₦airaland Forum

Game on 1-1

charlesemeka85:
na jus normal goal 😏

😂 make we no lie the goal na nice one o

charlesemeka85:
SA scores

Fine goal o!

minfelix:
CAF can currently discontinue the afcon in morocco and tell SA to continue with it…they wont even need to touch any stadium 🤣🤣 sharp sharp tournament don continue…..but make CAF just suddenly say Nigeria oya oo come and continue the afcon, we have banned morocco…confusion go enter NFF glass house people…..
“CAF, how far shey we fit use Uyo host everything finish, or una fit wait make we call aboki to quickly clear abuja stadium grass

Na so 😂

typicalgamer:
There’s only one place where you’re wrong we have tournament 🏟 ready stadiums but not sure tournaments ready pitches…

If you have English league 2 and below you’ll see the stadium’s are mostly 1 story size range but the pitch is Heaven on earth so perfect and green

You can’t tell me those stadiums are ok to play fa cup and carling cups but ours isn’t

Our problem is our stadiums are worn out just a little facelift and natural grass instead of using 2010 3g/4g Astro turf

If we wanna use Astro turf let it be 6g at least

First thing you notice when you enter a stadium is the pitch as long as the pitch is green nothing concern anybody

We they right settings we’re more than capable of hosting next afcon

What’s remaining now is to blame nff for all the bad pitches across the nation. I think that agenda will fly properly 😂

Many here are confused and don’t even know whose responsibility it is to maintain infrastructure across the country maybe we will put the blame on coaches too. I just see all manner of confusion here some don’t even know where politics, sports and regional politics mix when it comes to football. They think it’s a one way street. You’ve not hosted the Afcon so what?

Starboytwo:
I honestly dont know how to reply you boss, no need self, me and you already know the truth. unless we wan dey lie....

Also, there is no ever a time when millions of people are not suffering in Nigeria, no time ever, so that excuse wont fly....

As of right now, as a footballing nation, i mean this very minute, the only stadium we can present is Akpabio's stadium. South Africa will bring nothing less than 8. Bros, forget matter.

Hosting tournaments depends if it’s a priority for the host or if they win a hosting bid. As for stadiums folks have said it repeatedly here that it doesn’t take much time to get as many stadiums ready especially when you’ve hosted before. Your problem is you just want to slam the country inability to host after a long time as a monumental failure and you’re entitled to that as your personal opinion, simple.

NasirIbnLaAhad:
Add cognitively limited to your resume.

Yes sir 🫡

NasirIbnLaAhad:
And what of the potential benefits: tourism revenue, job creation, infrastructure that serves citizens afterward, global visibility that can attract investment? You're acting like hosting is purely an expense and nothing else. The key issue isn't whether to host AFCON, but whether it's done responsibly with clear benefits to citizens beyond just national pride.

Ok we aren’t responsible too 😂

Starboytwo:
Since Afcon year 2000 we never smell afcon host… whooping 26 years ago…

So what is stopping us from hosting another afcon?? Abi we no like to host or the money no dey

Make we dey tell ourself the truth… Person no no book, una say he good for primary school 😁😁

All things have fallen apart… Normally, the Naija spirit go everly dey, but we can’t be operating on vibes and insha Allah na…in terms of progression, we are queuing behind South Africa since, and now morocco presently, and we all know….

Why Naija no host World Cup for 2010? Why? We all know why…

Abeggi, make we watch afcon matches jare…

Are you ready to see Nigeria make huge budget of billions to host Afcon when lots of Nigerians are struggling economically? cos na complain Una go complain again

SymphonyRad:
Mali looked more exciting under Chelle

I thought I was the only one who noticed except this is just a one-off but that flair we saw from them in the previous Afcon was absent in this game. Let’s not conclude yet!

Fine late equaliser from Zambia

TheSuperNerd:
Not everyone can handle loss like a boss. I guess it also shows how long some of them have been in the game. Loss is a part of this game. We must learn to chest it and move on while hoping and pushing for better days/outcomes.

Look at me, I stayed away for a whole month. 17th to 17th. I actually planned to return by the 21st or 23rd tomorrow (being Nigeria's 1st game day) but I found myself returning 4 days ahead of planned date. I had allowed time help me heal but you see, no loss can ever keep me away forever from the Super Eagles be it in here or outside the thread.

