African Football Discussion Thread Current Topic: 👉 AFCON 2025/2026

[virasog]

There was actually no way Mali would have beat Senegal in  that quarter finals, because I myself was asking myself how exactly they made it pass the round of 16, I watched that Tunisia v Mali game and to be honest, though Tunisia players were obviously old, they played way better than Mali did, they were just simply unfortunate in that game that it went into the penalty stage and unfortunate again for Tunisia, their goal-keeper wasn't as good as the mali's goalkeeper, this is what lead to the Tunisian side losing to Mali..

But anyways, thats is football, sometimes, things don't turn out the way they really should, and it leaves you wondering how did this end like this?, this is what we often refer to as "surprises" in football.

That round of 16 game between Tunisia and Mali was quite dramatic where it was drawn 1-1. I would call Mali was lucky in that game as they played more than 100 minutes with 10 men and still were able to snatch the win 3-2 on penalties.

Then in the Quarterfinal match, it was an easy win for Senegal as Mali was not able to score in the entire game. The only goal that came at the 27th minute was from Senegal, which proved to be a decisive goal. One strange thing was that in the Round of 16, as well as in the Quarterfinal match, the Mali players were reduced to 10 players.

[Fiatless]

Inasmuch as I know that the chairman of BUA group Abdul Samad Rabiu made this promise to motivate the team ahead of their next game and probably the final, this can as well cause a kind of selfish football by the players. Now that such huge amount has been promised to every goal, don't you think the players especially the attackers will be too selfish with the ball so they'll be the ones to register goals in their names? I'm not sure if the money for goals will be equally shared amongst players at the end of the tournament but if that's the case, then I don't see anything wrong with this. My major concern is to see Nigeria win the tournament, nothing more.

His pledge for each goal is for the players and not the goal scorers. Your reservations are correct; individual gifts will lead to greed and selfishness.

He promised $500,000 to the players upon winning the semi-final, with an additional $50,000 for every goal scored in that match. Should you go on to win the final, I further pledge $1,000,000, plus $100,000 for each goal scored in the final, he added

https://punchng.com/bua-boss-pledges-500k-other-bonuses-to-eagles/

From his post on his X handle, the money will be shared among the players. So if a player likes, let him be selfish and score all the goals; the money will be divided among the players. Nigerians are hoping to see the same classic performance in the quarterfinals when the Eagles meet the host.   

[SatoPrincess]

Other billionaires will prefer to spend their money on luxury cars and houses. So why are we criticising those who want to support our national team?    

I wouldn’t care less about how people spend money they earn. I don’t just like the culture of throwing money at every problem, which unfortunately is something we have become accustomed to in Nigeria. Going deep into this rabbit hole would only derail the thread and turn it into a politics & society topic so I rather end it here. Cheers!

[Adiljutt156]

Yea, Egypt used experience to go pass Ivory Coast the other but this one against Senegal, it should be tough but they'll still look for a way to make it to the finals. Mo Salah has a lot to prove,  he wants to win the African Cup of Nations badly so he can clear the disrespect and noise with Jamie Carragher. I think he deserves but damn,  we Nigerians can't afford to see this one slip throughout our hands again. Nigeria has played one of the best football under this new manager, we will show strength again against the host Morocco. ( Algerians will be supporting Nigerians )

The game between Egypt vs Senegal is going to be a fascinating contest between these two teams no doubt, and it's a game I will be looking up to, but if I will be making an analysis on the game, I think that the Egyptian team might sneak into the finals through a penalty shootout, but as for the Morocco vs Nigerian game, I don't think their is a clear favourite in this game because as it stands, Morocco are the host and one of the favourite to win this Afcon, while the Nigerian team are the most potent team in the tournament, added with the kind of free flowing attacking football that they plays, though I wouldn't be ruling anything out in this game, but the chances are high that Nigeria might steal the show if the are able to dominate the Morocco team the way they dominate the Algerian team on that day.

The match between Senegal football team and Egypt football team will be played after two days and we are actively watching the matches of Africa Cup of Nations in which different team are playing and giving their best to win the match. The head to head performance of Senegal football team is good because that team played 3 matches and won 2 matches and opponent team won 1 match and that team need to work hard because they can also win next match. The recent performance of both teams is looking similar because both teams won 4 matches out of 5 matches which they played against different teams and one match was ended with draw result. Senegal is at top rank in his tabel and that team favorite in the semi final match.

