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South Africa coach Broos shifts focus to World Cup after AFCON exit

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South Africa coach Hugo Broos rejected suggestions his team had regressed after they exited the Africa Cup of Nations in the last 16 against Cameroon on Sunday, and turned his focus towards the approaching World Cup.

A 2-1 defeat against the Indomitable Lions in Rabat ended Bafana Bafana’s campaign in the first knockout round, two years after they finished third at the last AFCON in Ivory Coast.

“We don’t go backwards — maybe in some games performances were not at the level of South Africa that everyone knows, but you can’t say that for today,” veteran Belgian coach Broos said, insisting fortune had not favoured his team against Cameroon.

They qualified from their group in second place behind Egypt, claiming narrow and unconvincing wins against Angola and Zimbabwe, either side of a defeat against the Pharaohs.

“Sometimes you need luck on your side, and two years ago in the quarter-final against Cape Verde, Ronwen Williams made a big save, otherwise, we could have lost that game,” Broos added.

“Today we didn’t have luck on our side. We are not going backwards, but we do have to make a good evaluation of what happened here at this tournament as we look forward to the World Cup.”

South Africa have qualified for the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010.

They topped their qualifying section ahead of Nigeria and will face co-hosts Mexico in the opening game on June 11 before also taking on South Korea and a European play-off winner in the group phase.

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Their next matches will be friendly games in March as they step up preparations for the finals in North America.

“In the next days and weeks we will make an evaluation in detail on what was good and not good, and we will see what we have to change because the World Cup is in six months and we need to be ready for that,” Broos said.

“We will see that we are ready in March to play those friendlies and be well prepared for the World Cup.”

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Finance ministry confirms release of Super Eagles’ bonuses for AFCON

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The Federal Government has said all group-stage bonuses due to Super Eagles players at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations have been released and are expected to reflect in the players’ domiciliary accounts within hours.

The Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, disclosed this on Thursday while responding to reports that the national team was considering boycotting training sessions and could decline to travel to Marrakesh for their quarter-final clash against Algeria.

In a post on her official X handle, Uzoka-Anite said the concerns over unpaid bonuses had been resolved through coordinated action by the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“The Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria have successfully streamlined to ensure faster, more predictable disbursements aligned with international best practice,” she said.

She explained that all bonuses earned by the players during the group stage of the tournament had been fully processed and cleared through the required regulatory procedures.

“All group-stage bonuses were fully released and have now cleared the necessary regulatory stages,” the minister stated.

Uzoka-Anite added that a fast-track process was introduced to meet the players’ preferences for payment in foreign currency. “We have implemented a fast-track conversion process to move funds into foreign currency, honouring the players’ preferences,” she said.

According to her, the final stage of the payment process is already underway, with transfers to the players’ domiciliary accounts currently in progress. “The final transfers to domiciliary accounts are currently in flight. Players can expect these funds to reflect starting today (Thursday) or tomorrow (Friday),” she added.

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The minister stressed that the government remains focused on the welfare and morale of the team as they advance into the knockout phase of the competition. “Our focus remains entirely on supporting the team’s welfare so they can maintain their incredible momentum in the knockout rounds,” she said.

Uzoka-Anite also assured that the administration was committed to ensuring that off-field issues do not distract the players from their performance at the tournament. “We move forward with one goal: Bringing the trophy home!” she said.

The update is expected to ease concerns around the team’s preparations ahead of their quarter-final fixture as the Super Eagles continue their campaign at AFCON 2025.

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Morocco to host draw for 2026 CAF Futsal AFCON Qualifiers

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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the draw for the 2026 CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers will take place today in Rabat, Morocco.

The qualification process will be played over two home-and-away knockout rounds, with seven teams set to qualify for the 2026 CAF Futsal AFCON final tournament, where they will join host nation Morocco.

A total of 17 countries will compete for places at the continental tournament. They are Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Libya, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The final tournament will also serve as Africa’s qualifying competition for the 2026 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

Morocco have hosted and won the last two editions of the men’s Futsal AFCON. They lifted the trophy in Laayoune in 2020 with a dominant 5–0 victory over Egypt in the final, before successfully defending the title in Rabat in 2024 after a 5–1 win against Angola.

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AFCON 2025: Super Eagles must maintain winning formula against Algeria — Adepoju

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Former Nigerian international, Mutiu Adepoju has urged the Super Eagles to maintain their winning formula as they prepare to face Algeria in Saturday’s quarter-final clash at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Nigeria, three-time AFCON champions, secured a convincing 4–0 victory over Mozambique in the round of 16, while Algeria needed extra time to edge past DR Congo to book their place in the quarter-finals.

Speaking with Footy Africa, the 1994 AFCON winner praised the Super Eagles’ dominant display against Mozambique but warned that Algeria would present a much tougher challenge.

“It was a very good win and I would say it was a statement victory,” Adepoju said. “They played very well and got the goals, which is what has been expected throughout this tournament.

“We have been improving game by game, and I hope that improvement continues in the quarter-finals. The performance was tremendous, the play was good, and it was total dominance over the Mozambicans. It was a very good win.

“Hopefully, we can replicate the same performance against Algeria, who will be another difficult side.”

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See also  Super Eagles Stars Arokodare, Boniface Endure Tough Home Debuts In Europe
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