AFCON
African Footballer of the Year likely winner, Osimhen set to eternally lead goal scorers’ chart to Cote d’Ivoire 2023
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
There have been 261 goals scored in 110 matches played so far as the qualifying matches for Cote d’Ivoire gets to conclusion this weekend. Six of them are own goals.
Nigeria Victor Osimhen leads Senegal’s Sadio Mane with two goals as the qualifying series for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations comes to a close. The Super Eagles face hapless Sao Tome and Principe who are already eliminated.
Senegal, who like Nigeria, already qualified also have eliminated Rwanda to face in the last match day. Like Nigeria, Senegal also play at home.
Although the last match day is not a direct confrontation of Nigeria and Senegal, it is an indirect confrontation of Osimhen and Mane.
Goals from the two will give a definite picture of the lead scorer in the qualifying series.
At the moment, Osimhen sit atop with seven goals – great thanks to the four goals he scored in the Match Day 2 against Sao Tome & Principe in a 10-0 rout.
Three other goals in two matches against Sierra Leone put his total at seven.
He could be upstaged at the top position if he fails to score against Sao Tome & Principe on Sunday in Uyo and if Mane scores more than two goals against Rwanda.
Victor Osimhen’s two goals against Sierra Leone on Sunday did not just aid Nigeria’s victory and subsequent qualification for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, the in-form striker is now the lead scorer in the qualification series.
The brace has taken his total to seven, surpassing Senegal’s Sadio Mané with whom he had earlier tied with five goals.
Leading the scorers’ chat at the preliminary competition of the Africa Cup of Nations as well as his accomplishment at the Serie A last season will obviously swing the pendulum of African Footballer of the Year in favour of Osimhen.
The award was last won by a a Nigerian in 1999 when Nwankwo Kanu was crowned just before the Nigeria-Tunisia Africa Cup of Nations opener in Lagos in 2000.
The award will be made in Rabat Morocco on 11 December.
The Goal Scorers:
7 goals
- Victor Osimhen – Nigeria
5 goals
- Sadio Mane – Senegal
4 goals
- Dango Quattara – Burkina Faso
- Louis Mafouta – Central African Republic
- Peter Shalulile – Namibia
- Patson Daka – Zambia
3 goals
- Mohamed El Amine Amoura – Algeria
- Zinho Gano – Guinea Bissau
- Jorginho – Guinea Bissau
- Lyle Foster – South Africa
- Youssef Msakni – Tunisia
2 goals
- Gelson Dala – Angola
- Bonfols-Caleb Bimenyimana – Burundi
- Youssouf M’Changama – Comoros
- Cedric bakambu – DR Congo
- Omar Marmoush – Egypt
- Mostafa Mohamed – Egypt
- Mohamed Salah – Egypt
- Federico Bikoro – Equatorial Guinea
- Emiliao Nsue – Equatorial Guinea
- Sabelo Ndzinisa – Eswatini
- Ablie Jallow – Gambia
- Osman Bukari – Ghana
- Mohammed Kudus – Ghana
- Naby Keita – Guinea
- Chris Kouame – Cote d’Ivoire
- Ibrahim Sangare – Cote d’Ivoire
- Ganbadinho Mhango – Malawi
- Mohamed Camara – Mali
- El Bilal Toure – Mali
- Aboubakar Kamara – Mauritania
- Youssef En-Nesyri – Morocco
- Geny Catamo – Mozambique
- Daniel Sosah – Niger
- Terem Moffi – Nigeria
- Moses Simon – Nigeria
- Luis Leal – Sao Tome & Principe
