Nigeria’s Fourth AFCON Title Quest Gets Presidential Boost …As Iwobi Backs Super Eagles To Go Far In AFCON

Nigeria’s quest for a fourth Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) win got a big boost at the weekend after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, approved N12billion for the payment of outstanding salaries and wages for the various national teams, including the Super Eagles.
Over the years, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been owing players, coaches, and other staff salaries. The Super Eagles’ former coach, Gernot Rohr, had to drag the federation to FIFA before he got paid his outstanding wages.
The players are not left out too, as some of them hardly get their bonuses on time. Nonetheless, the NFF has managed to keep a good relationship with them.
Nigeria will be looking to claim a fourth African crown later this month, and they are currently camped in Dubai ahead of the competition.
In a new development, the team has gotten a big boost ahead of the tournament in Ivory Coast.
According to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Media Centre, the President has approved ¦ N12billion for paying owed wages.
“The President has approved the payment of N12billon outstanding backlog for Nigeria’s national teams of various sports, which include Super Eagles and others.”
The payment entails the clearing of the senior national team coach salaries running up to 15 months, payments of allowances and promises due to the senior national teams, females, and Under-20 national team.
This is coming at a time when the Super Eagles of Nigeria are preparing to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations, which is billed to start later this month.
This move comes at an important time for the Super Eagles, as the AFCON is just days away. This would be a morale booster for Peseiro and his lads going into the competition.
Meanwhile, Super Eagles midfielder, Alex Iwobi believes three-time African champions, Nigeria have the potential to go far in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
The Fulham midfielder is set to attend his third Africa Cup of Nations, having been part of the team that finished in third place in 2019 and reached the last 16 in the 2021 edition held in Cameroon.
The Super Eagles are holding a training camp in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, as part of their preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations.
They will try out Guinea’s Syli Nationale today in a tune up game before jetting off to the Ivorian capital for the AFCON.
Manager Jose Peseiro has selected 25 players on his roster for the tournament in Cote d’Ivoire and everyone is in camp with the exception of Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho who is making good progress in his rehabilitation from injury and is expected to join the team in Lagos this week.
“It has been very good, we are in Abu Dhabi right now. We’ve got a couple of friendlies to warm up for the Africa Cup of Nations,” Iwobi said to the Super Eagles Media Team.
“Everyone is almost here, the squad is almost complete and we are training together really well, training and preparations are going well.”
Nigeria will open group play at the 2023 AFCON against Equatorial Guinea at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, January 14, followed by a meeting with hosts Ivory Coast, January 18 and conclude with a game against Guinea Bissau at the iconic Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan on January 22.
On what Nigerians should expect from the Super Eagles a week before their opener versus Equatorial Guinea, Iwobi remarked: “We’ve seen the ability and quality that we have in the team, from each man that’s in the squad and even the ones that didn’t make the squad there’s a lot of talent in Nigeria.
“We have confidence that we can go far in this competition but we have to prove it to ourselves and the first thing that I can assure Nigerians is we are going to give one hundred percent to make sure we make the nation proud.”
Iwobi will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of his uncle Austin Jay-Jay Okocha who was an influential member of the Super Eagles team that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994.