AFCON
Jinxed Abiola National Stadium, vandalised two weeks ago is 19 today
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 19 years today since the now renamed National Stadium in Abuja was commissioned by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The stadium which from 8 October 2011 when it hosted the 2-2 draw 2012 Africa Cup of Nations drawn match of Nigeria and Guinea, slumped to an abject state of disrepair was only recently resuscitated.
Parts of the installations on the pitch, especially the pitch panels, goal post nets and dug-outs were vandalised by irate fans protesting the Super Eagles’ loss of World Cup ticket to Ghana.
Incidentally, it was the third time the national team has failed to pick qualification ticket for major tournament and the youth side even failed to lift trophy.
First on 8 October 2005, despite massive 5-1 defeat of Zimbabwe at the stadium, Nigeria failed in the bid to pick the 2006 World Cup ticket, technically losing on head-to-head rule to Angola who won their own away game, 1-0 against Rwanda.
Like it happened last month in Abuja, Austin Eguavoen was also the Nigerian team handler. In the second instance of losing qualification ticket at the now 19-year old Abuja Stadium, Samson Siasia led the Super Eagles that conceded a goal in the last minute of the added time to end their encounter with Guinea 2-2 and lost out in the bid to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, the last official even-year edition.
The circle of not picking a qualification ticket at the stadium was completed last month in the World Cup playoff with Ghana. Before then, the Golden Eaglets, against all odds lost 0-1 to Switzerland in 15 November 2009 final match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup to cast speculations of possible jinx around the stadium that is fashioned after the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, one of the arenas for the Germany 2006 World Cup.
Also, at the 2003 African Games, Nigeria lost the gold medal match, 2-0 to Cameroon at the Abuja Stadium on 16 October 2003 to set the tone of missed tickets and trophies at the sumptuous arena.
However, on 12 December 2004, Enyimba picked the last of their two Champions League wins at the arena after winning 5-3 through penalty shootout against Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel.
When the Abuja Stadium was opened on 8 April 2003, the first match was between Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Sunshine Stars of Akure. Both teams are perennial strugglers in the Nigerian domestic league.
Shooting Stars’ Sikiru Lawal who scored the first goal at the stadium soon got relegated into anonymity. The same happened to Ghana’s Patrick Agyemany scorer of the first goal in the first international match at the stadium when Nigeria beat Ghana 3-1 on 30 May 2003.
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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