AFCON
As race to Round of 16 gets fiercer: Match Facts in Cape Verde v Burkina Faso AFCON clash
This is the first encounter between Cape Verde and Burkina Faso in the Africa Cup of Nations history.
Following their first match defeat to Cameroon on Sunday, it is expected that Burkina Faso will play all their cards against the Cape Verdeans to relaunch in the competition and hope for a place in the next round.
For the Burkina Faso coach, Kamou Malo, who returns to the team after a few days of absence due to COVID-19, the match against Cape Verde will be decisive. “We have recovered several players for our meeting on Thursday. We will play with all our strength to win this match and go as far as possible,” said Burkina Faso coach.
● After their 1-0 victory in their first match, Cape Verde are looking to remain unbeaten in their opening two games at the Africa Cup of Nations, having also done so in their two previous participations (two draws in 2013 and in 2015).
● Cape Verde have only lost one of their eight matches at the Africa Cup of Nations (W2 D5), while they’ve kept clean sheets in each of their last three games in the competition.
● Burkino Faso lost 2-1 against hosts Cameroon in their first match at this year’s AFCON; they last suffered consecutive defeats in a single edition of the tournament in 2012, when they lost all three group matches.
● Burkina Faso’s Gustavo Sangaré scored on his first AFCON appearance against Cameroon, while also created four goal-scoring chances for his teammates, the most of any player in the game. He’s looking to become the first Burkina Faso player to score in consecutive matches in the competition since Alain Sibiri Traoré in January 2013.
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.
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