AFCON
FLASHBACK: TUNISIA TRIGGERS NIGERIA’S 1ST EXPULSION AND DISQUALIFICATION
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is another match day today for Tunisia and Nigeria as they meet in their second ever friendly match in Austria. Some of the 16 previous encounters gathered themes for eternal storage.
Of particular note is that a Nigerian player was first expelled in an international duel when Nigeria played Tunisia. Sports Village Square also recalls that the first disqualification of Nigeria in a competition was occasioned in Tunisia.
That was in their early encounters when the fixtures pitched them together for 1962 Africa Cup of Nations – Nigeria’s first entry.
After Nigeria’s elimination of Ghana, the then Green Eagles moved to the second round and had to play Tunisia to get to the finals.
Nigeria won the first leg match, 2-1 in Lagos. In the return leg in Tunis on 10 December1961, Nigeria’s Green Eagles were already 2-1 up, after goals from Chukwumah Egwuonu and Patrick Noquapor.
The team then staged a walkout in the 65th minute following a controversial goal by Tunisia.
The Nigerian team and officials then protested an alleged bad officiating by Egyptian referee, Mohammed Hassan Helim, who before halftime, had sent out full back, Alfred Achebe.
Thus, Sports Village Square can point out that Alfred Achebe enters the record books as the first Nigerian player to be expelled in an international match.
A little after the hour, the Nigerian defence alleged that Ridha Roubi handled the ball in Nigeria’s penalty box. But the referee ruled a drop ball that was scored by Chetali for Tunisia bringing score-line to 2-2, but an aggregate 4-3 in Nigeria’s favour.
At the prompting of Nigerian officials, the players staged a walkout, even though the Hungarian coach of the team, George Varda disagreed. As a result of the walkout, the match was awarded 2-0 to Tunisia.
The NFA naively sent a protest letter to the Confederation of African Football hoping to be awarded the match.
When the Nigerian protest came up for hearing as item number seven at the CAF executive meeting in Ethiopia on 13 January1962, the general secretary announced that in view of the importance of the subject, it was referred to the extraordinary general assembly that was held three days later.
CAF in particular took note of the tone of the Nigerian protest, which contained “some terms which hurt the African confederation”.
Such terms included words like segregation, which CAF noted, that international football federation did not allow.
“It is unfair that the protest contains such terms as ‘the tournament included Arabs and others, or East Africa and West Africa’ as this is against the general interest and the African Confederation”.
When the issue was finally discussed, the Nigerian protest was torn into shreds.
According to the minutes of the meeting obtained by Sports Village Square from FIFA sources, the delegate from Ethiopia remarked that it was strictly not allowed for Nigeria to make remarks that bordered on segregation “because we all joined in friendship and fraternity and such words (used by Nigeria) is an admission of segregation…
“On the match itself, the Tunisians claimed that when the first leg won 2-1 by Nigeria was played, the NFA made use of two Nigerian linesmen (assistant referees) for the encounter.
“We acted similarly, designating two Tunisians as linesmen in the second game, they (Nigerians) protested”.
But the Ghanaian delegate came to Nigeria’s defence, saying that when an error was committed once, as in the Lagos match, “it does not mean, for reason of similarity, that it should be committed once again.
“A neutral referee, i.e. who does not belong to a country participating in the tournament should have been elected for the second match”.
Dr. Chedly Zouitan, a Tunisian member of CAF executive committee who died the following year aged 62, pointed out that the walk out by the Nigerian team was due to an administrative action and “never during my 45 years experience have I seen the head of a mission enter the playground and order the players to quit.
“It is also unfortunate that nobody of the mission, whether players or administrative, (sic) objected to this procedure with the exception of the Hungarian trainer but nobody listened to him.
“They have always objected to the decisions of the referee of any nationality, whether in the first or the second game.” The General Assembly decided the issue against Nigeria and ruled that the walkout was against the game’s rules.
Eritrea marked their long-awaited return to continental football with a 2-0 victory over Eswatini in the first leg of their preliminary round clash in the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers on Wednesday.
