Seven places are up for grabs by 14 teams in the final lap of the qualifiers for the African Under-23 Championship, tagged ‘Senegal 2015’.
And that started yesterday (Saturday) with the first leg matches of the ultimate round, highlighted by some interesting fixtures, including regional derbies.
Gabon took on Mali in Libreville, while Cote d’Ivoire played Zambia in Abidjan and Egypt played Uganda in Alexandria. All matches were played yesterday (Saturday).
In today’s matches, Nigeria, the first African side to win gold at the Olympic Games – 1996 in Atlanta, United States of America – face a relatively tough test against Congo, which ousted Ghana, the African pacesetter in the history of the quadrennial multisport event, following its bronze feat in 1992 in Barcelona (Spain).
Handled by veteran Frenchman, Claude Le Roy, the ‘Les Diables Noirs’ needed penalties to end the Olympic dream of the West African giants and are poised to add the Dream Team of Nigeria to their list of victims.
Nigeria’s coach, Samson Siasia, is no stranger at this level, having guided Africa’s most populous country to silver at its last appearance seven years ago in Beijing, China, and looks set to guide the Eagles to realise that dream yet again after missing out on the last championship four years ago in London.
England-based midfielder, Musa Yahaya, and striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, part of the Nigerian squad at the recent FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, have been roped into the Olympic squad by Siasia, as he eyes a convincing victory in the encounter billed for the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
And to avert what happened to the Super Eagles last year in Calabar, Cross River State, when Congo shocked Nigeria with a 3-2 win, the Rivers State government has thrown the gates of the 40,000-capacity stadium open for fans to watch the match free.
Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the match, Boma Iyaye, said fans must be encouraged to troop out in their numbers to cheer the ‘Dream Team VI’ to victory.
Iyaye said the decision to throw the gates open is to ensure that enough supporters turn up at the stadium, which is located far from Port Harcourt city centre.
According to him, the decision has been taken by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in conjunction with Rivers State Ministry of Sports.
Iyaye affirmed: “We have decided to provide free buses that will take fans to Adokie Amiesimaka Stadium because of the distance. We also have decided to throw the gate open for everyone who can find his or her way down to the venue.
“We want to have a full house and also a successful hosting with good result. Rivers State is known with hospitality and what fans will see on Sunday is part of it.”
After masterminding one of the biggest surprises at the previous round, the Lone Stars of Sierra Leone will travel north to face Algeria, whose only participation at the final tournament of the quadrennial tournament was 35 years ago in Moscow, Russia.
Oussama Derfelou’s charges appear ready for the task despite suffering a 1-2 loss to their Senegalese counterparts in a test match penultimate Saturday in Blida. However, they take consolation from the lone goal victory in the initial meeting between both sides four days earlier at the same venue.
Southern African neighbours, Zimbabwe and South Africa, will rekindle the rivalry in Harare with the ‘Warriors’ coach, Kalisto Pasuwa, hoping that goalkeeper, Tatende Mukuruva, and defender, Blessing Moyo, will pass late fitness tests to be ready for the crucial clash against the South Africans.
On the other hand, Coach Owen da Gama of South Africa has declared that his charges are ready for their northern neighbours after a two-week training camp, coupled with the arrival of former Bafana Bafana striker, Shaun Bartlett, as a member of his backroom staff.
Another regional derby is the Morocco tie against Tunisia in Rabat, with Zambia travelling to Abidjan to face its Ivorian counterpart.
The winners at this stage will qualify for the final tournament of the African U-23 Championship scheduled for November 28 to December 12 in Senegal, while the top three teams will represent Africa at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the fourth-placed team facing an Asian side in a playoff.
