” Nigeria thirsty for AFCON title win ” – Sports Minister declares after meeting with Peseiro, NFF

Nigeria is thirsty for another AFCON title win, this declaration was made by Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, after a meeting with Jose Peseiro and the NFF on Wednesday.

The Sports Minister met with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro on Wednesday, December 6, 2023 to discuss strategic plans and preparations towards the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The meeting, held at the minister’s office in Abuja, was aimed at defining the roadmap to ensure optimal preparations and success for the Nigerian national football team at the AFCON.

High on the list of discussion was the goalkeeping situation in the team, with Peseiro discussing plans for a new goalkeeper for the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Senator Enoh reiterated the government’s support for Nigerian football and laid emphasis on the significance of meticulous planning and cohesive strategies to propel the national team to victory at the AFCON.

“Our country is so passionate about football, such that amidst all other sports, football is about the only sport that has an entry in the nation’s national budget,” the minister said.

“That is how important football is, because whatever happens to it, happens to us as a country.

“After 10 years, the country is thirsty to win the AFCON. It will matter a great deal to the Nigerian people, and to the government of President Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. It is important to not just leave the task to the NFF alone, but the government is also interested in being able to tell the Nigerian people what is being done in that regard,” Enoh added.

Nigeria has won the AFCON title on three occasions [ 1980, 1994, 2013 ] and so will be eyeing a fourth continental triumph in Ivory Coast.

The Super Eagles are drawn in group A alongside Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau.