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The 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off today in Yaoundé, Cameroon, as the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon engage the Stallions of Burkina Faso. Not less than 24 African teams will participate in the great football tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The biennial international men’s football championship of Africa, which has been shifted twice on account of unfavourable climatic conditions and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, will start on January 9 and end on February 6, 2022.
The Super Eagles’ opening match will be with the Pharaohs of Egypt on Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 5 pm. The Nigerian team has won the tournament for three consecutive times. In the current FIFA ranking, the Super Eagles came 34th in the world and 5th in Africa.
Although the preparation for the tournament cannot be said to be adequate in terms of training sessions and other logistics, it is the expectation of Nigerians that the Super Eagles will do well and excite football-loving Nigerians. The Super Eagles interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen, is optimistic that the team will excel in Cameroon despite having scanty training sessions. However, beyond being hopeful, the coach must do more to ensure that the team excels in Cameroon. The team cannot depend on luck or providence alone to bring home the cup. It requires hard work and discipline to succeed.
Eguavoen’s optimism notwithstanding, many Nigerians believe that the recent changes in the team’s coaching crew will affect its performance one way or the other. Some football pundits point out that the sack of the erstwhile coach of the team, Gernot Rohr, some weeks to the commencement of AFCON is not tidy. In the same vein, some Nigerians have reasoned that the appointment of the new Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro, ahead of the AFCON games will likely affect Eguavoen’s performance, a charge which the latter has dismissed. However, Peseiro, who will be an observer at the AFCON, will take charge of the Super Eagles for the final World Cup playoffs in March.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, has revealed that the federation requested for N15 billion to execute the AFCON tournament and the World Cup. It is not certain how much was released for the AFCON campaign. According to Pinnick, the huge bill is because of having a bigger squad of 28 players and other costs often incurred on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Federal Government reportedly gave the NFF about N1billion for the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, where the Super Eagles finished third. Funding will also determine the extent the team will go in the tournament. The government and the NFF must understand that late release of funds to the team and the coaching crew and undue meddlesomeness will have deleterious consequences. Let them avoid such pitfalls.
To shore up the morale of the team and the coaching crew, the Federal Government has sent a high-powered delegation at the tournament. The powerful delegation, which is led by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, include the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwolu, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, and the chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Sports, Senator Obinna Ogba and Olumide Osoba. The rest are the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan; Minister of Works and Housing, Babtunde Raji Fashola; Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Sunday Dare; Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Mohammed Abubakar and others.
As the Super Eagles clash with the Pharaohs of Egypt on Tuesday, we urge them to do Nigerians proud and win the match. We charge them to gallantly defeat the Pharaohs and other opponents. They must see this as a task that must be done. They should approach every match differently and play as if it is the final. However, let them not underrate any team in the tournament.
They should not see or regard any team as an underdog in the tournament. The Eguavoen-led team should not disappoint Nigerians. And the least Nigerians expect from the coaching crew is victory. For the Super Eagles to excel in AFCON 2021, they must listen to the coach and play as a team. With determination, resilience and team spirit, the Super Eagles will emerge victorious.