- Boulaye Dia – Senegal
- Mustapha Bundu – Senegal
- August Kargbo – Senegal
- Zakhele Lepasa – South Africa
- Saimon Msuva – Tanzania
- Kodjo Laba – Togo
- Euloge Placca – Togo
- Haythem Jouini – Tunisia
- Lameck Banda – Zambia
- Kings Kangwa – Zambia
1 goal
- Youcef Belaïli-Algeria
- Ramy Bensebaini– Algeria
- Baghdad Bounedjah– Algeria
- Riyad Mahrez – Algeria
- Aïssa Mandi-Algeria
- Kialonda Gaspar – Angola
- Lucas João – Angola
- Felício Milson – Angola
- M’Bala Nzola– Angola
- Jodel Dossou– Benin
- Abdoul Rachid Moumini– Benin
- Steve Mounié– Benin
- Junior Olaitan – Benin
- Mbatshi Elias– Botswana
- Gape Mohutsiwa – Botswana
- Kabelo Seakanyeng – Botswana
- Stephane Aziz Ki – Burkina Faso
- Hassane Bandé – Burkina Faso
- Issoufou Dayo – Burkina Faso
- Abdoul Tapsoba– Burkina Faso
- Abedi Bigirimana-Burundi
- Hussein Shabani – Burundi
- Vincent Aboubakar– Cameroon
- Olivier Kemen – Cameroon
- Karl Toko Ekambi – Cameroon
- Bebé– Cape Verde
- Clé – Cape Verde
- João Paulo Fernandes – Cape Verde
- Ryan Mendes — Cape Verde
- Jamiro Monteiro — Cape Verde
- Júlio Tavares – Cape Verde
- Geoffrey Kondogbia– Central African Republic
- Karl Namnganda– Central African Republic
- Isaac Ngoma – Central African Republic
- Samuel Nlend -Central African Republic
- El Fardou Ben Nabouhane– Comoros
- Ibroihim Djoudja– Comoros
- Benjaloud Youssouf – Comoros
- Thievy Bifouma– Congo
- Gabriel Charpentier-Congo
- Antoine Makoumbou-Congo
- Jonathan Bolingi -DR Congo
- Gaël Kakuta – DR Congo
- Arthur Masuaku -DR Congo
- Fiston Kalala Mayele -DR Congo
- Aaron Tshibola -DR Congo
- Tarek Hamed– Egypt
- Ahmed Sayed Zizo -Egypt
- Mahmoud Hassan Trézéguet -Egypt
- Saúl Coco– Equatorial Guinea
- Iban Salvador– Equatorial Guinea
- Siboniso Ngwenya– Eswatini
- Shimelis Bekele-Ethiopia
- Dawa Hotessa– Ethiopia
- Kitika Jemma -Ethiopia
- Kenean Markneh – Ethiopia
- Abubeker Nassir -Ethiopia
- Shavy Babicka -Gabon
- Lloyd Palun -Gabon
- Hamza Barry – Gambia
- Omar Colley – Gambia
- Felix Afena-Gyan -Ghana
- Antoine Semenyo -Ghana
- Mohamed Bayo -Guinea
- Morgan Guilavogui -Guinea
- Serhou Guirassy – Guinea
- François Kamano -Guinea
- Ilaix Moriba – Guinea
- Mama Baldé-Guinea Bissau
- Zidane Banjaqui -Guinea Bissau
- Alfa Semedo – Guinea Bissau
- Serge Aurier -Cote d’Ivoire
- Sébastien Haller-Cote d’Ivoire
- Franck Kessié-Cote d’Ivoire
- Jean-Philippe Krasso -Cote d’Ivoire
- Tshwarelo Bereng-Lesotho
- William Jebor-Liberia
- Mohammed Sangare-Liberia
- Tonia Tisdell-Liberia
- Saleh Al Taher-Libya
- Njiva Rakotoharimalala-Madagascar
- Kalifa Coulibaly– Mali
- Aliou Dieng-Mali
- Nene Dorgeles-Mali
- Kamory Doumbia-Mali
- Sékou Koïta -Mali
- Ibrahima Koné -Mali
- Adama Malouda Traoré -Mali
- Aly Abeid -Mauritania
- Nouh Mohamed El Abd -Mauritania
- Hassan Houbeib – Mauritania
- Abdallahi Mahmoud -Mauritania
- Mouhamed Soueid – Mauritania
- Hemeya Tanjy -Mauritania
- Ayoub El Kaabi -Morocco
- Fayçal Fajr -Moroccco
- Hakim Ziyech -Morocco
- Clésio – Mozambique
- Stanley Ratifo -Mozambique
- Gildo Vilanculos -Mozambique
- Absalom Iimbondi -Namibia
- Wendell Rudath -Namibia
- Amadou Sabo -Niger
- Emmanuel Dennis -Nigeria
- Peter Etebo -Nigeria
- Kelechi Iheanacho -Nigeria
- Alex Iwobi -Nigeria
- Ademola Lookman -Nigeria
- Thierry Manzi -Rwanda
- Gilbert Mugisha-Rwanda
