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AFCON 2019: Aghahowa sends strong message to Rohr over team selection
Former Nigeria
striker, Julius Aghahowa, has advised head coach of the Super Eagles, Gernot
Rohr, to maintain a consistent selection, as the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations
kicks off this weekend.
Aghahowa also urged
the team to get their acts together in Egypt.
“As we head into
this tournament, a lineup filled with a consistent selection from the coach
will be an integral decision to posing a huge threat of winning the title.
“I know frequent
changes would be made but fielding players who are familiar with playing each
other would be key and will also give us the edge over any team in the African
Cup of Nations,” Aghahowa told AOIfootball.
The former Wigan
Athletic striker also gave a few thoughts on the Gernot Rohr’s final squad
selection.
“I am happy with
the final 23-man list made by the coach. He knows why he dropped others, and we
must respect that.
“They were all good
players but of course, some had to be dropped because you can’t go with
everyone,” he concluded.
AFCON 2019: NFF president, Pinnick lists expectations for tournament
President of the
Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria’s Amaju Melvin Pinnick, has given assurance that
this year’s competition, will be a huge success.
The stage is set
for this edition of the continental showpiece, which holds in Egypt between
June 21 and July 19.
Pinnick, who is the
first–ever Nigerian to head the organizing committee for the biggest football
championship in the continent, flew into Cairo on Sunday ahead of the opening
ceremony.
“I am delighted at
the general arrangements. The variables and specifics we agreed on in our
meetings over the past months have been brought to life by the local organizing
committee and the staff of CAF. Everything looks great.
“Of course, there
have been concerns in several quarters over the little time that the Egyptians
had to prepare for the competition, but we could all see from the show they put
up hosting the Draw Ceremony that they are always ready for the big event. I
have confidence that all will go pretty well,” Pinnick, who is also the
president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) told thenff.com.
Egypt 2019 is the
biggest AFCON in history, with 24 teams to battle for honours over a period of
28 days.
AFCON 2019: Dalung, NFF clash over Super Eagles’ budget
The Nigeria
Football Federation (NFF) has dismissed the statement made by former Youth and
Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, at the weekend that the Federation omitted the
budget for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations from its 2019 programmes sent to the
Ministry.
“There is no truth
to the claim that the NFF omitted the AFCON from its budget.
“The truth is that
major competitions are never part of the regular budgets since, in most cases,
qualification campaigns are still on course while budgets are being prepared
for the following year. Thus, they are always sourced from intervention funds.
“We qualified for
the 2019 AFCON in November 2018, after the 1-1 draw with South Africa in
Johannesburg. That was too late to include in the budget for 2019, which we had
submitted around September/October 2018. So, we knew the grace would be for the
AFCON fund to be sourced from special intervention, and not from the proposal
that had been submitted earlier as regular program.
“For instance, the
2018 FIFA World Cup budget was also sourced from intervention fund. We
qualified for that competition in October 2017 and we could not have included
it in the regular program for the year 2018,” NFF Executive Committee member
and Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee, Hon. (Dr) Suleiman
Yahaya-Kwande told thenff website.
Kwande, who
actually defended the NFF budget for the year 2019 at the Ministry of Budget
and National Planning, said that the Federation at this time is only interested
in ensuring that the National Teams (male and female) excel at their respective
tournaments in which they are representing Nigeria.
According to him,
NFF would ordinarily not respond to Dalung’s statements, but noted that it is
important to put records straight to avoid misleading the public.
“For the regular
annual budgets, we put together our budget for every competition and send to
the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, which then puts a covering note and
recommends to the Presidency, from where the document heads to the Finance
Ministry and then onwards to the Budget Office.
“Since this NFF
administration came into office, as was the case for some time before it, the
Federation usually received what is called an ‘envelope’. So, the only way to
prosecute major competitions is to depend on the grace of intervention funds.
“Few weeks after we
qualified for the AFCON 2019, we sent a budget to the Ministry. We sent this
same budget about three times as we were always being told to re-submit.
“Mr. Dalung was
Minister of Sports for three-and-half years and not once did the NFF bypass the
Ministry to submit a budget to the Presidency or the Finance Ministry. Facts
are sacred,” he added.
Kwande also denied
that the NFF wrote any story to curry sympathy as alleged by Dalung.
“We have no time
for those kind of spins. Another deliberate misleading statement by the former
Minister was the allegation that the NFF leadership has been saying that it can
do without government funding. We have never said so; we have only ever stated
that the NFF has attained about 60 per cent self-funding from the analysis of
our 2017 audited accounts that we published, and that we are determined to
drive towards total self-funding which would be a delight to the Government, as
it will free resources for other critical sectors.
