AFCON
Nigeria’s Afcon Group qualifiers opens as Libya are held to draw
Libya played a first international match in their capital for more than a decade on Wednesday but were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by Rwanda at the start of the group phase of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Fullback Sobi Al Dawi put the home side ahead in the first half as Libya returned to the refurbished stadium in Tripoli for the first time since August 2013.
But hopes of a celebratory return, and three points in Group D, were spoilt by Innocent Nshuti’s equaliser in the 51st minute.
The 45,000-capacity venue, once a stronghold for Libya, was less than half full and supporters chanted angrily in reaction to the draw at the final whistle.
There were four matches on the opening day of the group phase qualifiers but only Sudan emerged winners.
Winger Abo Eisa, who played for several clubs in Leagues One and Two in England before a recent move to Thailand, netted the only goal for the Sudanese in a 1-0 victory over Niger in Group F.
The match was played in Juba in neighbouring South Sudan because of the civil war in Sudan.
The Comoros Islands are another of 18 African countries who cannot host international matches at home until they upgrade their stadia. They took on Gambia in El Jadida, Morocco instead and went ahead when Youssouf Mchangama scored from a 37th-minute free kick.
But on the stroke of halftime, Gambia’s Musa Barrow replied with an even better set-piece, expertly bending it wide of the wall and the goalkeeper to earn a draw in the Group A match.
In Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania were held to a goalless draw by Ethiopia in Group H’s opening match.
It took two years to renovate Tripoli’s stadium which had been damaged and was run down in the wake of the civil strife in the country, which followed the overthrow of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
For almost eight years, Libya were banned from hosting international matches because of the civil conflict. But from 2021 they have been able to play in their second city, Benghazi
The Tripoli stadium has dropped its former name of June 11 Stadium, which was the date U.S. military left the base they used in Libya in 1970, some six months after Gaddafi came to power.
The venue was used to host the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations final, where Libya lost on penalties to Ghana.
The qualifiers for the 2025 finals, to be held in Morocco, continue on Thursday with seven more matches, including home ties for former African champions Algeria, Ghana and Tunisia.
-Reuters
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.
Peseiro left his position after the Africa Cup of Nations
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