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The head coach of the Super Eagles, Jose Peseiro has confirmed that Alhassan Yusuf won’t be fit enough for the team’s 2023 AFCON game against the hosts, Ivory Coast on Thursday.
Alhassan Yusuf was one of the last set of players to join the Super Eagles’ AFCON squad. He replaced the injured defensive midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi less than three days to the commencement of the tournament.
Interestingly, coach Jose Peseiro was able to incorporate him into the team fast enough and started him in the Super Eagles’ opening AFCON game against Equatoria Guinea on January 14.
Unfortunately, Alhassan Yusuf who currently plays for Belgian first-division club, Royal Antwerp, suffered a knock in the game and had to be substituted in the 69th minute.
Before he left the game, Nigeria had come from a goal down to equalize 1-1. Unfortunately, that was the final scoreline of the game.
Most football enthusiasts believed that Yusuf gave the best account of himself in the game due to his tireless run, timely interceptions, and passes.
Unfortunately, the Super Eagles won’t have his services when they take on Ivory Coast who won their opening game against Guinea-Bissau 2-0.
After the game, Alhassan Yusuf said: “I think I am happy with my performance but disappointed we didn’t win, I think we created a lot of chances but hopefully the goals will come in our next game.”
He added, “I suffered a cramp, but I will see how it goes.”
In the pre-match press conference ahead of the game between Nigeria and Ivory Coast, Jose Peseiro said: “Yusuf is out but he may be back for our last group game.”
Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro has revealed his side must be at their best to beat Cote d’Ivoire in their second game at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The two giants of African football will clash at the Alassanne Quattara Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan on Thursday.
Peseiro said his team must stay compact and play with good organisation in the game.
“We are expecting a great match, full stadium, fantastic atmosphere as well. We need to play with good organisation, be impactful in our approach and express ourselves, “Peseiro told a press conference attended by DAILY POST in Abidjan on Wednesday.
“We also have to improve from the first match. It is important for us to maintain our style and enjoy the game. We must also defend well and convert our chances.”
The Portuguese also has kind words for his team’s opponent, describing Jean-Louis’s side as a “very good team”.
“Cote d’Ivoire is a very good team, good organisation, good coach and good players,” he added.
“But we want to win and we will do everything within our capacity to come out victorious.”
A former Nigerian international, Garba Lawal, has said Thursday’s second Group A match against hosts Cote d’Ivoire is a golden opportunity for the Super Eagles to atone for the opening day 1-1 draw with the less illustrious National Thunder of Equatorial Guinea at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’ Ivoire.
While the three-time African champions only managed to force their opponents to a draw, the Elephants of Cote d’ Ivoire were imperious in their opening group match against Guinea Bissau which they won 2-0 to sail to the top of the table.
The draw left the Super Eagles joint second with Equatorial Guinea who will take on Guinea Bissau in the group match to be played before the highly anticipated clash of the former AFCON winners.
Anything less than a draw will definitely spell doom for the Coach Jose Peseiro led Super Eagles who exited the last edition in Cameroon at the Round of 16 after they suffered a slim 0-1 loss in the hands of the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia.
Speaking to Daily Trust ahead of tomorrow’s match, the former Super Eagles utility player said the squad of 2024 is left with no option than to get a result that will keep them in the competition.
He said even as it is going to be a very difficult match, if the Super Eagles will play with the required confidence, they would get a decent result against their opponents.
“The Super Eagles must move on from that game against Equatorial Guinea. If they are to forge ahead, they must not lose against Cote d’Ivoire. But it is going to be a very difficult match.
“To either win or draw the match, the Eagles must believe in themselves and play with confidence. If they are confident enough, they will overcome the Ivorian hurdle,” said the Olympics champion.
Lawal, therefore, said the Super Eagles stand a good chance against Cote d’ Ivoire but they need a bit of luck to be able to convert the chances that will come their way.
According to him, ill-luck contributed substantially to the slip against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday.
“They played out their hearts but were unlucky to miss the goal scoring opportunities that came their way. I pray they will be lucky against the Elephants in the crucial match,” said Lawal.
Two second-half goals from Hamari Traore and Lassine Sinayoko gave Mali a 2-0 win over South Africa in their opening match of the ongoing 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Cote d’Ivoire Tuesday night.
The thrilling encounter saw Mali dominating the possession to extend their unbeaten streak in opening games at AFCON.
Hamari Traore gave the West African side the lead in the 60th minute before Lassine Sinayoko scored six minutes later to increase the tally.
