AFCON
Nigeria’s soft underbelly exposed ahead of AFCON
There are worrying signs for Jose Peseiro and his band of Super Eagles looking to claim a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title — after Nigeria Football Federation had announced that ambitious objective in a national campaign with the tag line “Let’s Do It Again”.
Months ago, the Super Eagles drew 2-2 with Saudi Arabia, when the goals conceded both resulted from goalkeeping mistakes, and one is left to ask how much longer the team can afford errors in the defensive third.
“Let’s Do It Again”, according to an NFF statement, was adopted before the 6-0 deconstruction of São Tomé e Principe in the last game of Nigeria’s 2023 AFCON qualifying campaign.
The players all wore T-shirts with the inscription in their warm ups ahead of the fixtures vs. Saudi Arabia and Mozambique, and the team’s social media handles have used it as a hashtag.
This is a SMART goal for a team like Nigeria, not only because they have won the continental trophy three times — in 1980, 1994 and 2013 — but also because they possess some of Africa’s most fearsome attacking talent in Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Taiwo Awoniyi, Moffi, Gift Orban, and others.
Having that firepower is only part of the equation, however; supplying the ammunition is another, and keeping the rearguard safe and secure is a different conversation entirely. At the end of this international break, it is clear that, for all the talent the Super Eagles have, the holes in the team bear comparison with Challenger Deep.
Let’s start with the obvious.
Since Vincent Enyeama’s departure, and the short-lived tenure of Carl Ikeme, Nigeria have struggled to find a goalkeeper to fill his shoes.
To illustrate the extent of the problem, Nigeria selected just three major goalkeepers between 2002, when Enyeama made his debut, and 2015, when he was unceremoniously forced to retire; Austin Ejide and Dele Aiyenugba were the other goalkeepers with significant playing minutes in that 13-year span.
Enyeama was the undisputed first choice, and he kept goal the majority of the time. Ejide was the clear deputy, except for a short time during the 2008 Nations Cup, when Enyeama fell out with then coach Berti Vogts for non-football reasons and was relegated to third choice, with Aiyenugba promoted.
In the past eight years however, Nigeria have fielded Ikeme, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Daniel Akpeyi, Dele Alampasu, Uzoho, Dele Ajiboye, Maduka Okoye and Adebayo Adeleye in goal.
Where the Super Eagles had essentially one goalkeeper for 13 years, they now average one every year. Still the problems persist. Uzoho’s mistake during 2021 AFCON qualifying saw him lose the spot to Okoye, who then proceeded to make the howler that saw highly fancied Nigeria eliminated by Tunisia in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Uzoho was reinstated, only to make the error that cost Nigeria the World Cup ticket against rivals Ghana.
Reinstated again after a brief interlude when Adeleye was selected, Uzoho returned for the AFCON qualifiers and these friendlies, and all hell broke loose. Of the four goals conceded by the Super Eagles in the friendlies, three resulted from Uzoho’s mistakes. A particularly egregious mistake resulted in the opening goal by Saudi Arabia, as he redirected a routine free kick into his own net.
He conceded the other goal by Saudi from another weak free kick; that took a slight deflection but still it could have been saved.
Former defender Mobi Oparaku, who won Olympic gold with Nigeria and played at the 1998 World Cup, said the Super Eagles could not win the Nations Cup with Uzoho in goal
“You can’t rely on a goalkeeper who makes basic errors to win a tournament like the AFCON,” Oparaku told OwnGoalNigeria.
“Uzoho hasn’t improved from 2018 when he made his debut. Goalkeepers get better with more games and exposure but his case is different. He is regressing… with him in goal, it will be hard if not impossible for Nigeria to win the AFCON next year.”
Peseiro’s first act after taking up as Nigeria coach in 2022 was to defend Uzoho’s World Cup qualifying mistake, and he was forced to back his goalkeepers again after a torrent of backlash following the game against Saudi Arabia.
“When I arrived here, I remember I was told to change the goalkeeper,” Peseiro said in his post-match remarks.
“I spoke with all of [the goalkeepers], and no one feels comfortable because everybody attacks them.
“I like our players. When they make mistakes, it is my responsibility. The goalkeepers never play freely or calmly because of the people. I don’t know why they attack the goalkeepers every time.
“Why don’t they attack the strikers when they lose the ball or miss a goal, why? They could make mistakes. It is my responsibility. Next time, I need to train him better.”
That training either did not happen, was not enough, or just did effect improvement against Mozambique, and the nerves that Peseiro detailed were on display as Uzoho conceded two more avoidable goals.
It is hard to see Uzoho getting another opportunity, but the alternatives, barely three months ahead of the tournament, are bottom-of-the-barrel thin.
Okoye has not kept goal at all this season, since joining Udinese from Watford, where he endured a similar fate, and his confidence appears even more shot than Uzoho’s.
Adebayo appears to be the only other option. And he has his limitations, playing in Israel where he has let in nine goals and failed to keep a clean sheet in five appearances for Hapoel Jerusalem; additionally, he has made only one international appearance.
Goalkeeping is clearly Nigeria’s soft underbelly, one that opponents will look to exploit.
But that is not all.
Peseiro still has not found a settled centre-back partnership, and he started two combinations in the latest internationals. Jordan Torunarigha made his debut against Mozambique and looked like he could be a good prospect in future partnership with Calvin Bassey, but that is not exactly world class.
Nigeria’s defending of free kicks, and even delivery of their own set pieces, had Peseiro vey unhappy after the game against Mozambique, who scored their second goal after having a player sent off.
“We played better than this team,” he said in his post-match remarks. “But our players were thinking it was easy playing against 10. Our corners, nothing. We didn’t win one ball in the corner kicks. My players need to understand, I am not happy with this result.”
Nigeria scored five goals in two games, but Peseiro was also unhappy about their inability to convert the majority of their opportunities.
“I think we deserved much more. We cannot allow this team with 10 [players] to score. Our team is better than this team. We managed the ball well but we need concentration for good finishing, for good passes, good crosses. I didnt like that. Today, we could have scored three, five, seven, eight goals. We created many opportunities.”
The good news is that Nigeria have quality and depth among their full backs: Bright Osayi-Samuel continues to be a gem at right back, and Bruno Onyemaechi performed well in the friendlies.
Further cause for joy for Peseiro can be found in midfield, where Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi give reason for optimism: Ndidi has been encouraged to explore his offensive talents at Leicester City this season, while Iwobi has had his defensive edges honed at Everton; combined, their new skills make them a much tougher and effective proposition. The addition of Onyeka’s steel and long-range shooting, with back up from Joe Aribo and Raphael Onyedika, should be music to Peseiro’s ears.
Nigeria’s five goals in this international break, added to the six they put past São Tomé e Principe, proves the Super Eagles firepower, and opponents in Cote d’Ivoire next year will do well to be wary of them.
Boniface was the clear revelation of this international break. His power, strength and excellent foot skills place him as a highly effective counterfoil to Osimhen, and exactly the kind of striker defenders hate to face.
But in the end, as the saying goes, attack wins games but defense wins championships; and Nigeria’s defence is far from being championship quality at this time.
The silver lining is that they have a little more time to work on it; the dark cloud is that even that may not be quite enough.
-Colin Udoh, ESPN
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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