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A sports journalist, Suleiman Adebayo, popularly known as ‘Pooja,’ has said that the Super Eagles must have a winning spirit in the African Cup of Nations semi-final match against hosts Morocco.

READ ALSO: AFCON 2025: Nigeria Vs Morocco Preview, Kick-Off Time For Semi-Final Clash

“We have to win it over Morocco because you are playing against a team that has the biggest fan [base] even in Africa,” he said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday.

“They have played [against] non-Africans several times as well. As I said, against Algeria, they played calmly as well; in that stadium in Marrakesh, we had over 30,000 Algerians, but this time it will be different.

“So hopefully I know they’ll be doing lots of pep talks, away from training sessions. So we have Victor Osimhen in that calm mode — just score for us, leave the antics, leave the, you know, body language, leave the mentality, and just give us the goals,” he added.

Adebayo, however, said the Eagles should expect hostility from the North Africans.

“If you are playing for a club side, it’s different from playing for your country. So the Super Eagles should expect hostility. They expect passion.

“They should expect a very hostile atmosphere, and as you said, the North Africans use lasers to distract players.

“So we are playing against the 12th man, but with what we’ve done so far — keeping a clean sheet back to back against Mozambique and, of course, Algeria, I think the boys have lots to offer,” he stated.

The sports journalist, therefore, called for comportment within the Super Eagles.

“So today, Victor Osimhen will be captain of the side. Remember, Wilfred Ndidi will be suspended because of two yellow cards. So we have Victor Osimhen as the captain of the side.

“So, the temperament has to start from the captain. Victor Osimhen has to be calm this time around because we’re playing a country with so many antics,” Adebayo said.

“We saw Algeria as well, you know, doing so many tactics, as you said, psychology-wise, they want to win before they win on the pitch. So, we have to be careful.

“[Sunday] Nwabali got a yellow card against Algeria. If he gets a yellow card against Morocco and we win, he will not play in the final.

“So everybody has to be on their right senses and, we still, you know, see against Uganda, which of course,” he added.

The 2013 African champions will trade tackles with the hosts on Wednesday for a place in the final of the continent’s showpiece.

A sports journalist, Suleiman Adebayo, popularly known as ‘Pooja,’ has said that the Super Eagles must have a winning spirit in the African Cup of Nations semi-final match against hosts Morocco.

READ ALSO: AFCON 2025: Nigeria Vs Morocco Preview, Kick-Off Time For Semi-Final Clash

“We have to win it over Morocco because you are playing against a team that has the biggest fan [base] even in Africa,” he said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday.

“They have played [against] non-Africans several times as well. As I said, against Algeria, they played calmly as well; in that stadium in Marrakesh, we had over 30,000 Algerians, but this time it will be different.

“So hopefully I know they’ll be doing lots of pep talks, away from training sessions. So we have Victor Osimhen in that calm mode — just score for us, leave the antics, leave the, you know, body language, leave the mentality, and just give us the goals,” he added.

Adebayo, however, said the Eagles should expect hostility from the North Africans.

“If you are playing for a club side, it’s different from playing for your country. So the Super Eagles should expect hostility. They expect passion.

“They should expect a very hostile atmosphere, and as you said, the North Africans use lasers to distract players.

“So we are playing against the 12th man, but with what we’ve done so far — keeping a clean sheet back to back against Mozambique and, of course, Algeria, I think the boys have lots to offer,” he stated.

The sports journalist, therefore, called for comportment within the Super Eagles.

“So today, Victor Osimhen will be captain of the side. Remember, Wilfred Ndidi will be suspended because of two yellow cards. So we have Victor Osimhen as the captain of the side.

“So, the temperament has to start from the captain. Victor Osimhen has to be calm this time around because we’re playing a country with so many antics,” Adebayo said.

“We saw Algeria as well, you know, doing so many tactics, as you said, psychology-wise, they want to win before they win on the pitch. So, we have to be careful.

“[Sunday] Nwabali got a yellow card against Algeria. If he gets a yellow card against Morocco and we win, he will not play in the final.

“So everybody has to be on their right senses and, we still, you know, see against Uganda, which of course,” he added.

The 2013 African champions will trade tackles with the hosts on Wednesday for a place in the final of the continent’s showpiece.

Manchester United confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season on Tuesday, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the Champions League.

“Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honour,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United.

The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021.

Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the Championship.

He has a daunting first task, preparing his men to face local rivals Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

United are seventh in the table but are in the race to qualify for the lucrative Champions League for the first time in three seasons.

The Red Devils are three points adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool and only one point behind Brentford, in fifth spot.

A top-four finish would guarantee Champions League qualification and top five is likely to be enough thanks to the strong performance of English sides in European competition.

“I know what it takes to succeed here; my focus is now on helping the players to reach the standards that we expect at this incredible club, which we know that this group is more than capable of producing,” added Carrick.

“There is still a lot to fight for this season, we are ready to pull everyone together and give the fans the performances that their loyal support deserves.”

The Red Devils dismissed Ruben Amorim last week after a dismal 14-month stint at Old Trafford for the Portuguese.

But hopes of an immediate bounce were dashed, with caretaker boss Darren Fletcher overseeing a 2-2 draw against lowly Burnley in the Premier League and a 2-1 defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup.

READ ALSO: [AFCON 2025] Osimhen’s Scoring Form Gives Nigeria The Upper Hand

Safe pair of hands

United’s exit from both domestic cup competitions at the first hurdle, plus a lack of European football, means they will play only 40 matches this season — their lowest number since the 1914/1915 campaign.

Carrick’s experience at United both as a player and coach are understood to have convinced the club’s hierarchy that he is the safe pair of hands they need over the coming months.

