AFCON 2023: Super Eagles to leave Ivory Coast Monday Afternoon
The Nigeria Super Eagles team that finished second in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will depart Ivory Coast for Nigeria at 2:45 p.m. on Monday.
On Sunday night, Ivory Coast defeated the Super Eagles 1-2 in the competition’s final, preventing Nigeria from winning its fourth continental crown.
The squad is due to depart its Abidjan hotel and return to Nigeria hours after the setback.
The move comes around one month after the team departed Lagos for Ivory Coast’s commercial hub.
Despite Sunday’s defeat, encomiums have continued to pour in for the three-time African champions.
President Bola Tinubu was among the first to hail the team for reaching the final of the competition, lauding their grit and determination to have gone far in the tournament.
A statement by his spokesman Ajuri Ngelale urged the team not to be dampened by the loss.
“Let this passing event not dispirit us, but bring us together to work harder. We are a great nation bound as one by the green-white-green banner of resilience, joy, hope, duty, and untiring love,” Tinubu told the Super Eagles.
“To those cherished Nigerian youths expressing their gifts in communities, drawing lines in the sand as they play football in their humble rectangles of play, you can be our heroes tomorrow, do not relent in your pursuit. My administration is here to make dreams come true.”
State governors including that of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Abia’s Alex Otti, Umar Baggo of Niger State, and Simi Fubara of Rivers State also praised Coach Jose Peseiro’s men for reaching the final of the 2023 AFCON.
In separate remarks, they hailed the Super Eagles for making Nigeria proud by defying the odds to reach the tournament’s final.
According to them, Nigeria’s outing in Ivory Coast reflects the country’s position as a strong footballing nation on the continent.
After the AFCON, Nigeria’s attention will now shift to the qualification race for the 2026 World Cup. The Super Eagles who are two points behind Group C leaders Rwanda will be aiming to resuscitate their campaign when they welcome the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in June.
