CHAN
Ahmed Musa ignored as Eguavoen calls up 30 home-based players for CHAN adventure
Despite claims that in certain quarters that Ahmed Musa of Kano Pillars has been cleared by CAF to feature for the home-based Nigeria national team preparing for qualification for the 8th edition of the African Nations Championship, he was a clearing absentee in the list released on Monday by Nigeria’s manager, Augustine Eguavoen.
The Head Coach has invited a total of 30 players to camp as the Nigeria Football Federation activates its commitment to ensuring the qualification of the Super Eagles B for next year’s African Nations Championship finals.
The 8th edition of the continental championship – reserved exclusively for footballers plying their trade with clubs in their country’s domestic Leagues and possessing standard contracts – is scheduled to run the length of February 2025 in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Kano Pillars’ evergreen midfielder, Rabiu Ali, who has scored eight goals this season, is among the players called, alongside Remo Stars’ goalkeeper Kayode Bankole, Rivers United defender Steven Mayo, and Abia Warriors’ exciting forward Sunday Megwo.
There are also Enyimba FC goalkeeper Henry Ozoemena, Remo Stars’ wing-back Ismail Sadiq, Enugu Rangers’ midfield ace Kazeem Ogunleye and Nasarawa United forward Anas Yusuf.
Victor Collins, the Nasarawa United defender called up for last month’s 2025 AFCON qualifying matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda, and Plateau United’s Adamu Abubakar, are also called up.
All the invited players have been instructed to arrive at the Remo Stars Sports Institute, Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State on Wednesday, 4th December 2024, where the team will train ahead of the first leg of the qualification fixture against Ghana’s Black Stars B, billed for the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, 22nd December. The second leg will take place at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Saturday, 28th December.
Ghana stopped Nigeria from reaching the Africa Nations Championship finals in 2009 and 2023. In the qualifiers for the inaugural edition hosted by Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria took a 2-0 first-half lead in the opening leg in Accra, only to concede three goals in the second half. The return leg in Calabar ended 0-0. In the qualifiers for the last edition hosted by Algeria, Ghana won 2-0 at home and lost 0-2 in Abuja, but prevailed after a penalty shootout at the MKO Abiola National Stadium.
30 PLAYERS FOR SUPER EAGLES B CAMPING IN IKENNE-REMO
Goalkeepers: Henry Ozoemena (Enyimba FC); Kayode Bankole (Remo Stars); Nurudeen Badmus (Kwara United)
Defenders: Ismail Sadiq (Remo Stars); Waliu Ojewole (Ikorodu City); Imo Obot (Enyimba FC); Taiwo Abdulrafiu (Rivers United); Junior Nduka (Remo Stars); Victor Collins (Nasarawa United); Ifeanyi Onyebuchi (Rangers International); Steven Mayo (Rivers United)
Midfielders: Jide Fatokun (Remo Stars); Rabiu Ali (Kano Pillars); Saviour Isaac (Rangers International); Musa Zayyad (El-Kanemi Warriors); Emmanuel Ogbole (Kwara United); Papa Daniel Mustapha (Niger Tornadoes); Kazeem Ogunleye (Rangers International)
Forwards: Anas Yusuf (Nasarawa United); Adamu Abubakar (Plateau United); Osy Martins (Lobi Stars); Sikiru Alimi (Remo Stars); Temitope Vincent (Plateau United); Samuel Ogunleye (3SC); Abiam Nelson (Kano Pillars); Meyiwa Oritseweyimi (Bendel Insurance); Ngbemena Ikechukwu (Heartland FC); Sunday Megwo (Abia Warriors); Umar Al-Amin Ibrahim (El-Kanemi Warriors); Adams Aminu Sani (Kano Pillars)
The Confederation of African Football has appointed match officials from Togo to take charge of the 8th African Nations Championship qualifying match between the senior B teams of Ghana and Nigeria, scheduled for the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, 22nd December 2024.
The engagement is the first leg of the qualifying fixture between both teams, with the second and concluding leg to take place at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Saturday, 28th December.
Aklesso Gnama will be in the role of referee, with compatriots Jonathan Ahonto Koffi, Wassiou Tchamolla Ourotou and Kossi Fabrice Senyo as assistant 1, assistant 2 and fourth official respectively.
Ivan Gator Brown from Liberia will serve as commissioner while Beninoise official Hugues Alain Adjovi will be in the role of referee assessor.
For the return leg in Uyo, Moroccans Hamza El Fariq, Abdessamad Abertoune, Zakaria Bouchtaoui and Hicham Temsamani will work as referee, assistant 1, assistant 2 and fourth official respectively, with Prince Kai Saquee from Sierra Leone as commissioner and Miboti Moise from the Democratic Republic of Congo as referee assessor.
The game in Accra will commence at 4pm Ghana time (5pm in Nigeria) while the return leg will kick off at 5pm.
The winner on aggregate will qualify for the 8th African Nations Championship finals, to be hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania – which will use the event as dress rehearsal to test-run facilities and equipment for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals they have been selected to host. The tournament will hold 1st – 28th February 2025.
PREVIOUS CHAN FINALS & HOST NATIONS
2009: Cote d’Ivoire
2011: Sudan
2014: South Africa
2016: Rwanda
2018: Morocco
2021: Cameroon
2023: Algeria
2025: Kenya/Uganda/Tanzania
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
The regulations governing the qualification of players for the African Nations Championship may have ruled out the eligibility of Ahmed Musa from being part of the Nigerian team that will face Ghana next month.
The African Nations Championship is for players who are citizens of the country and play in the domestic league.
Ordinarily, Ahmed Musa who had captained the Nigerian lead brand, Super Eagles, and now features in the domestic league with Kano Pillars should have been eligible.
He has signed for the club and is having his third stint after featuring for Kano Pillars between 2009/10 and 2021.
He signed for the club for the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season as a free agent after terminating his contract with Turkish club Sivasspor in February.
He is with Kano Pillars along with another former Super Eagles player, Sheu Abdullahi on short-term contracts.
That is where there is an issue. Article 38 in Chapter 16 of the Regulations of the African Nations Championship spells out the qualification of players.
Article 38.2 reads: “Only players with permanent contract registered in a local club affiliated to their national association are eligible to participate in the African Nations Championship.”
Musa’s contract with Kano Pillars is short-term.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Even with a month to go, Nigeria is not leaving anything to chance as they prepare for their African Nations Championship qualification match with Ghana, which will take place in December.
But by the end of October, the camp had opened, and national coach Austin Eguavoen remarked that he was excited about the response of all invited players.
A week ago, 35 players were invited to camp at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
Eguavoen, who also coaches the mainstream national team, has spoken about the immense quality in the group and the hopes of qualifying Nigeria ahead of Ghana.
The assembly of players is ready to take on Ghana in December.
Sports Village Square recalls that apart from the decades-old regional rivalry, Ghana had in the past been the major obstacle for Nigeria in the qualifying series for the African Nations Championship.
Ghana and Nigeria are paired together for the third time in the qualifying series for the African Nations Championship.
They met in the 2009 and the 2022 series. The aggregate results were in Ghana’s favour.
First, in the 2009 qualifiers, Nigeria squandered a 2-0 first-half lead in Accra and lost 3-2. But going into the return leg played in Calabar, they could not score a goal that could have seen them through on the away goal rule as they ended the match 0-0.
In the last edition, Nigeria for the 2023 edition, Nigeria lost 2-0 in Accra but levelled up in Abuja after a late 2-0 win. But in the eventual penalty shoot-out, the Nigerian team lost 5-4. Will they overcome Ghana this time?
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