Sports
Nigeria’s Super Eagles To Face Sierra Leone, Lesotho, Benin In AFCON 2021 Qualifiers
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been drawn with Sierra Leone, Lesotho and Benin Republic in Group L of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The draw took place on Thursday evening at the headquarters of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Cairo, NAN reports.
African football icons Nwankwo Kanu, Samuel Eto’o, Khalilou Fadiga, Geremi Njitap, El Hadji Diouf and Jose Clayton were in attendance.
CAF Deputy General Secretary of Football and Development, Anthony Baffoe, was in charge of proceedings and he was assisted by Algerian football great Rabah Madjer, Eto’o and Nigeria’s Kanu.
The 48 teams were drawn into 12 groups of four teams in addition to the four winners of the preliminary round.
In Group A, Mali will join Guinea, Namibia and the winners between Liberia and Chad for size, while Group B has Burkina Faso, Uganda, Malawi and Djibouti/Gambia.
AFCON 2019 quarter-finalists South Africa will have their hands full in Group C against Ghana and Sudan.
AFCON 2019 hosts Egypt have been paired with Kenya, Togo and Comoros Island.
While Togo and Comoros Island could not reach the 2019 Nations Cup, Kenya made the trip to Egypt but could not go farther than the group stage.
Hosts Cameroon will participate in the qualifiers even though the team are guaranteed a spot in the finals regardless of their ranking in the group.
Their matches and results will count in determining the qualification of the other teams from their groups, namely Cape Verde, Mozambique and Rwanda.
Preliminary round of the qualifiers will be played in October 2019, while the group stage will kick off in November and will end in November 2020.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Finals of the 33rd edition except Group F.
In that group, Cameroon automatically qualify as hosts alongside the highest-placed of other three teams.
The top two teams will book their place for the 33rd edition of the championship.
AFCON 2021 QUALIFIERS FULL LIST
Group A – Mali, Guinea, Namibia, Liberia/Chad
Group B – Uganda, Malawi, Burkina Faso, South Sudan/Seychelles.
Group C – South Africa, Sudan, Ghana, Mauritius/Sao Tome.
Group D – Gabon, Angola, DR Congo, Djibouti/Gambia.
Group E – Mauritania, Central African Republic, Morocco, Burundi.
Group F – Mozambique, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Rwanda.
Group G – Egypt, Kenya, Togo, Comoros Island.
Group H – Zimbabwe, Zambia, Algeria, Botswana
Group I – Guinea Bissau, Congo, Senegal, Eswatini.
Group J – Tanzania, Libya, Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea.
Group K – Madagascar, Niger, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia.
Group L – Sierra Leone, Benin, Nigeria, Lesotho.
Former Al-Ittihad star Mohammed Noor has slammed Karim Benzema over his move to Al-Hilal.
The Ballon d’Or winner quit Al-Ittihad after being left unhappy with their new contract offer.
An unimpressed Noor snapped: “Karim Benzema’s contract was set to expire on June 30, 2026, and he received two offers from Al-Ittihad to renew it, but he stalled.
“Benzema had already reached an agreement with Al-Hilal without the knowledge of the Al-Ittihad board. Then he came to pressure the club’s management, who had made him offers, but he didn’t respond because he had already agreed everything with the Al-Hilal board.
“He reached an agreement with Al-Hilal and had a bad exit from Al-Ittihad. Didn’t the fans who supported him and chanted his name for so long deserve a thank you before he left?
“He’s the loser, not Al-Ittihad.”
Manchester United Champions League winner Owen Hargreaves has praised manager Michael Carrick for fixing the balance of their midfield.
Hargreaves believes the rejigging from Carrick has brought out the best in Bruno Fernandes, who struck in Saturday’s 2-0 win against Tottenham.
Speaking on TNT Sports, he said: “Let’s be honest, 200 goal involvements is ridiculous. They’re Playstation numbers. He plays with risk but it’s risk that the team benefits from.
“Kobbie (Mainoo) in behind was fantastic again and Casemiro… those three were probably the three best players in the game, in my opinion.
“We said beforehand, under Ruben Amorim, that midfield was a weakness but that midfield three is really good.
“Obviously Bruno is the best player by a country mile and I just think they look so much stronger now as a midfield three.”
Man United are reportedly looking to sign AC Milan and USMNT star Christian Pulisic in the summer.
The 27-year-old has been a key player for AC Milan since joining from Chelsea back in 2023, scoring 43 goals and providing 22 assists in his 121 games.
According to Calcio Mercato via GiveMeSport, Pulisic’s fine form in Italy has caught the attention of Man United, who are keen on bringing him back to the Premier League.
It’s understood that AC Milan are reluctant to sell Pulisic, but a deal could be sanction for a fee of around £48 million.
Pulisic’s contract with the Serie A giants is set to expire in the summer of 2027 with talks over a new deal yet to progress.
<im
-
Entertainment4 years agoBBNaija: “Shameful For A Married Woman” – Boma, Tega Doing ‘Stuff’ Under Duvet Sparks Outrage (See Video)
-
Entertainment4 years agoSinger, Oxlade In Big Mess After His Sex Tape With A Strange Lady Surfaces Online (Watch Video)
-
Entertainment5 years agoBBNaija: Kiddwaya Sucks Erica’s Boobs, Licks Dorathy’s Neck In Truth Or Dare Game (Video)
-
Entertainment3 years agoI’m Not Ashamed Of My Leaked Nude Photos, Ifunanya Confesses (See Photos)
-
Crime7 months agoNDLEA intercepts Saudi, UK-bound cocaine in lipsticks
-
Entertainment5 years agoI’m Not Sick But Only Lost Some Weight – Kiss Daniel
-
Crime9 months agoNDLEA seizes N3.4bn worth of opioids in Lagos, PH, uncovers drugs in chocolate tins
-
Entertainment5 years agoHow Women Should Act During Sex – Actress, Blessing Okoro Reveals (Vdeo)