AFCON
VIDEOS: AS SUPER EAGLES CLOCK 70, NFF PARTNERS SOLAJA ON LANDMARK BOOK ON NIGERIAN FOOTBALL
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is the principal sponsor
of a landmark book on Nigerian Football titled ‘Super Eagles At 70: Soaring On
The Wings’, which was written by foremost football writer and analyst, Kunle
Solaja.
Described by the author as “a compendium on the Super Eagles, written in lucid and infographic style”, the book contains virtually every information that a researcher or reader may desire about the Nigerian’s Football Team since it was first constituted on 26th, 1949.
It traced the history of the team from the days of UK Tourists
through Red Devils, to Green Eagles and then to Super Eagles, and is a literary
celebration of 70 years of the Nigeria senior squad.
The book at the same time celebrates 60 years of the nation’s supreme football-governing body, NFF’s affiliation with the continental body, CAF and the world body, FIFA.
Sports Village Square reports that the NFF, then called the NFA was admitted provisionally to FIFA on April 24, 1959.
President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, said: “Mr. Solaja is an oak tree in football journalism in Nigeria, Africa and the world at large, and the NFF as an institution is happy to partner with him on this memorable project.
“I have gone through the book; it is a reader’s delight. More than that, it will be a great arrival on the shelves in an industry that is suffering from paucity of well-written books.”
An erudite journalist and diarist extraordinaire who has laid down the marker for excellence in his discipline in several decades of practice, Kunle Solaja also has to his name two remarkable efforts on Nigerian Football: “Super Eagles…Through The Ages” and Going for Goals…Unfolding Nigerian Football’s Hidden Stories”.
Gifted with an eye for detail and lucid writing skill, Solaja has travelled the world in three decades of sterling service to football journalism, and his latest effort has also been applauded by NFF 1st Vice President Seyi Akinwunmi, 2nd Vice President Shehu Dikko, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and two former Nigerian internationals of note, Patrick Ekeji and Segun Odegbami. Dr. Larry Izamoje, Chairman of Brila Sports Radio, also applauded the contributions of Solaja to Sports Journalism.
The author has served time at some of the country’s leading media houses, including the now-defunct Concord newspapers, The Sun newspapers and The Guardian.
While at Concord, he also served as personal assistant on sports to the international business mogul and politician, Bashorun MKO Abiola, of blessed memory.
While the country Nigeria has been to the FIFA World Cup finals on six occasions, Russia 2018 was Solaja’s eighth appearance at the Mundial, alongside coverage of other FIFA events like the FIFA Confederation Cup, FIFA U20 World Cup and the FIFA U17 World Cup, as well as several Olympic Games and the Africa Cup of Nations.
He is easily the only sports journalist in Africa to have covered eight consecutive World Cup finals from 1990 to 2018.
The book will be launched in Lagos, days before the commencement of the 32nd Africa Cup of Nations finals in Egypt.
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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