₦airaland Forum

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

QueenJazz:
Semid4lyfe, Dominique et al why cant I receive a link to deactivate my account? Abeg oo. Let me leave football for the pundits and scholars and professionals abeg.

Calm down. E no reach to deactivate.

If na so everybody dey take commot on top differing opinions, this thread for no grow reach where e dey today that it'd interest you to post regularly in it.

If the heat too much, just take a break and come back later when the conversation has moved on.

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.

forgiveness:
They want to bench Lookman for Adam because they think he is not good enough.

I just dey laugh.

He is arguably the best player in that team along with Osimhen.

Only if una wan deceive unaself you will put some players ahead of him.

See Atalanta, the same player that was poor under one coach suddenly regained form under another coach. Why? The latter trust his ability and gave him almost full time.

Lookma na second half player. Leave him till the end and see him perform.

Chelle lost it when he pulled him out against Dr Congo along with Osimhen. I couldn't understand his rational behind bringing him out.

Trust him and he will deliver. But I know why they are against him. They feel he is not assisting Osimhen. Shuuuuu!!!

They even lied on this platform SE never scored more than 2 goals when he played. What an irony!!!

Make un dey lie small small

Baba. no be say you talk but I talk the same thing after that DR Congo gane. Lookman is probably the only Super Eagles forward that drops into the half-spaces between the midfield and attack, and carries the ball forward. He brings dynamism to our play and should be starting ahead of other forwards as the second striker.

This was my post after the DR Congo game.

semid4lyfe:
I agree. I'll add that Lookman too shouldn't have been removed when he was. Twice in the first half, he got behind the Congolese right back.

The first substitutions that ought to have been made was removing Iwobi for Onyedika or Alhassan to shore up the midfield.

Then maybe later when the pressure was mounting switch to a 5 man defence and 5-3-1-1 by introducing an Awaziem or Ekong in the 2nd half. Ejuke and Simon were very ineffectual both offensively and defensively, and only brought pressure on on our wing backs, especially Benjamin Fredericks.

Then other substitutions would have followed based on the flow of the game. Well hindsight is 20-20. I hope we meet DR Congo and SA in the AFCON. I wan see wetin go sup.

Problem is Eric Chelle may be punished by FIFA/CAF disciplinary committee for his conduct during the penalty shootout, and may be given a touchline ban . So he may not sit on the bench in our first few games at the AFCON.

OasisX:


......wait till 31st of March Bruh! Everything is under control.

Sometimes e better make you just keep quiet.

GasAndOilTheory:
If you are a supporter of Gateway, Travelling from ogun state capital to Osun state capital is 11k. Hotel accommodation, is around 40k.. Feeding for a 2 days and taxing to the stadium cost around 13k...after the match, I'll go back to ogun state with another 12k

And the salary Is 70k per month .

Thank you, I'll stay at home and watch correct score

Succinct!

I saw a stat yesterday on the AFCON 2023 spectators and where they reside and came to Ivory Coast from.

Only two African countries, I think Morocco and Algeria were in the top 10. The other eight were spectators who came in from Europe and North America.

Imagine having a continental tournament, and the larger number of spectators are those who live outside the continent

Now, I understand why CAF did media rounds and tours to market the last AFCON in Europe, North America and Asia.

Bottom line: AFCON is big locally in Africa, on TV and on the African social media space but many football lovers in Africa cannot afford the expenses to travel and support their teams.

I saw a stat yesterday on the AFCON 2023 spectators and where they reside and came to Ivory Coast from.

Only two African countries, I think Morocco and Algeria were in the top 10. The other eight were spectators who came in from Europe and North America.

Imagine having a continental tournament, and the larger number of spectators are those who live outside the continent

Now, I understand why CAF did media rounds and tours to market the last AFCON in Europe, North America and Asia.

Bottom line: AFCON is big locally in Africa, on TV and on the African social media space but many football lovers in Africa cannot afford the expenses to travel and support their teams.