South Africa’s Percy Tau, however, missed a first-half penalty.
The Tuesday’s game not only solidified Mali’s standing in Group E but also reinforced their aspiration to claim the AFCON title with their attacking prowess in full display and setting a promising tone for their campaign in the tournament.
Mali, which has never lifted the trophy despite being seasoned participants with 13 appearances, was determined to make a significant impact this year judging by their 2-0 dropping of Bafana Bafana in their opener game.
The defeat adds pressure on South Africa as they must get good result against Namibia, who earlier on Tuesday beat Tunisia 1-0, to keep their knockout hopes alive.
Next up for Mali is a clash with Tunisia, which suffered a shocking 1-0 defeat against Namibia.
[Leadership]
Jose Mourinho has finally broken his silence after his dismissal as manager of Roma.
Following an emotional departure from the Roma training ground on Tuesday, he was seen fighting back tears, The Sun reports.
Mourinho expressed his gratitude to the passionate Roma fans through a heartfelt statement on Instagram.
The manager posted a video montage of his best moments while in charge of the club and wrote in Italian, “Sweat, blood, tears, joy, sadness, love, brothers, history, heart, eternity.”
In the post’s comments section, Roma supporters showered Mourinho with gratitude for his tenure as the team’s manager.
In his first season in charge, Mourinho won the inaugural Europa Conference League, and in his second season, he finished runner-up in the Europa League.
He was let go in a statement on the football club’s website on Tuesday.
According to the statement, Mourinho and his staff will immediately leave the club.
The statement read, “AS Roma can confirm that José Mourinho and his coaching staff will leave the club with immediate effect.
“We would like to thank José on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club.
“We will always have great memories of his tenure at Roma, but we believe that an immediate change is in the best interests of the club.
“We wish José and his assistants all the best in their future endeavours.”
Mourinho was unveiled as the Giallorossi’s 60th coach in May 2021.
[Punch]
Organizers of Anthony Joshua V Francis Ngannou’s heavyweight boxing clash have confirmed that the bout will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 8.
The Anthony Joshua V Francis Ngannou bout will take place on a Friday to avoid a clash with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which is set to take place in Jeddah on Saturday, March 9.
A few weeks ago, 34-year-old Joshua, was downplaying his desire to fight Ngannou, who is known to be a former UFC champion. However, after Joseph Parker defeated Deontay Wilder, the Nigerian-born British boxer changed his focus to the Cameroonian boxer.
Joshua is also looking forward to competing for the IBF title if it becomes vacant following the undisputed fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, hence, his bout with Ngannou is a step to achieving that.
Ngannou is a significant underdog against the two-time heavyweight champion of the world. However, Joshua chose to fight the Cameroonian-born American fighter instead of Parker to minimize the risk of losing according to most boxing pundits.
Aside from that, the Anthony Joshua V Francis Ngannou bout is seen as a bigger way to end the “Riyadh Season” which started last summer.
Recall that the 37-year-old former UFC champion didn’t make his professional boxing debut until October when he faced Tyson Fury and lost by a close margin.
The boxing world was shocked last year when Fury, who had never lost a bout, was knocked down by a left hook from the Cameroonian.
The 35-year-old British fighter, Fury, will take on Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Oleksandr Usyk on February 17 in an attempt to become the first heavyweight champion to win all boxing titles undefeated since 1999.
Note that the 36-year-old Usyk is the current WBA, WBO, and IBF champion; while Fury is the WBC champion.
The manager of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has been named the winner of the Fifa Best Men’s Coach at the award ceremony held in London on Monday, January 15.
Pep Guardiola won the award ahead of Filippo Inzaghi who led Inter Milan to the final of the UEFA Champions League during the 2022-2023 season, and Luciano Spalletti who led Napoli to win the Scudetto for the first time in 33 years last season.
Note that Inzaghi is currently the manager of Salernitana in Italian Serie A and Spalletti is currently the head coach of Italy national team.
Pep Guardiola won the award ahead of the aforementioned managers after leading Manchester City to win the historic treble – Champions League, Premier League, and the FA Cup – last season.
Manchester City have won the Premier League and the FA Cup a couple of times but last season was the first time in the history of the club for them to win the Champions League.
After winning the award, Pep Guardiola said: “I want to share this award with Simone Inzaghi and Luciano Spalletti.
“Our owners of Man City and our CEO for starting the brilliant idea of the city football group. thank you to my backroom staff and our players. eight years we’ve been together. living with them has been a pleasure.
