AFCON
AMAZING FACTS: 24 take-aways ahead of Nigeria-Tunisia AFCON Round 16 match
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Nigeria and Tunisia meet in the second match of the Africa Cup of Nations’ Round of 16 this Sunday night in Garoua.
As usual, www.sportsvillagesquare.com takes an insightful look at the match-up and comes out with the following points of interest.
- Both teams are among the seeded five teams among the 10 jostling for World Cup 2022 qualification.
- Both teams have staged walkout in previous encounters. Nigerian players walked out in their Africa Cup qualifiers against Tunisia on 10 December 1961 in Tunis, CAF awarded the match to Tunisia. Tunisia staged a walkout in the third place match of Afcon 1978 when Baba Otu Mohammed scored a goal that leveled scores at 1-1. CAF Awarded the match to Nigeria.
- Apart from the 7-0 defeat of Nigeria by Ghana (then Gold Coast) in 1955, the biggest defeat suffered by Nigeria was inflicted by Tunisia – 5-0 in a 29 September friendly match in Tunis.
- This match is Nigeria’s 97th in Africa Cup of Nations’ history.
- This match is Tunisia’s 79th in Africa Cup history.
- The two teams are meeting in the Africa Cup of Nations’ tournament for the sixth time having met in 1978 in Kumasi, 2000 in Lagos, 2004 in Rades, 2006 in Port Said, and 2019 in Cairo.
- In their previous five confrontations in the Africa Cup of Nations, all results have been in Nigeria’s favour except the penalty shoot-out loss in the semi final of the 2004 edition held in Tunisia.
- Tunisia denied Nigeria qualification in Nigeria’s maiden entry for the Africa Cup of Nations in 1962.
- Tunisia is the first country Nigeria had altercation with in competitive match as the team foolishly walked out of the return leg of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Tunis on 10 December 1961 after Tunisia drew level at 2-2 with 25 minutes to go. Nigeria had won 2-1 in the first leg match in Lagos and were thus leading 4-3 on aggregate before the walk-out. Nigeria were protesting bias officiating by Egyptian referee Mohammed Hassan Helim.
- It was in an Africa Cup of Nations duel with Tunisia that Nigeria recorded their milestone goal of 100 in the competition in 2006, courtesy of the sixth minute goal by Obinna Nsorfor.
- Nwankwo Kanu is a legend in African football and played in 27 matches in six editions without putting the ball in the net. The only goal that could be attributed to him was from the penalty shoot-out with Tunisia in 2006 when he was Nigeria’s reluctant eighth and final penalty taker.
- It was in Tunisia that Nigeria’s Jay Jay Okocha scored the 1,000th goal of the Africa Cup of Nations.
- The infamous own-goal scored by Godwin Odiye was in a World Cup qualifying match which Tunisia won in Lagos on 12 November 1977.
- Nigeria’ s national team’s first penalty shoot-out incident was in a World Cup qualification encounter with Tunisia. That was on 26 June 1980 after an aggregate score line of 2-2. Nigeria won the tie-breaker 4-3.
- The referee who officiated Nigeria’s loss to Cameroon in ensuing penalty shoot-out with Cameroon is a Tunisian, Mourad Daami
- Nigeria have been involved in penalty shoot-out in the Africa Cup of Nations on seven occasions. Two of the instances were in games with Tunisia. The honours were even shared as Tunisia had the edge in the semi-finals of 2004 edition on home soil, Nigeria won in the penalty shoot-out at the 2006 quarter-finals.
- Tunisia on the other hand had been involved in AFCON penalty shoot-out on six occasions and won on four instances against Gabon in 1996, Burkina Faso in 1998, Nigeria in 2004 and Ghana in 2019. They lost twice in 2000 to South Africa in losers’ final and to Nigeria in the quarter-finals of 2006.
- When Kadiri Ikhana missed his kick in Nigeria’s penalty shootout with Tunisia on 12 July 1980, he became the first national team players to do so.
- Of the eleven penalty shootout situations involving the Super Eagles of Nigeria, three of them had been in duels with Tunisia in 1980, 2004 and 2006. It was only in the11 February 2004 situation in Rades, Tunisia that won 6-3 after 1-1 scoreline.
- Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying match against Tunisia on 12 November 1977 was the last international engagements for the duo of Nigeria rear guards, Patrick Ekeji and Samuel Ojebode.
- Until the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Nigeria missed all editions of World Cup in which Tunisia fell in the country’s fixtures. First Tunisia eliminated Nigeria from Argentina’ 78 qualifiers. Even after eliminating Tunisia, Nigeria still missed qualifying for Spain ’82. Tunisia eliminated Nigeria from Mexico ’86 qualifiers.
