₦airaland Forum

caprikon:
Senegalese showing no respect to the Moroccans. If the officiating remains fair, I can see Senegal winning this one.

They got to be careful with their tackling though make red card no go show o

Spainever:
A time is coming when FAs will request for referees from Europe for AFCON finals

Won’t be a bad idea but I think it has to do with the current CAF president, when his tenure is over we may have some relief

I hope the ref can control this game 😂

What a save!

Another Senegalese player out - their right back

mekabuachi:
Na now this AFCON final dey vex me😂
It should have been us in the final 😭

Let it go whoever wins tonight will be having their second Afcon trophy so let’s not be too bothered

We should just be wary going forward about teams like civ, Senegal and North African teams going forward as they may be our stumbling block to another Afcon title in the future with they way they keep producing quality foreign born talents

BankyGee:
Many people are not talking about the performance of Igoh Ogbu in the game against Egypt yesterday.

This guy is a solid player anytime and any day, he made us not miss the greatest Premier League centre-back, Calvin Bassey. He is comfortable on the ball and also almost as strong as Bassey if not on par.

Moving forward, I think we'll be seeing him and Bassey pair at CB and it'll be crazy! There's a super Benjamin Fredrick too in our defence! The Super Eagles defence line is covered for years and is the strongest on the African continent. Thank you Éric Chelle for discovering these players!

Very true the competition in our defence is now fierce no one I repeat no one can just stroll into the lineup without giving an 100 percent. Kudos to Ogbu that was a solid performance

TheSuperNerd:
"Maduka Okoye agenda will never resurrect Lai Lai"

Sebi u don see am now.

😂 in fact I don born again

ChrisKels:
If he hadn't been out for long would he have asked to be excused so that he could get minutes under his belt to sharpen up?

😂 @supernerd, you were right boss I give up!

ChrisKels:
This response shows you have no clue why Okoye was excused.

He was inactive for long due to a ban.

Dude was out for about 3 months and you wanted him to extend it to 4 months?

I will go back to my first question if we had qualified for the World Cup will all these excuses suffice? I rest my case!

ChrisKels:
Did Okoye withdraw because he isn't the first choice, or did he withdraw because he was out for too long and needed constant run of games to get back to shape?

Stop the excuse please, which one is being out for too long? Is it not how far a country goes in Afcon that will determine how long they will be unavailable for their clubs?

justwise:
...and if the supreme court rules against his tariffs then the economy will be on a free fall.

Folks should keep some money aside because the stock market will go off the roof

A friend told me last week that we underestimate the global power of the average American voter, omo we never see anything yet

ChrisKels:
That's a big fat lie.

Our best 3 are Nwabali, Okoye, Uzoho/Okonkwo.

Leaving Okoye out of the AFCON squad was justifiable as it will benefit both the player and the national team at the long run. It would be so callous and disheartening to keep him further away from action after being away from action for weeks due to suspension, as that would further make him rusty and even put his position in his club at huge risk.


I can't spend weeks away, and still choose the option to sit on the bench for more weeks rather than the other option that guarantees testing action. I can't do myself or career such disservice.

At the end, wasn't it a win-win situation? Our team did well, and our second choice goalkeeper also used his clubside to get back to shape during same period.

All you fans want is just to be made happy. You guys never understand these players are humans too and they have their careers to protect also.

If we had qualified for the World Cup will okoye had made such demands? The optics weren’t good especially after a disappointing wcq series. It’s looking like okoye’s mind was on the World Cup than Afcon. For me I respect his decision but it shouldn’t be used as an excuse to justify him. Was it Chelle or Ndidi who said something like this team we win together and also sink together. We were all mad here when we heard rumours whether true or not of osihmen was threatening to leave the camp in the wake of the spat with Lookman and funny enough okoye would have had his chance in this Afcon in the game against Uganda and probably the 3rd place match, this is where okoye would have made his demands to be number 1 instead of shying away completely from the tournament. If we all agree that the team is bigger than players like osihmen we shouldn’t be making excuses for other players as well. Just look at how players like osayi, Bruno, Ajayi has taken their chances, it would have been okoye as well. He’s the one making Nwabali more indispensable!

SymphonyRad:
I hope NFF will get to work now and renew Eric's contract with a view of extension, and then we also need to be in the shopping window ahead of the upcoming international friendly matches, lots of world cup bound teams in Europe and South America will be looking for top African sides to play as a way to size up African teams in their group, and this Nigerian team especially under Chelle will be a beautiful bride for teams looking to play a top ranked side...it will also provide us the opportunity to see newer players like Philip Otele, Durosinmi, Nnadi, Akinsamiro, David Moses, Nwaiwu etc with the established players already.

Abi how you take see am?
Cc: @TheSuperNerd

Most of them will demand your full squad and regulars as a condition for the friendly match. The Russians we played the other day were not happy not seeing osihmen play so some of these desired friendlies may not give us enough opportunities to try new players like we are thinking maybe as subs during the games may suffice

Mujtahida:
Meliforme, Amokachi got message for you

The legendary @danielamokachi has a message for you all. pic.twitter.com/zOwsllZrPI

— Oma Akatugba (@omaakatugba) January 18, 2026

Noooo make we go employ the Morocco coach o since he tactically conquered our coach 😂

Awon werey!

