANZANIA LAUNCHES APPEAL TO RAISE BONUSES FOR NATIONAL TEAM AT AFCON
Just as Zimbabwe players boycotted training ahead of their opening game with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, Tanzanian authorities have launched a fundraising campaign on the eve of the tournament to aimed at getting nearly half a million dollars to “motivate” the national team.
Nigeria’s Emmanuel Amuneke is their head coach. Good enough for the team, a third of the amount was raised on Day One under the supervision of the country’s vice-president Samia Suluhu.
“Our last participation was 39 years ago. All this time, we were asleep. Now we are waking up,” Suluhu was quoted by an AFP report to have said.
“This is our team, the Tanzanian team. We must support it financially,” she said, explaining that the government had not set aside a budget for the national team’s possible participation in the competition.
Celebrities and companies took turns in front of the vice-president to reveal the amounts in their envelopes.
Tanzania will play their first match in Group C on Sunday against Senegal in Cairo. They will then face neighbours Kenya and Algeria. In the 1980 finals, Tanzania finished bottom of their group with one point.
Faced with internal challenges that include players’ injuries and boycotts, the Libyan coach, Nasser Al-Hadhiri is believed by local press as facing a ‘near-impossible mission’ in Nigeria.
“The team’s mission against Nigeria seems almost impossible. The Nigerian team has a strong squad, led by names such as Ademola Lookman and Victor Boniface, which makes the task more difficult for the Libyan team”, Akhbarlibya24 editorialised.
It further reported that despite the difficult situation, the Libyan coach, Nasser Al-Hadhiri remains somewhat optimistic, as he hopes to achieve a positive result. He remarked: “We realize that winning against Nigeria is difficult, but we seek to return with a draw that will be positive for us and restore our hope in competing for qualification.”
According to Libya’s news outlets, there are palpable fears in the Libya national team which faces successive crises and trying to avoid early elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series.
The team which faces the Super Eagles this week has been plagued with players’ absences occasioned by injuries and boycotts.
The coach recently appointed has revealed the names of players refusing to represent the national team.
In a press conference held on Saturday, Coach Nasser Al-Hadhiri remarked that the absence of several players were due to real injuries.
In that class are Ahmed Al-Tarbi, a defender of Ahli Tripoli; Mohammed Al-Tabbal of Al-Nasr club and Ali Youssef who also suffered the injury while playing with Tunisia’s Club Africaine.
If the Libyan national team sticks to plans, the players are expected to have arrived in Nigeria ahead of their Friday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying duel in Uyo.
With most players drawn from the domestic league, the national team had daily training sessions in Tripoli under coach Nasser Al-Hadhiri and his assistants Akram Al-Hammami and Abu Bakr Al-Hark.
However, according to media sources in Libya, the team faces injury worries even though the absence of Victor Osimhen in the Nigerian squad is being celebrated.
Even though it did not mention the injured Libyan players, Libya Al-Ahrar Channel reports that replacements were found in Al-Tahadi FC defender, Mohammed Khalil and Al-Nasr midfielder, Abdullah Abdul Rahim as well as Al-Akhdar winger, Faraj Ghaidhan. They take the places of the absent regular players.
CAF compels Kwasi Appiah to step down from Ghana FA
Keyamo welcomes Emirates back to Nigeria
Behold! Nigeria Football’s October 8 Magic
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
International Football1 week agoWhy FIFA banned Samuel Eto’o
-
AFCON3 days agoEguavoen unfolds Super Eagles’ squad for back-to-back duel with Libya
-
Uncategorized1 day agoPlayers boycott Libyan national team
-
Uncategorized21 hours agoFastest World Cup final scorer is dead!
-
International Football4 days agoPortugal call up same player named in England Under-18 squad
-
AFCON3 days agoLibyans jubilate over Osimhen’s injury
-
Nigerian Football1 week agoThere are paedophiles among Nigerian coaches, former Super Eagles player alleges
-
Nigerian Football1 week agoHalf-time reflection of Gusau’s tenure at Nigeria Football Federation