AFCON
Can Eguavoen get perfect group finish again?
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Only one coach of the Nigerian national team has ever had a perfect finish in the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations.
He is Augustin Eguavoen, the current man who is temporarily sitting on the saddle, but eminently qualified to be the Super Eagles’ manager.
The Africa Cup of Nations 2021 is his second adventure having guided the Super Eagles to a podium finish at Egypt 2006.
At the time, the Super Eagles won all three group matches against Ghana, Zimbabwe and Senegal.
The closest Nigerian to a Eguavoen’s record was Clemens Westerhof whose team beat Senegal and Kenya in Group A matches of the 1992 edition.
At the time, the competition had just been expanded from eight teams of two groups to a four-group and three-team format.
All previous Nigerian managers failed to achieve the perfect group finish.
In 1963, under Brazilian coach, Jorge Augusto Pena, Nigeria lost the two group matches 6-3, 4-0 to Egypt and Sudan respectively.
In 1976, Nigeria under Yugoslav coach, Tihomir-tiko Jelisavcic who was better known as ‘Father Tiko’ , Nigeria won two group matches and lost the one.
In 1978 under the same coach, it was a win and two drawn games in Accra, Ghana. On home soil in Lagos in 1980, Brazilian, Otto Martins Gloria, Nigeria won two group matches and drew one.
Under the same coach, widely regarded as a world class having led the sensational Portugal team that has in its fold the legendary Eusebio to beat his native country Brazil 3-1 at the 1966 World Cup, Nigeria crashed out of the group stage in the only time that ever happened since 1963.
At the Libya 1982, Nigeria as defending champion won a match and lost two. Adegboye Onigbinde’s team in 1984 won a group match and drew the other two.
In 1988, Manfred Hoener’s team won just a group game and drew the other two. Clemens Westerhof guided Nigeria to two group games’ victories and a loss to the hosts at Algeria ‘90.
It was the structural adjustment to the games’ format that saw him winning the two group games against Senegal and Kenya at the 1992 edition.
But he could not replicate it at the 1994 edition as Nigeria only beat Gabon in the group stage and drew the second match with Egypt.
In 2000, Westerhof’s compatriot, Bonfrere Johannes guided the Super Eagles to two group games’ victories and drew the third with Congo.
Amodu Shaibu in 2002 led the Super Eagles to two group games wins and drew the third. Eight years later, he opened his Africa Cup account with a loss to Egypt before winning the remaining two group games.
Christian Chukwu in 2004 lost his opening game but won the two other group matches to fall short of perfect record.
Stephen Keshi’s team was almost become ‘draw specialists’ after their back-to-back 1-1 draw with Burkina Faso and Zambia respectively in the group games.
Another draw was imminent in the last group match with Ethiopia as the game got to the last 10 minutes before two penalty kick awards salvaged the situation for Nigeria.
So, no perfect group finish. Gernot Rohr whose team had ‘soft’ group fixtures at the 2019 edition struggled to a 1-0 defeat of Burundi and Guinea before scandalously losing 2-0 to debutants, Madagascar in their last group games.
As it is, only Eguavoen has had a perfect group finish. Will he replicate the record when his team face Guinea Bissau on Wednesday?
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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