Hosts Côte d’Ivoire have emerged winners of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Cote d’Ivoire ended the dramatic tournament with an equally dramatic victory over Nigeriaon Sunday night in Abidjan.
The hosts came from behind to win 2-1 after trailing at half-time to a William Troost-Ekong’s powerful header which gave Nigeria the lead in the 38th minute.
The hosts however came back strongly in the second half.
In the packed stadium with over 58,000 Ivorian fans behind the Elephants, Franck Kessie levelled scores in the 62nd minute.
The Ivorians would have the last laugh as Sebastian Haller scored the winning goal in the 81st minute, with a clever toe poke after a dangerous cross into the Eagles’ vital area.
The result meant Cote d’Ivoire grabbed their third AFCON title.
This was after they won for the first time in 1992 and then in 2015.
NAN reports that the hosts had a very special campaign.
Having qualified for the knockout stages only as one of the best representatives of the third position.
They even qualified as the last best losers.
Defeats to Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea led to the sacking of coach Jean-Louis Gasset.
Emerse Fae then led Coted’Ivoire to the trophy.
NAN also reports that Nigeria’s stand-in captain William Troost-Ekong won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament award.
Troost-Ekong playing his last AFCON tourney had scored three goals in the tournament, including the beautiful header in the finals and stood as a “rock of Gibraltar” in the Nigerian defence.
Mamelodi Sundowns Goalkeeper and Captain of South Africa, Romwen Williams won the best goal keeper of the tournament.
The top goal scorer award went to Spanish-born Emilio Nsue of Equatorial Guinea, who scored five goals three of which was a hat-trick against the champions, Cote d’Ivoire.
South Africa collected its bronze medals having won the third place match against DR Congo.
Earlier, the AFCON flag was transferred to Morocco which would host the tournament in 2025. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Some football fans in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) spoke with one voice on Wednesday night as they cheered the Super Eagles to victory at the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Cote d’Ivoire.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Super Eagles and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa ended score 1-1 at regulation time and extra time before going into penalty shootout.
It was the Eagles that had the upper hand in the penalties after a 4-2 score.
Some football fans who watched the match at the Capitol Bar in Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, were seen speaking different languages – Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, while cheering the Nigerian team.
They spoke to NAN shortly after the match, and described the encounter as “entertaining”.
One of the fans, Kehinde Alagbada, said he was happy that the Super Eagles won the encounter against all odds.
“This is the happiest day of my life and I am proud to be a Nigerian from the Yoruba tribe,” he said.
Alagbada further said that if only football could unite Nigerians, the sky will be the limit of the country’s success and growth.
He said, “the victory of Super Eagles in the quarterfinal match is symbolic and demonstrates that if truly we can work together, the sky will be our only limit.”
He urged Nigerians to shelve tribalism, nepotism or actions that could cause disunity.
“We are stronger together and anything that will unite Nigerians should be paramount and promoted.”
Also speaking, Ralf Nwoye, another football enthusiast, said that the predictions ahead of the match made everyone tense as many people staked money on the encounter.
“One thing to take home is that for whatever reason, the God of soccer is with Nigerians in this AFCON 2023 and you can see that we won the match against all odds.
Nwoye said that the takeaway in the encounter was that as Nigerian, team work must be taken seriously.
He added, “We need to pull our strengths together no matter where we come from. There should not be discrimination among Nigerians because of their tribe.
“Every Nigerian should imbibe the attitude of team work. The fact that Osimhen and Lookman were substituted with Iheanancho and others, who came in and led the Super Eagles to victory, highlighted the importance of team work.
Hassan Jada, a football fan from the Northern part of the country also described the Super Eagles defeat of Bafana Bafana, as very sweet.
“I have confidence in the ability of the players we have in the Super Eagles, so I have no fear that we will win the AFCON 2023 trophy.
“This victory is a pointer that Nigeria will one day come out its backwardness.”
Maria Khan, a UK citizen based in Nigeria, also spoke to NAN on the outcome of the match, saying that it was a happy moment for Nigerians as the victory was exciting.