“Thank you to my dad. I am so happy he is here tonight and of course my brothers and sisters. Thank you to my kids and my wife. It would never be possible to live as a professional without her.”
Vinicius Junior struck a first-half hat-trick to fire Real Madrid to Spanish Super Cup glory in a thumping 4-1 win over rivals Barcelona on Sunday in Saudi Arabia.
Robert Lewandowski struck for Barcelona, who had defender Ronald Araujo sent off in the second half on a dismal night for the Spanish champions.
Rodrygo rounded off Real Madrid’s rout as they won the competition for the 13th time, avenging last year’s final defeat by record 14-time winners Barcelona.
“(Vinicius) needed two or three games to get back to his best level, and he’s back to it,” said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.
The Italian has now gone level with Zinedine Zidane on 11 trophies won at the helm of Los Blancos, behind only Miguel Munoz on 14.
“It was a tough game for us, I think the result is too favourable, given how Barcelona played,” he added.
Spanish champions Barcelona were hoping a victory could kick-start their season, as it did last year, but were left soundly beaten, after Vinicius netted two early goals.
“We’re raging at the defeat … we have to learn from losses and we have other competitions to play for, I believe in this team,” Sergi Roberto told Movistar.
“Losing against Real Madrid always hurts and I think those two goals in (the first) 10 minutes had a big impact on the game.”
Barca coach Xavi turned to a four-man midfield to try and keep the ball to reduce Madrid’s opportunities to counter attack with flying wingers Vinicius and Rodrygo — it didn’t work.
Spain international Pedri started in place of winger Raphinha, who suffered a hamstring injury in the semi-final win over Osasuna.
Ancelotti brought in midfielder Toni Kroos, who like in the thrilling semi-final derby win over Atletico Madrid, was jeered by spectators at the Al-Awwal Park stadium in Riyadh, for criticising players moving to the Saudi league from Europe.
One of the first was Cristiano Ronaldo and Vinicius’ celebration brought him to mind after opening the scoring in the seventh minute.
The Brazilian, recently back after injury, was sent through by a perfect pass by Jude Bellingham and he slickly rounded Inaki Pena before slotting home.
Vinicius imitated Ronaldo’s classic jump and spin celebration in homage to Madrid’s all-time top goalscorer.
Three minutes later, Vinicius pounced again, this time set up by Rodrygo who exploited Barcelona’s high line and cut the ball across for his compatriot to slide in.
– No fightback –
Xavi’s side scrambled furiously for a response and Ferran Torres hit the crossbar before Andriy Lunin tipped Lewandowski’s follow up over.
Lunin, selected over Kepa Arrizabalaga who let in three against Atletico, produced another solid stop to deny Torres from a tight angle.
The Ukrainian goalkeeper could do nothing, however, to keep Lewandowski’s vicious volley out in the 33rd minute, hammered in hard and low from the edge of the box.
Araujo swiftly gifted Vinicius a chance to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot by tugging back the forward in the box.
Vinicius drilled his penalty into the bottom left corner for his first Clasico hat-trick to double his goal tally against Barcelona — he had previously scored only three in 15 games.
Xavi rolled the dice with a triple substitution, sending on attackers Joao Felix, Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez, but Madrid soon had their fourth.
Araujo completed a dismal night by earning a red card as he crashed through the back of Vinicius for a second booking.
Rodrygo was in the right place at the right time to convert after Jules Kounde blocked a Vinicius cut-back searching for Bellingham.
Kounde cleared a low effort from England international Bellingham off the line as Madrid sought another to rub salt in their rivals’ wounds late on.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their first game of the 2023 African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast on Sunday.
Equatorial Guinea drew first blood in the 37th minute when Iban Salvador scored a well-placed shot, leaving the Super Eagles’ goalie, Stanley Nwabali, motionless.
An instant response from Nigeria following a kickoff saw Victor Osimhen head an equalising goal for Nigeria before the break.
Despite many chances, Nigeriafailed to get the winning goal. Although Osimhen scored his first AFCON goal on his first appearance, he, in the 75th minute, missed a big chance.
Nigeria, in Group A, will further challenge Ivory Coast, and Guinea Bissau later in the tournament.
Popular Nigerian rapper, Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, better known as Ruggedman, has said that he doesn’t see the Super Eagles winning the ongoing 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Naija News reports that the AFCON tournament commenced on Saturday, January 13, 2024, with the inaugural match featuring the host country Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) against Guinea Bissau at Alassane Ouattara stadium.
