SUPER Eagles trio, William Troost-Ekong, Ademola Lookman and Ola Aina, have been included in the CAF Best XI of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, while reigning CAF Player of The Year, Victor Osimhen was visibly missing from the list. Despite being one of Nigeria’s most outstanding players at the AFCON, where he had a hand in four of the Eagles eight goals (scored once, provided an assist and won two penalties) at the tournament, Osimhen was excluded from the Confederation of African Football AFCON XI. The Technical Study Group of the Confederation of African Football released…
Author: Peter Noah KC
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THE United States authorities have released images from the site of the tragic crash that killed the Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, and five others. In the photos released on Tuesday, two officials of the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were seen inspecting the debris of the ill-fated helicopter. Wigwe, his wife, Doreen; their son, Chizi Wigwe; and former Nigerian Exchange Group Chairman, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, crashed in an Airbus EC130 helicopter close to the California-Nevada border near Halloran Springs. The four passengers and two crew members on board the ill-fated helicopter died on Friday, February…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Tuesday honoured each player and official of the Nigerian Super Eagles with the Member of The Order of The Niger national award for securing the silver medal at the just-concluded 2023 Africa Nations Cup. The Eagles, three-time African champions, lost the AFCON final 2-1 to hosts Ivory Coast in Abidjan on Sunday. The President also announced the donation of a flat and a plot of land to each of them even as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, immediately distributed forms for land allocation to each player at a yet-to-be-disclosed location. “‘It is…
DESPITE losing to hosts Ivory Coast in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final, Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa, has hailed the team for its resilience and determination. Ivory Coast came back from a goal down to defeat the Nigerian team 2-1 in the final game of the competition which was concluded inside the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, capital of Ivory Coast. Reflecting on the tournament, Musa who was an unused substitute in all games the team played, in a social media post on Monday, said that the unity of the team on the field transcended religious and tribal differences.…
THE 2023 CAF African Cup of Nations ended on Sunday night on a disappointing note for Nigeria’s Super Eagles as they lost the trophy to the host nation, Ivory Coast. The Ivorians won 2-1 against Nigeria, courtesy of goals from Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller who helped The Elephants clinch their third AFCON trophy. Below is the full list of awards given at the AFCON: Ecobank Best Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams – South Africa Air Côte d’Ivoire Fair Play Team award South Africa Puma Golden Boot Emilio Nsue – Equatorial Guinea (5 goals) Puma Silver Boot Gelson Dala – Angola (4…
THE Super Eagles of Nigeria made two changes to the starting lie-up for their AFCON 2023 final encounter with the host Ivory Coast. The Super Eagles recalled Samuel Chukwueze to the line-up while Zaidu Sanusi recovered from injury to make the starting XI. Moses Simon and Bright Osayi-Samuel are the players that were dropped to the bench by Jose Peseiro. It is, however, the usual players on the starting line-up with Victor Osimhen leading the line while Stanley Nwabali remains the man between the sticks. William Troost-Ekong captains the side and also leads his three-man backline that also includes trusted…
AFTER a record number of goals, unrelenting shocks and an apparent capacity for unceasing drama, the Africa Cup of Nations will finish on Sunday when either hosts Ivory Coast or fellow former champions Nigeria will be crowned kings of Africa. The Super Eagles are aiming for a fourth continental crown in Abidjan while the Ivorians are looking to add to their triumphs in 1992 and 2015. The teams will meet for the second time at this year’s finals, 24 days after the Ivorians suffered a first-ever home defeat by Nigeria when they won 1-0 in the group stage. The Elephants…
NIGERIA’s run to this Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final against hosts Ivory Coast is a personal triumph for coach Jose Peseiro, the veteran from Portugal who had been the subject of stinging criticism in the run-up to the tournament. The 63-year-old had been widely written off in Nigeria as the wrong man for the job long before they opened their AFCON campaign with a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in Abidjan on January 14. Yet four weeks later he will lead the Super Eagles out at the same Ebimpe Olympic Stadium for a showdown against the Ivorians as Africa’s…
SOUTH Africa took third at the Africa Cup of Nations after beating DR Congo 6-5 on penalties to secure their best finish at a Nations Cup since 2000. Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams was the key man again, as the quarter-final hero saved two spot-kicks. First, DR Congo captain Chancel Mbemba had the chance to win it, only for Williams to block, before Meshack Elia’s penalty was also saved. The game, which ended goalless, went straight to penalties after 90 minutes. In the quarter-final win against Cape Verde, Williams saved four penalties in the shootout. In Abidjan’s Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium,…
THE President of the Confederation of Africa Football, Patrice Motsepe, says President Bola Tinubu will attend the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final in Ivory Coast. Nigeria and hosts Ivory Coast clash in the final of the competition at the Alassanne Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan, on Sunday. Motsepe made this known during a press conference on Friday at the Palace de la Culture in Trechville, Abidjan, after he was asked when Africa could host the World Cup again. He said, “Nigeria must put in a bid. The Nigerian president (Bola Tinubu) is coming to watch the final on Sunday. I…