May God help our Senegalese brothers 😂

Congolese Jean Jacques-Ndala 🇨🇩 will be referee for the 2025 AFCON final

He has been a FIFA referee for 13 years, officiating in U17 AFCON, CAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, CHAN etc.

The AFCON Final will however be the biggest game of his career

He also officiated in the AFCON opener between Morocco and Comoros, and Tunisia and Tanzania, and gave a penalty in all the games 👀

#AFCON2025

TheSuperNerd:
Mank1234 is spot on in his summary. Hardly any difference between Walid Regragui's Morocco at Qatar 2022 WC and Jpes' Nigeria at Afcon 2023. So if anyone criticizes Jpes, Walid's Morocco should also get hit.

More than anyone, I followed that Moroccan side before and during the WC in Qatar and ngl, na ultra defensive football dem play. Counters was their main weapon of attack and it paid off big.
It is the same manner in which Morocco's U20 won the recent U20 World Cup so their next generation of Haram defensive football is set to take over.

Morocco is simply just going for ultimate results not minding how they do it, haram football o, ref o, fans blowing their own whistles just get the win or become champions and let’s leave people guessing or arguing among themselves that we are the best in Africa 😂

mank1234:
That's it. If Chelle had won this tournament, na people like him go say na because of the stars we have. That's how they belittle Amodu and Keshi's achievement

You gerit 😂 no be today we know Nigerians walai! No coach can be good for many Nigerians’ eye. Na God save Chelle if he didn’t win this bronze na clueless be the word we go Dey hear everywhere. We are so predictable as a people

mank1234:
Playing same style of football Peseiro played and reach final yet you criticised Peseiro.

That’s why I can never support or agree with those who bash paseiro! Their contradictory conclusions is too much.

We hail Morocco now as the current model of African football but na haram football they use to achieve such status!

Na fellow francophone brother go compete the job tomorrow 😂 same VAR official from SA

Odunayaw:
Egyptian coach?

o shock e gan! 😂

Dude is locked in, nff are you?

BankyGee:
You talk of the Unity Cup like it's the most useless tournament on Earth 😏

Like we no even suppose participate 😏 everywhere good sha. I understand you. I sha like that cup 😏

That cup existed donkey years ago they just brought it back after so many years of no show! Bro forget it! It’s what it is! It’s good for Chelle sha!

Odunayaw:
I can't understand how Ajayi who I considered at best a squad player now rose up to be counted in this AFCON. Especially that we weren't defensive in this one like the last one Ekong won

Be like Ajayi use something for this Afcon o 😂 the boy dazzle me finish

BankyGee:
Make una stop this thing abeg. I no know why e dey always pain me when people dey talk down on Unity Cup or the 3rd Place match.

Men train for these games, men travelled for these games. Players were discovered from the Unity Cup. Éric Chelle praised the Cup and said it was his first trophy as a manager, it meant a lot to him. Na we go come dey online dey rubbish am like say if we lose those games una no go still drag the team.

Every match and tournament is important abeg, as far as them no play am barefooted and with mufti or POOJA wears.

The unity cup is as good as a friendly tournament to warm up our players and try new ones. It’s a simple matter. If we won unity cup and did badly at Afcon who will use unity as a barometer to measure the team? So that’s where am coming from. Even on Chelle cv no one will reckon much with unity cup like the bronze he has won today which is a bigger deal. For Chelle am happy he won bronze so he can shut some of his critics up cos they would have come for him if he didn’t win today but for me am tired of bronze hope you get? Am even more fascinated by the 4 straight clean sheets he had in the past four games than the bronze itself. And in this Afcon he didn’t lose any game in regulation time, stuffs like that are more important to me.

Odunayaw:
And the very good coaches are?

Kasongo coaches 😂

Even if we win Afcon some people will still say they are not convinced 😂

No be today. In 2013 some folks said we won Afcon by luck! Silly Nigerians

lbrichman2:
Thank you
Let him stay on
The quality will come to the fore

Best answer. Nothing to add!

Theobangs:
It looks like nwanbali will remain our number 1 goal keeper for a very long time,the way I am seeing

You have seen well, na only strong vodoo fit remove am 😂 person wey chop snack wey fan throw for pitch no Dey ordinary

lbrichman2:
We kept 4 clean sheets!!
And we played against 2 of the top 10 African teams!!!

Hmmm
This team is something!

Algeria, Morocco and Egypt we kept clean sheets!

We must be foolish to let Chelle go!

lbrichman2:
Na spoon?

Yes 😂

TheSuperNerd:
My brother, make we manage am.

3 Titles, 5 Silver, 9 Bronze.

17 Afcon Medals in Afcon History.

Abeg abeg abeg Medal 18 must be Gold in 2027. We are coming.

History will repeat itself.

Golden Generation (90s):

1990 - Final (Lost to Host)

1992 - Semis (Bronze)

1994 - Final (Champions)


Now, Current Generation:

2023 - Final (Lost to Host)

2025 - Semis (Bronze)

2027 - WE ARE HEADING TO THE FINAL TO BE CHAMPIONS AGAIN.

We will be back even stronger than we showed at Afcon 2025.


LONG LIVE THE SUPER EAGLES...

Bronze don do abeg!