8th CHAN: Rabiu Ali, Alimi, 16 others to tackle Ghana

Stand-in Head Coach Daniel Ogunmodede has picked ageless warhorse Rabiu Ali, wing-back Sadiq Ishmael, centre-back Stephen Manyo, midfielders Musa Zayyad and Jide Fatokun, and forwards Anas Yusuf and Sikiru Alimi in an 18-man roster for Sunday’s 8th African Nations Championship qualifying match against Ghana’s Black Galaxies in Accra. The gaffer also picked goalkeeper Henry Ozoemena, defender Victor Collins and forward Abubakar Adamu for the must-win two-leg fixture, with the Galaxies being the reason why Nigeria failed to qualify for the championship on two different occasions in the past, namely 2009 and 2023. The Super Eagles B, with Ogunmodede and Coaches Fidelis Ilechukwu and Olatunji Baruwa in charge, had staggered training sessions over three weeks from the month of October, before a final training camp commenced at the Remo Stars Sports Institute, Ikenne-Remo three weeks ago. Sunday’s first leg fixture is scheduled for the Accra Sports Stadium, with kick-off set for 4pm Ghana time (5pm in Nigeria), and some kilometres away, both countries’ U17 girls will be battling for the inaugural WAFU B U17 Cup at the Ghana Centre of Excellence in Prampram. Over the past 10 months, Nigeria have dominated Ghana at international level, starting with the Super Eagles’ 2-1 defeat of the Black Stars in a friendly match in Marrakech, Morocco – a first win at senior level for Nigeria against the West African rivals in 18 years. In the summer, Nigeria’s U17 boys edged the Black Satellites 3-2 in the third-place match of the WAFU B U17 Championship staged by Ghana, and in October, the Flying Eagles defeated the Black Satellites 3-1 to successfully retain their WAFU B U20 Championship title in Lome, Togo. Togolese referee Aklesso Gnama will be in charge of Sunday’s encounter at the Accra Sports Stadium, with compatriots Jonathan Ahonto Koffi, Wassiou Tchamolla Ourotou and Kossi Fabrice Senyo in the roles of assistant 1, assistant 2 and fourth official respectively. Liberian Ivan Gartor Brown will serve as commissioner while Hugues Alain Adjovi from Benin Republic will be the referee assessor. The second leg will hold at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Saturday, 28th December, with the winner on aggregate to pick a ticket to the 8th African Nations Championship taking place in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, 1st â€“ 28th February, 2025. 18 SUPER EAGLES B FOR WAR AGAINST GHANA’S BLACK GALAXIES Goalkeepers: Henry Ozoemena (Enyimba FC); Kayode Bankole (Remo Stars) Defenders: Ismail Sadiq (Remo Stars); Waliu Ojetoye (Ikorodu City); Imo Obot (Enyimba FC); Junior Nduka (Remo Stars); Victor Collins (Nasarawa United); Ifeanyi Onyebuchi (Rangers International); Steven Manyo (Rivers United) Midfielders: Jide Fatokun (Remo Stars); Rabiu Ali (Kano Pillars); Saviour Isaac (Rangers International); Musa Zayyad (El-Kanemi Warriors) Forwards: Anas Yusuf (Nasarawa United); Adamu Abubakar (Plateau United) Sikiru Alimi (Remo Stars); Emmanuel Ogbole (Kwara United); Papa Daniel Mustapha (Niger Tornadoes)

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CAF CHAN 2024 draw to hold on October 9 

The CAF African Nations Championship 2024 Qualifiers draw has been scheduled on  Wednesday, 09 October 2024. The draw will be conducted at 14h00 Cairo time (11h00 GMT). Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will host the tournament between 01 – 28 February 2025. Ahead of the finals, two rounds of qualifiers will take place on a home and away basis. The first round of qualifiers will be played on the weekend of 25 – 27 October and 01 – 03 November 2024, with the second round confirmed for 20 – 22 December and 27 – 29 December 2024. Since its 2009 inception, the CHAN tournament has been an exceptional platform of showcasing the world-class talent and quality of African football as well as its ever-evoling landscape. Algeria played host to the last edition of the tournament which drew thousands of supporters, millions of global audiences and digital engagement as a result of the rising popularity and quality of the tournament. In line with CAF’s key objective of increasing the commercial strength of its competitions, the CAF CHAN competition has also seen an increased rise in commercial value. This has also been supported by CAF’s 60% increase in the tournament’s prize money that sees the winners walking away with $2 Million. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania’s hosting of the competition also serves as an opportunity for the three nations to fine-tune their preparations for the hosting of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027.

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