AFCON
For Morocco and Gabon, it is onward to the next round
Gabon and Morocco lock horns on Tuesday in Yaoundé, as curtain draws on Group C of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021.
Already qualified Morocco leads the group on six points, two more than Gabon that look on their way to the next round but will need a point to secure that. Ghana (1 point) and Comoros (no points) face in a simultaneous kickoff in Garoua.
Gabon is second in this group C, with four points, thanks to a victory over the Comoros (1-0) and a draw with Ghana (1-1) in the previous matchdays. It is now time to confirm and a simple draw would be enough to qualify for the second round.
Gabon coach, Patrice Neveu believes the task is not beyond their possibility.
“I had the opportunity to follow the matches of Morocco. They have a solid team. We know that it will not be an easy match. And for you to be in a competition of this magnitude, you have to take the necessary precautions.
“Unfortunately, we will not be counting on Aubameyang and Mario, we have decided that they must return to their clubs for a more careful medical follow-up. I will have to make some adjustments with the players I have. We are prepared and organized, and our goal is to win the game and move on.”
Striker Axel Meye added: “It was not easy for me because I miss the first game after testing positive for Covid-19. It was a difficult moment to digest because I wanted to contribute.
“Still, I hope to be an asset to the team. I feel better in all aspects, and I’m fit for the game. The absence of Aubameyang and Mario is felt, we are strong when we are together… but, it is important to put health first. Aubameyang has asked the team to stick together and that is what we will do.”
Sweet talk as it sound, but Morocco will not wish to relinquish the leadership of the group.
Morocco’s Atlas Lions lead the group with a winning streak after beating Ghana 1-0 and Comoros 2-0. The Maghreb team is thus already qualified for the next phase of the competition, an objective that Gabon is also on track to achieve.
“It is a fact that all the participants in this tournament face the same challenges. The hardest part is when it comes to making choices, said Vahid Halilhodzic, the coach of Morocco.
Continuing, he remarked: “I have to manage 28 players and that hasn’t been an easy task. We want everyone to play to boost morale.
“Our objective in the game against Gabon is victory. Aubameyang is a great player and it’s bad for Gabon that he’s not playing. and good for us! Our biggest ambition is to win this match, despite the obstacles we have to face.”
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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