Connect with us

AFCON

Sporting Lagos and Bendel Insurance goalkeepers make AFCON 2023 provisional list as CAF finally reveals squads

blank

Published

on

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

With the Nigeria Football Association (NFF) non-disclosure of the Super Eagles’ list for the Africa Cup of Nations in January, CAF has same list along with those of the other participating teams.

Nigeria submitted a provisional list of 41 players from which 27 will be chosen by January 3, the deadline for the final list submission.

From the 41 list, three are from the domestic league. They are: Ojo Olorunleke of Enugu Rangers, Christian Nwoke of Sporting Lagos and Amas Obasgie of Bendel Insurance. They are all goalkeepers along with South Africa-based Stanley Bobo Nwabali expected to outperform widely criticised Francis Uzoho.

From the list of 41, equally vilified coach Peseiro is expected to prune the squad to 27 by January 3.

Advertisement

In other words, he has to remove 14 names to compose the final squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

 

NIGERIA’S AFCON 2023 PROVISIONAL SQUAD

  # Full Name Birthdate Club Club Country
NIGERIA 1 Francis Odinaka Uzoho 10/28/1998 Omonia FC Cyprus
NIGERIA 2 Temitayo olufisayo Olaoluwa aina 10/8/1996 Nottingham Forest England
NIGERIA 3 Jamilu Collins 8/5/1994 Cardiff City FC England
NIGERIA 4 Ndidi Onyinye wilfred 12/16/1996 LEICESTER CITY FC England
NIGERIA 5 William paul Ekong 9/1/1993 Paok C Greece
NIGERIA 6 Ajayi Oluwasemilogo adesewo 11/9/1993 WEST BROMICH England
NIGERIA 7 Ahmed Musa 10/14/1992 Sivasspor k Turkey
NIGERIA 8 Ogochukwu frank Onyeka 1/1/1998 Brentford FC England
NIGERIA 9 Victor James osimhen 12/29/1998 SSC Napoli Italy
NIGERIA 10 Ayodele-aribo Temitope Joseph oluwaseyi 7/21/1996 SOUTHAMPTON FC England
NIGERIA 11 Samuel chimerenka Chukwueze 5/22/1999 AC MILAN Italy
NIGERIA 12 Ademola Olajide lookman 10/20/1997 Atlanta BC Italy
NIGERIA 13 Zaidu Sanusi 6/13/1997 FC PORTO Portugal
NIGERIA 14 Iheanacho Kelechi promise 10/3/1996 LEICESTER CITY FC England
NIGERIA 15 Moses daddy Simon 7/12/1995 FC NANTES France
NIGERIA 16 Adebayo Adeleye 5/17/2000 Hapoel Jerusalem Israel
NIGERIA 17 Calvin Chinedu ughelumba 12/31/1999 Fulham FC England
NIGERIA 18 Alexander Chuka iwobi 5/3/1996 Fulham FC England
NIGERIA 19 Sadiq Umar 2/2/1997 Real Sociedad Spain
NIGERIA 20 Awaziem Chidozie collins 1/1/1997 Boavista FC Portugal
NIGERIA 21 Tyronne Efe Ebuehi 12/16/1995 Empoli FC Italy
NIGERIA 22 Kenneth josiah Omeruo 10/17/1993 Kasimoasa FC Turkey
NIGERIA 23 Ojo Olorunleke oluwasegun 8/17/1995 Enyimba International FC Nigeria
NIGERIA 24 Akpoguma kevin John ufuoma 4/19/1995 TSG Hoffenhem Germany
NIGERIA 25 Victor Okoh boniface 12/23/2000 BAYER LEVERKUSEN Germany
NIGERIA 26 Onyemaechi Sopuruchukwu bruno 4/3/1999 Boavista FC Portugal
NIGERIA 27 Samuel Osayi bright 12/31/1997 FENERBACHCE S,K Turkey
NIGERIA 28 Bonaventure emmanuel Dennis 11/15/1997 Basaksehir Turkey
NIGERIA 29 Ebere paul Onuachu 5/28/1994 TRABSZONSPOR Turkey
NIGERIA 30 Terem Igobor moffi 5/25/1999 OGC NICE France
NIGERIA 31 Dessers cyriel Kolawale paul 12/8/1994 RANGERS FC Scotland
NIGERIA 32 Tella nathan Adewale temitayo 7/5/1999 Bayern Leverkusen Germany
NIGERIA 33 Nwadike raphael Onyedika 4/19/2001 Club Brugge Belgium
NIGERIA 34 Oluwafisayo Faruq Dele-bashiru 2/6/2001 HATAYSPOR Turkey
NIGERIA 35 Torunarigha Jordan 8/7/1997 KAA GENT Belgium
NIGERIA 36 Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi 7/20/2000 ROYAL ANTWERP Belgium
NIGERIA 37 Kelechi Nwakali 6/5/1998 GD Chaves Portugal
NIGERIA 38 Christain Nwoke 10/27/2000 Sporting Lagos FC Nigeria
NIGERIA 40 Stanley Bobo Nwabali 6/10/1996 Chippa United South Africa
NIGERIA 41 Obasogie Amas 12/27/1999 Bendel Insurance Nigeria

 

Advertisement

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

AFCON

Royal Air Maroc named official partner for AFCON 2025, WAFCON 2024

blank

Published

on

blank

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.

Advertisement

“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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.”

Advertisement

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.”

 Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Continue Reading

AFCON

Morocco speeds up stadium upgrades ahead of AFCON 2025

blank

Published

on

blank

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.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Advertisement
Continue Reading

AFCON

‘Land of Football’ is ‘Kingdom of Light’ as Moroccan Tourism Office and Football Federation Strike Accord 

blank

Published

on

blank

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

“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.

Advertisement

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.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Continue Reading

Most Viewed