AFCON

AFCON 2021: CAF clarifies general criteria of team ranking for knockout stage

Published

3 years ago

January 17, 2022

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Going into the last match days of the groups in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in which the top two of each group will advance and four of the six third placed team will also get into the knockout stage, CAF has come out with clearer mode of emergence of the knockout stage teams.

In media release on Monday, CAF stated that in accordance to Article 74, paragraph 1 of the regulations, “in case of equality between two teams at the end of the group matches, the teams will be ranked according to the following criteria in the order listed below:

· ”74.1.1 The greatest number of points obtained in the match between the two teams concerned;

· 74.1.2 The goal difference in all group matches;

· 74.1.3 The greatest number of goals scored in all group matches

· 74.1.4 A drawing of lots conducted by the Organizing Committee

74.2 In case of equality between more than two teams at the end of the group matches, the teams will be ranked according to the following criteria in the order listed below:

· 74.2.1 The greatest number of points obtained in the matches between the teams concerned;

· 74.2.2 The best goal difference in the matches between the teams concerned;

· 74.2.3 The greatest number of goals scored in the matches between the teams concerned;

· 74.2.4 If after applying criteria 74.2.1 to 74.2.3, two teams are still tied, 74.2.1 to 74.2.3 criteria are again applied to matches played between the two teams in question to determine the final ranking of the two teams. If this procedure does not allow separating them, the criteria listed from 74.2.5 to 74.2.7 are applied in the indicated order;

· 74.2.5 The goal difference in all group matches;

· 74.2.6 The greatest number of goals scored in all group matches;

· 74.2.7 A drawing of lots conducted by the Organizing Committee

What that means is that, in Group B for instance, should Nigeria lose to Guinea Bissau and remain on six points and Egypt beat Sudan to also have a total point of six to equal that of Nigeria, the Super Eagles will remain as the group leaders having beaten Egypt in direct confrontation.

While the team Egypt will face is easily determined as they will face the Group E leaders, Nigeria’s knock-out stage opponents will emerge after some arithmetical calculations.

Nigeria will face the best third placed teams among those from groups B, E and F. At the moment, the third placed teams in those groups are Malawi (3 points in Group B), Sierra Leone (2 points in Group E) and Tunisia (3 points in Group F).

The setting will most likely change after the group matches are concluded. This is even more apparent in Group F where Tunisia may still emerge as group leaders or runners-up if they Gambia who may drop into the third position if Mali beat the already eliminated Mauritania.

As per Art. 75.4, the four best teams among those ranked third will be determined as follows:

a) greater number of points obtained in all group matches;

b) goal difference resulting from all group matches;

c) greater number of goals scored in all group matches;

d) drawing of lots by CAF Organising Committee.

AFCON

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

Published

4 days ago

September 17, 2024

Kunle Solaja

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.

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.

AFCON

CAF president blasts Ghana, others over stadium ban

Published

4 days ago

September 17, 2024

Kunle Solaja

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.

AFCON

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

Published

1 week ago

September 12, 2024

Kunle Solaja

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