She tipped the Super Eagles to win the tournament on Sunday against host country Cote d’Ivoire. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Ex-Nigerian International, Celestine Babayaro, has urged the Super Eagles to imbibe team spirit and dedication to win the 2023 AFCON trophy.
Babayaro made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, while reacting to the Eagle’s 4-2 victory against South Africa to qualify for the final.
NAN reports that eagles defeated ‘Bafana Bafana’ of South Africa in a penalty shootout, after a 1-1 draw of the 120 minutes of play including extra time.
According to him, only dedication and playing well can help the eagle win the tournament.
“I really like their mode of play as they show skills and energy during the last two matches, but the team need more dedication and one spirit to win the final match.
“They need to follow the coach’s instructions, add psychology and exhibit more skillful tactics as a team to win the AFCON glory.
“The game was impressive I must confess and I hope the glory is coming to Nigeria,” he said.
NAN reports that Nigeria beat South Africa 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw
The Super Eagles will play Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the tournament. (NAN)
The Super Eagles on Wednesday in Bouake qualified for the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), after defeating South Africa in a pulsating semi-final clash.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the match played at the Stade de la Paix, Bouake was decided on penalties after the game ended 1-1 after 120 minutes of tension soaked encounter.
The match started on a fast pace, with the South Africans dominating play but were pegged back by the resilient Nigerian defence, Marshalled by Captain William Troost-Ekong.
The cagey first half ended goalless in spite of the forays by both teams.
But in the second half Nigeria took the lead after Victor Osimhen was fouled inside the 18 yard box.
Ekong stepped up to put the Eagles one goal up.
However, late in the game substitute Alhassan Yusuf gave away a penalty which Teboho Mokoena converted.
The match was eventually decided on penalties with Nigeria winning 4-2 after a nervy shoot-out.
Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho scored the winning penalty as Nigeria booked their place in the final to spark wild celebration in the stadium.
Nigeria will now face Cote d’Ivoire in Sunday’s final after the host defeated DR Congo by a lone goal in the second semifinal encounter. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
The beautiful cable-stayed Cocody Bridge, also known as Alassane Ouattara Bridge, is an architectural icon not just in the bustling Ivorian commercial capital of Abidjan, but in the West Africa sub-region.
The eye-catching structure to any visitor and residents alike is the first of its kind in Côte d’Ivoire, spanning 630 metres and over 100 meters high of the popular upscale Cocody district.
Inaugurated on Aug. 12, 2023, the bridge is part of the solution to the problem of urban mobility in Cote d’Ivoire’s economic capital.
Interestingly, all visitors and fans to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the Abidjan centre will most certainly commute on the bridge to the Feliz Houphouet-Boigny stadium.
They will also need it for trips their respective hotels in the eye-brow Cocody area.
It was a scorching afternoon, just before one of the block buster knock out matches at the Iconic 33,000 Feliz Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in the heart of the city.
About noon on that match day, Ivorian fans draped in their national colours were trooping to the stadium amidst singing and blaring of their popular vuvuzelas.
As they gyrated this writer could hear some Nigerians just by the foot of the bridge arguing about insecurity back in their homeland.
Nigeria has not lacked fans’ support at the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON). In fact, it is safe to say that the Super Eagles feel like playing away from home.
The large chunk of that fan base is Nigerians in the host country. You can call them members of Nigeria’s ever-expanding ‘japa’ family.
So, he decided to engage them, and could immediately feel their pain and frustration at the state of things back home.
Mr Felix Afolabi, a business man and CEO, Don Travels and Tour, Abidjan said he has been residing in Abidjan with his family for close to a decade, due to the enabling environment for his business.
He appealed to the Federal Government to immediately declare a state of emergency on insecurity, power and infrastructure in order to encourage Nigerians abroad return home.
“I think the major problems the present government need to tackle urgently are the issues of this naira depreciation, insecurity and infrastructure.
“Here in Cote d’Ivoire, the government has done a lot to boost infrastructure and tackle the issue of insecurity, you can see most of the streets have functional CCTV cameras for crime detection.
“These are some of the things we want back home, so that some of us can return home, we really need government to address the issue of kidnapping in Nigeria,” he said.
