Obasempire reports that Nigeria’s senior women’s football team, the Super Falcons, have maintained their 36th spot in the latest FIFA global rankings, as announced on Friday, August 16, 2024.
The Super Falcons also retain their position as the top-ranked women’s team in Africa, highlighting their continued dominance on the continent.
This ranking comes despite a poor performance at the recent Women’s Summer Olympics football tournament in Paris, France.
The Super Eagles fell in the latest FIFA rankings as Spain rose to 3rd.
The Super Falcons struggled to progress past the group stage, with three straight losses. They were defeated 1-0 by both Brazil and Spain, followed by a 3-1 loss to Japan, ending up at the bottom of Group C.
In the African rankings, South Africa follows Nigeria (50th), Morocco (59th), Zambia (62nd), and Ghana (66th).
Obasempire reports that the Argentinian government dismissed their deputy sports minister for instructing Lionel Messi, the nation’s football captain, to apologize for his teammates’ chants of racist and homophobic songs directed at France following their Copa America triumph on Sunday.
Enzo Fernandez, a midfielder for Chelsea, broadcasted himself and his teammates singing the discriminatory song during their bus ride.
The disrespectful and discriminatory chant ridiculed the African heritage of black players in the French team, including captain Kylian Mbappé.
The vulgar chant includes lyrics such as: “They play for France but come from Angola” and “Their mother is Nigerian, their father is Cambodian but on their passport: France.”
Amid the backlash, the Deputy Minister of Sports of Argentina, Julio Garro, was forced to speak on the issue.
Garro appeared on the radio station Urbana Play and suggested the Argentine captain apologize for his team’s actions.
He said: ‘I think [Messi] should come out and offer the appropriate apologies, as should the Argentine Football Federation president [Claudio Tapia].’
He added that the incident ‘leaves Argentina looking bad as a country’ and that it would be good to ‘make an example out of this’.
Hours later, he was sacked by Argentina’s right-wing president Javier Milei.
‘The Office of the President states that no government has the right to tell the Argentine national team, world champions and double Copa America champions, or any other citizen, what to comment, what to think and what to do,’ Milei’s official social media accounts stated.
‘That is why Julio Garro ceases to be the under-secretary of sport.’
Obasempire reports that in a thrilling finale at the Africa Cup of Nations, Ivory Coast staged a remarkable comeback to clinch their third title by defeating Nigeria 2-1 in Abidjan.
The hosts’ victory will be etched in the annals of the tournament’s history as one of its most memorable moments.
Nigeria initially took the lead against the run of play, with captain William Troost-Ekong, the former Watford centre-back, heading the Super Eagles in front at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in the 38th minute. The goal caught Ivory Coast off guard but failed to dampen their spirits.
The Ivorians fought back valiantly, showing resilience and determination. Franck Kessie, rising at the far post, met Simon Adingra’s corner with precision in the 61st minute, deservedly leveling the score and igniting hope among the home crowd.
Despite Ivory Coast’s earlier struggles, including a crushing 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea in the final group stage match, they persevered through the knockout phase. Victories over formidable opponents Senegal, Mali, and DR Congo paved the way for their dramatic showdown with Nigeria in the final.
Sebastien Haller emerged as the hero for Ivory Coast, sealing their triumph with a sublime flick from another Adingra cross in the 81st minute. For Haller, the former West Ham striker, the victory held profound significance, marking a triumphant return from his battle with testicular cancer diagnosed in 2022.
Haller’s pivotal goal not only secured the championship but also etched his name in Ivorian football folklore. His resilience and perseverance symbolize the spirit of the team and the nation, encapsulating the journey of overcoming adversity to achieve glory on the grandest stage of African football.
The celebrations that ensued across Ivory Coast echoed the euphoria of a nation united in jubilation. The third AFCON triumph will be cherished as a testament to the team’s unwavering resolve and their ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.
As the final whistle blew, Ivory Coast basked in the glory of their remarkable comeback, their victory resonating far beyond the confines of the football pitch. It stands as a testament to the power of resilience, determination, and the indomitable spirit of the human endeavor, inspiring generations to come.
The Super Eagles are aiming for a fourth continental crown in Abidjan while the Ivorians are looking to add to their triumphs in 1992 and 2015.
The teams will meet for the second time at this year’s finals, 24 days after the Ivorians suffered a first-ever home defeat by Nigeria when they won 1-0 in the group stage.
The Elephants are the first host nation to reach the final since Egypt in 2006, with five of the last six hosts to have contested the final having gone on to lift the trophy – the only exception being the Super Eagles themselves in 2000.
Unbeaten unlike their opponents, the Nigerians are the highest-ranked of the finalists – rated sixth in Africa (and 42nd in the world), as opposed to Ivory Coast’s African ranking of eighth (and 49th overall).
Seeking a first title since 2013, Nigeria cruised through the group stages with seven points before, amid a run of four straight clean sheets, defeating Cameroon, Angola and South Africa in the knockout stages.