- Apart from the 7-0 defeat on Nigeria by Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1955, the next heaviest defeat on Nigeria was by Tunisia; a 5-0 defeat in a 29 September 1984 friendly match.
- Former Nigeria coach, Chris Udemezue had his baptism of fire as Nigeria’s coach when his team was walloped 5-0 by Tunisia in a friendly match in 1984. At the time, Adegboye Onigbinde who led Nigeria to the final of 1984 Africa Cup of Nations had been cleverly eased out to assist Shooting Stars in prosecuting club continental assignment.
- Figure six is prominent in Nigeria’s upstaging of Tunisia to grab the 2010 FIFA World Cup ticket. First to be noted is the fact that the Nigerian player that scored an own goal that put an end to Nigeria’s Argentina 1978 World Cup qualification was Godwin Odiye, who wore shirt number six. Sports Village Square notes that six was the number of African teams at South Africa 2010. Six was the number of teams that Nigeria played to qualify. Six was number of matches Nigeria played in the final lap. Six was the number of matches Nigeria had had with Tunisia before the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. Six was the minute that Tunisia scored against Kenya in Nairobi to take the lead in Group B ahead of Nigeria, Mozambique and Kenya. Sixth was the last game Tunisia played to relinquish the group leadership to Nigeria. Six was the number of minutes remaining in Tunisia’s ill-fated match with Mozambique in Maputo before the North Africans conceded the goal that earned Nigeria the World Cup ticket.
NIGERIA vs. TUNISIA: HEAD-TO-HEAD
P W D L F A
Tunisia 18 5 7 6 23 18
Nigeria 18 4 7 5 18 23
- 25 Nov.1961 (Afconq) Nigeria 2-1 Tunisia
- 10 Dec. 1961 (Afconq) Tunisia 2-2 Nigeria *inconclusive (Nigeria walked out).
- 25 Sept. 1977 (WCq) Tunisia 0-0 Nigeria
- 12 Nov. 1977 (WCq) Nigeria 0-1 Tunisia
- 16 Mar. 1978 (Afcon) Tunisia 0-2 Nigeria (w/o) (actual scores 1-1 before Tunisians walked out)*.
- 26 June. 1980 (WCq) Tunisia 2-0 Nigeria
- 12 Jul. 1980 (WCq) Nigeria 2-0 Tunisia * (2-2 on aggregate: Nigeria won penalty shoot-out 4-3).
- 29 Sept. 1984 (F) Tunisia 5-0 Nigeria
- 6 Jul. 1985 (WCq) Nigeria 1-0 Tunisia
- 20 Jul. 1985 (WCq) Tunisia 2-0 Nigeria
- 22 Feb. 1992 (SCSA) Tunisia 1-1 Nigeria
- 9 Aug.1997 (LG Cup) Tunisia 2-0 Nigeria
- 23. Jan.2000 (Afcon) Nigeria 4-2 Tunisia
- 11. Feb.2004 (Afcon) Nigeria 1 -1Tunisia *Tunisia won 6-3 in penalty shoot out
- 4. Feb 2006 Tunisia 1-1 Nigeria (6-5pen)
- 20 June 2009 (WCq) Tunisia 0-0 Nigeria
- 6 Sept. 2009 (WCq) Nigeria 2-2 Tunisia
- 17 July 2019 (Afcon) Nigeria 1-0 Tunisia
- 13 Oct. 2020 (F) Tunisia 1-1 Nigeria
The African Football Confederation (CAF) and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) have sealed a historic strategic partnership that grants Morocco’s national airline the status of “Official Global Partner” for upcoming major African football competitions.
The agreement was signed Saturday morning in Casablanca, in the presence of Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President Fouzi Lekjaâ.
This partnership encompasses several prestigious tournaments, including the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (AFCON) 2025 (December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026) and CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAFCON) 2024 (July 5-26, 2025).
The agreement also covers CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF Champions League 2024/2025 Finals, CAF Confederation Cup 2024/2025 Finals, and the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe voiced enthusiasm about the collaboration.
“We are excited about the partnership between CAF and Royal Air Maroc, a world-class airline that will provide comfort and fly NationalTeams participating in the CAF competitions,” he said.
“We are confident that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be the most successful AFCON in the history of this competition.”
The agreement strengthens RAM’s footprint across Africa and globally, solidifying its role as a strategic gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. It also aligns with Morocco’s emergence as an international sports hub, with the country preparing to host AFCON 2025 and co-host the FIFA World Cup 2030.
RAM’s Chairman and CEO Hamid Addou stated: “This historic partnership with CAF aligns fully with our strategic vision as an airline deeply rooted in Africa and committed to its development.”