The last Afcon final loss was even more painful to me than the World Cup qualifier in fact I was one of those who had given up on the wcq until the playoffs so what’s the big deal about these losses to the extent we start telling exaggerated lies about Nigeria. That I can’t understand.

Even in this Afcon I have managed expectations but make we lose one game now you’ll see someone will say Eritrea is a better country 😂

chrisooblog:
Everyone deals with loss in their own unique way.

Anyone who is sore angry with the country should go and rant in the politics section make we focus on the game here!

Meanwhile I love your positive takes and postulations on the Afcon.

TheSuperNerd:
Gen Zs who hate True History Lessons. "2025 Recency-only" full their eyes and that is all they know and run with. Very reactive pseudointellectuals. Lol

The World Cup loss has really done a number on lots of folks so tey they don abuse everyone and everything that has nothing to do with the game sef. What manner of ptsd 😂

Odunayaw:
Na the claim of high ground de amuse me

All of them wey Dey talk about accountability put them for position now they won’t be different na to Dey shout institutional competence online dem sabi because we lose hosting bid! Nonsense

NasirIbnLaAhad:
You should apply for government spokesperson as you are talented at avoiding accountability.

Losing a bid means there’s no accountability 😂

Words of wisdom 😂

NasirIbnLaAhad:
Nigerian sport fans: comfortable in mediocrity.

We are mediocre for losing hosting bids 😂

NasirIbnLaAhad:
England still hosted the Euros and other competitions since then. If losing bids is just normal competition, then why haven't we successfully hosted a major continental tournament in decades despite recent attempts? What's your explanation for the consistent pattern of failure that doesn't involve acknowledging our infrastructure and organizational deficiencies?

I agree losing a bid means we no sabi anything again 😂

It’s our birthright to host tournaments by fire by force 😂

elyte89:
Una too Dey under rate Nigeria 🇳🇬 sha …infrastructure wise ,Nigeria can host afcon conveniently…if Cameroon 🇨🇲 and Ivory Coast 🇨🇮 can do it..y can’t we…

Bar d insecurities,I am not too confident about,9ja will host it wout issues


With time now,anoda person go come thread talk
Say we no fit host interhouse sport sef 😏

It’s terrible the things we read here, you’ll just know some just write out of their feelings, even when they realise they are wrong they will still insist on what does not make sense. Losing an hosting bid now means Nigeria is a mess 😂

NasirIbnLaAhad:
Then we shouldn't have lost the AFCON bid to Kenya/Tanzania/Uganda if it was that basic. Your logic is dead on arrival.

What’s the big deal is losing a bid? England lost the bid to host the World Cup that Qatar hosted does that make England incompetent or corruption ridden? Please rest you’re just trying to indict Nigeria at all costs, it’s not that deep.

Every outcome out there cannot always be used to bash the country. A bid is either won or lost. Countries bid to host the Olympics and a winner is announced will that always be an indictment on the others who took part in the bid? Haba

NasirIbnLaAhad:
Whether federal or state-owned, there needs to be accountability and consistent funding mechanisms. That's not an excuse.

As for the insecurity bit, we can drop that part of the convo if you don't have the stats. I'm not going to take verbal affirmation.

FIFA or CAF don’t give a damn so you long you can host. Period

forgiveness:
Is there any country in the world that doesn't do renovation if they are to host football tournaments?

Even Qatar that hosted the World Cup, few weeks to the event all the stadiums were not ready. There were several accidents and accusations of slave labour, imagine na naija wetin we no go hear? 😂 institutional competence and corruption bla bla bla

JohnBullMySon:
Most US gun deaths are suicides. Majority of what is left is gang wars in crazy neighborhoods. Innocent people are hardly affected. If 50,000 innocent people were dying in the US no one would want to visit bruh.

Btw Nigeria can host AFCON. Don’t know why they’re arguing it.

I mean, it’s Africa na. Highest thing is to upgrade the pitches to tournament standards and rent LED adboards from China. What’s there? It’s not like CAF will ask you to build a high speed rail or upgrade the airports.

In other words even with insecurity and proper things are in place any international event can be hosted. Period

NasirIbnLaAhad:
We need consistent upgrades nationwide, not just isolated projects. Hopefully they don't stall with this one and start giving excuses later. And I asked for figures for your claim about US insecurity. I didn't say there's no insecurity there, but I want to see the figures there that show that's its worse than the Islamic terrorism in Nigeria. You don't expect me to take your word for it now, do you?

