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Tag: Egypt

  • Flying Eagles qualify for 2023 Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations

    Flying Eagles qualify for 2023 Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations

    Nigeria’s national under-20 male football team, the Flying Eagles on Tuesday overpowered Cote d’Ivoire in the first semi-final match to reach the final of the ongoing WAFU B Under-20 Championship in Niamey.

    The 2-1 victory not only gave them a ticket to Saturday’s final match but also came a ticket to next year’s Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations scheduled for Egypt.

    Midfielder Daniel Daga put Nigeria in front after only five minutes, when he cleverly escaped the attention of the Ivorian defenders to nod in from a well-weighted pullout.

    The seven-time African champions then launched onslaughts after onslaughts on the Ivorian goal but failed to add to the tally.

    It was rather the Ivorians who equalised just before half-time from an intelligently-taken free-kick at the edge of Nigeria’s penalty box.

    Neither team could find another goal to gain upper hand before the end of regulation time inside the Stade General Seyni Kountché in Niamey, and the game went into extra time.

    Forward Ibrahim Yahaya got the winner for Nigeria in the 111th minute of play when he tucked in from the penalty kick spot to make it 2-1.

    Nigeria will now square up against neighbours Benin Republic in Saturday’s final match.

  • India 2022: Flamingos defeats Egypt U-17 girls 4-0 in Abuja

    India 2022: Flamingos defeats Egypt U-17 girls 4-0 in Abuja

    Nigeria’s U17 girls have one leg in the final round of the African qualification series for this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup after a 4-0 defeat of their Egyptian counterparts at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Sunday.

    Defender Tumininu Adeshina had flashed a shot into the side-netting in the 13th minute before team’s leading scorer Opeyemi Ajakaiye drew applause with a snap shot after chesting the ball outside the eighteen –yard box. But the ball was slightly off target.

    Adeshina again shot above target in the 20th minute, before Ajakaiye scored her fourth goal of the qualifiers with an angled shot that beat goalkeeper Habbiba El Taher fair and square in the 28th minute.

    Three minutes later, the handful Laila Zaher got the better of the Nigeria defence and forced goalkeeper Faith Omilana into a save, before the ball was cleared from danger.

    Nigeria would not relent and forward Omowunmi Bello headed home the second goal in the 39th minute from a corner kick by Tumininu Adeshina.

    In the second half, Ajakaiye meandered her way past the Egyptian defence in the 46th minute but Judith Okah just failed to utilize the opportunity. Eight minutes later, defender Miracle Usani found herself with the ball just outside the Egyptian box after everyone had missed from a corner kick, and slammed past goalkeeper El Taher for Nigeria’s third.

    In the 62nd minute, Bello again showed immense composure to lift the ball above onrushing El Taher, after she had been brilliantly played-in by the excellent Taiwo Afolabi on a counter-attack.

    Bello had two more opportunities to claim a hat-trick but missed narrowly from close range, just as Ajakaiye fluffed a good opportunity with 14 minutes left.

    Both teams clash again in Cairo on the last day of this month, with the winner most likely to play Ethiopia in the final round of the series for a ticket to the FIFA World Cup in India. Ethiopia trounced South Africa 3-0 away from home on Saturday

  • Salah hints at Egypt retirement after World Cup failure

    Salah hints at Egypt retirement after World Cup failure

    Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has hinted he could retire from Egypt duty after their failure to qualify for the World Cup.

    The Pharaohs missed out on qualification after losing on penalties to Senegal in a play-off on Tuesday.

    Speaking to his teammates in the changing room after the game, Salah appeared to suggest he had played his last game with Egypt.

    “I told the players before the second match that I am proud to play with them and they are among the best I have played with,” he explained.

    “I played for some time with the previous generation, with Wael Gomaa and Mohamed Abu Trika, then Abdullah Al-Saeed and his generation, but I’m happy with the current generation.

    “I am proud to play with you and it was an honour for me, and what happened cannot be interfered with by anyone because for the second time it is a penalty shootout (after the AFCON final).

    “There is not much I can say but it has been an honour to play with you, whether I will be in the national team after that or not.”

  • Penalty kick heartbreak for Salah as Senegal advance, Cameroon stun hosts Algeria

    Penalty kick heartbreak for Salah as Senegal advance, Cameroon stun hosts Algeria

    There was heartbreak for Mohamed Salah and the Pharaohs of Egypt on Tuesday as they suffered another dramatic penalty kick shootout defeat to Senegal.

    The result meant they lost out on qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup billed for Qatar in November and December.

    Salah’s Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane sent Senegal through with the winning penalty kick in the shootout victory after the Egyptian missed his effort.

    Hosts Senegal had recovered from a 1-0 first-leg deficit to beat Egypt by the same margin at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Dakar.