I read about Dave Chappelle on this thread and next thing he's appearing on my TikTok FYP. The algorithm is...,..

typicalgamer:
Damn European peer pressure has cup up to afcon

Admittedly, the two years gap was kinda close but playing it every three years would have been better than this four years thing

This seems like a deliberate ploy to slow down the growth and visibility of AFCON because it was overshadowing the Euro.

French Montana - Unforgettable feat Swae Lee.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTFtOOh47oo&list=RDCTFtOOh47oo&start_radio=1&pp=ygUOZnJlbmNoIG1vbnRhbmGgBwE%3D

Massive hit in Africa and worldwide

Some African teams dey come AFCON like say na Euros dem wan play.

Nigeria ✔️
Senegal✔️
Comoros✔️
Mali✔️
Benin Republic✔️

The above countries dripped and repped wella but the ones below na F9 cos dem no try at all.

South Africa (Track suits) ❌
Gabon (Players personal mufti) ,❌
Egypt (Track suits)❌
Zimbabwe (Trouser & Blazers)❌
Uganda (Track suit) ❌

This is AFCON for crying out loud. It's a blend of football, fashion and culture. You gats show up with all the extravagance.

(I miss G.h a n.a for real. They'll have really represented with that their majestic off-shoulder kente wrapper outfit.)7

Fake news

Kog45:
So NFF should roll red carpet for Okoye who demanded to be number one.The same NFF you're castigating didn't raised eyebrows when Okoye was invited from regional league to national team.....Okoye excused himself so blame him.

Maduka Okoye owes his breakthrough in football to the Super Eagles.

Without the National team, he'd probably still be playing in the regional league of Germany.

izzou:
What about Nigerians wey come for Detty December?


Does it affect those with running visas?

I no know o. But na that fear of cancellation of visas and detention at point of entry no make some Nigerians come for Detty December.

https://punchng.com/us-visa-panic-disrupts-detty-december/

OasisX:


.......Master Strategy with steel balls. He has directed Governors to honourably grant LGs full autonomy or he is gonna do it via Executive Order. Also he has made it clear State Police is no longer an option, its a must.

Ore mi, he should equally direct the Accountant General to pay December salaries early to those of us in FTEIs.

A40:
Ngannou bleeped up for that. His options in the fight game are not a lot at this stage in his career.

There's only one guy for him in PFL which is Vadim Nemkov. Tougher fight and less money

He broke the cardinal rule of boxing, take the easiest fight for the biggest purse.

That's a 7 figure payday at least. And he gets to box some more vs a guy closer to his skill level

✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️

Nothing to add.

So President DJT America is now barring Nigerians from their citizenship swearing-in ceremonies?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSc5Zj5kYS_/?igsh=eHRsbmdpY3hvMWQ=

Perhaps PBAT should have allowed the deportation of prisoners but insisted on only West-Africans like Ghana did.

Both fighters are $92m richer. Not a bad payday.

Round 6 KO.

Disgraceful victory for AJ.

Jake Paul dey fight MMA

Jake is doing well o.

2nd round don end. and AJ no land anything

Jake Paul. vs Anthony Joshua.

🔸Fight is under Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotion banner

🔸Jake is the A-side

🔸Larger than normal ring size.

🔸Purse split is 50-50.

🔸Estimated $92m going to each fighter.

raumdeuter:
Jake Paul no even point to Ngannou wey no be trained boxer, Na Joshua former heavyweight champ he pick

He wan disgrace boxing as a profession and Joshua need to send him to the Emergency Room

Jake's team actually reached out to Ngannou but Ngannou felt insulted and thought it was a gimmick so turned it down.

Pls remind Youkay CFO that the fight is on Saturday morning (UK & Nigerian time) and not Sunday so hin no go miss the fight.

raumdeuter:
If Joshua no beat Jake Paul as in knockout by 2nd round. He should be ashamed

I say first round.......