[Sexylizzy2813]

Abdul Samad Rabiu, Chairman and Founder of BUA Group, promised the Nigerian Super Eagles USD $1 million if they win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, in addition to USD $100,000 for each goal scored in the final.
Rabiu, Nigeria’s second-wealthiest man with a fortune of $9.8 billion, shared on X: “Congratulations to our Super Eagles players on a brilliant victory against Algeria! You have lifted the spirit of the nation, and we proudly cheer you on as you prepare for the semi-finals.”
“To encourage you, I pledge USD $500,000 to the players upon winning the semi-final, with an additional USD $50,000 for every goal scored. Should you go on to win the final, I further pledge USD $1,000,000, plus USD $100,000 for each goal scored in the final.”

Am very proud to see that the super eagles are been successful and are been supported by this one man and to me this is how to encourage people not just making them to feel discouraged i feel this is what the NFF should be doing right now and our so called government should be also boosting their efforts in playing well for the quarterfinals, when I came across such news it was really a great idea to boost their confidence and moral let all keep supporting them in anyway way we can…

https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/leaders/nigerian-billionaire-abdul-samad-rabiu-promises-super-eagles-dollar1m-and/dryrkz1#google_vignette

I don't like this for one second, pure set up, see is good to motivate these guys but since they started motivating the Super Eagles how far have they gone? This is a period of full concentration no distraction that may attract confusion in the squad. No joking around should be the theme of the Eagles and now they want to support them  with money? I hope this doesn't get to their head because I so much love how the Eagles are playing without any form of promises by these messed up politicians, if they want to motivate the Super Eagles they should go to the NFF and speak to them about all these owing and all that, payment of bonuses is a must and no story, we have gone this far to get distracted by money motivation, they need it but anything that would start making them dropping this awesome performance they should put it aside, for me until they win the AFCON everybody should hold their money first.

Sincerely speaking I agree with you, this is probably a distraction to the team, the good thing is that some of the players are very wealthy as they are playing in European clubs that pay them handsomely, so 500 million is not too much of a big deal for some of those players. However i frown at this attitude of rewarding players just in the middle of the competition with financial gift, if at the end of the competition then super Eagles wins the title, then you can you can show appreciation but wanting to motivate players with cash gift at this moment is purely a setup.

I don't think you should see it that way that the players are wealthy that the $500 or whatever is not going to do anything big for them but we should look at it this way, everybody have money everybody needs money but in as much as they (the players) have money and are wealthy it is still possible for them to reject the offer or take the money and give it out to charity but the major concern is go out there do your job just like you said winning the tournaments will be more better, that will be the biggest avenue to present whatever gift/price when they bring the trophy home other than creating an awareness or I don't know what to call it but this attitude we have seen it before. And I must say that for a long time now, it has been a long time since I have seen the Super Eagles give us this kind of performance in the last 10 years (if not more). So using money as a means to kill this energy that they have given to the fans or we the supporters shouldn't have happened but because this has been their pattern, they should allow the momentum flow just watch them closely until they come back home with the trophy.

[Ronsbit]

How come nobody is talking about this promise made by Victor Boniface but if there is any thread with this update there is no issues about it as I will do the needful. Sincerely speaking, I am so happy about the gift's coming in for the players because they have really shown that they deserve it and they really worked for it. This is a motivation for them to do more. Although they can afford to get that car for themselves but gifting them such make's them feel encouraged to do more because they have seen the efforts of their labour as being very much appreciated and commended by the nation they represent.
Although Victor Boniface should have been on the list playing with his team mates but unfortunately he was out on the basis of knee injury which he needed to attend to and till he is discharged and certified fit for engagement by his doctor, he can not be able to play for the time being. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Picture source

[Iroh]

If am not mistaken, I think that the Algerian player apologized afterwards because he never thought that the viral fan that stood like a statue was paying tribute to honor Lumumba, so when he heard of the reason the viral fan was making that pose all game, he apologized, saying that he was just trying to banter, not knowing that the viral fan was paying tribute to the great Lumumba.
As for Akor Adams, he has done well, his actions proves that the love and togetherness among Africans can never be shaken. A fan said something that you don't mock your brother because you won, we are all the same since we are Africans, so it's high time we all move on from this and focus on the match between Nigeria and morocco.