    Salah, with dozens of laser pens seemingly pointing at his face, fired Egypt’s first penalty kick of the shootout over the bar.

    Mostafa Mohamed later failed with the visitors’ fourth kick, allowing Mane to slam his penalty kick past Mohamed El Shenawy and seal Senegal’s progress.

    It was a repeat of the west African side’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title triumph against Egypt in Cameroon last February.

    There was stunning late drama in Bilda as Karl Toko Ekambi scored late in extra time to seal a 2-1 win for visitors Cameroon against Algeria.

    The Indomitable Lions have now progressed to Qatar via away goals after a 2-2 aggregate draw.

    Algeria thought they had sealed a place at the World Cup when Ahmed Touba cancelled out Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s opener with two minutes remaining in extra time.

    But there was just enough time left for Ekambi to seal the most dramatic of victories.

    Morocco also booked their place in Friday’s World Cup draw with an emphatic 4-1 win over Democratic Republic of Congo.

    A brace from Azzedine Ounahi, and goals from Tarik Tissoudali and Achraf Hakimi, sealed a 5-2 aggregate win over DR Congo, who scored a late consolation through Ben Malango.

    Meanwhile, a 0-0 draw for Tunisia against Mali was enough to see the former seal their own place in Qatar after they managed a 1-0 win in the first leg.

  • Scoreline not a true reflection of Egypt versus Senegal game – Cisse

    Scoreline not a true reflection of Egypt versus Senegal game – Cisse

    Senegal’s coach, Aliou Cisse, believes his side’s defeat by Egypt in the first leg of their 2022 World Cup playoff pairing is not an accurate reflection of the game.

    Cisse is confident they will defeat the Pharaohs on Tuesday to qualify for the tournament in Qatar, in spite of the 1-0 loss at the Cairo International Stadium on Friday.

    The result was a revenge for the Egyptians who lost on penalty kicks to Senegal in the final match of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon last month.

    Saliou Ciss scored into his own net just four minutes in, as the Egyptians took a massive lead which they jealously guarded ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.

    The ball came off the crossbar and ricocheted off Ciss’ feet into his own net after Mohamed Salah had chipped onrushing goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

    Senegal surged forward for the equaliser but Sadio Mane’s effort in the 37th minute went just over the bar.

    The Liverpool ace provided for Famara Diedhiou in the second half just at the edge of the penalty box but the latter fluffed the chance.

    Egypt then defended resolutely to preserve the lead.

    Cisse believes they must maintain their composure in the second leg on Tuesday to convert all their chances to qualify for the World Cup.

    “The Senegal team must keep all its focus and calm for the return match in spite of the 1-0 defeat recorded against Egypt, because it does not reflect the state of play.

    “This must allow us to be confident for the qualification to the World Cup,” Cissé had said after the match.

    “We have to stay calm and work to improve our efficiency. That’s what was missing in tonight’s (Friday’s) game,” the Teranga Lions coach said at a press conference.

    “Egypt only scored on their only chance of the match and we just have to work to be more effective in both legs.

    The Senegal coach was happy with the performance of his players at Cairo International Stadium but stressed the need to convert their chances in the second leg.

    He insisted this was necessary to achieve their vision of playing at the World Cup later this year.

    “I am satisfied with the game produced by the players, but we must focus on efficiency for the second leg,” the former international defender said.

    “For now, nothing is lost, we have a second leg to play at home, and we have to work with a view to reversing the result.

    “We are confident in our capabilities. We are going to improve and seek the victory that will qualify us for the World Cup,” added the Senegal coach.

    Senegal will host the second leg of the play-off for the 2022 World Cup on Tuesday

  • FIFA World Cup playoff: Odd goal separates Egypt, Senegal as Tunisia win

    FIFA World Cup playoff: Odd goal separates Egypt, Senegal as Tunisia win

    A fourth-minute own goal by Senegal’s Saliou Ciss was enough to give Egypt a 1-0 win in the first leg of their World Cup play-off in Cairo.

    Ciss was incredibly unlucky when a shot from Mohamed Salah was pushed on to the bar by Edouard Mendy before striking the defender and going into the net.

    The game was billed as a rerun of the recent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, which was won by Senegal on penalty kicks after the match ended 0-0.

    To an extent it captured the cagey nature of that occasion back in February, with few chances of significance created by either side.

    The game featured Liverpool’s two star strikers Salah and Sadio Mane, but neither of them had stellar games.

    Nevertheless, on a day dominated by north African teams —— Algeria and Tunisia also won 1-0, albeit away, and Morocco got an away goal in a draw in DR Congo.

    Ciss’s unfortunate moment meant Egypt matched the achievements of their continental neighbours.