“It is however
interesting that Mr. Dalung now considers the NFF as a self–accounting
parastatal, when several times during his tenure he refused to accept such.
“We are not sure
what the intentions of Mr. Dalung are regarding the so-called ‘feelers’ he said
he is having about possible unrest in the Super Eagles’ camp. There is nothing
of such; it is statements such as those being made by Dalung at such
inauspicious times that, but for the absolute discipline and concentration of
the Super Eagles, is capable of truncating harmony in the camp.
“The players are
focused on the noble assignment of doing Nigeria proud and told representatives
of the Nigerian ambassador to Egypt (the representative of His Excellency,
President Muhammadu Buhari in that country) as much when they visited the camp
some days ago.
“The ‘feelers’ we
are getting are all positive, and we are confident the team will do the country
proud at the end of the day,” he said.
AFCON 2019: Super Eagles arrive in Egypt, begin training for Senegal
friendly
Coaches and players
of the Nigerian national team landed in the Egyptian city of Ismailia on Sunday
night, Sporting Life reports.
Kelechi Iheanacho
and Oluwasemilogo Ajayi, who were dropped from the squad earlier in the day,
were the only two absentees.
The Nigeria
Football Federation (NFF) allowed the Warriors of Zimbabwe with whom the Eagles
played a 0-0 draw in a friendly on Saturday, flew together with the Nigerian
contingent to Ismailia aboard a chartered MAX Air flight from Asaba.
The aircraft
refueled at the Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano before heading for
Ismailia.
The three-time
African champions are staying at the Hotel Mercure in Ismailia where they will
spend one week before heading to Alexandria, venue of their Group B matches
during the championship.
Before then, the
Eagles will face Senegal’s Lions of Terranga in another warm-up clash on June
16.
AFCON 2019: What will Iheanacho do after being dropped by Rohr?
Kelechi Iheanacho
will have a full pre-season with Leicester City, after he failed to make the
final cut for Nigeria’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations squad, The Nation reports.
The 22-year-old is
one of two players, left out by Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr, along with
Rotherham’s Semi Ajayi.
Iheanacho’s club
team-mate Wilfred Ndidi is in the squad and is expected to be a starter for
Nigeria.
Although, Rohr
praised the improvement in the striker’s professionalism, he chose not to take
him along for the tournament.
Iheanacho will now
focus on breaking into the Leicester side next season, under new manager
Brendan Rodgers.
AFCON 2019: Mikel Obi breaks silence on return to Super Eagles squad
Super Eagles
captain, John Mikel Obi, has said he is ready to lead the team again.
The free agent last
played for Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and has missed the team’s
last seven matches.
However, Mikel Obi
is in camp, ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt this month.
Speaking to
reporters at the team’s base in Asaba, the midfielder expressed his delight at
being part of the squad again.
He said: “I’m
really happy to be back in the team and I’m happy with the progress made so
far. I fitted in seamlessly because it was not a problem for me as I have great
understanding of the team and the coach very well.
“I needed rest
because I was struggling with injuries but now I’m ready to lead the team
again.
The best team will
win the AFCON and we are up for it as we are training twice a day.”
AFCON 2019: Rohr reveals Super Eagles’ players reaction to Mikel Obi’s
return
Head coach of the
Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, has claimed that the players were happy to have
captain John Mikel Obi back in the squad.
Mikel Obi, who is
currently without a club, has not featured for Nigeria since the 2018 World Cup
in Russia.
However, the
midfielder is in camp, ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations this month.
Describing Mikel
Obi’s integration back into the team as “natural”, Rohr said “the players are
happy to see him and he has been working very hard.”
Addressing
reporters at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba on Tuesday evening, Rohr also
expressed optimism that his players would do well at the 2019 AFCON, saying
Nigerians can expect a fighting team.
“We have to be very
fit because of high temperature in Egypt which is between 30 to 40 degrees
centigrade and it will be difficult to recover. That is why we have to prepare
very well.
“Our first match is
against Burundi and we have to beat this team. We have in our group two teams
who are newcomers because they have never been to the AFCON before.
“It is not going to
be easy playing against them because they will have enthusiasm. Guinea also has
a very good team.
“We have to come
out of this group and try to be in the round of 16 and quarter finals. We have
a lot of games to play and we are ready for that,” the German said.
