Sports
2019 AFCON Qualifiers: S’Eagles Aim To End On High
The race to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) comes to an end this weekend, with the battle for qualification slots in the 12 groups getting to an interesting climax.
The Super Eagles, after an inauspicious start when they lost 0-2 at home in Uyo to South Africa in 2017, are now looking to end the qualifiers on a high note.
The three-times champions have moved on from that disappointment however, and they are now Group E leaders with the qualification ticket in the bag.
On Friday, they are up against the Pirates of Sychelles at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba as from 4 p.m.
The group’s other fixture has the Mediterranean Knights of Libya against Bafana Bafana of South Africa at Sfax in Tunisia on Sunday.
Nigeria’s encounter against Seychelles is not more than an academic affair, and the Eagles may be seeking to maintain reputation and also use the game to kickstart preparations for the AFCON.
While Nigeria have already qualified, the big question in focus now is who will be joining them from the group.
As South Africa and Libya try to figure that out, Seychelles are just meeting obligations by playing the final qualifying match.
Their campaign has seen them earn just a single point, scored only twice and concede 22 goals, the qualifiers’ worst record.
Nigeria, meanwhile, have conceded only five goals throughout their campaign to go along with an impressive 11 strikes.
Three of those goals came in the first half when both sides met in Victoria.
Ahmed Musa, Chidozie Awaziem and Odion Ighalo were all on the scoresheet on that day.
Ighalo in particular will see this as an opportunity to add to his haul of six goals in the qualifiers, the leading figure
He leads the goalcorers’ race by two goals going into the final round of matches.
Tidesports source reports that the Changchun Yatai striker leads Red Star Belgrade’s forward El Fardou Ben Nabouhane and Knowledge Musonad of Anderlecht who both have four goals.
While the Super Eagles would be back at Africa’s showpiece for the 18th time in the history of the competition, they haven’t been quite able to confirm themselves as Group winners just yet.
Bafana Bafana of South Africa on the other hand are in a do-or-die situation.
The South Africans are second in the standings with nine points, just two ahead of the Mediterranean Knights of Libya.
They will be looking to avoid defeat as they need at least a draw to join Nigeria as the top two sides from the group.
Failure to qualify would naturally be considered a disaster for the South Africans, considering how they had started their campaign on a bright note.
Libya are on seven points with two wins, one draw and two losses, and they will aim for nothing but an outright win when they host the South Africans in Sfax.
Both sides played to a goalless draw the last time they met at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban in September 2018.
Libya controlled the first half and the South Africans rallied in the second, but could not break the big physical, well-organised North Africans down.
The result threw the group’s second qualification spot open, thus setting the stage for a nervy and mouth-watering encounter which could swing either ways when it is all said and done.
The draw for the biennial men’s football championship of Africa will take place on April 12, at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) headquarters in Cairo.
The 24 qualified teams from the 12 groups will be seeded into four pots based on the CAF National Team Rankings with the teams drawn into six groups of four teams.
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has said that criticism that he and other players chased money by moving to Saudi Arabia is wide of the mark.
The 33-year-old left Chelsea for Al-Ahli in a £16m ($21.4m) deal in 2023, and in May the Africa Cup of Nations winner helped his Saudi club win the Asian Champions League, making him one of the few players to win both that competition and its European equivalent.
But, like many others, Mendy has been criticised for playing for money rather than prestige in the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
When asked about such criticism, Mendy told a Tidesports source, “Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
He added: “Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything , which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”
The Blues have since won the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition, under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
But it comes after the regime’s trophyless first two years, a period which has frustrated some supporters after the success enjoyed under Roman Abramovich’s stewardship in the previous 19 years.
Mendy has also been celebrating what he describes as a historical win with Senegal against England at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, but days earlier he had been in Dakar delivering a different kind of win.
He is the sponsor of Yakaar, a school in Keur Massar, which seeks to improve funding and access to digital learning tools for local children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Famously, as Mendy grew up in France, he was unemployed, aged 22, while struggling to find a club, with members of his family still living on the outskirts of Dakar.
That is why Yakaar, a word meaning “hope”, was chosen, a word Mendy has carried with him in his career.
“Hope is what kept me going. When I was without a club, it was the hope of getting that first professional contract.
“Then the hope of playing for the national team. The hope of making my family proud by doing the job I had always dreamed of.
“Indeed, hope is the best word to describe my career.”
Mendy was also asked whether the responsibility of being an African goalkeeper had weighed heavily on him.
“Of course. When I was in England, there weren’t many African goalkeepers in top clubs,” he admitted.
“Whether nationally or internationally, I had that responsibility. It’s the same for other African goalkeepers like Andre Onana [Manchester United] or Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal).”
The entire refereeing committee has been fired by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with structural reforms soon set to follow.
According to sources, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has dismissed the entire refereeing committee in response to mounting pressure from clubs demanding structural reform. A major shake-up aimed at modernising Spanish refereeing from top to bottom has now been set in motion.
Head of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo and Head of VAR, Carlos Clos Gomez, have been removed from their positions. They are joined by several senior officials, including Antonio Rubinos Perez and three vice presidents, who are also stepping down. A new leadership model will be introduced, led by a CEO and a sporting director, aiming to overhaul how refereeing is managed covering assessments, promotions, and daily operations. While the leadership changes are sweeping, the current pool of referees in La Liga and the second tier will remain, ensuring continuity on the field during the transition.
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that means he will stay with the Saudi Pro League club until beyond his 42nd birthday.
The Portugal captain, 40, joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances, having criticised the club and said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr deal had been due to expire at the end of June and there was speculation he could leave, but that has now been quashed.
In a post on X, Ronaldo wrote: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.”
Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo’s time at the club, they have benefited from a flood of goals from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo scored 35 times in 41 matches across all competitions last term and was the league’s top scorer for a second consecutive season.
He has managed 99 goals in appearances overall for Al-Nassr and is well on his way to reaching 1,000 senior goals in his career, with a current tally of 938 for club and country.
Having helped Portugal win the Uefa Nations League a little over two weeks ago, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Sporting and Juventus forward will almost certainly now be targeting a sixth World Cup appearance next summer.
Only a month ago, Ronaldo posted on social media to say “the chapter is over”.
That came after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al-Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.
The comment fuelled rumours that Ronaldo was ready to leave the league where he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m when he joined.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.
Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but had turned them down.
The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.