AFCON
Sunday Dare denies picking a coach for Super Eagles
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Even as the commencement of the qualifying series for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations is barely eight weeks away, the Nigerian national team is without a coach and a technical crew.
The technical crew has been dissolved following Nigeria’s inability to qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. In the days that followed, there were speculations in many on-line platforms on possible appointment of some coaches and backroom staffs.
Some of the speculations linked the Nigerian sports ministry to the shortlisting of possible candidates.
But according to a release by one of the Nigerian sports ministers’ spokespersons, Toyin Ibitoye who at a time was also the media officer of the national team, the reports were false.
According to him, “these reports are false and so far from the truth. The minister has not ordered or forced any coach on the NFF.”
He therefore urged the discerning members of the public, football loving persons to discountenance those stories for “what they are…the figment of the imagination of the writers.”
The qualifying series for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire are due to resume in June with the six winners of the preliminary competition joining the 48 others to each play six group matches where 24 finalists will emerge.
Although the draw for the group stage has not been done, Sports Village Square reliably gathered that the international window of June will be used for four of the six group matches by each team.
The implication is that the Super Eagles will have four qualifying matches in June against yet to be determined opponents.
Meanwhile, according to the yardstick for the draw, Nigeria along with the top 11 ranked team will be seeded in Pot 1.
The other teams in the pot are the five African flagbearers at Qatar 2022 as well as Algeria, Egypt, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire and DR Congo.
AFCON
Libya sacks coach ahead of AFCON qualifying back-to-back matches with Nigeria
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.
AFCON
CAF president blasts Ghana, others over stadium ban
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.
AFCON
Present and Past as CAF Coaches Symposium unites Rohr, Peseiro and Eguavoen
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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