AFCON
Libya, Nigeria to determine Rwanda’s coach’s fate
The future of Rwanda’s national football coach, Torsten Spittler hangs in the balance as the qualification race for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations enters the final leg.
Rwanda’s Amavubi have bitter combatants, Libya and Nigeria to face in the last two match days of the competition.
According to Rwanda’s national publication, New Times, the Amavubi head coach Torsten Spittler has hinted that his future at the helm of the team will depend on whether Rwanda qualifies to AFCON 2025 or not.
Libya and Nigeria are to determine this. Rwanda will face Libya in Kigali next week Thursday before meeting Nigeria in Uyo on 18 November.
Currently third, on the Group D log where only the top two will qualify, Rwanda need to beat Libya at home, and hope Nigeria will do the same against Benin Republic ahead of their final day game with the Super Eagles.
Spittler, a German, told a press conference in Kigali that the Rwandan football federation had not opened up negotiations with him but there could be a possibility for that if Rwanda qualifies for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
“We have other national team games (AFCON qualifiers) in two weeks. After those games you will see if I will stay or not.
“The federation is waiting; so you also have to wait for the next two matches. If we go through to the AFCON, then you can ask if I want to stay. If we don’t qualify you cannot ask a question on contract.” Spittler told the press.
He noted that the federation hasn’t sent him any proposal yet. Spittler’s contract with Amavubi expires this month.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Figuratively, Nigerians will have a feel of Morocco when the Super Eagles play their last Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match in 20 days. Moroccan quartet of Samir Guezzaz, Zakaria Brinsi, Abdessamad Abertoune and Kech Chaf Mustapha have been assigned as officials for the Match Day 6 of the qualifying series in which Nigeria will engage Rwanda.
Samir Guezzaz will be the centre referee. He officiated Nigeria’s 2-0 loss to Mali earlier this year at the Stade de Marrakech in Morocco.
His compatriots Zakaria Brinsi, Abdessamad Abertoune and Kech Chaf Mustapha will serve as assistant referee 1, assistant referee 2 and fourth official respectively.
The match slated for 5pm will hold at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo.
Prosper Harrison Addo from Ghana will be the commissioner while Somalian Ali Mohamed Ahmed will be in the role of referee assessor.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
The Libyan national football team still received a reprieve when CAF announced its decision to cancel the Libya versus Nigeria Africa Cup of Nations qualifying duel that was to have been held on 15 October.
According to a Libyan outlet, Libya Akhba, the CAF Disciplinary Board recommended banning Libya from hosting three of their next home matches.
But CAF decided to cancel that penalty. Had the penalty not been cancelled, Libya would have to play their next three home matches on neutral ground.
The matches to be affected would have been their last 2025 Africa Cup qualifiers against Benin Republic on 18 November and their Group D match days 5 and 8 World Cup qualifiers against Angola on 17 March 2025 and Eswatini on 7 September 2025 respectively.
According to Libyan News Agency, WAL, the decision not to impose the three-match ban at home came after the intervention of Libya’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the Libyan government, Abdel Hadi Al-Huwaij.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Senegalese referee Issa Sy has been handed the task of officiating next month’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between Group D table toppers and second-placed Benin Republic at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan.
It is the second time that the 40-year-old will handle an African Cup qualifier that pitched the two countries.
He had earlier handled Nigeria’s 2-1 win over Benin in a 2021 AFCON qualifying game decided at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo in November 2019.
Last February he also handled Nigeria’s defeat of Angola at the semi-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations played at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan.
Incidentally, Sy will be returning with the same set of on-field officials of that AFCON duel. He is being supported by compatriots Djibril Camara and Nouha Bangoura as assistant referee 1 and assistant referee 2 respectively.
The fourth referee for the 14 November match is El Hadji Amadou Sy.
Rene Williams Sere of Cote d’Ivoire will be the match commissioner while Inacio Manuel Candido of Angola will be the referee assessor.
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