Sports

Libya Revels In Qualifying Miracle: 2012 Nations Cup

Published

15 years ago

October 12, 2011

Libya’s national team headed for home on their charter plane on Sunday, basking in the glory of improbable qualification to next year’s CAF Africa Cup of Nations. Their jet set off on a 10-hour journey from Ndola on Zambia’s Copperbelt to Tunisia, after which they plan to cross the border home and embark on a victory tour of Libya’s embattled capital Tripoli. The side will be feted as heroes after completing a remarkable campaign unbeaten, setting off huge celebrations across a country still mired in conflict.

Libya’s 0-0 draw away against Zambia in Chingola was not enough to win their group, but it was good enough to see them finish in one of the two best runner-up berths. The Libyans had been aware of their potential to slip through into the 16-team field for next year’s tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, with their Brazilian coach Marcos Paqueta cognisant that a draw might be enough, provided they could hold out against an attacking Zambia side on home soil.

There were some hair-raising moments for the Libya defence, but goalkeeper Samir Aboud and central defender Ali Salama in particular put in heroic performances that ensured a goalless stalemate that left the side on 12 points, one behind their hosts. But it was not yet mathematically certain that Libya would go through when their match at the Nchanga Stadium concluded, even though they wasted no time beginning their celebrations.

Paqueta looked almost bewildered by the achievement at the end of the game, while the hero of the hour, veteran goalkeeper Aboud, stood serenely to the side of his team-mates who were feverishly hugging each other in congratulations. “It is unbelievable what these players have done, even if we didn’t play so well today,” the much-travelled Paqueta said after the game in which the hosts rattled the woodwork twice. “We believed in our mission, and we have gone through a lot together.”

Aboud, who at 39 was making an unlikely return to a much revamped line-up, called qualification a win for “all the Libyan people, not only the team” before adding emotionally: “We have gone through a lot, but we have stayed true to our job and this victory is for all of us.”

Libya had high ambitions when they started the qualifying campaign last June, hiring the former Saudi Arabia coach on a four-year contract. “I had seen this Libyan team play on television before, and so I was intrigued by them,” said Paqueta. “When they proposed a contract with me, I made a huge plan of work, not only for the national side but also the junior teams and to help the club structures. The Libyans liked it, and so I signed.”

His tenure started successfully with a draw away in Mozambique in the first of the Group D qualifiers and then a home win last October over Zambia. “But they were not easy games. The match in Mozambique came in the middle of Ramadan and the players were fasting. They were physically weak because of it,” Paqueta explained. “Against Zambia, our team doctor had a heart attack and died in the hotel the night before the match. He was very popular with the players.”

Shortly before their next game at the end of March came the start of the country’s revolution. It meant the game against the Comoros Islands had to go ahead in neutral Mali but the Libyans still won comfortably in Bamako. By then, their domestic league had stopped and organised football ground to halt. It had taken a matter of weeks for the situation to change entirely.

By June, the conflict left the team in ruins, and Paqueta had only players from the capital Tripoli to choose from for the return game, away in the Comoros. It ended 1-1 draw after a late goal by the hosts. By the time the qualifiers resumed in September for the penultimate group game, the situation was even more fluid and the ‘home’ match against Mozambique moved to Cairo. But Libya won to keep alive their seemingly improbable hopes, and then completed an unbeaten campaign by drawing in Chingola on Saturday.

“We have had a big challenge, but I told my players we need to focus on the football first,” said a proud Paqueta. “We don’t have to always mix the problems of the country with football, and to their credit they have kept concentrating on the task ahead.

Now the coach will turn his attention to preparing for the Cup of Nations finals. He is seeking to find more players of Libyan descent in Europe to strengthen the side and wants to give more home-based youngsters an opportunity. He is hoping to fix several training camps to keep his players competitive. It will be only the third time Libya are represented at the Cup of Nations but, whatever result they achieve, they have already far exceeded expectations. The hero Aboud summed up the warm feelings in the team by describing the qualification simply as “a miracle.”

Sports

Amusan Clinches Gold, sets record in Taiwan

Published

1 day ago

June 8, 2026

The Tide

Nigeria’s world record holder, Tobi Amusan, continued her impressive 2026 season by winning gold and setting a new meet record in the women’s 100 metres hurdles at the New Taipei Athletics Open in Taiwan on Saturday, Tidesports source reports.

Amusan crossed the line in 12.72 seconds despite running against a slight headwind of -0.3 metres per second, finishing well clear of Chinese Taipei’s Bo Ya Zhang, who took silver in 13.17 seconds.

The performance erased the previous meet record and underlined the 29-year-old’s consistency as one of the dominant forces in women’s hurdling on the international circuit.

The New Taipei victory adds to a string of strong outings this season for the Nigerian. Earlier in the campaign, Amusan claimed her first Diamond League win of the season in Rabat, Morocco, clocking 12.28 seconds to break her own meeting record of 12.45 seconds set in 2025.

That time equalled her season’s best, which she had also posted at the Xiamen Diamond League.

Before Rabat, Amusan had recorded a third-place finish in Shanghai with 12.41 seconds and a runner-up spot in Xiamen with 12.28 seconds, where she was edged by American hurdler Masai Russell.

The season has also included a continental triumph, with Amusan winning gold in the women’s 100 metres hurdles at the African Championships in Accra, helping Nigeria to its first gold medal of the competition.

Her 12.28-second performance remains among the fastest times globally this year and ranks as one of the finest of her distinguished career.

Only her world record of 12.12 seconds, set at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, and the 12.24 seconds she clocked at the Meeting de Paris last year stand above it in her personal all-time list.

