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The Super Eagles will receive $7m (N8.9bn) if they win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Nigeria reached the final of the 34th edition of the AFCON following a pulsating encounter against South Africa at the Stade de la Paix, Bouke, that saw the Eagles claim a 4-2 win on penalties after 120 minutes of football ended 1-1.

As one of the finalists, the Eagles, alongside the hosts, who they face on Sunday, have already secured $4m.

Earlier reported by PUNCH Sports Extra, Dr Patrice Motsepe, Confederation of Africa Football president, had announced a 40 per cent increment in prize monies before the start of the tournament.

According to the statement published on the website of the football governing body January 4, the winners of the tournament will receive $7m, $2m more than the reward doled out at the last edition in Cameroon.

The runners-up of the African showpiece event will now get $4m (N5bn), while each of the losing semi-finalists South Africa and DR Congo will receive $2.5m, with each of the four quarter-finalists taking home $1.3m.

“CAF has made significant progress over the past two years in increasing the prize money of the AFCON and all its other major competitions,” Motsepe said.

“We have increased the prize money of the AFCON winner to USD 7 000 000 which is a 40% increase from the previous AFCON prize money.

“I am confident that a portion of the prize money will contribute to developing football and also benefit all the football stakeholders, as well as assist our Member Associations with their administrations,” he added.

The Super Eagles have advanced to the semifinals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after a well-deserved 1-0 victory over the Palancas Negras of Angola.

Ademola Lookman secured the win for Nigeria at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

Lookman’s goal came at 41 minute just before halftime, following unselfish play from Moses Simon.

Next, Nigeria will face the winner between Cape Verde and South Africa on Wednesday, February 7.

Details shortly…

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has picked Nigerian international, Victor Osimhen, for a random drug test after his sterling performance against Cameroon in the Round of 16 match on Saturday, January 27, of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire.

Osimhen was the driving force in the Super Eagles’ 2-0 victory over Cameroon in the round of 16.

In one of such instance, Osimhen dispossessed a Cameroon defender of the ball and made a low pass to Adebayo Lookman for the opening goal. He chased down every ball and remained a constant threat to the Cameroon defense squad throughout his time on the pitch.

His tireless display and energetic pace have attracted the attention of CAF, leading to his being picked for a random test, Vanguard reported. Usually, players are picked by drawing of lot for all the players in a matchday squad. However, a player can also be picked randomly if they notice any unusual behaviour.

Meanwhile reports circulating on social media platforms indicate that Osimhen has undergone a random dope test conducted by the anti-doping department.

However, initial information had been deemed partially accurate, but it has been confirmed that the Nigerian international underwent the test following the match against Guinea-Bissau, not Cameroon as earlier speculated.

Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Sen. John Owan Enoh, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu told him that he was not too impressed with the Super Eagles’ display in their final Africa Cup of Nations Group A clash against Guinea-Bissau a few days ago.

Enoh made this known while speaking with the Super Eagles players and coaches via a Zoom meeting on Wednesday ahead of Nigeria’s round of 16 clash with Cameroon.

Recall that Nigeria defeated Guinea-Bissau 1-0 and finished in second position in Group A behind leaders Equatorial Guinea.

“One of the main reasons that made me have this call with you is the chance I had meeting with Mr President yesterday, I went to the Villa for something else and the president cornered me and said, ‘we managed to qualify [for the Round of 16].’ I said your Excellency, that is how we will be going until we win the tournament. And he said, ‘tell our players I wasn’t too impressed in our last match but I know that now that they are off the Group stages, I know they are going to impress me more and more.’ That is what the president told me,” Enoh said.

“The president is actually watching your matches and he is urging you and he knows that there was a lot of consciousness at the Group stages and he knows that from the Round of 16 that they [Super Eagles] are going to be more and more impressive.

“I remembered that in 2022 in Cameroon, at the Group stages, Egypt as a country barely struggled to qualify but that same Egypt went ahead to go and play the finals. I remembered that same Egypt, we won them in the Group stage. I remembered that superlative goal scored by [Kelechi] Iheanacho. I also need to communicate to you the mood back home in the country, Every Nigerian is rooting for you and believing you are going to do it again like the slogan of the NFF.”

Jean-Louis Gasset has been sacked as coach of 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) hosts Ivory Coast two days after their 4-0 defeat against Equatorial Guinea.

It was the heaviest home defeat in Ivory Coast history and they are the first Afcon host to lose two group games since they did so in 1984.

The Elephants still carry faint hopes of progressing to the last 16 as one of the best third-placed teams.

They will be led by Emerse Fae, one of Gasset’s coaches, on an interim basis.

The country’s football federation said it had “terminated the contracts” of 70-year-old Gasset and his assistant Ghislain Printant “due to insufficient results”.

Nigeria’s senior football team, the Super Eagles, have qualified for the Round of 16 of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) after defeating Guinea-Bissau 1-0 on Monday evening.

The Eagles took the lead after Guinea-Bissau’s Sangante kicked the ball into the net at exactly 36 minutes into the game.

Nigeria finished as runners-up in the group behind Equatorial Guinea.

Details soon…

Six Guinean supporters lost their lives while celebrating their country’s first victory at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

The Guinean Football Federation, Feguifoot, told the BBC on Monday that the incident took place during a celebratory event on the streets of Conakry, the capital of Guinea.

Fans celebrated by driving cars and riding motorcycles.

Guinea emerged victorious with a 1-0 win over The Gambia in their second group game in Ivory Coast on Friday night, sparking joyous celebrations throughout the West African nation.

“What is important is that our fans and the public celebrate in a very measured fashion,” Feguifoot media manager Amadou Makadji told BBC Sport Africa.

“They have to be very careful to not put themselves in danger, because the goal of football is to bring joy and not leave families bereaved. We do not want deaths to mourn, so we call on everyone to celebrate but to take care of themselves so that nothing happens to them.

“Guinea is a country where people are very, very passionate about football and they experience football like nowhere else in the world,” Makadji stated.

Thanks to a goal by Aguibou Camara, Guinea now sits second in Group C with four points, two behind reigning champions Senegal but three ahead of third-placed, five-time winners Cameroon, while the Gambians remain bottom with one point.

Meanwhile, Pascal Feindouno, one of the star players in the Guinea sides that reached three straight quarter-finals between 2004 and 2008, also urged the country’s fans to be calm.

“I have a message to send to Guinean men and women,” the 42-year-old, who played at four Nations Cups, told the BBC in Yamoussoukro, where the team are based.

“Rest assured that we will do something at the Nations Cup but we have learned something that will destabilise us. We learned there were deaths after the victory against The Gambia – we want this to stop because we are here to defend the colours of the country.

“Everything is going well for us at the moment so support the country but don’t do anything to kill each other or oneself. Stay calm – thank you,” he said

The Nations Cup, which kicked off on January 13, 2024 will end with the final in Ivory Coast’s economic capital Abidjan on February 11.

Tragedy was averted as the plane carrying players of the Gambia national team, made a u-turn to Banjul moments after take off.

The flight was conveying the squad to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Sports Brief reports that the plane had to be delayed after losing oxygen.

A statement from the Gambia Football Federation on Thursday, read in part: “The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) regrets to inform the general public that the chartered flight carrying the Scorpions to the Africa Cup of Nations returned to Banjul due to technical problems.

“The flight was nine minutes long when the crew realised this and immediately requested a return to Banjul. Upon landing, preliminary investigations indicated that there had been a loss of cabin pressure and oxygen.”

A new departure time have been arranged for the players and officials.

The Scorpions are in Group C with defending champions, Senegal; five-time champions Cameroon, and Guinea.