Chukwuebuka Eze, a Nigerian businessman who owns an electronics shop in Abidjan said the depreciation of the naira and high cost of logistics is really affecting business.
“Cote d’Ivoire is a nice and peaceful country, despite their challenges.
“At least you can see for yourself, the government here has done a lot in terms of provision of basic amenities, light is stable, the roads are good and there is security.
“Nigeria as giant of Africa need to do a lot more to make it’s citizen comfortable, we are blessed with human and natural resources, but there is still so much suffering back home.
“Our government need to do more to address our challenges such as insecurity and the power problem,” he said.
‘Japa’, a Yoruba word for ‘leave’ is one of the most used words in Nigeria at that moment as Nigerians seek greener pasture abroad. There priority destinations include Canada, UK, U.S., Germany and other European countries.
In Africa, the preferred destinations are South Africa, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana and some North Africa. Nigerians are among the most travelled communities in the world.
Already Nigeria is losing some of its best brains in medicine, nursing, academics to the `japa` syndrome.
There have been calls for the Federal Government to take actions to stop ‘japa’. A motion to stop the migration has been rejected by the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Federal Government bicameral legislature.
In his motion for halting the migration, Hon. Philip Agbese (APC-Benue) said statistics from the Nigerian Economic Summit indicated a mass relocation young Nigerians abroad.
“The recent reports by African Polling Institute indicate that 69% of young people would opt to relocate abroad if given the chance or if the opportunity presents itself.
“There is a 40% increase in the number of young Nigerians leaving the nation.
“This is compared to the number captured in 2019, as the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs reported that international emigration from Nigeria in 2020 total 1.7million, which is a substantial increase from 990,000 in 2010“, he said.
But when put to voice vote by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, majority of the lawmakers voted against the motion.
“Some has said Nigerian youths who want to leave the country for developed nations cannot be restrained by the government.
“Youths can’t be restrained. It’s like a two-edged sword. Travelling overseas is about more exposure. We need more exposed people and when they get their exposure, they can come back.
“I believe we need people to leave, to get more experience.“Maybe when they come back. They will be the people that will be in the government and they will be able to replicate what they have seen over there“, a national daily quoted the Paramount Ruler of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi as saying.
Whatever the gains of ‘japa’, many Nigerians argue that it is draining the country of its best brains. To minimize it, they urge the provision of the enabling environment for professionals in various sectors to excel.
They also advocate improvements in the welfare package of professionals and other Nigerians.
It is important that for those who want to migrate, government should provide them with a safe exit, devoid of extortion, exploitation and torture.
President, Nigerian community in Cote d’Ivoire, Chief Michael Emeka Onwuchelu, on his part says there is need for the federal government to address the issue of human trafficking and illegal migration.
Analyst say to contain ‘japa` the Nigeria’s government must address the high level of poverty, poor economic conditions and high rate of unemployment among others in Africa’s largest economy.
To halt the trend which has turned Nigeria to a training ground for human resources for richer nations, the federal government Prof. Chris Ogbechie says the government should develop well-articulated policies.
He said such policies should address the root causes of the syndrome, while mitigating the challenges associated with it.
Her spoke at the advice at the 16th Anthony Cardinal Okogie Foundation Lecture, in Lagos
“Such policies should also encourage them to return home and help with our development,” said Ogbechie who is a Professor of Strategic Management and the Dean at Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University. (NANFeatures)
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will on Monday night fly to Bouake, ahead of their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Semi-final clash with South Africa slated for Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the team and officials, will leave Abidjan for Bouake for the first time since their opening match.
Babafemi Raji, the team’s media officer told NAN that the team will depart by 8.30pm on Monday.
“I can confirm to you that the boys are in high spirit and we are set to leave for Bouake by 8.30pm today (Monday), ahead of the semi-final clash with South Africa on Wednesday,” he said.
NAN reports that the team played all its group matches, Round of 16 and quarter -final matches in Abidjan and this is the first time they will be leaving their “adopted home”.
In continuation of preparation for the epic clash, the team on Sunday trained at their usual Ecole Nationale de la Police playing turf, Abidjan.