A three-time Diamond League champion, Amusan will be looking to reclaim the overall title this season while also preparing for the Diamond League finale and the Commonwealth Games later in the year.

4th

Super Falcons Must Improve- Coach Madugu

Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu has offered an honest assessment of his side’s performance after Nigeria defeated Senegal 2-1 in an international friendly at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne, admitting there is still considerable work ahead of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Tidesports source reports.

Goals from Asisat Oshoala, who converted a first-half penalty, and Toni Payne gave Nigeria a commanding lead before Sokhna Nogaye’s long-range effort in the 86th minute reduced the deficit and set up a tense finish.

While the nine-time African champions secured the result and met their primary objective of assessing squad depth, Madugu acknowledged the performance was not without its shortcomings.

“It’s a good result, and naturally, when you play any game, you always want to win. This is a preparatory game, and the aim is to assess our readiness, test the strategies we want to execute in the competition, and give players the opportunity to showcase what they can do to provide us with more options,” Madugu told official54fx.

“These are the matches we use to identify which players are fully ready for the WAFCON. It was not a bad game for us, but as you know, there is always room for improvement. Yes, we did well, but we know there is still a lot of work to be done.”

The two sides meet again on Monday, June 8, in the second match of their friendly double-header as both nations continue their WAFCON preparations.

Sports

Govt, Allen Onyema to Immortalise Stephen Keshi

Published

1 day ago

June 8, 2026

The Tide

As Nigeria buries one of its legendary football heroes this weekend, the spirit of another late football hero of the same generation is being evoked.

As the body of late Henry Onyenmanze Nwosu, MON, is being committed to mother-earth on Saturday, June 6, in Naze, near Owerri, on

Sunday, June 7, 2026, the first in a two-part series of activities in remembrance of late Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, MFR, the one referred to as ‘the Big Boss’ by the football faithful, will take place in Lagos at the 10th Memorial Lecture organised yearly by a Foundation established by his friends and family at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos.

Also, on July 28, 2026, exactly a day to the date (July 29) that Stephen Keshi died 10 years ago in 2016, his contributions as a sports diplomat within Nigeria’s strategic foreign affairs will be showcased and acknowledged. His name will be inscribed in gold letters on ‘the NIIA Sports Diplomacy Wall of Fame’ in everlasting memory of the great Nigerian football hero and patriot.

His name will be an addition to those of 69 other sporting heroes from Nigeria’s history that have already been found deserving of a place on famed Wall.

The ‘NIIA Sports Diplomacy Wall of Fame’ is a national monument established by an agency of the federal government of Nigeria, the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, to immortalize Nigerians that are known to have made major contributions to Nigeria’s international politics and diplomacy objectives through sports.

On July 28th 2026, it will be 3 years since the edifice was erected within the premises of NIIA in Lagos sponsored by Dr.Allen Onyema and his AirPeace Airline. It is an environment of water fountains, a beautiful garden and a Black marbled-wall on which the names of Nigerian sports heroes considered deserving are inscribed.

The existing list will now be extended to include the name of former Nigerian Green Eagles Captain and national team Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, CON. He has been considered worthy, and his contributions identified, justified and approved by the NIIA.

The extension of the space on the wall to accommodate his name, plus the small ceremony to be done in his honour, will be courtesy of Dr. Allen Onyema and AirPeace Airline.

Stephen Keshi played and captained the Nigerian national football team. He also coached and managed the National team of Nigeria to an African Cup victory, qualified and took another African national team, Togo, to the FIFA World Cup, personally opened the way and assisted a whole generation of Nigerian and other African football players in the transition to professional ranks in Europe.

Meanwhile, inside the sports diplomacy department of the NIIA, a few other Nigerians athletes are being considered for a place on the wall in the very near future. They include world record breaker and holder,Tobi Amusan; first and only female Olympic Gold medalist, Chioma Ajunwa, and the Atlanta ‘96 ‘Dream Team’ and Olympic Gold medalists.

The honours list is not based on sports achievements only, but on impact in the international diplomatic and political space in conformity with Nigeria’s foreign affairs agenda and objectives!

I remember the great ‘Stefan’, as I called Keshi, very fondly. He called me ‘Segunda Fero’!

Sports

“Nigerian athletics has fallen”

Published

1 day ago

June 8, 2026

The Tide

Former national 400m hurdles champion, Olympian Henry Amike, has called for greater investment in athletics, athletes’ welfare, training and competitions to restore Nigeria’s competitiveness in track and field events.

Amike who spoke in Abuja Thursday said the pace of development in Nigerian athletics has fallen short of expectations despite the achievements recorded by previous generations of athletes.

“We expected that after we left the scene, people would take over immediately, but it has taken almost 40 years before things like this are coming up. We are not happy with what we have seen in Nigerian track and field,” he said.

He said that their technical expertise and experience could contribute significantly to policy formulation and institutional reforms within the sector.

Amike, one of Nigeria’s most accomplished track and field athletes, represented the country at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.

He competed in the 400 metres hurdles and 4×400 metres relay events.

The Olympian’s most notable international achievement came at the 1987 World Championships in Rome, where he became the first Nigerian athlete to qualify for the final of the men’s 400m hurdles. His personal best time of 48.50 seconds stood as Nigeria’s national record for 35 years before it was broken in 2022.

Amike also won medals at continental competitions and was widely regarded as one of Africa’s leading hurdlers during the 1980s, contributing to Nigeria’s growing profile in international athletics.

Amike, who served as a legislative assistant to the speaker of the House of Representatives, has confirmed his intention to contest the Lagos West Senatorial District seat in 2027.

According to him, his political agenda will focus on youth empowerment, sports development, education and broader socio-economic issues affecting residents of the senatorial district.