    The teams meet again in the second leg on Tuesday, with the winners qualifying for the Nov. 21 to Dec. 18 tournament in Qatar.

    In other play-off first leg ties played on Friday, Morocco held DR Congo to a 1-1 draw in Kinshasa, while Tunisia beat hosts Mali 1-0.

  • Insurgency: Nigeria, Egypt move to strengthen military cooperation

    Insurgency: Nigeria, Egypt move to strengthen military cooperation

    Egypt-Nigeria Joint Military Cooperation Committee on Monday visited the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, in Abuja, to strengthen existing military cooperation between the two countries.

    The visit was part of international collaboration toward routing insurgency and terrorism.

    Maj.-Gen Mohammed Salah, Egyptian Assistant Minister of Defence for International Relations, who led the delegation, said the officials were in Nigeria for the second meeting of the committee.

    He said the military cooperation would cover many fields, including training, production and co-production of military hardware by both militaries.

    Salah said the two armed forces were also working towards enhancing trans-boundary military collaboration to deal with threat such as insurgency and terrorism.

    According to him, the two countries are going to work together on trans-boundary cooperation, because the threats are mostly trans-border.

    “So our cooperation should also allow us follow suit; national security does not start and end at your borders, it extends way beyond your borders.

    “So this cooperation is going to be beneficial in enhancing the national security of both countries,” he said.

    The Director of Policy, Defence Headquarters, Maj.-Gen. Usman Yusuf, said the Nigerian military was going to draw lessons from Egyptian experience in fighting insurgency.

    “Egypt is having a good experience fighting Islamic jihadists in the Sinai and other parts of its country and we have been having crisis in the North Eastern part of the country for some time now.

    “On the part of Nigeria, we are looking forward to how to derive maximum benefit from Egypt’s experiences in fighting insurgency and other crimes.

    “So, we are going to be sharing experiences and training on how to surmount our problems,” he said.

  • DSO: Nigeria goes to Egypt for help – By Okoh Aihe

    DSO: Nigeria goes to Egypt for help – By Okoh Aihe

    By Okoh Aihe

    In my neck of the wood the snake is not a likeable animal at all; not just that it crawls on its belly to its eternal shame but more of its subtlety and venomous wickedness. Twice I was an unfortunate victim of its wickedness. The first nearly left me blind. The second with a crooked finger. So, when you see the snake, especially around the home, there is nothing about cruelty to animals, it’s either the snake goes or you go. In that situation it is not who kills the snake, man or woman, that matters, the expected result is for the snake to die. Desperation.

    More in the similitude of a fight in the ring getting rough and deadly, you throw the punches with both hands, even with eyes shut. All that is important is to fight yourself out of trouble. Desperation.

    As I read the story of the a Nigerian team going down to Egypt to seek help for the implementation of the Digital Switchover (DSO) programme, never mind what the scriptures say about those who go down to Egypt for help in Isaiah 31:1 (Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help), my only wish was for the ultimate result to come, no matter the jurisdiction it would come from.

    The journey from analogue transmission to digital commenced in 2006 as per decision taken by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and was pegged to end in 2015, although each jurisdiction and country was encouraged to choose its speed but the journey had that termination date.

    However, Nigeria has not been very fortunate with the process. 2015 wasn’t a reality and 2020 was also sadly missed. And now the country is at that point where desperation creeps in. Desperation. You can now begin to understand the journey to Egypt. Desperation.

    This administration made it a programme of choice to be implemented because of the overwhelming advantages including its capacity to unleash job opportunities and also affect the financial fortunes of the country. Migrating analogue to digital means that broadcasters would have to vacate some spectrums which would then be sold for huge amounts for telecommunications services.

    But first thing first. There must be a migration away from the analogue system of transmission for the nation to have open access to the funds at the end of the tunnel. For a nation that has not been creative in so many fields of endeavour, compelling it to hang perilously to only a major source of funds – crude oil – which is not even refined in the country any way, it is very little surprise that Nigeria has not been able to pry intricate opportunities open, including opportunities from digital migration.

    So we pass the buck without wanting to be involved in processes that will challenge the intellect. In Nigeria the DSO should be implemented by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), with policy support from the Ministry of Information and Culture. During the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, the NBC was the arrowhead of implementation. But not any more. The Ministry has taken over now and it has been behind the force of movement or DSO launches we have seen in parts of the country.

    From all indications there are serious challenges. The journey to Egypt was to source for funds from the African Import-Export Bank (Afreximbank). The team was led by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, whose efforts at pushing the project was keenly acknowledged by the President of the Bank, Benedict Oramah. The Minister rehearsed some of the progress made in the DSO programme in Nigeria and also stated that at the moment, financial requirement was putting a drag on the speed.

