By Daily Sports on May 20, 2019

Yes, the AFCON cat was let out of the bag last week when Super Eagles supremo, Gernot Rohr released a- 23- man provisional list of players that would prosecute for Nigeria this year’s AFCON football summit slated for Egypt later in June. If you have gone through the list, you must have seen that it was predictable. It also showed the strength of the former champion of Africa’s most prestigious biannual football tournament which has truly and continuously grown even stronger as there is still more room for growth.

The game has also witnessed some good measure of innovations and improved technical and tactical quality as different coaches handling various African squads try to prove their mettle by outwitting one another. From whatever angle you may be looking at it, many African countries and governments have looked up to this competition that has brought to bear in their various domains, unity, camaraderie, unequalled enthusiasm, attention,  suitability, hold, nitty-gritty, hence love for the round leather sport.

Egypt, one of the countries that have held sway in the game will play host to other African countries from June and so the whole attention would be focused on that football loving, crazy and playing North African country. In that colouration, Nigeria is one of the leading countries that would resume hostilities gamely against other countries in her bid to attempt a –four-time win in the most followed football event in the continent.

True and on paper, Nigeria is a giant and must be feared. However, how the nation would translate this into action that would guarantee her fourth time of drinking from the trophy would depend entirely on the kind of strategies Rohr and his lads would adopt for this uphill task where other countries that eat, breathe,  sleep, dream and bath with football abound. Other football powers in Africa who are masters of the game are also neck deep in preparations and have their eyes and mindset on the diadem; hence they have released their equally killer squads’ provisional lists.

It won’t be an easy champ as the tournament has come strong on the ground. This reporter has long said that there are no minions in the continent’s football any longer and as a veteran of much AFCON coverage, what we have witnessed of late had been the survival of the fittest syndrome or attitude.

Nigeria will be in the thick of the battle in the tag of warlike anticipated competition where she is returning after some self-inflicted setbacks. We see the handiwork of these enemies of the game via the alleged fraud case against Amaju Pinnick and some of his executive committee members. That is the way we are in Nigeria where Bring Down Syndrome has become part and parcel of the culture. I digress.

From the list released by Rohr, it is obvious that Nigeria is on the march again. The list as I did say in the course of this write up is predictable because it is the best we can offer, but my consolation is that the present team is better than what late Stephen Keshi harnessed to win the Cup in 2013. There are many established players in the Egypt bound team and so much is being expected by the football crazy fans of Nigeria from their darling side which they believe has the trappings of becoming the new African champs.

All would depend on how the technical hand, Gernot Rohr would go about it and the enhanced packages NFF would dangle on the boys to motivate them to hit the roof. It is the name of the game presently and managers of teams and countries have come to real terms with such. However, even the most critic of the Amaju Pinnick led executive committee board like this writer have come to agree that they are masters of this act placing players, officials and backroom staff welfare in the front burner because it enhances performance via concentration and hold.

If nothing goes wrong at the last minute, the team would fly from their group and then take it from there. The problem area has been the goalkeeping department and one hopes that Francis Uzoho, having been exposed than what he was before and during the World Cup in Russia will brace up and tidy up decisively in the areas of the defence line because in competitions there are bound to be some shortcomings and if such occurs, it will then be incumbent on the other teammates to cover up.

No jokes; this is what makes football thick and a team sport and at that. In as much as the Nigerian provisional list is not the best and strongest, so also it is not the weakest and worst. Go, Eagles go. You may have missed the provisional list hence it is re-run here… ENJOY!

As we keep our fingers crossed counting down, our social handles are open for more discussion on the AFCON 2019. It would be a game to behold. Meanwhile, keep shooting hard till next week!!

Mikel, Musa, 23 Others Make Super Eagles AFCON Squad

Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr on Tuesday listed midfielder Mikel John Obi, Ahmed Musa and 23 others in a 25-man squad to prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in Egypt. A statement from Ademola Olajire, Director of Communications Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said that six other players were also put on standby. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Obi, who captained the team at the FIFA World Cup finals in Russia last year summer, has not been with the group since Nigeria’s elimination from the finals after a 1-2 defeat by Argentina in Saint Petersburg.

However, a recent meeting with Coach Rohr in the United Kingdom sealed his return to the three-time African champions, with the possibility of adding to his 85 international caps. Rohr has largely kept faith with the Trojans who earned a ticket to the AFCON finals with a match to spare. “Goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, defenders Leon Balogun and William Ekong, midfielders Oghenekaro Etebo and Wilfred Ndidi and forwards Odion Ighalo, Alex Iwobi and Moses Simon are also on the roll-call.

“He has put on standby six players, among them defenders Ikouwem Utin and Valentine Ozornwafor who have also been named in Nigeria’s final 21 for the FIFA U20 World Cup starting in Poland next week. “The Franco-German tactician explained that he has included the two players knowing the FIFA U20 World Cup will end on June 15, six days before the first match will be played at the AFCON.

“2018 FIFA World Cup defender Bryan Idowu is also on standby, alongside Portugal –based Mikel Agu and Egypt –based Junior Ajayi, and home-based goalkeeper Theophilus Afelokhai.

“All invited players and officials are to report at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Asaba on Sunday, 2 June, ahead of the friendly with the Warriors of Zimbabwe at the Stephen Keshi Stadium on Saturday, 8 June,” the NFF official said. He added that the team will depart for Egypt on Sunday, June 9, aboard a chartered aircraft, for the final training camp in the city of Ismailia and tackle Africa’s number one –ranked team, Senegal in their final pre-AFCON friendly on Sunday, June 16.

NAN reports that Nigeria has been drawn in Group B with Burundi, Guinea and Madagascar in the tournament holding from June 21 to July 19

FULL LIST OF PLAYERS

Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (Anorthosis Famagusta, Cyprus); Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Katsina United); Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa)

Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina (Torino FC, Italy); Abdullahi Shehu (Bursaspor FC, Turkey); Chidozie Awaziem (Caykur Rizespor, Turkey); William Ekong (Udinese FC, Italy); Leon Balogun (Brighton & Hove Albion, England); Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain); Jamilu Collins (SC Padeborn 07, Germany); Semi Ajayi (Rotherham United, England)

Midfielders: Mikel John Obi (Middlesbrough FC, England); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Oghenekaro Etebo (Stoke City FC, England); John Ogu (Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Israel)

Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Al Nassar FC, Saudi Arabia); Victor Osimhen (Royal Charleroi SC, Belgium); Moses Simon (Levante FC, Spain); Henry Onyekuru (Galatasaray SK, Turkey); Odion Ighalo (Shanghai Shenhua, China); Alexander Iwobi (Arsenal FC, England); Samuel Kalu (Girondins Bordeaux, France); Paul Onuachu (FC Midtjyland, Denmark); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain)

Six On Standby: Theophilus Afelokhai (Enyimba FC); Bryan Idowu (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia); Ikouwem Utin (Enyimba FC); Mikel Agu (Vitoria Setubal, Portugal); Junior Ajayi (Al Ahly, Egypt); Valentine Ozornwafor (Enyimba FC) (NAN)

Source Daily Sports

Posted May 20, 2019

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