Nigeria is a federation and most of the sports facilities are state owned including the one in uyo. It behoves on the states govt to maintain or upgrade the facilities. If the national stadium in Lagos was state owned I can assure you it would have been better maintained and upgraded. I think The FG tried to hand it over to the Lagos govt years ago but over sabi people kicked against the idea and today the stadium is still abandoned.

Believe whatever you want to believe about insecurity whether in the US or anywhere but the numbers are way higher than that of terrorism in Nigeria. The perpetrators identified as jihadists is what gives the impression that Nigeria is worse but in terms of numbers omo naija no near the US at all.

semid4lyfe:
At this point, I think it's best for the two camps on this AFCON hosting debate to agree to disagree agreeably.

We can say whatever trash about naija but lying is a no no!

NasirIbnLaAhad:
I will put my hands up and admit that I didn't investigate those numbers properly. That being said, I'm highly suspicious of your claim that more people die in the US from insecurity than Nigeria and I'll love to see some evidence for that claim if you don't mind.

At any rate, you haven't answered my question here. Which specific stadiums are being upgraded to CAF standards? What are the timelines and budgets? You folks keep making vague claims about ongoing construction but provide zero concrete details.

Your problem is you’re finding it hard to believe how bad insecurity is in the US and I can understand but it’s what it is. Your source says it all.

I told you earlier how kaduna state is upgrading the ahmadu bello stadium which is one of Nigeria flagship stadium that hosted international competitions in the past but still you keep asking or you think I don’t know what am talking about

https://punchng.com/kaduna-begins-reconstruction-of-ahmadu-bello-stadium/

NasirIbnLaAhad:
Now you've just descended into complete absurdity. Comparing US insecurity to Nigeria's terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping crisis is so intellectually dishonest it borders on parody. The US has localized gun violence issues, but bruh... they're not dealing with Boko Haram, bandit attacks shutting down entire highways, or mass kidnappings from schools. Lol.

FIFA isn't concerned about terrorists storming World Cup venues in American cities. This comparison is desperate and you know it. And your claim that more people die yearly in the US from insecurity than Nigeria this is either deliberate misinformation or staggering ignorance. Nigeria's insecurity has displaced millions, made entire regions ungovernable, and regularly disrupts interstate travel. Trying and succeeding are vastly different. We've been "trying" for over a decade while the situation has worsened in many regions. Trying doesn't make venues safe or convince CAF that visiting teams won't be at risk. You claim we have capacity and ongoing construction. Fine. Name them specifically. Which stadiums are currently being upgraded to CAF standards with realistic completion timelines? What's the budget? Who's the contractor? When's the deadline? Give concrete details instead of vague gestures at "ongoing construction." The National Stadium Abuja which used to be our flagship facility has been barely functional for 20 years. If there's genuine progress happening now, show the evidence. Press releases aren't infrastructure.

Nobody here wants Nigeria to fail or enjoys pointing out our problems. The frustration comes from people like you who respond to legitimate concerns with deflection, insults, false comparisons, and accusations of being anti-Nigerian. You're not defending Nigeria. You're defending the mediocrity and dysfunction that keeps us stuck.

You’re the one dishonest here Even the stats you quoted say the figures are being disputed, what’s the population of Nigerian towns and villages that over 600,000 deaths will be recorded.

Please stop the lies, you have nothing to gain here! And yes more people die in the US from gun violence and other crimes than Nigeria from even the source you’re quoting

To the moderators it’s high time we start factchecking numbers being thrown here 😂

chrisooblog:
Hosting AFCON for Nigeria in recent years has been more a case of priority than capacity.

If Nigeria is chosen to host in 2-4 years time I have no doubt it can be done so far the funds are made available.

Today apart from the stadiums in Abuja and Uyo we still have 4 stadiums that can be renovated to get up to standard. The one in Abeokuta, Teslim in Lagos, the one in Benin city and another in Rivers. Fix the pitches, dressing rooms and you're good to go.

For me personally the reason why I think we haven't hosted is that it's not politically expedient to spend money on a tournament when the economy isn't great where millions of people are living below the poverty line.

Morocco we are using as example people in the country there seriously protested the standard of living months ago.

