Index to Nigerian Newspapers

Kelechi Nwakali, a new invitee to the Super Eagles team to the 2022 Cameroon Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON), has said that the country is going for the title in the competition. He expressed delight at being part of the team despite not playing during the qualifiers, and believes that Coach Augustine Eguavoen's style of play will allow every player to be active on the field of play. He also believes that his special talent of giving long passes will help the Eagles at the AFCON.

The opening group match between the Super Eagles and The Pharaohs of Egypt was the first major game to be played in Benguela, a tiny city ravaged by the impact of the 22-year civil war in Angola. On the eve of the encounter, the late Coach Shuaibu Amodu expressed optimism that no matter what happened, the Eagles would fly high above The Pharaohs. The team was loaded with top stars and was tipped as one of the teams to win the tournament. The Estadio Nacional de Ombaka Stadium was filled to capacity with fans, particularly market women and school children waiting for the kickoff of the highly anticipated Group C challenge. The Eagles had to dig deep to book qualification into the next stage of the AFCON, but this came at a huge cost. At the Angola 2010 tournament, the Eagles became the most travelled team of the tournament, traversing from Benguela to Lumbago, and later to Luanda, before returning to Benguela for the third-place match against Algeria. Despite the drums and motivational songs from members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, the Eagles failed to put their acts together and conceded a second goal in the 54th minute. Mohamed Gedo confirmed victory three minutes from full-time to end the tie 3-1.

The opening group match between the Super Eagles and The Pharaohs of Egypt was the first major game to be played in Benguela, a tiny city ravaged by the impact of the 22-year civil war in Angola. On the eve of the encounter, the late Coach Shuaibu Amodu expressed optimism that no matter what happened, the Eagles would fly high above The Pharaohs. The team was loaded with top stars and was tipped as one of the teams to win the tournament. The Estadio Nacional de Ombaka Stadium was filled to capacity with fans, particularly market women and school children waiting for the kickoff of the highly anticipated Group C challenge. The Eagles had to dig deep to book qualification into the next stage of the AFCON, but this came at a huge cost. At the Angola 2010 tournament, the Eagles became the most travelled team of the tournament, traversing from Benguela to Lumbago, and later to Luanda, before returning to Benguela for the third-place match against Algeria. Despite the drums and motivational songs from members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, the Eagles failed to put their acts together and conceded a second goal in the 54th minute. Mohamed Gedo confirmed victory three minutes from full-time to end the tie 3-1.

Nigeria's Super Eagles have made a comeback in the Africa Cup of Nations final against hosts Cote d'Ivoire, despite a disappointing second-round exit at the AFCON two years ago and a poor run of results in 2023. The team's success is a testament to national potential, continuous investment in sports, and the belief in dreams. The team, led by Jose Peseiro, had a scorecard of 20 matches, winning nine and losing seven with four draws. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced that the winner of the championship will receive $7 million, while the runner-up will receive $4 million. The semifinalists will each receive $2.5 million, and teams qualifying for the quarterfinals will earn $1.3 million. The Federal Government approved the Nigeria Football Federation's budget of N12 billion for the campaign in Cote d'Ivoire, including payment of coaches' allowances and clearance of outstanding debts. The team's success is a testament to their resilience and determination.

Nigeria is home to some of the greatest footballers in the world, such as Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Sunday Oliseh, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Rashidi Yekini, Segun Odegbami and Finidi George. Despite this, there is a lack of progression from the grassroots level to the senior team. This is changing, as some of the current crop of players have played together at the U-17 level, leading to the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, where Kelechi Nwakali was awarded the golden ball and Victor Osimhen scored 10 goals. Iheanacho and Awoniyi recreated a celebration from nine years ago for the Golden Eaglets after giving Nigeria the lead against Egypt at the AFCON tournament. MTN Nigeria has made investments in Nigerian football, including a three-day coaching clinic for 128 young players and 30 coaches, a partnership with LaLiga, and a three-year multi-million naira partnership deal with the Nigerian Football Federation.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has invited three players to replace Napoli star Victor Osimhen, Cyprus-based Abdullahi Shehu and Watford attacker Emmanuel Dennis in the Super Eagles squad for the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations, which begins in Cameroon next weekend. The goalkeeping department is untouched, but the forced exclusion of Cyprus-based Shehu has made way for hard-as-nails right back Tyrone Ebuehi and England-based Oluwasemilogo Ajayi. Henry Onyekuru, who was also at the last finals in Egypt, has been excused to provide room for Czech Republic-based forward Peter Olayinka. The tournament will end on 6th February.