Yeah, you're right. The Algerian player has apologized for his actions, stating that he wasn't aware of the point of the pose. He probably didn't know and likely did that in jest. I don't think it's all that serious as people are making it out to be. Well, what's important is that the player as well as the Algerian football association has formally apologized and made some good moves to make amends. That's quite responsible and commendable.
As tensions has been doused and things have already been smoothened out, it's best to move on and focus on the next game that's ahead. It's likely not going to be an easy one but I believe the super eagles would bag the win in that game.

[Bigjoe33]

Well my friend I see even see the super eagles losing such opportunities against Egypt this time around their last game against Algeria was a good one and I feel same is still going g to happen with Egypt so I will admit or advice you to put your money on where you could gain better am not even trying to said Algeria are not best or super eagles are not the best too but as it stand this guys are really on hell lose to win this game.

Haven't you seen the current AFCON semi finals featuring?, super eagles and Egypt are never to meet because they did not featured them together, so the country featured with Egypt are the Senegal but by the time it will be possible for eagles and Egypt is if they beat the country on there semi finals. Egypt is lucky it wasn't super eagles on the quarter finals with them because the squad of super eagles is selectively than Egypt, however by this time we are supposed to be seeing promises from some willing indigenous of Nigeria who is proud of Nigeria on this AFCON in pronouncing the gift they have for them after wining the Semi finals.

My dear, football isn't like that. You can't just write Egypt off simply because the Eagles are playing well, are Egypt not playing well too? Yu out can't conclude a game that has not been played. Every team is good and can beat any team at any time. Nigeria is not above defeat, yea they can be dealt with, even the host nation can kick us out of the competition, or even in the finals, it's just football, font be too certain that this will happen. It's 11 -11 players both sides, and they are all men, so expect anything. Let's just wish and hope they win this time around after loosing to the host nation Ivory Coast in last edition finals

[PremiumcryptoHub]

How come nobody is talking about this promise made by Victor Boniface but if there is any thread with this update there is no issues about it as I will do the needful. Sincerely speaking, I am so happy about the gift's coming in for the players because they have really shown that they deserve it and they really worked for it. This is a motivation for them to do more. Although they can afford to get that car for themselves but gifting them such make's them feel encouraged to do more because they have seen the efforts of their labour as being very much appreciated and commended by the nation they represent.
Although Victor Boniface should have been on the list playing with his team mates but unfortunately he was out on the basis of knee injury which he needed to attend to and till he is discharged and certified fit for engagement by his doctor, he can not be able to play for the time being. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Picture source

Nigeria is actually doing very well in this AFCON tournament, which is why we see that many of the players in this team want to reward them for their good performance, my idea they deserve it because they have worked hard to advance in this tournament. However, the current Bayer Leverkusen player Victor Boniface wants to gift each of his Super Eagles teammates a G Wagon, to my knowledge the German club player wanted to give this award after Nigeria won the quarter-final match of the AFCON competition against Algeria.

Anyway I have already seen the price of the award that Victor Boniface is considering giving to the players because now a Mercedes G Wagon costs about $130,000 or a little more. If a squad has 28 members, I think he will have to spend about ₦5.1 billion or more naira to give this award. But the most important thing is that this team has to play much better in the upcoming semi-final match against Morocco.

[Mr Reporter]

Abdul Samad Rabiu, Chairman and Founder of BUA Group, promised the Nigerian Super Eagles USD $1 million if they win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, in addition to USD $100,000 for each goal scored in the final.
Rabiu, Nigeria’s second-wealthiest man with a fortune of $9.8 billion, shared on X: “Congratulations to our Super Eagles players on a brilliant victory against Algeria! You have lifted the spirit of the nation, and we proudly cheer you on as you prepare for the semi-finals.”
“To encourage you, I pledge USD $500,000 to the players upon winning the semi-final, with an additional USD $50,000 for every goal scored. Should you go on to win the final, I further pledge USD $1,000,000, plus USD $100,000 for each goal scored in the final.”