Your head Dey there the same people arguing now will be first to complain of the huge amount of money that will be budgeted for upgrade and maintenance where people are hungry or in poverty.

Ordinary 100k dollars given to falcons and the female tigers when they won their tournaments even in this thread come and see people complaining now they are crying we can’t host Afcon as if na sand we go use host am. Bullshit

semid4lyfe:
Can Nigeria host AFCON?

The basic infrastructure already exists. Stadiums, training pitches. hotels, major roads, airports etc can be renovated/refurbished and brought up to the required standard.

Experience boku. Pedigree dey overflow. We've hosted global competitions before and can always rely on the experience garnered. All Africa Games, U-17 World Cup, U-20 World Cup, AFCON etc.

(In)Security-wise, it can be localized to the South and Abuja.

Tournament logistics na easy peasy and we go run am smoothly.

Huge football-crazy population and social media pull so massive TV viewership numbers and online engagements is guaranteed.

etc etc.

Nigeria’s ability to host AFCON rests on capacity, and I believe we have this in abundance.

Those against have preconceived answer they always want to hear and if you don’t give them that answer they will keep on arguing or threaten to deactivate their accounts. Please let them be!

NasirIbnLaAhad:
Yes, we hosted successfully in the past. That's exactly the point: we HAD functional infrastructure then that we've allowed to decay catastrophically. Infrastructure isn't static. It requires maintenance, upgrades, and renewal. And frequently. The facilities that worked in 1980 and 2000 have crumbled through decades of neglect.

I posed a simple request earlier: Show me Nigeria's equivalent plans. Where are our active stadium construction projects with realistic timelines? Which facilities are currently being upgraded to CAF standards? What's our security coordination framework?

You mention insecurity as if it proves my point wrong when it actually reinforces it. Insecurity IS infrastructure. It's institutional infrastructure: functioning security services, intelligence coordination, rapid response capabilities. Our inability to guarantee safety at major events is another symptom of the same systemic dysfunction affecting physical infrastructure. "How long will it take to get stadiums ready?" is exactly what I'm asking YOU. The National Stadium Abuja is in shambles today because our systems are broken. We don't know how to maintain infrastructure.

The problem is some of you folks want to be sentimental and pretend everything is fine and we could host tomorrow if we just "wanted to." That delusion prevents us from addressing the actual problems. Acknowledging our current incapacity is the first step toward actually fixing things. Patriotism without accountability is just going to flatline any reasonable progress.

You’re the one that is sentimental cos the facts I and others have been presenting here is puncturing all the false narratives you and others want to paint here. Even America hosting the World Cup has more insecurity issues than Nigeria and yes more people in the US die yearly due to insecurity than Nigeria but Una no go see that one cos Nigeria must be dragged in the mud whether we have stadiums or not.

Do we have capacity? O yes, do we have ongoing sports facilities construction going on, oh yes, is Nigeria trying to fix it’s security problems oh yes what else again do you want. An answer that nothing is working and cannot work. Plssssss

NasirIbnLaAhad:
If it's merely a will problem, why do state stadium upgrades repeatedly stall or produce substandard results? AFCON requires: multiple CAF-standard stadiums, consistent electricity during matches, coordinated multi-state security, functional transportation networks, reliable telecommunications, and proper accommodations. We've had political will declarations for decades. What we lack is the institutional competence, accountability structures, and anti-corruption frameworks to translate will into completed, functional infrastructure. That's not a will problem but a systemic capacity problem.

Something we have hosted before we now lack institutional competence or capacity? Oh my

chrisooblog:
Hosting AFCON for Nigeria in recent years has been more a case of priority than capacity.

If Nigeria is chosen to host in 2-4 years time I have no doubt it can be done so far the funds are made available.

Today apart from the stadiums in Abuja and Uyo we still have 4 stadiums that can be renovated to get up to standard. The one in Abeokuta, Teslim in Lagos, the one in Benin city and another in Rivers. Fix the pitches, dressing rooms and you're good to go.

For me personally the reason why I think we haven't hosted is that it's not politically expedient to spend money on a tournament when the economy isn't great where millions of people are living below the poverty line.

Morocco we are using as example people in the country there seriously protested the standard of living months ago.

It’s a big insult to say Nigeria can’t host Afcon. Real bullshit