Raji told NAN that the Jose Peseiro, the team’s gaffer in company of a player will have the official pre-match news conference on Tuesday by 11am (Nigerian time) in Bouake.
The team will subsequently have their first training session behind closed doors later in the day.
It will be recalled that when Cote d’Ivoire hosted their only previous AFCON in 1984, Nigeria also played their semi-final match in the city of Bouake against Egypt, winning 8-7 on penalties, after a pulsating 2-2 draw.
NAN reports that the Super Eagles of Nigeria will on Wednesday lock horns with perennial rivals Bafana Bafana of South Africa at the Stade de la Paix, Bouake.
The match will be a repeat of the 2000 AFCON semi-finals in Lagos, which saw Nigeria defeat South Africa 2-0.
Also in the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, Nigeria again showed superiority by eliminating the Bafana Bafana 2-1 in the quarter -final stage. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
South Africa’s Bafana Bafana will renew their football rivalry with Nigeria’s Super Eagles in the semi-final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Feb. 7 at Stade De Bouake, Cote d’Ivoire, at 6.00 p.m. Nigerian time.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria and South Africa have met 15 times in competitive football since 1992.
The Super Eagles have won eight of such encounters, while the Bafana Bafana won two, with both teams drawing on five occasions.
The Bafana Bafana secured their place in the semi-finals for the first time since 2000.
Nigeria had earlier secured passage to the semi-finals of the AFCON after a hard-fought 1-0 win over giant-killers Angola in Abidjan on Friday.
The Super Eagles were eagerly waiting to face the winner of Saturday’s quarter-final between Cape Verde and South Africa for a place in the semi-final.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was the hero as South Africa beat Cape Verde 5-3 on penalties following a goalless 120 minutes to advance to the AFCON semi-finals.
After a tense last eight clash ended 0-0 at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro on Saturday night, Williams remarkably saved four spot-kicks in the shootout to send Bafana Bafana through.
Both sides started brightly in an open first half, but stellar defending and top-class goalkeeping from Williams and Cape Verde’s Vozinha kept the game goalless at the break.
The second half followed a similar pattern as the teams traded blows in search of the breakthrough.
However, a combination of desperation and brilliant defending saw numerous chances go begging.
Cape Verde almost stole it in added time when Gelson Tavares pounced on a deep ball only to smash his shot off the bar with Williams getting a hand to it for a 0-0 scoreline after 90 minutes and extra time.
The additional 30 minutes brought more chances, with South Africa’s Fagrie Lakay forcing a superb save from Vozinha.
But the deadlock remained to send the quarter-final into penalties which saw South Africa emerge victorious at the end to dump out Cape Verde from the ongoing 2023 AFCON tournament.
The tourney which began on Jan. 13 in Cote d’Ivoire will end on Feb. 11. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng).
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Edited by Dianabasi Effiong/Salif Atojoko
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has applauded the Super Eagles for beating Angola to qualify for the semi-finals of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria sailed through to the semi-finals after a hard-fought 1-0 win over giant-killers, Angola at Stade Felix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan on Friday.
This was after a pass by Moses Simon, to Ademola Lookman who slotted the ball calmly beyond goalkeeper Guilherme da Costa to score the only goal for Nigeria in the 41st minute.
The Super Eagles had to work hard for the victory against the Palancas Negras that had exceeded expectations in reaching the last eight.
Akpabio who represented President Bola Tinubu at the crucial encounter, told newsmen after the match that he was excited about the victory, adding that the Super Eagles had indeed shown that they were unstoppable.
“I feel very happy. Nigeria is a very large country with over 250 million people.
“It’s a great day for the country. We have now entered into the semi-finals.
“Angola couldn’t stop us. I think we are unstoppable.
“I paid a courtesy call on the Speaker of the Parliament of Cote d’Ivoire and I promised him that if Cote d’Ivoire should qualify for the finals, Nigeria will defeat Cote d’Ivoire.
“Then, we will leave the trophy here for them to bring it to Nigeria for us,” he said.
