CHAN’s Champions to pocket $3.5m

The Confederation African of Football (CAF) announced today that the Prize Money of the Winner of the CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2024 has been increased by 75% and the Winner will now receive USD 3.5 million. CAF also announced that the total Prize Money of the CHAN Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2024 has been increased to USD 10.4 million which is an increase of 32%. The President of CAF Dr Patrice Motsepe said: “We are excited about the upcoming TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2024 and have significantly increased the Prize Money of the Winner to USD 3.5 million which is an increase of 75%. We have also increased the total Prize Money of the CHAN Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2024 to USD 10.4 million which is a 32 % increase. “The CHAN is an important Competition for the development and growth of Africa-based football players and talented young players and will contribute significantly to the global competitiveness of African football and CAF Competitions. “This Competition is part of our strategy of investing in African football and making it appealing and attractive to football fans, TV viewers, sponsors, partners and other stakeholders in Africa and worldwide.” The CHAN Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2024 will start on Saturday 1 February 2025 and the final will take place on Friday 28 February 2025. The following 17 countries have already qualified for the CHAN Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2024: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Morocco, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Sudan, Zambia, Angola and Madagascar. Two additional countries will also participate in the CHAN Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2024 after qualifying from the remaining matches.

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Victory, to qualify for CHAN finals, is our watchword -Ogunmodede

Stand-in Head Coach Daniel Ogunmodede said on Thursday that the big focus of the Super Eagles B players and officials ahead of Saturday’s African Nations Championship qualifying game against Ghana’s Black Galaxies is to attain victory that will spring Nigeria to the finals of the competition early next year. Both illustrious regional rivals battled to a scoreless stalemate in Accra on Sunday and the final qualifying fixture is delicately poised ahead of the decider at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Saturday. “We are doing everything to stay focused by avoiding any distractions. Yes, we got a scoreless draw in the first leg away and now playing at home, but we are not in any way carried away. Our objective was to score an away goal in Accra but that did not happen. “On Saturday, we will approach the game like our lives depend on it. Our watchword is getting the win that will qualify us for the African Nations Championship finals coming up in East Africa.” The eighth instalment of the competition reserved for footballers plying their trade in their nation’s domestic Leagues will take place across Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, 1st – 28th February 2025. Nigeria defended stoutly at the Accra Sports Stadium while relying on counter-attacks, but will have to launch onslaughts from the blast of the referee’s whistle at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium. Their bitter regional rivalry, Ghana’s failure to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals and results of previous encounters in the African Nations Championship are indices that have rendered Saturday’s match a potentially-explosive affair with endless fireworks. The Black Stars have failed to reach the 35th AFCON finals, from a group that included Sudan, Angola and Niger Republic, and the Galaxies will throw the kitchen sink at the Super Eagles B to ensure they don’t follow in that negative trend. Ghana last missed the Africa Cup of Nations in 2004. For Nigeria, Ghana have dominated their African Nations Championship clashes, with the Eagles winning only one of six previous clashes. Three have resulted in scoreless draws. Ghana won 3-2 in Accra in 2008 and also 2-0 in Accra in 2022, and to boot, have claimed victory in even in the ones that ended in ties. The 0-0 draw in Calabar in 2008 meant Ghana sailed through to the inaugural CHAN finals in Cote d’Ivoire on the strength of their 3-2 win in Accra two weeks earlier, and when their semi-final clash in the third instalment of the final tournament in South Africa in 2014 ended 0-0, the Galaxies prevailed 4-1 after a penalty shootout. Ogunmodede’s charges have earned Nigeria’s best result against Ghana in the African Nations Championship on away ground, and look poised to gain victory in Uyo on Saturday.

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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 – 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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