CAF African Player of The Year, Victor Osimhen, has assured Nigerians that the Super Eagles are fully focused on winning the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, ahead of the final against the hosts. Nigeria reached the final of the 34th edition of the AFCON following a pulsating encounter against South Africa at the Stade de la Paix, Bouke, that saw the Eagles claim a 4-2 win on penalties after 120 minutes of football ended 1-1 on Wednesday. Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was the Man of The Match as he saved two Bafana Bafana penalty kicks and during an Instagram…
THE Super Eagles will receive $7m (N8.9bn) if they win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. Nigeria reached the final of the 34th edition of the AFCON following a pulsating encounter against South Africa at the Stade de la Paix, Bouke, that saw the Eagles claim a 4-2 win on penalties after 120 minutes of football ended 1-1. As one of the finalists, the Eagles, alongside the hosts, who they face on Sunday, have already secured $4m. Earlier reported by this newspaper, Dr Patrice Motsepe, Confederation of Africa Football president, had announced a 40 per cent increment…
SUPER Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, who plays for Chippa United in South Africa, has reportedly received threats from South African fans following his standout performance against the country. The South African fans reportedly warned him against returning to his club after the AFCON. Former Super Eagles international Idah Peterside revealed the threats while speaking on newsmen on Thursday, stating that some fans have warned Nwabali not to go back to Chippa United in South Africa after the AFCON tournament. While the threat has not been reported, it’s believed that some South Africans are displeased with Nwabali’s role in preventing their…
SUPER Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, expressed his affection for South Africa, stating that he loves the country as much as its fans love him. Nwabali shared this sentiment in a statement on his Instagram account following Nigeria’s advancement to the final of the 2023 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire. Nwabali, who plays for South African Premier Soccer League, Chippa United, emphasized his passion for the game and his commitment to the team, affirming his admiration for South Africa despite the competitive atmosphere. He wrote, “This is a game I’m born to play. A night to remember!!!…
Vice President Kashim Shettima has celebrated with the Super Eagles after victory over South Africa’s Bafana Bafana at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 semi-final in Cote d’Ivore. The match finished 1-1 after extra time and the three-time champions will face hosts Ivory Coast or the Democratic Republic of Congo, who meet later, in the final on Sunday. Both regular-time goals also came from penalties with captain William Troost-Ekong scoring after 67 minutes for Nigeria and Teboho Mokoena equalised from a 90th-minute spot-kick. Before the commencement of the match, the vice president was sent by President Bola Tinubu to…
KELECHI Ihenacho scored the winning penalty for Super Eagles as Nigeria dumped Bafana Bafana of South Africa out of Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast (AFCON) 2023. Nigeria opened the scoring in the 67th minute through a penalty after Osimhen made his mark. He gets the ball and runs at three South African defenders only for Mothobi Mvala to step across the striker and bring him down. William Troost-Ekong, the former Watford defender and current Nigeria captain, took charge and scored. Bafana Keeper, Ronwen Williams dives to his left, Troost-Ekong side foots the ball down the middle. It’s not…
SUPER Eagles player, Victor Osimhen has been declared fit for the AFCON semi-final clash against South Africa on Wednesday (tomorrow). The Team Media Officer Babafemi Raji, on Tuesday, disclosed in a press statement that the African Player of the Year joined the team in Bouaké and trained with the squad Tuesday. Raji disclosed that Osimhen has been cleared fit and is available for selection in the game against South Africa. “Victor Osimhen has been declared fit and available for selection in the semi-final clash against South Africa on Wednesday. “He has joined the team in Bouaké and has trained with…
THERE are concerns about the availability of striker, Victor Osimhen for the Super Eagles’ Africa Cup of Nations semi-final clash against South Africa. According to a statement by the team on Monday, the Napoli striker is suffering from abdominal discomfort and has not traveled with the team to Bouaké, the city of Wednesday’s clash. The 25-year-old can however join the rest of the squad on Tuesday if he is cleared by the team’s medics. “Members of the team traveled from Abidjan to Bouaké today via a 10 pm Air Cote D’Ivoire flight. Osimhen did not however make the trip as…
TWO people reportedly killed as Yobe State Government confirms attack on Election Collation Centre at Kuareta along Damaturu-Maiduguri Road, about 20 kilometres from Damaturu by elements of insurgent group, Boko Haram. According to the State Security Adviser, Major-General Dahiru Abdulsalam (Rtd), the attack occured in the early hours of Sunday, February 4 during collation of results for the Yobe East Senatorial by-election held on Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. This newspaper gathered that the house of the District Head of Kurareta community was burnt down by the Boko Haram insurgents who launched deadly attack on the Election…
THE Nigeria Football Federation has attributed the Super Eagles’ AFCON quarter-final win to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. It promised that the team would win the trophy for the President. NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, speaking with the newsmen in Abidjan on Saturday, thanked Tinubu for his support, emphasizing the President’s commitment to sports development, particularly football. Following a 1-0 victory over Angola, secured by Ademola Lookman’s goal assisted by Moses Simon, Gusau praised Tinubu’s motivational words to the team. He noted that the President’s support for the team showed how committed he is to sports development, especially football. He…