AFCON
Nigeria remains the only AFCON Group D team yet to announce provisional squad
It is 20 days to the delayed Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. As Egypt announce a 40-man preliminary squad for 2021 African Cup of Nations, the Super Eagles are the only side in Group. Earlier, Sudan and Guinea Bissau have announced their provisional squads.
Egypt coach Carlos Queiroz has announced on Sunday a 40-man preliminary squad for tournament. According to a statement by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), the final 23-man squad will be announced by the end of December.
In their bid to win a record-extending eighth African Nations Cup, Egypt will play in Group D of the biennial tournament alongside Nigeria, Sudan and minnows Guinea-Bissau.
The Pharaohs key midfielder Tarek Hamed is the prominent absentee in the preliminary squad as the Zamalek star remains unfavorite choice for Queiroz who also excluded him from the recent FIFA Arab Cup. On Saturday, Egypt ended the Arab Cup at the fourth place after losing 5-4 on penalties to hosts Qatar following a drab goalless draw.
The Portuguese coach Queiroz also dropped Smouha winger Hussein Faisal who was one of his key elements at the Arab Cup, meanwhile Ghazl El-Mahalla’s defender Mohamed Fathallah got his first international call up in Sunday’s announced squad by the former Portugal and Colombia coach.
Liverpool star winger Mohamed Salah, Arsenal’s midfielder Mohamed Elneny and Aston Villa winger Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan are the prominent names among the foreign-based players called up for the most prestigious football tournament in Africa [the African Cup].
Queiroz didn’t call any of the foreign-based players for the Arab Cup given the tournament falls outside of the normal international calendar.
The Egypt coach said repeatedly before the Arab Cup that he would use it to try out new strategies and inject fresh blood before next month’s Nations Cup and an anticipated World Cup qualifying playoff in March.
Under the guidance of Queiroz, Egypt recently secured a place in the final qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, which will be played next March in a two-legged form against another group leader.
Egypt’s 40-man preliminary squad:
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El-Shennawy (Ahly), Mohamed Fawzy (Ismaily), Mohamed Sobhy (Farco), Mahmoud Gad (Enppi)
Defenders: Ayman Ashraf (Ahly), Ahmed Fatouh (Zamalek), Ahmed Hegazy (Ittihad of Jeddah), Akram Tawfik (Ahly), Mahmoud ‘El-Wensh’ Hamdi (Zamalek), Mahmoud Alaa (Zamalek), Ahmed Yassin (NBE), Mohamed Hany (Ahly), Mohamed Abdel-Monem (Future FC), Mohamed Hamdy (Pyramids FC), Mohamed Fathallah (Ghazl El-Mahalla), Ahmed Ramadan Beckham (Smouha), Marawan Dawoud (Enppi)
Midfielders: Omar Kamal (Future FC), Amr El-Sulaya (Ahly), Mostafa Fathi (Zamalek), Mohamed Magdi “Afsha” (Ahly), Emam Ashour (Zamalek), Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal), Abdallah El-Said (Pyramids FC), Ramadan Sobhy (Pyramids FC), Ahmed Sayed Zizo (Zamalek), Ibrahim Adel (Pyramids FC), Ahmed Refaat (Future FC), Nabil ‘Dunga’ Emad (Pyramids FC), Hamdy Fathy (Ahly), Mohanad Lasheen (Talae El-Geish)
Forwards: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Mostafa Mohamed (Galatasaray), Omar Marmoush (Stuttgart), Marwan Hamdy (Smouha), Ahmed “Kouka” Hassan (Konyaspor), Ahmed Yasser Rayyan (Altay), Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan (Aston Villa), Mohamed Sherif (Ahly).
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
CAF president Motsepe slams expanded FIFA Club World Cup
Anthony Joshua seeks world title and redemption against Dubois
Beckenbauer to have street named after him near Munich’s Allianz Arena
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
AFCON1 week agoAustin Eguavoen remains the ‘Big Boss’, says NFF
-
AFCON1 week agoRwanda newspaper gives 5 lessons gleaned from Rwanda-Nigeria clash
-
Nigerian Football1 week agoWesterhof recommends Siasia for Super Eagles’ job
-
AFCON1 week agoPresent and Past as CAF Coaches Symposium unites Rohr, Peseiro and Eguavoen
-
CAF Confederation Cup1 week agoEnyimba continues unbeaten run against Burkina Faso clubs
-
AFCON4 days agoLibya sacks coach ahead of AFCON qualifying back-to-back matches with Nigeria
-
CAF Champions League1 week agoEnugu Rangers in slim CAF Champions League win over Angola’s Sagrada Esperanca
-
WOMEN'S FOOTBALL1 week agoFalconets crash out from U-20 Women’s World Cup