Nigeria is expected to play their first match of the tournament at 3 PM today against Equatorial Guinea.
However, Ruggedman has expressed doubt about the Super Eagles winning their fourth AFCON title this year.
The 50-year-old entertainer poured out his heart while speaking about his admiration for football, Super Eagles, Manchester United, Victor Osimhen, and more, during a recent interview with The PUNCH.
Speaking on his favourite sport growing up as a child, Ruggedman said: “Growing up, like most young kids across Nigeria, I enjoyed and still enjoy football. I love playing football. I also represented my secondary school in a relay race once but it obviously was not my calling.”
On whether his parents were a discouraging factor from pursuing a career in sports, Ruggedman said: “They did not need to discourage me because I did not take up any sport as a career.
“I was and I still am very passionate about football. I grew up reading football comic books like Roy Of The Rovers. I became a football lover in the early 1980s from watching “Big League Soccer.”
Speaking on his journey into the entertainment industry, he said: “From a very young age, I just loved music. Growing up, I was more into music shows on TV like Top of The Pops, Soul Train and Kessingsheen Hit Show.”
I Hope They Do But I Doubt Super Eagles Winning AFCON
When asked whether he is a fan of the Nigerian National Football team, Ruggedman answered in the affirmative.
However, he downplayed their possibility of winning the tournament, saying: “As a Nigerian, yes I think they can win it but realistically and with the way we seem to have lost a couple of warm-up matches towards the competition, coupled with the history of politics being played in players selection, I do not see us winning it. I hope we do, but we all know games are not won by hoping.”
Announcing his pick on best African player of all time, the singer said: “I know some will argue that I might be choosing him because he is Nigerian. Some will say he did not win much during his time playing, but I choose Jay Jay Okocha any time, any day. To me, he is the most naturally skilled footballer I have ever seen.”
Osimhen Is My Favourite
Ruggedman, during the interview, picked Napoli’s striker as his favourite player in the Super Eagles squad, Naija News reports.
He said: “My friend, Victor Osimhen. Not just because we are friends, but his stats speak for him. He has achieved a lot as a footballer, broke our jinx and won the African Best Player award, which Okocha didn’t even win, and what he did last season in the Serie A is phenomenal.”
On his opinion on whether the male and female national teams should earn the same, he said: “I believe they should be paid their value.”
More...
The Super Eagles of Nigeria’s journey to a fourth African Cup of Nations starts today (Sunday) against the Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpe Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Touted as favourites alongside the Ivorians who won the championship opener against minnows, Guinea Bissau, the Nigerians’ preparations have been disrupted by a deluge of withdrawals from Wilfred Ndidi, Victor Boniface, and Sadiq Umar while Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho is also a doubt for today.
On the pitch, things are not any better. The defeat to the Syli Nationale of Guinea in the preparatory game has raised doubts about the manager, Jose Peseiro’s tactical ability.
There was also some concern about imbalance in the squad. This was, however, quickly dismissed by Peseiro at the pre-match presser on Saturday.
The manager also confirmed that Terem Moffi, who is replacing the injured Boniface will not arrive in time for Sunday while Iheanacho and late addition Paul Onuachu had only just landed in Ivory Coast.
So, the larger part of the Super Eagles’ firepower is expected to come from the recently crowned African Best Player and leading scorer in qualifying (10 goals), Victor Osimhen.
Despite the withdrawals, Peseiro is still armed with Africa’s best attackers, including Moffi, Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, and Ademola Lookman.
For the Super Eagles opponents, Equatorial Guinea who are winless in their previous two encounters, continuing their impressive record of progressing to the last eight whenever they participate at the continental showpiece motivates them before Sunday’s fixture.
Juan Micha’s men go into Cote’D’Ivoire in outstanding form, unbeaten in 11 competitive and non-competitive games, including victories in World Cup qualifying games against Namibia and Liberia without conceding a goal.
They are also buoyed by the presence of striker Emilio Nsue, a key part of Equatorial Guinea’s hopes of success at AFCON 2021.
Though success is far from assured against the Nigerians, manager, Micha believes they can hurt their opponents
“We have an ambition in this tournament, we want to win the tournament. We are aware of what to do, we want to give our best
“We have a complicated game tomorrow, Nigeria is among the favourites but we we have prepared ourselves to be at the highest level.
“They have players missing and they have replacements, we are aware of Nigeria’s potential and we have our potential too. We have prepared for the game,” he told a press conference on Saturday.