Playing in Meknes, Morocco, the Eritreans secured a late win to take a strong advantage into the return leg next week.
After a closely contested encounter, Eritrea broke the deadlock in the 81st minute through Siem Eyob-Abraha, whose corner kick evaded everyone in the box and went straight into the net.
The victory was sealed deep into stoppage time when talisman Ali Suleiman produced a moment of brilliance. The forward embarked on a dazzling run down the left before unleashing a powerful shot into the roof of the net to double Eritrea’s lead.
Despite their win, Eritrea could have extended their advantage earlier, but Suleiman missed from the penalty spot after Eswatini goalkeeper Mlamuli Makhanya dived low to his right to make a crucial save.
The match marked Eritrea’s first appearance in AFCON qualification in nearly two decades, with their last outing coming against Eswatini in 2007, where they finished second in their qualification group.
The two sides will meet again in Eswatini for the second leg on Tuesday, where Eritrea will aim to protect their lead and advance to the next stage.
The winner of the tie will progress from the preliminary round to join 42 other teams in the group phase of qualification.
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, marking the tournament’s return to East Africa for the first time in over 50 years.
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The journey to the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 begins this week as 12 nations battle for six available spots in the preliminary round of qualifiers.
The opening phase of the race for AFCON PAMOJA 2027, set to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, will see the continent’s lowest-ranked teams, based on FIFA rankings at the time of the draw, compete over two legs for a place in the group stage qualifiers.
Race for Six Places
Following the success of the 2025 tournament in Morocco, a new qualification cycle gets underway with fixtures spread across Southern, Eastern and Central Africa.
The preliminary round promises closely contested encounters, with teams aiming to gain an early advantage before decisive return legs.
Among the standout fixtures:
- Eritrea face Eswatini in Meknes before the return leg in Lobamba
- Lesotho and Seychelles meet twice in Bloemfontein
- Djibouti and South Sudan clash in back-to-back matches in Juba
- Somalia take on Mauritius across two legs in Mozambique and Saint Pierre
- Chad battle Burundi between N’Djamena and Bujumbura
- São Tomé and Príncipe face Ethiopia, with matches in El Jadida and Dire Dawa
The six winners from these ties will advance to join 42 other teams in the group stage qualifiers.
Some ties present unusual dynamics, notably Djibouti versus South Sudan, where both legs will be played in Juba, giving South Sudan a potential home advantage in both fixtures.
Similarly, Lesotho and Seychelles will contest both legs in Bloemfontein, adding another interesting twist to the qualification format.
Qualification Format and Timeline
The next phase will feature a group stage involving 13 groups of three or four teams. The 13 group winners qualify automatically. They will be joined by three best runners-up. The remaining 10 runners-up compete in a playoff round for the final qualifying spots
Key qualification windows are scheduled for:
- September 21–30, 2026: Match Day 1 and 2
- October 1–6, 2026: Match Day 3 and 4
- November 9–17, 2026: Match Day 5 and 6.
The finals, scheduled from June 19 to July 18, 2027, will mark a historic moment as the first Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by three countries. It will also be the last to hold under the two-year cycle.
As the preliminary round kicks off, smaller footballing nations have a rare opportunity to build momentum and dream of reaching the continent’s biggest stage.
For the 12 teams involved, the message is clear: the road to AFCON 2027 starts now—and only half will take the next step.
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By Kunle Solaja.
The CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb has stated that the tribunal is prepared to handle the Senegal case against CAF and Morocco efficiently.
“CAS is perfectly equipped to resolve this type of dispute, with the assistance of expert and independent arbitrators,” he said.
“We understand that teams and fans are eager to know the final decision, and we will ensure that arbitration proceedings are conducted as swiftly as possible, while respecting the right of all parties to a fair hearing.”
CAS noted that proceedings will remain confidential while ongoing, with further updates to be provided only when key milestones, such as a hearing date, are confirmed.
The case now sets the stage for a potentially landmark legal battle over the outcome of one of Africa’s biggest football competitions, with the final status of the AFCON 2025 title hanging in the balance.
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