- Blaise Nishimwe -Rwanda
- Eba Viegas – Sao Tome & Principe
- Boulaye Dia – Senegal
- Habib Diallo -Senegal
- Iliman Ndiaye -Senegal
- Youssouf Sabaly -Senegal
- Abdoulaye Seck -Senegal
- Musa Noah Kamara -Sierra Leone
- Abu Komeh-Sierra Leone
- Alhassan Koroma -Sierra Leone
- Jonathan Morsay -Sierra Leone
- Abubakarr Samura -Sierra Leone
- Mihlali Mayambela -South Africa
- Peter Chol – South Sudan
- Chol Daniel – South Sudan
- Tito Okello – South Sudan
- Valentino Yuel – South Sudan
- Mohamed Abdelrahman -Sudan
- Waleed Al-Shoala -Sudan
- Muhamed Kome -Sudan
- George Mpole -Tanzania
- Kévin Denkey -Togo
- Seifeddine Jaziri -Tunisia
- Ali Maâloul – Tunisia
- Naïm Sliti -Tunisia
- Fahad Bayo -Uganda
- Milton Karisa -Uganda
- Rogers Mato -Uganda
- Enock Mwepu -Zambia
- Fashion Sakala – Zambia
1 own goal
- Ditsele – Botswana (against Equatorial Guinea)
- Serge Aurier -Cote d’Ivoire (against Zambia)
- Mohammed Al Tuhami – Libya (against Equatorial Guinea)
- Boubakar Kouyaté -Mali (against South Sudan)
- Munir Mohamedi – Morocco (against South Africa)
- Rehan Angier -South Sudan (against Gambia)
AFCON
NFF Communication director unfolds 20 Points of a 20-hour ordeal on Libyan soil
NFF’s Director of Communications, Dr Ademola Olajire, provides a point-by-point account of how a keenly-anticipated Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match was relegated to a fiasco by Libyan federal authorities and Football Federation
1) The chartered ValueJet aircraft departed from the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo at 11.55hours on Sunday, 13th October 2024, and landed at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano at 13.10hours, for the completion of immigration formalities and for the aircraft to refuel.
2) The aircraft took off from Kano at 15.18hours, for the 3 hours and 35 minutes flight to Benghazi, Libya, expecting to arrive a few minutes before 8pm Libya time.
3) Just as he was about to commence his initial approach into Benghazi, the captain (pilot) was instructed by the control tower that he could not land in Benghazi (despite having all the required landing papers and having completed all formalities before leaving Uyo and later, Kano, but should proceed to the Al-Abraq International Airport, even though the airport lacked the control navigators for landing at such hours. He complained that he was short on fuel but his words fell on deaf ears as he was told sternly that the directive was from ‘higher authorities.’
4) On landing at the Al-Abraq International Airport, in the small town of Labraq, at 19.50 hours, it was clear that the airport was not a well-utilized facility. There were no scanning machines or the usual equipment for this service, and officials had to make do with mobile phones to scan passport data pages.
5) The delegation, which included 22 players and team officials; NFF President Alh. Ibrahim Musa Gusau; Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shaibu; a couple of NFF Board members; NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi; a couple of parliamentarians; a couple of NFF Management; a couple of media representatives and; a couple of stakeholders, was shown scant respect by the airport authorities who applied curt manners and stern tones.
