Julius OkorieThe 2025 AFCON Qualifiers have been completed, if you like done and dusted. The 24 teams that will do battle in Morocco in their quest for the annual continental diadem have already lined up for the tournament billed for December next year.
Preparations for a good outing should be the next phase for all the teams as no team would want to come to that stage just to make the numbers.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelTeams who failed to qualify including and surprisingly Black Stars of Ghana are left to nurse their wounds and painfully begin to wait for the 36th edition.
Nigeria’s qualification was seamless as Coach Austin Eguavoen tutored Eagles meant business and prosecuted their matches with seriousness they deserved, finishing as table toppers in their group with 11 points instead of 14 points after losing the last match 2-1 at the Nest of Champions Uyo.
The team had already qualified with a game to spare against Amavubi of Rwanda, which implied that win or lose they have nothing to lose. However Eagles being who they are and the quality for which they are known on a good day were expected to have won the match against Rwanda even if the points were just to serve as icing on the cake. Why? National pride and bragging right may not be the in-thing at times but are always there.
With Nigeria ranked 36th in the world in latest FIFA Ranking and Rwanda 126th, and in Africa Nigeria at 4th and Rwanda 36th, it can be taken for granted that Eagles should win a clash between both teams irrespective of where it is played, though it is known fact that football is not mathematics where two plus two will always be four, rather it is described as biscuit which can crack from any angle.
It is perhaps based on this believe that Libya has raised an allegation of match fixing against Eagles for failing to win that final match against Rwanda in Uyo.
According to Libyan news outlet, Libya Akhbar, the Super Eagles of Nigeria deliberately lost their home match to Rwanda on Monday to shut the Africa Cup of Nations gate at Libya.
The Mediterranean Knights of Libya last qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 and who had dented relationship with Eagles after the botched match in Benina, Libya were hoping to be part of the party in Morocco next year, a dream which has now crashed like a pack of cards.
It would be the second allegation that Libya will be making against Nigeria in the course of the now ended qualifier. Recall that the team had also accused Nigeria of poor treatment in the first leg of their two legged tie which the Eagles won by a lone goal. But the Nigeria Football Federation put the records straight following that accusation.
“NFF’s Assistant Director (Protocol), Mr. Emmanuel Ayanbunmi said the Libya Federation only informed the NFF that its team was landing in Port Harcourt, and not Uyo, only three hours to the team’s arrival on Tuesday.
“I spoke to the General Secretary of LFF, at length, on Monday, 7th October and he never hinted that his team would be arriving on Tuesday (the following day). He only said he would get back to me but he never did. On Monday evening, someone sent as an advance party by the LFF called me and said his team would be arriving on Tuesday by noon. We made all arrangements to receive the team in Uyo on arrival.
“It was only an hour after the team was airborne that he told me the delegation would be landing in Port Harcourt. That disrupted so many things, but we still raced on hurdles to get approval from federal authorities to allow their plane to fly them to Uyo once they concluded immigration formalities in Port Harcourt. Apparently, that would have meant additional cost to the LFF from the charter company, and they didn’t want that, so they preferred to travel from Port Harcourt to Uyo by road.”
Ayanbunmi added that the Libyan delegation jettisoned road transportation arrangements made for them by the NFF and instead hired buses on their own.
“If they travelled on buses that were not air-conditioned, that had nothing to do with the NFF as they hired their own buses. We provided security for them, with men and vehicles in front and behind their buses”
Back to match fixing allegation, Libya had hoped to beat Cheetahs of Benin at home to earn seven points and also taken it for granted that Eagles will beat Rwanda in Uyo to ensure Amavubi remain at five points.
Benin tutored by former Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, had also taken it for granted that Eagles will beat Rwanda at home which will further consolidate their second position on the log after accumulating seven points going into the last encounter against Libya.
But the Cheetahs also resolved to fight to the finish in Libya to earn a point and that they did as the Mediterranean Knights met a brick wall in Cheetahs defence. So simply put, based on their rating and pedigree, Libya were surprised that Eagles did no win, Benin were surprised that Eagles did not win and at home many fans were surprised that Eagles who had played out a goalless draw against Rwanda in the first leg at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali did not win the second leg in Uyo.
Did that Amount to match fixing? No!
The technical crew is said to have rested players which of course can be considered normal, especially when you have qualified for a tournament which is the biggest goal. Most the players that were rested or that did not play had to be left out for cogent reasons. Number one goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, had to be excused as predicted by Primebusiness.africa after losing his father and no one will expect him to remain in goal with such emotional worry in the mind.
READ ALSO :Super Eagles Goalie Nwabali Mourns Father, May Be Off-Duty Against Rwanda
African footballer of the year nominee, Ademola Lookman, was not listed after picking a knock in a 1-1 draw against Benin Republic in Abidjan. Ola Aina had to be excused on the request of his club, Nottingham Forest, preparing against their away clash with Arsenal in the EPL this Saturday.
An Eagles team parading the likes of Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chuwkueze who grabbed the goal in the 2-1 loss, Frank Onyeka, Kelechi Iheanacho,William Troost-Ekong among others cannot be said to be a weak team.
The only explanation that can be given is that players knowing that the team has already qualified for AFCON 2025, aware that result of the last match will not change anything and that the only thing probably at stake is bragging right, may decide take it easy to avoid injury that may stop them from playing for their clubs immediately after the international window.
There is nothing at the moment to indicate any resemblance of match fixing. What has been left is mere suspicion triggered by surprise that Eagles failed to win a match everyone expected to win.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
