AFCON 2025 AND MATTERS ARISING

In spite of some drawbacks, the competition lives up to its billing

After a dramatic final that was nearly disrupted by poor officiating and team indiscipline, the Teranga Lions of Senegal defeated the host nation, Morocco, on Sunday night to claim their second Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title. Pape Gueye scored in the first period of extra time in a match Senegal nearly abandoned before commonsense prevailed, thanks to the cool head of their talismanic player, Sadio Mane. Before the extra time that followed the dramatic conclusion to regulation play, the Atlas Lions of Morocco were awarded a controversial penalty, prompting the Senegalese players to walk off in protest before being persuaded to return. When play resumed, Brahim Díaz’s spot-kick, an audacious panenka, was saved by Édouard Mendy, before the extra time goal by Gueye won it for Senegal.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s dream of a fourth AFCON title ended last Wednesday night in Rabat. Unbeaten from the group stage to the semifinal, the Super Eagles sadly lost to the host country, Morocco after 120 gruelling minutes of topflight football action. Although eliminated by 4–2 on penalties after a goalless draw that stretched into extra time at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, the Super Eagles would later defeat Egypt by the same margin of 4–2 on penalties after another goalless draw to win bronze last Saturday.

 For Eric Chelle who led the team and was unbeaten in 16 competitive matches in regulation time since taking over the Super Eagles job in January 2025, the transformation that he has brought to the national team is commendable.  Since Super Eagles failed to make the cut to the 2026 World Cup, Chelle has given Nigerians a new team. For the first time in the last decade, Nigerians got treated to the Super Eagles with their free-flowing flair. It is therefore little surprise that there have been rave reviews by many Nigerians about the Super Eagles’ transformation under Chelle’s watch. Only two defeats in shootouts against DR Congo (World Cup Playoff) and Morocco (AFCON 2025 semifinal) are the blights on his impressionable track record with Nigeria so far.

The defence has been very well-knitted, with Calvin Bassey and Bruno Onyemaechi even joining attacks, and against Algeria, wing-back Bright Osayi-Samuel was imperious as he defended with much confidence. Centreback Semi Ajayi scored Nigeria’s first goal of the tournament, against Tanzania. These are not the type of statistics of the Super Eagles in the immediate past. It is the result of a new team emerging under Chelle’s watch. 

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) must refrain from making the type of mistake that were made when both Gernot Rohr and Jose Peseiro left and voids were created that led to epileptic start to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. That eventually cost Nigeria to miss out of the Mundial. Chelle deserves a contract extension when the existing one ends in December. In these days when countries use sports for power projection, there is no reason why Nigeria should continue to mismanage the game of football that most citizens love.

Lastly, a deliberate attempt must also be made to ensure that young players are fished out from the grassroots in the country. The situation where we rely almost 80 per cent on foreign-born players does not bode well for the development of the game locally. The late Stephen Keshi proved that it is possible to get talents from the domestic league and still go all the way to winning the continental title. He did it with our last AFCON title in 2013 in South Africa. Urgent reforms are needed in the Nigerian leagues. This is the only way to ensure that the supply chain of talents is maintained.