    The financial request of $165m was placed on the table by Godfrey Ohuabunwa, Chairman, Set Top Box Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. The amount is broken down in the following order: $125m for Set Top Boxes, $30m for signal distributors and $10m for marketing and promotion.

    It is gladdening to know that Afreximbank’s Oramah promised to help build a support package for Nigeria and then use the country’s template to assist other African countries who are struggling with the DSO programme.

    It is worth observing that the trip to Egypt is a clear indication that action has not completely stopped in pushing the DSO programme and even more heartwarming that there was a ready heart willing to give a helping hand. But this has not put paid to the desperation that is becoming palpable.

    Last time the NBC got money for DSO, it was a one-time approval of N9.4bn by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for legacy debts in order to rescue the entire programme or transition from looming collapse. This was in February 10, 2021.

    There seems to be something very wrong with our style of implementation and this may not be the fault of the NBC. This explains why in spite of a rippling motion, there is hardly any tangible headway forward.

    Look at it this way. Before the ITU decision in 2006, the city of Berlin initiated the first switchover in 2003. Luxembourg, which you may call a very small country in Europe, was the first country to do a complete switchover in September 2006. An industry source told this writer within the week that Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania have made more progress in the DSO programme than Nigeria.

    Is the NBC getting the needed support from other arms of government apart from the apparent lordship of a supervising minister? For the DSO to gain traction in America, the Congress got fully involved, making all the necessary laws and fund approval for the programme to sail smoothly. When there were three setbacks in December 2008, February 2009, and finally June 2009, the Congress was in the picture and played its role completely. Is the National Assembly of Nigeria so involved in the process that the last fund approval was made by FEC? The DSO is an important project; why is it left for the NBC to carry with its arms tied behind? Why is it so difficult for us as a people to get into situations that would challenge the intellect or demand rigorous interrogation?

    An industry source has advised that we must change the method of implementation and decide whether to go full digital or not. “We are still essentially transmitting analogue in Nigeria because everywhere they have a DSO launch in Nigeria, they equate a city to a state.” The source frowned at this development, arguing that the fact that a launch was done in central Lagos or Kano city does not mean the whole of the state has been covered.

    My source who is highly knowledgeable in the industry suggested a retooling of the entire process which would require the NBC to cover a state completely, do a switchover from analogue to digital, before heading for another state. It will then be possible to create a switchover map which the NBC can follow diligently and rescue the programme from a near state of anarchy. And stop desperation!

  • Hon Obidigwe hosts Aka Oma group, vows to produce more millionaire farmers

    Hon Obidigwe hosts Aka Oma group, vows to produce more millionaire farmers

    The member representing Anambra East and West Federal Constituency of Anambra State, Hon. Chinedu Obidigwe has vowed to produce more millionaire farmers from his constituency.

    Hon Obidigwe made this known in his office on Friday when he hosted over 43 members Aka Oma group, who are his constituents who came to pay him a courtesy call in Abuja.

    Obidigwe said he is going to produce two hundred and fifty thousand millionaire farmers in the Anambra East and West Federal Constituency he represents at the National Assembly.

    The lawmaker, who proudly sponsored the 43 farmers to Egypt to acquire skills in modern farming techniques to boost their productivity, promised to do more to make life meaningful for the people of his constituency.

    The group comprising of thirty-one (31) females and twelve (12) men were in the agrarian country to undertake training in various aspects of modern agricultural practices, including mechanised farming, crop rotation, fishery and aquaculture.

    He said the motivation to sponsor the constituents was borne out of his resolve to produce millionaire farmers who can contribute meaningfully to the pace of the nation’s progress, especially in the area of agriculture.

    Meanwhile, the Anambra State liaison officer in Abuja, Agatha Manafa urged the participants at the programme to ensure that the benefits of the training trickle down to their subordinates in the constituency.

    She added that the experience garnered at the foreign trip by the farmers will help in the actualisation of the agricultural transformation programme of the Anambra State Governor Wille Obiano in a few years to come.

  • BREAKING: Mane scores winning penalty as Senegal lift AFCON 2021 trophy

    BREAKING: Mane scores winning penalty as Senegal lift AFCON 2021 trophy

    Sadio Mane netted the winning spot-kick as Senegal beat Egypt 4-2 on penalties to clinch their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations after a 0-0 draw.

    The Liverpool forward had seen a seventh-minute penalty saved by Egypt keeper Gabaski but Mane held his nerve when he returned in the shootout.

    Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy denied Mohanad Lasheen to give Mane the chance to win it in Yaounde’s Olembe Stadium.

    Gabaski had made three good saves from Senegal’s Bamba Dieng in extra time.