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It’s do-or-die against Falcons, warns Banyana coach

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Banyana Banyana coach, Desiree Ellis, has warned the Super Falcons that it will be ‘do or die’ in the final round for the women’s football event of the 2024 Olympics in April, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

South Africa and Nigeria, who both failed to qualify for the women’s football event at the last edition of the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan will clash for a place at this summer’s Games in Paris after they both came through their respective third-round qualifiers.

The reigning African champions saw off Tanzania 4-0 on aggregate to stay in the race for one of two African slots in the women’s football event at the Olympics, while Nigeria needed a 15th-minute Esther Okoronkwo winner in the second leg to edge Cameroon in a turgid 180-minute battle over two legs.

“It will be do-or-die (vs Nigeria),” Ellis said after her side’s win over Tanzania.

“We know the game against Nigeria will not be easy, but we have shown that we can play the best. Having our best players back will also help a lot, because when it comes to those tough matches you need players with experience, and you need to get mix right with the youth and experience.

“Hopefully we can get that right and get the positive results first away from home again,” she added.

The CAF Women’s Coach of The Year added that her team would plan for an early training camp to give them a bigger chance against the nine-time African champions.

“We want to have an early camp, we will improve our chances when we prepare early and very well,” she said.

The first leg of the final playoffs is billed for April 1 at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja with the return leg in South Africa eight days later with the overall winners qualifying for the Olympics.

The Paris 2024 Olympics will hold between July 26 and August 11, 2024.

 

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Shehu Dikko Visits Finance Minister, Discusses Building Nigerian Sports Economy

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By Kola Daniel

The newly appointed chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, paid a courtesy visit on Monday to the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun.

During the meeting, Dikko and Edun discussed a range of initiatives focused on developing a sustainable sports economy in Nigeria, aligning with the strategic reform objectives of the NSC as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Dikko emphasized the importance of sports as a viable economic driver and explored how to better harness Nigeria’s vast potential in the sector.

“We aim to transform Nigerian sports into a sustainable economic force,” he stated, adding that initiatives are in place to bring Nigerian sports up to international standards and attract greater investment.

The discussions are part of Dikko’s ongoing efforts to lay a solid foundation for Nigeria’s sports economy, leveraging partnerships with key government agencies and stakeholders.

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NIS/LSFA TRAINING COURSE: Falcons Captain, Ajibade Sponsors 11 Coaches For 3rd Batch Of Training

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Super Falcons captain, Rasheedat Ajibade, through her foundation, Rasheedat Ajibade Foundation(RAF), is sponsoring 11 Lagos State Coaches For the 3rd batch of the NIS/LSFA Coaching Certification Course.

While she has paid for the training of the coaches, the Athletico Madrid of Spain star forward also pledged to continue to give back to society.

She enjoined the Lagos FA, to always provide adequate information concerning its future programmes, to enable her foundation to be part of it.

Responding to the philanthropic gesture of Ajibade, the Chairman of the Lagos State Football Association, Hajji Gafar Liameed, expressed his gratitude to the former Robo star, for extending her love and support to the coaches, and allowing the lucky coaches to further improve their knowledge of the game and also get the necessary certification to operate as licensed coaches.

Gafar went ahead to rally well-meaning individuals and corporate organisations to key into the several programmes and activities of the LSFA, as it continues to rejig and develop football in the state.

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DISGRACE! CAF Humiliates Libya With $50,000 Fines, Awards Victory To Nigeria After AFCON Qualifying Disaster 

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Super Eagles

The Disciplinary Committee of the Confederation of African Football has awarded the Super Eagles of Nigeria three points and three goals in their abandoned matchday 4, 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya, which was scheduled to be held in Benina on 15 October.

In its ruling on Saturday, signed by chairman Ousmane Kane, the Disciplinary Board determined that the Libyan Football Federation was in breach of Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations and Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.

“The Libyan Football Federation is found to have breached Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations, as well as Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.

“The match No. 87, Libya v Nigeria, of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers 2025 (scheduled to be played on 15 October 2024 in Benghazi), is declared lost by forfeit by Libya (with a record of 3-0),” the ruling read in part.

 

The LFF was also ordered to pay a fine of USD 50,000, with payment due within 60 days of notification of the present decision.

The outcome of the Disciplinary Committee means that Nigeria is close to qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, with two matches to spare.

As a result, the Super Eagles are now on 10 points from four matches, four points ahead of second-placed Benin Republic, while Rwanda has five points. Bottom-placed Libya has only one point and is out of the running for qualification.

A win or draw against the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in Abidjan on Thursday, 14 November (a matchday 5 encounter) will secure the Super Eagles a ticket to the finals in Morocco, scheduled for December 2025/January 2026.

The Nigerian team had boycotted the match citing safety concerns, after being left stranded at the remote Al-Abraq airport on the outskirts of Benghazi for over 22 hours.

The LFF, in response, accused the Nigeria Football Federation of not cooperating with it regarding the travel itinerary.

It also alleged that the Libyan national team had suffered the same fate in Nigeria during the reverse fixture a week earlier, claiming the team was left stranded at the Port Harcourt Airport by Nigerian authorities.

 

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