Facts and figures about the game
1. This will be the first encounter between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. They faced each other in the qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup – Nigeria won both matches (1-0; 2-0).
2. Nigeria are making their 20th appearance at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. They have won the tournament on three occasions (1980, 1994, 2013) and reached the semi-finals in 14 of their last 17 AFCON participations.
3. Nigeria were beaten finalists the last time the CAF Africa Cup of Nations was held in Côte d’Ivoire, they lost 3-1 against Cameroon in 1984.
4. Nigeria have won 12 of their last 15 matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (L3). Their last draw dates back to the 2013 group stages, against Zambia (1-1).
5. Nigeria scored 22 goals in six games during qualifying for the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, the highest tally among the 24 teams at this year’s tournament. 10 of those goals came from Victor Osimhen, that’s twice as many as any other player (4 players on 5 goals)
6. This is Equatorial Guinea’s fourth CAF Africa Cup of Nations appearance, but it’s only the second time they have qualified as non-hosts. They have so far always reached the knockout stages: quarter-finalists in 2012 and 2021, and 4th place in 2015.
7. Equatorial Guinea have never scored more than two goals in their previous 15 matches at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations.
8. Only two of Equatorial Guinea’s 11 goals at AFCON have been scored in the first half of matches.
9. Victor Osimhen was directly involved in 55% of Nigeria’s goals during the qualifying campaign (10 goals, 2 assists). It’s the highest tally of goals scored in the qualifying phase of an AFCON edition since Moumouni Dagano with Burkina Faso in 2010 (12 goals).
10. Despite Victor Osimhen scoring 10 of their 22 goals, Nigeria had 10 different goal scorers in qualifying for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, more than any other team.
[Punch]
Former Nigerian football team captain, Mikel Obi has blamed former Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh for the early retirement of Vincent Enyeama from the senior national team.
Mikel labeled Oliseh as “absolutely clueless” and “easily the worst manager he played under.”
According to Mikel, Oliseh was the brain behind the exit of Enyeama; and also brought about division in the national team.
“I remember the first day he came into the camp. Then we reported to the camp for International duties, then he came straight at me and Vincent Enyeama, the goalkeeper, who also was very powerful back then." Mikel said m on his ObiOne podcast,
“He came straight at us and Elderson Echiejile, and he said a few things. He said he heard there was a lot of player power with us.
“Then Enyeama was like, ‘What’s wrong with you? Where are you getting all of these from? We are a nice group, and you just come in, and the first thing is to attack us?
“He was like ‘I heard about you guys.’ And then Enyeama stood up and told him he couldn’t say that because we had been here for so many years. They started arguing, and literally, they were going to have a fight.
“He took Enyeama out of the team, and he came at us saying he was going to take us out of the team. He said he was going to take us out of the team; he said he was going to make sure we didn’t play anymore.”
“Enyeama could not take it, and despite my pleas, he left the camp angrily and never came back.”
“He (Oliseh) had absolutely no clue of how a manager is. He was a fantastic guy in his playing days, but as a coach, he was very terrible. He had no clue what he was doing.
“The players never understood anything he was doing, and he did not know what he was doing. He was just confused because he just came in and destroyed the team’s togetherness.
“His excuse when he got fired was that the people and FA did voodoo on him not to succeed. He was easily the worst manager I played under.
“He was so bitter with everybody, jealous with everybody, and had no respect for speaking to anybody, whether the physio or anybody,” he added.
Ahead of the 2024 African Cup of Nations tournament, bettors.co.za delved into the record books of the esteemed tournament to see which records could be broken over the next month. The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is esteemed for several key reasons. First, it holds great cultural significance in Africa, where football is deeply embedded in the cultural fabric. It showcases the best of African football who ply their trade across the world. Historically, AFCON is one of the oldest continental football championships, reflecting the continent's political and social evolution.
Here are some of the key findings and records we uncovered:
Most Tournament Wins by a Country: Egypt boasts the record for the most Africa Cup of Nations tournament wins, with an impressive tally of seven victories. They achieved consecutive triumphs in 1957 and 1959, followed by further successes in 2006, 2008, and 2010. Given the history of tournament wins, it is highly unlikely for any team to surpass this record in a single tournament.
Most Caps by a Player: Rigobert Song, the former Cameroonian defender, holds the record for the most appearances in African Cup of Nations (AFCON) history, having played in an impressive 36 matches. André Ayew of Ghana and Ahmed Hassan of Egypt come next in line with 34 and 32 appearances, respectively, making them prominent figures in the tournament's history.