After the Nigeria loss, Ivory Coast then suffered a record home – and Nations Cup – defeat by Equatorial Guinea (0-4), only squeezing through as a best third-placed side before coming to life with dramatic knock-out wins over Senegal and Mali before beating DR Congo in the last four.
After one of the best Nations Cups in living memory, the hope is that Sunday’s final (20:00 GMT) in Abidjan’s 60,000-seater stadium will providing a fitting climax.
“The organisation has been brilliant, the pitches great, we’ve seen some unbelievable matches and now Ivory Coast is in the final with Nigeria – what a game,” former Elephant Kolo Toure enthused to the BBC.
Even though they are playing in Abidjan, Nigeria are the nominal home side – and in spite of the intense backing provided by the Ivorian fans, whose support has been regularly praised by the national squad, the Nigeria camp say they would not have it any other way.
“The atmosphere will be fantastic and my players and staff all prefer to play in a full stadium, despite the level of noise,” Nigeria coach Jose Pereiro said on Saturday.
“Ivory Coast were favourites ahead of this tournament, but we want to win this Nations Cup. My only plan is to beat Ivory Coast and win this trophy for the people of Nigeria.”
Appointed in 2022, the former Sporting Lisbon and Porto coach has been widely criticised by Nigerian fans throughout much of his tenure but now stands on the verge of adding to titles won in 1980, 1994 and 2013.
During all three of those triumphs, the Super Eagles played Ivory Coast – against whom they have won three times and lost twice during their seven previous meetings at the finals.
With a back line superbly marshalled by former Watford centre-back William Troost-Ekong and long-term West Brom defender Semi Ajayi, Nigeria have conceded just two goals in six games – while scoring seven at the other end.
Surprisingly, only one of those has come from Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, the reigning African Footballer of the Year who has converted just one of his 24 chances, albeit while having had two goals ruled out by VAR and another disallowed for handball.
Nonetheless, Osimhen has earned plaudits for his tireless running and pressing, and played the semi-final despite stomach problems, where he earned the penalty from which Nigeria converted their only goal.
“He doesn’t play like a star, but fights for the team,” said the Portuguese Peseiro, 63.
“He knows he’s an important player and because of that, he suffers for the team – getting kicked around – but he helps us as much as the team helps him. It’s a collective effort and we fight together.”
With Osimhen failing to add to his goal in Nigeria’s opener, Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman is Nigeria’s top scorer with three goals, while Troost-Ekong, having netted two high-pressure penalties, is the only other Nigerian to have scored (an own goal aside).
Fittingly for a competition which has been played in excellent spirit through, Peseiro took time on Saturday to “congratulate Emerse Fae” for the interim Ivory Coast coach’s impressive handling of his side after taking over a seemingly-sinking ship.
After coach Jean-Louis Gasset vacated his role shortly after the Elephants’ group campaign, with some saying the Frenchman chose to resign rather than being fired, former Ivorian international Fae stepped in just hours before the team staggered into the knockout stages.
There has been little limp about the side ever since, with the Ivorians showing incredible mental fortitude when finding late equalisers en route to eliminating defending champions Senegal and Mali in two epic ties, prior to a far more routine victory against DR Congo on Wednesday.
Having previously coached Nice’s youth teams and the reserve team of French Ligue 1 club Clermont Foot, Fae – who had been Gasset’s assistant since the latter’s appointment in May 2022 – rejected talk of him being a “special one” on Saturday.
“I said from the start that I was fortunate to know the squad for two years,” he said. “We just tried to focus on building the right chemistry – I haven’t invented anything but done all the basics, like making all the players feel important and building cohesion.
“We deserve to be in the final and the most important thing was to regain confidence, rebuild the team and it was good to tidy things in defence. We’ve been taking things one step at a time.”
Forced to quit playing at the age of 28 because of vein inflammation issues in his legs, Fae was part of the Ivorian side that finished runners-up in 2006, a campaign in which he played every minute.
He will now try to ensure the two-time champions score their first goal in a Nations Cup final, with their four previous appearances in the continent’s showpiece football finale all going to penalties after ending goalless.
With the Ivorians’ six goals all having been scored by different players, Fae will hope that the revitalised Sebastien Haller – who scored the semi-final winner in the striker’s first start at the finals – can continue to impress following his month-long lay-off with an ankle injury.
“Since December, I’ve been working hard with the physios to be here,” said the 29-year-old, who returned to football just over a year ago after battling back from testicular cancer. “I feel the pressure as a striker, it’s a big responsibility but that’s how football works.
“Playing in front of our people gives us the motivation to perform, and I hope this good pressure will help the team. The last two years have been tough and challenging for me. When you see everything that has happened, it’s great to be here and on Sunday I’ll enjoy it.”
“Having had to cope without four suspended players in the semi-finals, Fae will have the rarity of being able to select from a near full-strength squad on Sunday – when he says he is prepared for whatever eventuality this most unpredictable of Nations Cup may have left to offer.
“The main lesson we’ve drawn at this competition is that you have to expected the unexpected,” said a man who could win the continent’s most prestigious tournament in only his fourth game in charge.
