Sports
Mali’s Success Overwhelms Captain Kante
Cedric Kante has revealed that he is honoured to have been captain of Mali as the Eagles recorded their best Africa Cup of Nations finish in 40 years at the just concluded 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
The West Africans beat regional rivals Ghana 2-0 to take third place at the finals for the first time.
“It’s a great honour, as a captain and a Malian player, to finish third, a very great feeling”, said Kante.
“When we started this competition, we came to play as well as possible but we didn’t expect results like this”.
“I am more than happy (and) more than satisfied.”
Prior to the competition, most Malian fans had low expectations because of the combination of big-name absentees, a handful of injuries and the introduction of several youngsters.
However, a 1-0 win over Guinea in Mali’s opening game propelled the Eagles into the knock-out stages from Group D, where they were beaten by Ghana before sinking Botswana.
In the quarter-finals, coach Alain Giresse’s side took on co-hosts Gabon and triumphed via a penalty shoot-out after the game finished 1-1 after extra-time.
The Eagles were trailing in Libreville before finding an equaliser with just six minutes left, an incident that reflected the Malians’ character at these finals, says Kante.
“The spirit is here, we have the quality, we are young and I think we can improve in the next couple of years,” the centre-back told Tidesports source.
“We have been building the spirit we showed in this competition for two years now, it is not a new thing.”
The Panathinaikos defender also paid tribute to Giresse, saying the Frenchman’s role in rebuilding the Eagles has been crucial.
“If you see the work Giresse (and his coaching staff) did over the last two years, it’s fantastic,” said one of the defenders of the tournament.
“With his experience, not to mention the great player he was in the past, the coach is very helpful for us and for Malian football as we have many things to learn from him.”
Mali’s attention will now turn towards qualifying for next year’s Nations Cup and the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, which get under .way in June.
Despite the Eagles’ success in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, Kante is refusing to believe that his side will cruise to Brazil 2014.
“If we keep this spirit, I think we can go far and we can be optimistic,” he explained. “But to go to the World Cup is (not like qualifying for the) African Cup.
“There are only five teams who qualify – and with Cameroon, Nigeria and all these teams who are better than us normally, we have to prove that we can beat those teams.
“First, we have to beat Benin and Algeria and we’ll see if we can keep the spirit but I hope so.”
Rwanda are the fourth and final team to make up Group H of African qualifying for the 2014 World Cup – with the 10 group winners meeting in a play-off in late 2013.
For Nigeria, Nesiama’s selection signals more than representation, it represents recognition.
Nesiama, now chairs the Technical and Development Commission of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), told The Guardian on Friday that he will continue to shape the technical direction of Nigerian sport, if given the chance to do so.
At the heart of the protest are allegations that up to nine players fielded by the Democratic Republic of the Congo violated domestic nationality laws that prohibit dual citizenship. Nigeria lost the decisive playoff on penalties in Morocco, a result that initially sent DR Congo to the intercontinental playoffs.
Monday’s decision could prove pivotal, determining which country claims Africa’s lone slot in next month’s intercontinental playoff against the winner of Jamaica and New Caledonia, scheduled to hold in Mexico in March 2026.
The NFF’s petition specifically names players including Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe, arguing that they were wrongly cleared to represent DR Congo despite reportedly holding European passports, contrary to Congolese law.
NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi said Nigeria’s case is backed by verifiable documentation.
“The petition covers nine DR Congo players. FIFA was misled into clearing them because it does not interpret domestic citizenship laws. Congolese law forbids dual nationality, yet some of the players involved allegedly hold foreign passports. What we are saying is that the process was fraudulent,” he stated.
Nigerian officials also cite FIFA’s recent sanctions against Malaysia as evidence that the world football body treats player eligibility violations with utmost seriousness when supported by credible proof.
Meanwhile, unease persists within Nigerian football circles over the reported role of Véron Mosengo-Omba, Secretary General of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), a Swiss-Congolese national and close associate of FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Sources allege that officials from DR Congo and other Francophone nations are exerting influence within FIFA to secure a favourable outcome, amid fears that the strength of Nigeria’s evidence could tilt the verdict.
With both Nigeria and DR Congo reportedly prepared to approach the Court of Arbitration for Sport if dissatisfied with FIFA’s ruling, the governing body is said to be treating the case with exceptional caution to avoid legal and reputational fallout.
The stakeholders are also worried that since the Main Organising Committee (MOC) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) met in September last year, the LOC has not met again to continue work on the festival.
The MOC and the LOC met on September 15, 2026 and agreed on early preparations for the Festival.
Among other things, members were updated on the state of the facilities and ongoing construction works after which they agreed to meet again in October 2025 to further assess readiness and provide guidance as preparations advance.
Among the facilities slated for the games is the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, which the LOC said would be revamped comprehensively to make it “unrecognisable.”
The LOC also said that a brand new multi-purpose games village will be constructed at the Awgu Games Village site, while a new Olympic-sized swimming pool would be built for the games.
But some stakeholders said yesterday that since the last meeting in 2025, members of the LOC have not been carried along “and we don’t know what is going on.”
A stakeholder at the NSC told The Guardian yesterday that Enugu State has “kept everybody in the dark and we don’t know what is going on.”
The stakeholder, who pleaded anonymity, said: “They are supposed to build a swimming pool for the festival, but up till now work has not started on the facility.
“When we asked some members of the LOC they told us that they could not give us any answer, and alleging that they were not being carried along.
“We are supposed to start test running some of these facilities as early as June if they are to be used for the festival.
“What we hear that Enugu State is busy recruiting athletes from Delta and Edo states as they want to win the festival. It is good to strive to win the games, but it should also put the facilities in place first.”
Reacting to the complaints, Enugu State Commissioner for Sports, Llyod Ekweremadu, said: “Let me assure the sporting public there is nothing to worry about. The work is going to be done. The primary work has already been done and the facilities will be available ahead of the Festival. There shouldn’t be cause for concern.”
He acknowledged that work has not yet started on the swimming pool, adding, however, that “construction would soon start and it would be completed ahead of schedule.”
On the complaints by some LOC members that they are not being carried along, Ekweremadu said that he is not aware of any members not being carried along.
“We have a platform where we all communicate. So, if there’s anybody that feels such a way, it has not been communicated on that platform or to me directly. So I’m not aware of that.”
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