Am very proud to see that the super eagles are been successful and are been supported by this one man and to me this is how to encourage people not just making them to feel discouraged i feel this is what the NFF should be doing right now and our so called government should be also boosting their efforts in playing well for the quarterfinals, when I came across such news it was really a great idea to boost their confidence and moral let all keep supporting them in anyway way we can…


https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/leaders/nigerian-billionaire-abdul-samad-rabiu-promises-super-eagles-dollar1m-and/dryrkz1#google_vignette

I don't like this for one second, pure set up, see is good to motivate these guys but since they started motivating the Super Eagles how far have they gone? This is a period of full concentration no distraction that may attract confusion in the squad. No joking around should be the theme of the Eagles and now they want to support them  with money? I hope this doesn't get to their head because I so much love how the Eagles are playing without any form of promises by these messed up politicians, if they want to motivate the Super Eagles they should go to the NFF and speak to them about all these owing and all that, payment of bonuses is a must and no story, we have gone this far to get distracted by money motivation, they need it but anything that would start making them dropping this awesome performance they should put it aside, for me until they win the AFCON everybody should hold their money first.

See yes this guy are having wealth which is correct but doesn’t look not collecting this money of gift whould looks like an insult to the person gifting them well i just feel that full control and full concentration should be around the super eagles well I feel that this season their should be no room gor joke all the way down because the super eagles have really come this far to start heading back home without anything….well we all no the those guys could really afford this kind of cars for like 3x of it but it already a gift from someone who is supporting the team so if it would be me I would not even consider returning it, it will now become part of my personal collection of cars..

[Salahmu]

Abdul Samad Rabiu, Chairman and Founder of BUA Group, promised the Nigerian Super Eagles USD $1 million if they win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, in addition to USD $100,000 for each goal scored in the final.
Rabiu, Nigeria’s second-wealthiest man with a fortune of $9.8 billion, shared on X: “Congratulations to our Super Eagles players on a brilliant victory against Algeria! You have lifted the spirit of the nation, and we proudly cheer you on as you prepare for the semi-finals.”
“To encourage you, I pledge USD $500,000 to the players upon winning the semi-final, with an additional USD $50,000 for every goal scored. Should you go on to win the final, I further pledge USD $1,000,000, plus USD $100,000 for each goal scored in the final.”

Am very proud to see that the super eagles are been successful and are been supported by this one man and to me this is how to encourage people not just making them to feel discouraged i feel this is what the NFF should be doing right now and our so called government should be also boosting their efforts in playing well for the quarterfinals, when I came across such news it was really a great idea to boost their confidence and moral let all keep supporting them in anyway way we can…

https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/leaders/nigerian-billionaire-abdul-samad-rabiu-promises-super-eagles-dollar1m-and/dryrkz1#google_vignette

I didn't no there are people in nigeria who will have the generous heart to give there national team this kind of amount of money and the person in question is not even a politician to say it was because of how easy they get money that could made him decided to support this much, I'm happy he did this  so that super eagles will be force to gear up. Osimhen who has been scoring on this AFCON will definitely have a lot of this promised money for the scores because he will definitely score, however if this promise was before the quarter finals he and Ademola Look man would have gotten $ 50k each by now.

[CryptSafe]

Abdul Samad Rabiu, Chairman and Founder of BUA Group, promised the Nigerian Super Eagles USD $1 million if they win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, in addition to USD $100,000 for each goal scored in the final.
Rabiu, Nigeria’s second-wealthiest man with a fortune of $9.8 billion, shared on X: “Congratulations to our Super Eagles players on a brilliant victory against Algeria! You have lifted the spirit of the nation, and we proudly cheer you on as you prepare for the semi-finals.”
“To encourage you, I pledge USD $500,000 to the players upon winning the semi-final, with an additional USD $50,000 for every goal scored. Should you go on to win the final, I further pledge USD $1,000,000, plus USD $100,000 for each goal scored in the final.”