6) It took over one hour for the team’s luggage to roll through the carousel, despite the fact that the bags and other items had already been hauled from the aircraft immediately on arrival.
7) No official of the Libyan Football Federation was at the airport to receive the delegation, as is the best practice globally. Airport officials could not answer the simple question on where the buses that would take the delegation members back to Benghazi (where the NFF had booked hotel rooms) were.
8) When delegation members including the NFF President, Comrade Shaibu and Dr Sanusi attempted to venture outside the airport to ascertain if there were vehicles waiting for the team, they were stopped in the most uncouth of manners by airport security personnel.
9) Calls to the General Secretary of LFF, Mr. Abdul-Nasser by Dr Sanusi yielded no fruits as the former kept promising that the buses would arrive in ‘10 minutes’, which later became ‘two hours’, and afterwards, ‘three hours.’ Later in the evening, it was no longer possible to reach him on the phone. Frustrated by this attitude, Dr Sanusi approached the security operatives to request that the team be allowed to go out and board the buses the NFF eventually hired. This request was rejected with insults. It took the intervention of the NFF dignitaries to prevent what would have escalated into a row as the NFF President himself was not spared when he heard an exchange of voices between the security personnel and his General Secretary. This aggravated the tension and further frustrated the team.
10) Hour after hour, and with mounting frustration, delegation members, particularly the players, grew restless. There was no food or water provided by the LFF, or where to even procure these items, and there was no network or internet connection at the airport. These swiftly increased the level of frustration and anger.
11) At past midnight, it was learnt that there had been word from ‘higher authorities’ (Libya is a jurisdiction governed by two different administrations – a UN-recognized cabinet in Tripoli and a self-imposed team over Eastern Libya including places like Benghazi and Labraq) that the Nigeria delegation should be delayed for minimum of 10 hours at the airport for what they falsely claimed was done to their team in Nigeria. (All conversations between the NFF General Secretary and the LFF General Secretary on the match in Uyo, both written text and voices notes, are still in the NFF General Secretary’s phone)
12) The NFF team was shocked because the incident referred to in Nigeria was entirely generated by the Libyans. They informed the NFF that their contingent would be landing in Port Harcourt, and not Uyo, only two hours to the team’s arrival in Nigeria. Despite this, the NFF moved swiftly to get authorities to grant their aircraft movement permit from Port Harcourt to Uyo, but this was jettisoned as the LFF apparently did not cherish the additional fee dispatched by the charter company. They opted to travel by road, refused to use the buses hired by the NFF and instead hired their own, and disrespected advice not to travel by night. When they stuck to their guns to move by night, the NFF provided security. The NFF even provided the team training facility the day after the match and secured direct flight permit from Uyo to Benghazi for the delegation.
13) Infuriated, the NFF President reacted: “We anticipated some shocks here given the false account of what happened in Nigeria as narrated by their team captain. But we did not expect these shenanigans. What I am seeing is despicable and has no place in the game of football which is meant to foster excellent relationships among nations and bring peoples from diverse cultures, religious persuasions and economic and political interests together in an ambience of peace and joy.”
14) The NFF learnt that the Embassy of Nigeria in Tripoli had written, a fortnight earlier, to the authorities in Benghazi that they would want to welcome the Nigeria delegation on arrival. This application was said to have been rejected outright.
15) In a conscious effort to play down their frustration, anger and hunger, players and officials resorted to playing games, listening to music, chatting themselves up, scanning through the airport exit door to see if any vehicles had arrived, and generally looked forward to daybreak, which they hoped would bring much-sought-after relief.
