Sports
Nigeria Equals Egypt’s Semi-Final Record Pockets $2.5m Each
The Super Eagles have so far earned $2.5 million from CAF as prize money after they reached the semifinal of the 2023 AFCON.
CAF has announced a 40 percent increase in the prize monies for the AFCON.
This is outside the bonus and allowances the NFF pay the players as they progress in the tournament.
According to a further breakdown of prize monies for the tournament, the winners of the AFCON on February 11 in Abidjan will pocket $7 million, while the beaten finalists earn $4 million.
Quarterfinalists will receive $1.3 million each, while Round of 16 qualifiers get $800,000 a team. The Super Eagles received $1.5 million when they won a third AFCON title in South Africa in 2013.
In a related development, Nigeria will be joining the Pharaohs at the top of the list of countries with the most appearances in the last four of the AFCON as the Super Eagles feature in their 16th semis today against South Africa.
The Super Eagles secured their ticket to the semi-finals of Côte d’Ivoire 2023 after a 1-0 win over Angola through Ademola Lookman’s strike.
For the 16th time in 20 appearances, Nigeria is in the semi-finals of the competition, equalling a record set by Egypt, who have also reached the last four 16 times in 26 appearances.
Behind these record-holders, Ghana comes third with 14 semi-finals played in 24 appearances.
Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire have each reached the semi-finals of Africa football’s showpiece event 10 times.
Nigeria, however, has only lifted the trophy three times, with Egypt winning it seven times as the record holders, followed by Cameroon who have won it five times, and Ghana with four trophies.
Today, José Peseiro and his men will be bidding for their eighth final of the competition, one less than Ghana, two less than Egypt, and one more than Cameroon.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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