Simon Lalong, the Minister of Labour and Employment, who was also part of the government delegation to the match, said that with the much needed support and determination, the Super Eagles can go all the way and win the cup.
“I think for us it is a usual thing in Nigeria. When there is this very huge support and determination, Nigerians don’t let Nigeria down.
“Today we have seen it with the very powerful delegation led by the senate president and so we have to support them.
“With what we saw, we are going back to celebrate today,” he said.
Lalong charged Nigerians to be hopeful in the administration of President Bola Tinubu, especially in the area of sports development.
He said that football was also an instrument of peace and unity.
“Football always brings peace. It’s only when you are playing football that you don’t know the difference between who is coming from the South, North West or North Central.
“So, today you can see that all of us are very happy that Nigeria won.
“Let this be the spirit in Nigeria, so that we will have one united country.
“I am sure there is joy now back home. Everybody is very happy; even the different political parties, this is where they meet together; football. So, this victory is for all Nigerians,” he said.
NAN also reports that Nigeria will face the winner of Saturday’s quarter-final between Cape Verde and South Africa for a place in the final.
The tournament which began on Jan. 13 in Cote d’Ivoire will end on Feb. 11. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) competition has entered the semi-final stage with four teams set for what analysts believe will be a fierce battle for slots in the final.
On Saturday, hosts Cote d’Ivoire came from a goal down to throw out Mali while South Africa eliminated the stubborn Cape Verde 5-3 on penalties.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria became the first country to book a spot in the semi-finals with a composed 1-0 victory over the hard fighting Angolans, while DR Congo came from behind to beat Guinea 3-1.
Nigeria, who are now the highest ranked team in the tournament, will lock horns with perennial foe, Bafana Bafana of South Africa on Wednesday at the Stade de la Paix, Bouake by 6pm (Nigerian time).
It will be hosts Cote d’Ivoire against DR Congo at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan in the second semi-final fixture by 9pm (Nigerian time).
Semi-finals,Wednesday (Feb. 7)
1: Nigeria vs South Africa (Stade de la Paix, Bouake, 6pm)
2: Cote d’Ivoire vs DR Congo (Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, 9pm)
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is perhaps Africa’s most prestigious sports competition.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2023 AFCON, a month-long event holding from Jan. 13 to Feb. 11 is currently taking place in Cote d’Ivoire.
A lot of people from across the continent are following the tournament closely, sitting close to their television sets and talking about it on social media.
The host nation spent over one billion dollars to build four new stadiums along with roads and hospitals for the competition.
Some football’s most famous players are participating, and it is winter in Europe, so they arr not splitting attention with any other contest.
Also, the winner’s prize money was increased to 40 per cent higher than their predecessor’s — a new record.
However, in spite of all these, low turnouts and attendance rates at stadiums have been a recurring theme across all AFCON editions.
With the 34th edition of the competition ongoing in Cote d’Ivoire, it is quite evident that this phenomenon would continue to rare its ugly head.
On the opening day of the tournament, thousands of supporters flooded the streets of Abidjan to the town of Ebimpé which caused a huge traffic as vehicles found it difficult to access the stadium
The stadiums, where all the actions was happening, was mostly empty, and this is not the first time this scenario has been playing out.
For instance, only 8,500 people attended the game between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea on Sunday, this is a 60,012-capacity stadium; barely 14 per cent of the stadium capacity
Previous tournaments in Ghana, Angola, South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Cameroon had similar stories.
Some matches, especially those involving Senegal, Mali, Benin, Nigeria, and Cote d’Ivoire, turn out livelier than others, owing largely to organised supporters’ groups, usually including bands which play throughout the games.
But these groups don’t come for free; Federations, governments, or sponsors often bankroll these 500-1,500-strong performers to show up at games.
Meanwhile, regular citizens, who have no incentives other than having a good time are hardly present.
The reasons for this phenomenon ranges from infrastructural issues to financial, political and socio-cultural.
One of the major factors is the economic hardship currently prevalent in Africa and the world at large.
Football tournaments are one of the most popular methods of attracting tourists. This is why countries compete for the right to host the World Cup.