Am very proud to see that the super eagles are been successful and are been supported by this one man and to me this is how to encourage people not just making them to feel discouraged i feel this is what the NFF should be doing right now and our so called government should be also boosting their efforts in playing well for the quarterfinals, when I came across such news it was really a great idea to boost their confidence and moral let all keep supporting them in anyway way we can…

https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/leaders/nigerian-billionaire-abdul-samad-rabiu-promises-super-eagles-dollar1m-and/dryrkz1#google_vignette

I didn't no there are people in nigeria who will have the generous heart to give there national team this kind of amount of money and the person in question is not even a politician to say it was because of how easy they get money that could made him decided to support this much, I'm happy he did this  so that super eagles will be force to gear up. Osimhen who has been scoring on this AFCON will definitely have a lot of this promised money for the scores because he will definitely score, however if this promise was before the quarter finals he and Ademola Look man would have gotten $ 50k each by now.

Of course, there are Nigerians so wealthy to do this, but it is just a thing of free will gift for a game well played. Super Eagles really did make us proud with their performances since the beginning of the tournament. Although they had a rough time during the World Cup qualifiers but I believe this tournament would be a remedy for the World Cup they could not qualify for, hence they improved on performances to make sure they scale through to this point they are.

[Mr Reporter]

Abdul Samad Rabiu, Chairman and Founder of BUA Group, promised the Nigerian Super Eagles USD $1 million if they win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, in addition to USD $100,000 for each goal scored in the final.
Rabiu, Nigeria’s second-wealthiest man with a fortune of $9.8 billion, shared on X: “Congratulations to our Super Eagles players on a brilliant victory against Algeria! You have lifted the spirit of the nation, and we proudly cheer you on as you prepare for the semi-finals.”
“To encourage you, I pledge USD $500,000 to the players upon winning the semi-final, with an additional USD $50,000 for every goal scored. Should you go on to win the final, I further pledge USD $1,000,000, plus USD $100,000 for each goal scored in the final.”

Am very proud to see that the super eagles are been successful and are been supported by this one man and to me this is how to encourage people not just making them to feel discouraged i feel this is what the NFF should be doing right now and our so called government should be also boosting their efforts in playing well for the quarterfinals, when I came across such news it was really a great idea to boost their confidence and moral let all keep supporting them in anyway way we can…

https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/leaders/nigerian-billionaire-abdul-samad-rabiu-promises-super-eagles-dollar1m-and/dryrkz1#google_vignette

I didn't no there are people in nigeria who will have the generous heart to give there national team this kind of amount of money and the person in question is not even a politician to say it was because of how easy they get money that could made him decided to support this much, I'm happy he did this  so that super eagles will be force to gear up. Osimhen who has been scoring on this AFCON will definitely have a lot of this promised money for the scores because he will definitely score, however if this promise was before the quarter finals he and Ademola Look man would have gotten $ 50k each by now.

It was a heartwarming to see generous individuals supporting the Super Eagles like that. The motivation isn't about politics or easy money; it's about boosting national pride and team morale, Big boost for team motivation, He’s scoring big at AFCON; could rake in rewards, Players like Osimhen and Lookman would’ve earned bonuses earlier if promised before quarter-finals.

[9ja Amaka]

I didn't no there are people in nigeria who will have the generous heart to give there national team this kind of amount of money and the person in question is not even a politician to say it was because of how easy they get money that could made him decided to support this much, I'm happy he did this  so that super eagles will be force to gear up. Osimhen who has been scoring on this AFCON will definitely have a lot of this promised money for the scores because he will definitely score, however if this promise was before the quarter finals he and Ademola Look man would have gotten $ 50k each by now.

The number of Billionaires in Nigeria is massive, we just need more of them to boost the super eagles to bring the AFCON trophy home. Aside from the promises that has been shared here. I also heard that the popular content creator and streamer "Peller" promised Nwabali the goalkeeper that for every shot on target he saves, he will be giving 100k per 1 save. You need to also understand something here. The promises made is not the motivation of this player, they were in the final in the last AFCON, this time they want to win it. I think they can do it.

[Rruchi man]

How come nobody is talking about this promise made by Victor Boniface

Maybe because we all know he is a funny one, a comedian online, and is likely just making a joke with the promise. He maybe will gift them something, but I don't think it will be an automobile.

I didn't no there are people in nigeria who will have the generous heart to give there national team this kind of amount of money ...

