AFCON
REUTERS TIPS ALGERIA, SENEGAL FOR AFCON FINAL
International news organization, Reuters has tipped Senegal and Algeria as teams to play the July 19 final match of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
The London based organization sees the two as African football’s more consistent performers of recent years.
Both teams in Group C had earlier met at the group stage with Algeria winning 1-0.
Senegal’s path to the final looks a modest task for one of the strongest squads in the competition, but Algeria face a tough examination of their credentials if they are to play the title decider at Cairo International Stadium.
The Algerians must first overcome the Ivory Coast on Thursday and, if successful, take on either Nigeria or South Africa in the semi-final on Sunday.
But four successive victories at the tournament in Egypt have emphasised not only Algeria’s potential, but also emboldened a side whose technical ability is often sunk by a fragile mentality.
Riyad Mahrez has led a team that plays a high energy game, have yet to concede and have proven adept finishers, making them an anomaly in a tournament again characterised by a poor conversion rate.
They deservedly beat Senegal 1-0 in their group game on June 27 in a major boost to their confidence and their 3-0 demolition of Guinea in Sunday’s last-16 match was arguably the best performance by any team at the tournament.
“Algeria have shown that they are good at all levels. They are very powerful. They are the best team at the moment,” said losing coach Paul Put.
Senegal’s half of the draw has been weakened by a string of upsets with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Morocco all exiting at the first knockout stage.
Senegal meet minnows Benin in the first of the quarter-finals on Wednesday and are overwhelming favourites to progress to a semi-final clash against either rookies Madagascar or a tepid Tunisia.
On the schedule, the showcase quarter-final was reserved for late on Wednesday at the Cairo International Stadium, where Egypt would have been in action in front of a sellout crowd.
But it is likely now that a near empty stadium will provide a deflating backdrop to the mouthwatering clash between South Africa, conquerors of Egypt on Saturday, and Nigeria, who dumped holders Cameroon out the same day.
Nigeria have dominated past meetings between the continent’s two economic giants but South Africa delivered an unexpectedly competent performance to deservedly knock out the hosts.
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has sacked its Serbian coach, Milutin Sredojević who is popularly known as Micho.
This is coming ahead of Libya’s back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations clashes with Nigeria next month.
Paradoxically, Sports Village Square gathered that the coach’s contract was only recently renewed for six months before the axe fell on the Serbian.
His sack was precipitated by the results obtained in their teo matches of the AFCON qualifiers.
Libya drew 1-1 with Rwanda at home and lost 2-1 away to Benin Republic despite beig a goal up at half time.
The Libyan side, Mediterranean Knights are due to play against the Nigeria Super Eagles in Uyo on 6 October while the return leg holds on 14 October at the 11 July Stadium in Tripoli.
According to information Sports Village Square gathered from Tripoli, the Mediterranean Knights’ coach, Micho led the Libyan national team to win nine matches since taking over in October of last year, he failed to build a strong team due to his poor choices.
He also took a risk with the footballers chosen in the AFCON qualifiers, and the result was shocking to the Libyan sports audience.
According to sources close to the Libyan Football Federation, there is a strong tendency to sign a national coach to lead the Libyan team during the remaining qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe has lashed out at Ghana and some other African countries whose home grounds were recently banned from hosting CAF matches owing to inadequate facilities. He made the remarks in Nairobi, Kenya during a press conference,
After the MatchDay 2 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, CAF ruled Ghana’s Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi as being inadequate to host international matches. Being the only approved ground in the country, Ghana will now look towards either Cote d’Ivoire or Togo for their remaining home matches of the Afcon qualifiers.
Other African countries without approved home grounds are: Djibouti, Chad, Niger, Eritrea, Gabon, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, São Tomé and Burundi.
Motsepe voiced his frustration over the recurring issue of nations being unable to host home games.
“Nothing frustrates me more than a national team or club side having to play home matches outside,” he stated.
He stressed the significance of playing in front of home fans, adding, “You can’t grow football if the national teams or club sides aren’t playing in front of their home fans.”
Motsepe reiterated CAF’s commitment to working with countries to ensure they have at least one suitable stadium to host international fixtures.
“Our conversations in every country are to make sure there is at least one stadium capable of hosting a CAF category C game,” he emphasized.
The on-going CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Coaches Symposium in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire has brought together, the last three coaches that handled the Nigeria national football team.
Gernot Rohr, Jose Peseiro and Austin Eguavoen are part of the the elite coaches currently gathered in Abidjan.
Gernot Rohr whose tenure of 5 years and 55 matches is the longest ever by any coach in Nigeria, is currently handling Nigeria’s Africa Cupof Nations and World Cup qualifying rivals, Benin Republic. He was succeeded in the interim by Austin Eguavoen who is currently having another interim stint.
Peseiro left his position after the Africa Cup of Nations
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