16) Many calls were made to higher authorities in Nigeria to apprise them of the situation, and these persons all expressed fears for the safety and security of the team. These fears were real and justified given the plethora of threats thrown by the Libyans on legacy and social media in the days before and after the match in Uyo. At 2am, Captain William Ekong met the NFF President in the company of the NFF General Secretary to inform the President that the team may not be able to go ahead with the match, due to trauma, fatigue and body aches that resulted from lack of food, dehydration and very cruel and unimaginable treatment, which had led to some players falling ill.
17) The NFF repeated calls to officials of the Confederation of African Football, Nigeria’s FIFA Council Member Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick and higher authorities in Nigeria. It dispatched a letter to CAF in which it detailed the antics of the hosts and hoped that the continental governing body would go ahead to “punish this rare bestiality visited on the beautiful game.” It noted that the Super Eagles had travelled hoping to enjoy a great game of football but had been sorely disappointed and frustrated by the unprecedented level of hostility and poor attitude of the hosts.
18) At daybreak, Mr. Maurice Eromosele, president of the Nigerian community in Eastern Libya, arrived with words of empathy from the Ambassador of Nigeria to Libya, His Excellency Alhaji Muhammad Muhammad. He expressed shock at the treatment meted out to the Nigeria delegation, who were made to spend the entire night inside the departure lounge of the Al-Abraq Airport. He said His Excellency ordered him to get a few things for the team, and he later returned with plastic bags loaded with croissants and drinks. These served as breakfast for the team.
19) More calls were made and eventually, it was agreed by all parties that the team should not go ahead with the match, but return to Nigeria to await the decision of CAF (who were briefed in detail on the situation) with regards to the un-played match.
20) After spending many more hours waiting for the Al-Abraq airport authorities to sell fuel to refill the chartered ValueJet aircraft (which was initially proving to be some sort of robotic engineering), the Nigeria delegation departed the Al-Abraq Airport (not worth the toga of ‘international’ by any scale) at exactly 15.05hours, bound for the city of Kano, and onwards to the Federal Capital, Abuja.
AFCON
African football legends, Adebayor and Aubameyang condemn Libya’s treatment of Super Eagles
Two former African Footballers of the Year, Emmanuel Adebayo of Togo and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang of Gabon have condemned the actions of the Libyan authorities who subjected the Super Eagles of Nigeria to inhumane treatment at the Al Abaq Airport Adebayor was the African Footballer of the Year in 2008 while Aubameyang won the 2015 edition.
Local authorities left the Nigerian contingents unattended for more than 15 hours after they arrived on Sunday night.
Players were seen sleeping on the bench, and the team’s doctors raised concerns over their health ahead of the match.
Adebayor, a legend of African football and Arsenal wrote on X-platform:
“Nigerian Super Eagles were stranded at a Libyan airport, locked in without food, wi-fi, or a place to sleep after their flight was diverted.
“This type of behaviour is unacceptable for the progress of African football. No team should face such treatment. We stand with Nigeria’s Super Eagles.
“Respect and fair play must come first on and off the field.”
His Gabonese counterpart, Aubameyang who also played for Arsenal that the Libyan action should not happen in 2024. He wrote on X:
“Anyway that is not possible in 2024 acting like that.”
In a related development, the cheerleader of Nigerian football, Dr. Raufu Ladipo told Sports Village Square: “It is a big shame that an African country will treat our Super Eagles this way. It is barbaric. If they could do this to our team,
“One could imagine what they would have done to members of the supporters club . It is high time CAF and indeed, FIFA takes a very serious look and takes a decision that will serve as deterrent to forestall future occurrence.”
AFCON
BREAKING! CAF wades into the Libya-Nigeria Airport episode
Just as the Nigerian delegation is set to return to the country from Libya, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has waded in and referred the matter to its disciplinary board for investigation and appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations.
CAF issued the following statement:
“The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) has been in contact with the Libyan and Nigerian authorities after it had been informed that the Nigerian National Football Team (‘’Super Eagles’’) and their technical team were stranded in disturbing conditions for several hours at an airport that they were allegedly instructed to land by the Libyan authorities.
“The matter has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board for investigation and appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations.”
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