But these empty seats show how much the continent misses out on intra-African tourism.
Getting to AFCON, for instance, it is too difficult or expensive for many Africans.
Officially, match tickets alone cost 5,000 FCFA (about eight dollars) for Category three, 10,000 FCFA (about 16 dollars) for Category two and 15,000 FCFA (about 24 dollars).
The prices go up as the competition progresses. These prices cut out at least 85 per cent of Africans who live on less than 5.50 dollars daily.
Most participating countries are also battling high inflation and currency devaluation, so their middle class is depleting.
Nigeria, for instance, just had its worst year for the naira in 2023, and inflation is now near 28.9 per cent as at December 2023 according a National Bureau of Statistics report.
Ghana’s inflation also went as high as 43 per cent in 2023.
Egyptian authorities have implemented three sharp devaluations of the currency since early 2022.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted Equatorial Guinea to fall back into a recession in 2023.
Also, the intra-African commute is burdensome.
Flying from Berlin, the capital of Germany, to Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, might cost you around 150 dollars for a direct flight lasting three hours.
Members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club in Cote d’Ivoire
Meanwhile, travelling a similar distance between Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, could cost between 500 dollars and 850 dollars, often involving at least one layover and taking as much as 20 hours.
A flight from London to Warsaw, which spans about two hours 15 minutes for a non-stop flight, costs 30 pounds.
But if a Nigerian wanted to travel to Cote d’Ivoire for the tournament, he or she would spend 945 pounds (approximately N 1.1 million) on a 1 hour 40 mins non-stop flight
Taxes, statutory charges and levies, high jet fuel costs, airport taxes, and ground handling fees are some of the reasons airfare costs are so expensive.
Africa-based airlines struggle with economies of scale because there’s not enough demand for intra-African travel.
Little demand is leading to high prices and vice versa. On the other hand, patriotism is approaching zero because of the state of the nations.
Nigerian Currency (Naira) which in recent times facing serious devaluation is been exchanged for an official rate of 1 dollar to N960, is now been subjected to another test in Ivory Coast at the ongoing AFCON.
My colleague and I are Nigerian journalists covering the continental showpiece in Abidjan.
Indeed, it has not been easy as we have continued to cry out on the impact of the naira devaluation in Ivory Coast which has affected their initial budget and led to a high cost of living for us, barely three days after the event kicked off.
Another journalist, David Oku from Umuahia, complained of how bad the situation has been degrading by the day.
“We were initially exchanging N100,000 for CFA 50,000 but now it has dropped to CFA 44,000,” Oku told NAN.
“Also, by the time you begin to factor in the cost of transportation and feeding, you discover that you necessarily need more naira to enable you to keep going in Cote d’Ivoire”, he said.
Also, worthy of note is the high cost of accommodation in Abidjan, which has rendered some of our colleagues homeless, as the lowest cost for a space is N30,000 (CFA 15,000) per night in Abidjan.
While doing our job diligently at the event, journalists now think of where to sleep in the night as this happens to be a serious issue that has been affected by the naira devaluation in recent times.
Another journalist, Jennifer Okoye from Lagos said that the issue of accommodation, had also exposed colleagues to hoodlums who take advantage of the situation to rob them of their valuables, including cameras, laptops, ipads, phones and other media gadgets needed to enable them do their job.
Indeed, I, have been a victim as I was robbed of almost all my valuables on arrival in Abidjan and left to survive under very harsh living conditions.
As the AFCON enters the knockout stages this weekend, we will have to live with the fact that the stadiums may become even more scantier without the hosts who are on the brink of crashing out early at the group stage.
It is, therefore, time to rethink how to engage with the fans of African football.
We must think about ways to keep ticket prices within the reach of locals in order to ensure their buy-in and sustained the interest in a competition like the AFCON.
Turning this around would require a huge shift in the continent’s infrastructure like railway networks and sub-stations as well as quality of life, which is unlikely in the near future.
However, the reduction of flight and match ticket prices is one of the greatest factors to consider, which could see a well attended, more vibrant and lively AFCON in subsequent editions.(www.nannews.ng) (NANFeatures)
