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AFCON

SIERRA LEONE SKIPPER, BANGURA TO MISS NIGERIA CLASH

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA

 Sierra Leone skipper and FC Zurich defender, Umaru Bangura will be a glaring absentee when the team faces Nigeria’s Super Eagles in a back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Benin and Freetown later this month.

 

According to information gathered by the Sports Village Square, Sierra Leone’s head coach, John Keister has named a 16- foreign based squad for Nigerian encounter.  

But long time absentee, former AC Milan midfielder Rodney Strasser has been included in the squad. Bangura, who has returned to his Swiss-based club after being cleared of Covid-19 in Niger, may be available for the return match in Freetown.

But Major League fifth all-time top scorer Kamara, 36, who scored a brilliant goal against Liberia during the second leg time of the 2022 World Cup qualifier in Freetown last September, has been recalled for both matches.

LA Galaxy II striker Augustine Williams, who won USL Championship’s Player of the Month for September/October after recorded seven goals in his last eight games is set to make his Sierra Leone debut.

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The list also includes all the expected big names like Anderlecht striker Mustapha Bundu, Hebei Fortune China’s attacker Mohamed Buya Turay, Haka FC and former Bolton midfielder Mohamed Medo Kamara, USL championship side Tampa Bay Rowdies right-back Mustapha Dumbuya and Alhaji Kamara of Randers FC in Denmark.

16 Foreign-based listed

Defenders

Alie Sesay FC Zire Azerbaijan, Mustapha Dumbuya Tampa Bay Rowdies, England QPR Osman Kakay, Kevin Wright Orebro SK and Ishmael Koroma Vasalunds IF Sweden.

Midfielders 

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John Kamara Azerbaijan Kesla  FK, Mohamed Medo Kamara FC Haka Finland, Rodney Strasser TPS Finland, George Davies SKN Polten Austria and Kwame Quee Víkingur Reykjavík Iceland.

Strikers 

Augustine Willaims LA Galaxy II the USA, Belgium Mustapha Bundu RSC Anderlecht , Kei Kamara MLS Minnesota Unted FC Mohamed Buya Turay China Hebei Fortune   Alhaji Kamara Denmark Randers FC   and Alhassan Koroma RB Linense Spain.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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AFCON

Libya sacks coach ahead of AFCON qualifying back-to-back matches with Nigeria

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Milutin Sredojević

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.

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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.

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AFCON

CAF president blasts Ghana, others over stadium ban

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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.

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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.

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AFCON

Present and Past as CAF Coaches Symposium unites Rohr, Peseiro and Eguavoen

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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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