But Jake Paul get mind sha.

j

BlueRayDick:
https://x.com/doctorlemma/status/2001676856039284809?s=46

What actually happened in this video was so far from what I expected would happen when I first opened it

😭😭😭😭😭

Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul

ChrisKels:
I love my players looking whosky like Taye Taiwo and as rugged as Emenike, Chidi Odiah et al.

I no mind make all of them be ogre like shrek as long as dem deliver results and trophies

Bossoflife25:
It is waste of time arguing with people that genuinely believe this top 5 would win AFCON. lol!
Based on what? History or quality?
1. Ivory Coast
2. Nigeria
3. Egypt
4. Senegal
5. Morocco (as per host/CAF/Referee)

Bossoflife25:
My bad! Arguing with a girl on football. Na me cos the disrespect!
Which major opponent Morocco demolished? Didn't South Africa defeat the same Morocco? Are you a dummy?

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Brilliant analysis of the Nigeria-DR Congo situation. QueenJazz, is this you?

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSPXLmjr6/

Anyways, she re-echoes most of the thoughts I had expressed earlier on this thread

FIFA now sits in a tight corner. If the ruling favours DR Congo, FIFA effectively opens the door for players from countries that prohibit dual nationality to ignore domestic nationality laws without consequence.

If FIFA rules in Nigeria’s favour, it will be forced to confront a loophole it has tolerated for years and tighten enforcement around nationality declarations and clearance processes.

Either way, FIFA ends up shaping the rules, not hiding behind procedure and the world awaits..........

Amedino99:
wont be surprised if true but i dont know fifa to be very quick to deliver judgement on issues like this. Earliest is a month. And im half certain the petition was not generated from us. The article does not even have a source for it.

Take the news with a pinch of salt. Only that source and journalist is reporting the news online and on Social media.

There's no other source corroborating the news and you're right that FIFA typically does not release its ruling so fast

FIFA Dismisses Nigeria Protest Over DR Congo Player Eligibility

By Francis Onyach

Kenya, December 18 2025

FIFA has dismissed Nigeria’s protest regarding the participation of an allegedly ineligible player fielded by DR Congo in their recent 2026 World Cup qualifying match, upholding the result of the fixture. The match, which saw Nigeria get eliminated from the qualifiers, was not taken well by the Super Eagles.

The Super Eagles had complained immediately after the match, arguing that DR Congo had violated FIFA eligibility rules. Nigeria claimed that the player in question did not meet the criteria to represent the Congolese national team under FIFA statutes, which govern nationality, documentation, and prior national team appearances.

Despite these claims, FIFA’s adjudication body reviewed the evidence submitted by both associations and concluded that DR Congo had complied with all regulatory requirements, leaving the original match outcome intact. The decision means that Nigeria will not gain any points or replay of the fixture, and the result stands in the 2026 World Cup qualifying standings.

The ruling has sparked disappointment among Nigerian fans and football stakeholders, who had hoped that a technical protest might alter the outcome in their favour. Super Eagles officials expressed frustration but indicated that they respect FIFA’s decision and will now focus on upcoming matches and show their support for Africa’s representatives in the 2026 World Cup.

https://www.dawan.africa/news/fifa-dismisses-nigeria-protest-over-dr-congo-player-eligibility

Bannedlargejr:
The individuals that are asking how was DR Congo able to field Dual-nationals in the past like bakambu. Always remember this quote “everyday is for the thief and one day is for the owner” An individual might had stolen 1000x and remained Uncaught. When he is finally apprehended, that doesn’t mean that his previous stolen activities was legal. Additionally, I would like to see what Caf has to say about this because if those DR Congo players play during AFCON, it means that CAF has deemed them eligible and if DR Congo fails to play them, there’s an admission of guilt

Change of nationality and player eligibility for international football fall under FIFA’s authority, not that of continental football bodies.

Still, you're right. It'd be interesting to see if DR Congo fields them in the AFCON.