AFCON
Crisis Riders; Despite Challenges, Super Eagles Can Do It Again –
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off this Saturday in Cote d’Ivoire. It is Nigeria’s 20th appearance at the African premier sports competition.
As in most of the 19 previous editions involving the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles, based on their pedigree should be favourites having had podium finish in 15 out of 19 appearances.
Their last success was just 10 years ago, hence their clarion call: ‘Let’s do it again.’ It is one thing to declare intention. It is a different thing to deliver.
Pooled in Group A along with hosts, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau, it should have been considered a favourable draw for the Nigerian side as two of the teams will certainly go into the next round and a third may also advance as possible one of the four best second runners-up among six third finishers.
But there are worrisome signs emanating from the Nigerian squad. Lately, the squad had been depleted with the injuries to some first choice players.
Even, another one, Kelechi Ikeanacho is still a big doubt. But above all, the results of their last five matches, against medium rated sides of which they won just one, pose dangerous signals.
The matches were against Saudi Arabia, Mozambique, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Guinea. Save for the 3-2 defeat of Mozambique in which penalty kick played the decisive role, the remaining three matches were drawn against the lowly ranked teams.
Worse still, of the eight goals conceded in the five matches, six came from goalkeeping errors.
Goalkeeping howler has been the albatross the Super Eagles have had to contend with since 2015 when Vincent Enyeama was eased out of the team.
Enyeama was a dominant figure in the national team for 13 years, rising from an ordinary member in 2002 to become not just the captain, but a goalkeeper that even the renowned Lionel Messi had tremendous respect for having encountered him in two World Cup matches in 2010 and 2014.
Sadly, after Enyeama’s 13 year-tenure, the Super Eagles have in the past eight years tried eight goalkeepers. None moved close to being his equivalent.
Goalkeeping error caused Nigeria’s inability to get to the championship match of the 2019 Afcon.
Similar goalkeeping error terminated their progress at the 2021 edition at the Round of 16 stage when a routine long range kick caught Goalkeeper Maduka Okoye napping.
It was for the same reason that the Super Eagles did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Thus, goalkeeping is the most daunting problem the Super Eagles face as they begin their quest to do it again on Sunday.
On the offensive, they certainly posses the most potent strike force in the continent at the moment. Like ESPN journalist, Colin Udoh once remarked, having the 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.
If the Super Eagles are able to tighten their defence line and ensure that the goalkeeper is well protected, the midfield and the attacking line will have to the impetus to operate.
Another worrying sign is the planning ahead of the tournament. The Super Eagles are currently training in Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates. January is the coldest month in that region while the AFCON will hold in humid condition in West Africa. Save for two of the 25 invited players who are South Africa and Nigeria based, the rest played under winter conditions in Europe. Training in Abu Dhabi and coming to West Africa barely five days to their opening match will most likely have effect on the Nigerian team.
Similar basic errors have been committed in the past when weather conditions in the theatre of competitions were not taken into consideration while camping.
First, in the lead to the final qualifying match for 1982 World Cup, Nigeria embarked on training tour in Norway and Iceland in winters for a qualifying match against Algeria in Lagos. The 2-0 home loss attested to the faulty choice of camping.
Similarly, with World Cup 2010 holding under extreme winter condition in South Africa, Nigeria camped in summer condition in the UK. Worse still, the team chose Durban – an all year summer city – as base camp from where they travel to cold Johannesburg for their opening match and the bitterly freezing and mountainous city of Bloemfontein for the next match before their last group match in the warn Durban.
Had they survived the last match, they would had had to return to the cold Johannesburg/Pretoria for subsequent matches. The inability of the team to win a single match is the result of poor planning. It is hoped the humid weather in Abidjan will not negatively affect the Super Eagles.
The self-destructive tendencies and problematic areas not withstanding, the Super Eagles can still soar on the wings and scale the heights. The Super Eagles have always scaled through turbulent waters. That is where their strength lies.
They may be bogged down once again by a myriad of problems, they have always thrived in crisis. As crisis riders, they were able to surmount favourites, Cote d’Ivoire in their march to victory in 2013.
As it has turned out to be, the three instances the Super Eagles won the Africa Cup of Nations were when they avoided defeat to Cote d’Ivoire. In 1980, they played goalless with Cote d’Ivoire en-route winning the trophy.
In 1994, they drew and then won an ensuing penalty shoot-out on their way eventual victory. The same happened in 2013 as the tournament favourites, were eliminated by Nigeria in the quarter finals.
Nigeria are again pitched to face Cote d’Ivoire. Avoiding a defeat may be an harbinger of fortune. The Super Eagles can still excel only if they believe they can.
We encourage them to have the strong desire to compete, the skills to excel, the courage to overcome and strength to believe which are the qualities of true Olympians.
They can do it, if they truly believe they can.
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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