Connect with us

AFCON

CAF uncovers areas that need “urgent attention” prior to Africa Cup of Nations

Published

on

Concerns have been raised over Cameroon’s staging of the Africa Cup of Nations after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) warned there were areas that need “urgent attention” before the January kick-off.

The tournament, postponed to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, is due to start on January 9 and conclude on February 6.

A CAF delegation led by vice-president Augustin Senghor visited Cameroon and uncovered issues that need addressing prior to the start of the tournament.

The CAF Executive Committee, based on a report from the delegation, “emphasised the need to make follow-ups with the Local Organising Committee on the areas that still need some urgent attention ahead of the kick-off on January 9 2022”.

The event is still expected to go ahead as planned.

Members of the Executive Committee also “raised some sanitary matters that will be part of ongoing discussions between CAF and Cameroon Government”.

Advertisement

The Africa Cup of Nations had been due to take place in January and February 2021 before the CAF announced in June that it would be rescheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented qualifiers from taking place.

Organisers conducted the draw for the competition in August, which had also been delayed as a result of COVID-19.

Hosts and five-times winners Cameroon have been drawn in Group A, alongside Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Cape Verde.

Holders Algeria were placed in Group E with Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast.

Group B features Senegal, Zimbabwe, Guinea and Malawi while Group C includes former winners Ghana and Morocco alongside Comoros and Gabon.

Advertisement

-insidethegames

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.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

AFCON

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

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

AFCON

CAF president blasts Ghana, others over stadium ban

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

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.

Continue Reading

AFCON

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

Published

on

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

Continue Reading

Most Viewed