Most Goals in AFCON History: Samuel Eto'o holds the record for the most goals in AFCON history, with 18 goals. Breaking this record would require an extraordinary goal-scoring performance. Ivory Coast icon Laurent Pokou is the second-top scorer with 14. Of all the players that are set to appear at this year's AFCON, Ghana forward Andre Ayew has 10 goals to his name while Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar has nine and Senegal talisman Sadio Mane have eight.
Longest unbeaten run: Egypt boasts the longest unbeaten streak in AFCON history, spanning an impressive 21 matches from 2008 to 2010. This remarkable run coincided with their historic three consecutive tournament victories.
Most Goals Scored In A Single Tournament: For 45 years, Ndaye Mulamba has held the record for most goals in a single Africa Cup of Nations tournament which stands at nine goals for Zaire (now DR Congo).
Most goals in a single match: Laurent Pokou's exceptional performance for Ivory Coast in 1970 is indeed memorable. He scored an astounding five goals in a 6-1 victory over Ethiopia, showcasing his prowess as a goal-scorer and contributing significantly to his team's success on that memorable occasion.
AFCON’s youngest ever goalscorer: Shiva N'Zigou holds the distinction of being the youngest player ever to have participated in the Africa Cup of Nations. At the tender age of 16 years and 93 days, he made his debut for Gabon and even managed to score in a match against South Africa during the 2000 African Cup of Nations. N'Zigou's goal also earned him the title of the youngest player ever to score in the competition.
The Hosts Winning The Tournament: The most recent instance of the host nation winning the African Cup of Nations was in 2006 when Egypt hosted and emerged as the champions of the tournament.
Most Points Accumulated By A Team: As of the 2021 African Cup of Nations, Egypt find themselves at the forefront with a remarkable total of 200 points won in the tournament's history. Following Egypt, Ghana holds the second position with 183 points accumulated since the inception of the tournament. Even if Ghana were to win all three of their group games and Egypt were to lose all three of theirs, Egypt would still maintain their lead. Next in line is Nigeria, boasting 181 points, and they have the potential to surpass their Ghanaian rivals if results fall in their favour.
AFCON Wins by a Manager with Two Different Countries: Hervé Renard, currently in charge of the French women's team, holds a unique distinction in AFCON history. He is the sole manager to have clinched the AFCON trophy with two different countries. His first triumph came as the manager of Zambia in 2012, and he followed it up by leading Ivory Coast to victory in 2015.
The Hosts Winning The Tournament: The most recent instance of the host nation winning the African Cup of Nations was in 2010 when Egypt hosted and emerged as the champions of the tournament.
The Tournament With The Most Goals Scored: The 2019 African Cup of Nations witnessed the highest number of goals scored in the tournament's history, with a total of 102 goals. The 2022 edition came in a close second, with a notable tally of 100 goals.
Most losses in finals: Ghana's Black Stars hold the unfortunate record for the most losses in African Cup of Nations finals, having experienced defeat five times in nine appearances. Following closely behind are the Super Eagles of Nigeria, who have suffered defeat on four occasions in the seven times they reached the final.
Nigerian singer Yemi Alade expressed her excitement, describing it as a ‘dream come true,’ as she announced her upcoming performance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
In a post from her official X account, she shared her longstanding desire to perform at football ceremonies, dating back to 2016.
Alade emphasized the significance of prayer and verbalizing one’s aspirations, expressing her honour at the opportunity to perform at AFCON.
Alade also described the feat as “a dream come true“.
She wrote, “I cannot buttress the importance of prayer and speaking into existence your heart desires.
“Since 2016, I have desired to perform at the stadium for football ceremonies surrounded by 100’s of dancers and millions of people.
“A lot of calls came in almost every year when football championship preparations were made, but none was favourable.
“I never said this, but at some point, I started feeling like my team was chasing them away, but something told me to let them do their job.
“7 years after, I’m performing at AFCON. It’s indeed an honour and a dream come true. It’s just the beginning! God bless my team.”
The 34th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is scheduled to be hosted by Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11.
Yemi Alade, considered one of the best female musicians both in the country and on the continent, gained significant recognition in the music industry after the release of her hit “Johnny” in 2014.
Known for her versatility, Alade performs her songs in French, Yoruba, and English. Her achievements include winning the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) for Best Female in both 2015 and 2016.