“Royal Air Maroc doesn’t just connect destinations; it builds bridges between cultures and passions. By supporting the continent’s biggest football competitions, we reaffirm our role as a facilitator of human and sporting exchanges,” he continued.
500,000 supporters expected
Beyond its partnership role, RAM will implement an exceptional operational system to meet increased demand during CAF competitions. The airline plans to welcome over 500,000 supporters for AFCON 2025.
“We believe we will surpass this figure by far,” revealed Addou. “We will be ready to accommodate these supporters across Royal Air Maroc’s entire network.”
The airline intends to double seat capacity from qualified countries already served by RAM, such as Dakar, Abidjan, Cairo, Tunis, Bamako, Lagos, and Douala.
RAM will also intensify flight frequencies from European cities with large African communities, including Paris, Brussels, Milan, London, Marseille, Lyon, Madrid, and Barcelona.
Additionally, the airline will establish a dedicated program for domestic air transport of national teams, shuttling them between their base camps and host cities.
This positioning establishes RAM as the primary connector between Africa and Europe through its Casablanca hub. FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaâ noted that the contract “reinforces Royal Air Maroc’s first-rate leadership role in Africa.”
“Royal Air Maroc is no stranger to football,” Lekjaâ added. “It has always supported generations of our athletes and footballers here in Morocco.”
“With this expertise and experience, they will contribute significantly to making AFCON 2025 Morocco exceptional, a historic turning point in African football, cultural coexistence and African cultural exchange,” he concluded.
Addou stressed RAM’s commitment to African unity: “We are all extremely proud to be African, and in every corner of this vast and magnificent continent, we share the same ambition—to actively contribute to Africa’s development and influence.”
The RAM CEO concluded by inviting everyone to upcoming CAF calendar events: “We’ll see you very soon for the great moments ahead in the CAF calendar, particularly the Women’s AFCON starting in July and, of course, the men’s AFCON, which kicks off on December 25.”
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The presidents of the regional councils concerned by the hosting of the matches of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025) unanimously affirmed that the implementation of infrastructure projects in anticipation of this continental event “is progressing at a sustained pace”, declaring themselves “fully mobilized” to crown with success the major sporting events scheduled in the Kingdom.
They specified, in statements to the press in Rabat following a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior devoted to the assessment of the progress of the construction and rehabilitation works of the stadiums, that major sports infrastructure projects are underway in the six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech and Agadir.
The President of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, Abdellatif Maâzouz, announced that the projects planned for upcoming international sporting events, in particular the 2025 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, “are proceeding under good conditions.”
The projects related to the organisation of the AFCON will be ready by next July at the latest, he assured, specifying that there is a clear vision regarding the preparations underway for the AFCON and the 2030 World Cup, both in terms of equipment and organisational arrangements related to human resources and animation.
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AFCON
‘Land of Football’ is ‘Kingdom of Light’ as Moroccan Tourism Office and Football Federation Strike Accord
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Morocco’s football federation and tourism office have signed a groundbreaking agreement to establish the country as a major football and tourism destination leading to the milestone 2030 World Cup when the global football tournament clocks a century.
The Moroccan football body and the Tourism Office are building on the national team’s recent international success.
Though with just one success in the Africa Cup of Nations, Moroccan football soars higher than the rest in Africa and the Arab world at the World Cup.
Apart from being the only African and Arab country to have reached the World Cup semi-final stage, Morocco in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico became the first African team not to be defeated in a World Cup match when they forced Bulgaria to a 1-1 draw on 11 June.
Again, in Mexico, this time at the 1986 World Cup, Morocco became the first African team to top a group and cross the group stage.
They were just two minutes away from a major upset of West Germany in the round of 16 before Lothar Matthäus’ back-breaking goal.
The success of the football team and the tourism potential of Morocco have found a harmonious chord.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and the National Moroccan Tourism Office (ONMT) will work together under the banner “Morocco, Land of Football,” placing the sport at the heart of the country’s tourism strategy.
“More than an institutional partnership, this convention is a shared vision: that of a Morocco that shines through football and makes it a lever for promotion, pride and tourist attractiveness,” ONMT said in a statement released after the signing.
The timing of this collaboration is strategic, coming ahead of two major sporting events: the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
The initiative builds on widespread public enthusiasm following the Atlas Lions’ historic World Cup performance in 2022.
Under the agreement, both organizations will implement an integrated communication strategy combining visibility campaigns, influence marketing, and joint promotional activities.
The initiative will mobilize iconic figures from Moroccan football to bring this vision to life, to showcase the country’s world-class sporting facilities, rich cultural heritage, and diverse tourist attractions.
ONMT has launched a major offensive at making Morocco, the ultimate tourism and business destination as the clock ticks down to the 35th Africa Cup of Nations holding in December.
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