There are many more like Mr. Abdul Samad Rabiu, maybe if the Super Eagles are able to make it to the finals, we will see more billionaires being generous to them. Mr. Abdul Samad Rabiu has just set the pace.

Wednesday is just a few hours away. Who else is anticipating the games?

[Proty]

Algeria is really funny to have file a complaint about the match between them and Nigeria. When I saw this on vanguard news I was like , are this people really serious. They barely have a shot on target and yet they are complaining about the referee being impartial. I think Algeria is just looking for means to come up with unnecessary excuses for there failure. The super eagles deserve the victory and there was no form of partiality in that match.

[Amphenomenon]

Other billionaires will prefer to spend their money on luxury cars and houses. So why are we criticising those who want to support our national team?    

I wouldn’t care less about how people spend money they earn. I don’t just like the culture of throwing money at every problem, which unfortunately is something we have become accustomed to in Nigeria. Going deep into this rabbit hole would only derail the thread and turn it into a politics & society topic so I rather end it here. Cheers!

I get your point, things like this should be done through passion but in as much as pass players and some of these current players have suffered from thr unfair behavior of the Nigerian Football Federation in the aspect of salary and bonuses, this is good. They have fought to this point and don't forget it's often when they boycott training we heard the NFF running to meet their demands, yes this is a good encouragement.

[Stable090]

Algeria is really funny to have file a complaint about the match between them and Nigeria. When I saw this on vanguard news I was like , are this people really serious. They barely have a shot on target and yet they are complaining about the referee being impartial. I think Algeria is just looking for means to come up with unnecessary excuses for there failure. The super eagles deserve the victory and there was no form of partiality in that match.

I don’t even know what they are complaining about, and I don’t even see anything wrong that the referee did in the match. Generally Algeria performance was so poor in the match, and they shouldn’t even try to blame referee for their poor performance.

Algerians team couldn’t even get 1 shot on target in both the first and second half of the match. The super eagles were in control of the match, they didn’t give Algeria much chances in the match. If the Algeria had played well in the match and they ended up losing, then I will even listen to their complain, but a team that couldn’t get a shot on target in a match, why are they blaming the  referee or is it the referee that didn’t allow them score in the match, maybe the coach was holding their legs.

[Salahmu]

I didn't no there are people in nigeria who will have the generous heart to give there national team this kind of amount of money and the person in question is not even a politician to say it was because of how easy they get money that could made him decided to support this much, I'm happy he did this  so that super eagles will be force to gear up. Osimhen who has been scoring on this AFCON will definitely have a lot of this promised money for the scores because he will definitely score, however if this promise was before the quarter finals he and Ademola Look man would have gotten $ 50k each by now.

The number of Billionaires in Nigeria is massive, we just need more of them to boost the super eagles to bring the AFCON trophy home. Aside from the promises that has been shared here. I also heard that the popular content creator and streamer "Peller" promised Nwabali the goalkeeper that for every shot on target he saves, he will be giving 100k per 1 save. You need to also understand something here. The promises made is not the motivation of this player, they were in the final in the last AFCON, this time they want to win it. I think they can do it.

Yeah there are many of them and I'm happy this was a public promise and not the one that's silently giving to the NFF because there would be story later as they are looking for what to share. Don't believe what any content creators might say about promising any gift to the players yet because some could be using promise they do not intend to keep and promote themselves to make money since this kind of promise make social media viewers gone nut, so it could be intentional or not but however the promise is huge because in every attempt he blocked is a safe and super eagles goalkeeper could have more 30 attempt he blocked in a match sometimes.

[programmer3666]

Algeria is really funny to have file a complaint about the match between them and Nigeria. When I saw this on vanguard news I was like , are this people really serious. They barely have a shot on target and yet they are complaining about the referee being impartial. I think Algeria is just looking for means to come up with unnecessary excuses for there failure. The super eagles deserve the victory and there was no form of partiality in that match.

Their football federation is just acting like a bunch of soar losers, they were completely outplayed,  outclassed and overwhelmingly dominated by the super eagles. Algeria felt a bit entitled, I think they underestimated our players and thought it was business as usual for them! Probably due to the past meetings and they were shocked by our performance in this tournament.