AFCON
UCHEGBULAM LAUDS CAF ON SENGHOR, PINNICK APPOINTMENTS
Erstwhile first Vice President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mazi Amanze Uchegbulam, said the continent’s flagship competition, Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) would enjoy a new lease of life with the appointments of President of the Senegalese Football Federation Augustin Emmanuel Senghor and his Nigerian counterpart Amaju Melvin Pinnick in the new management committee.
The continental soccer ruling body CAF announced on Monday ‘a new team that will lead the work of CAF in the standing committees’ with the approval of both Senghor and Pinnick as the two vice presidents to manage the Organising Committee of Africa Cup of Nations to be headed by CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe.
“Frankly, I’m happy with the appointment of both Senghor and Pinnick in the new management team for the Organising Committee of the Africa Cup of Nations and I have no doubt that they will assist the CAF President in ensuring that the competition becomes bigger and better,” Uchegbulam, who served for many years as Vice President of CAF Board of Appeal, said in a statement.
Uchegbulam further said the forthcoming AFCON 2021 in Cameroon between January 9 and February 6, 2022, would be a big test for the continent since it would again accommodate 24 teams adding CAF has started on a positive note with the approval of the new management team for the continent’s most sought-after trophy.
“I’m not surprised at all with the appointment of Senghor into the AFCON Organising Committee as well as being named as the President for the Committee for Legal Affairs and National Associations because he is one of the most experienced members of the CAF Executive Committee,” Uchegbulam said.
“He is a manager of resources and very methodological in approach and this we can see from the way and manner he has administered the game in his country and service to CAF all these years.
“I believe Senghor and Pinnick would work hand-in-hand to ensure that we have the best AFCON in the coming years especially next year in Cameroon because that would be the first time we are going to have 24 teams competing for honours,” added the Imo FA chairman.
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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