After spells at West Ham and Tottenham, he moved to United, winning five league titles and the Champions League in a 12-year stay.

When his playing career came to an end in 2018, Carrick joined the United coaching staff as an assistant to Jose Mourinho and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Following Solskjaer’s dismissal five years ago he briefly took charge of the first team, securing impressive results against Chelsea, Arsenal and Villarreal.

However, his time at Middlesbrough ultimately proved a disappointment.

Armed with one of the biggest budgets in the Championship, they reached the play-offs in his first season in charge, losing to Coventry over two legs in the semi-finals.

Boro finished eighth and 10th in Carrick’s two full campaigns in charge and he was sacked at the end of last season for failing to achieve promotion back to the Premier League.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has named a Ghanaian referee, Daniel Nii Laryea, to officiate Nigeria’s semi-final game against Morocco at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

CAF released the list of officials for the clash on Tuesday and named others for the high-stakes game at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

Laryea will be assisted by South Africa’s Zakhele Siwela and Lesotho’s Souru Phatsoane.

Mozambican Arsénio Maringule was appointed as the third assistant referee. Rwanda’s Samuel Uwikunda will be the fourth official for the game.

Africa’s football body also named Tom Abongile of South Africa, Haythem Guirat of Tunisia, and Stephen Yiembe of Kenya as officials in the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) booth.

Lydia Abebe was appointed as the referee assessor for the semi-final match.

READ ALSO: [AFCON 2025] Osimhen’s Scoring Form Gives Nigeria The Upper Hand

Your Match officials for (14 January,2026)

️⚽️ Senegal vs Egypt
️⚽️ Nigeria vs Morocco #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 pic.twitter.com/aubAoAIU33

The Super Eagles enter the game on the back of a commanding 2-0 victory over Algeria in their quarter-final match, which ensured they continue their winning streak in the competition. They have scored the most goals so far in the tournament with 14 to their name.

Morocco, meanwhile, beat Cameroon by the same scoreline to set up the mouth-watering tie with the three-time African champions.

Ahead of the match with Morocco, midfielder Alex Iwobi has hailed Nigeria’s unity, saying the players are focused on making history despite finishing second in the last edition of the tournament.

“Of course, at previous AFCONs, we have done really well. The team was so strong, but at the same time, we were young, and we were learning about each other,” the Fulham player said.

“I feel like right now everybody is entering their prime, everyone is doing well for their clubs, and you can see the joy and the chemistry we have when playing for our country.

Three years after they last appeared together, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah meet again on Wednesday on opposing sides as Senegal and Egypt clash for a place in the Africa Cup of Nations final.

The last-four showdown in the Moroccan city of Tangiers will be the first time the former Liverpool teammates have shared a pitch since the Anfield club lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final in May 2022.

Shortly after that, Mane left for Bayern Munich before moving to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League a year later.

READ ALSO: Osimhen Finds AFCON Scoring Touch To Give Nigeria Cutting Edge

Salah, meanwhile, has been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in the near future but remains for now at Liverpool despite falling out of favour with coach Arne Slot before coming to the Cup of Nations.

The Egypt captain is a man on a mission in Morocco, having scored four goals in four appearances on the Pharaoh’s run to the semi-finals as he targets winning AFCON for the first time.

Salah, who turns 34 in June, is running out of time to win a major international honour with his country having suffered the agony of two final defeats in the competition.

After being part of the Egypt side beaten by Cameroon in the 2017 final in Gabon, Salah skippered the team beaten on penalties by Senegal in 2022 in Yaounde.

Mane had a penalty saved in normal time on that dramatic night at the Olembe Stadium, but recovered to score the decisive kick in the shoot-out as Senegal became African champions for the first time.

Salah was due to take Egypt’s next penalty but would not get the chance to step up and was already on the verge of tears as Mane prepared to strike the decisive blow.

Less than two months later, the teams met again in a decisive World Cup qualifying play-off and once more penalties were needed — Salah missed, Mane scored and Senegal won.

They went on to reach the last 16 in Qatar while Egypt failed to qualify for the first World Cup held in the Arab world.

Both have qualified for the upcoming tournament in North America, providing what will perhaps be a last chance for the two veterans to star on the biggest stage of all.

Feeling the pressure

For now, however, it is all about continental supremacy as Senegal chase a third final in four editions of AFCON, and Egypt aim to take a step closer to a record-extending eighth title overall.

Mane, who also turns 34 this year, will feel less pressure having already collected a Cup of Nations winner’s medal.

“Nobody, even in Egypt, wants to win this trophy more than me,” admitted Salah after helping his team beat Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals.

“I have won almost every prize. This is the title I am waiting for.”

The pair played together under Jurgen Klopp for five years between Salah arriving from Roma in 2017 and Mane’s departure.

They formed a formidable front line along with Roberto Firmino and together won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020 — there were also two defeats to Real in Champions League finals.

But Mane recently admitted that sometimes the pair found it difficult to get along on the pitch.

“I think Mo is first of all a very nice guy. I think though inside the pitch, sometimes he would pass to me and sometimes he wouldn’t,” Mane said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.

“Only Bobby (Firmino) was there to share the balls. Sometimes it was like this,” he added with a laugh.

“I still remember one game when I was really, really angry because he doesn’t pass me the ball.”

This time they really are on opposing sides, as two former African footballers of the year look to lead their countries to glory — for the second time, in Mane’s case.

“The pressure for me is over. Before I won the African Cup, sometimes I played badly because of the pressure,” Mane, who has one goal at this AFCON, admitted on the same podcast.

Nigeria star Alex Iwobi on Tuesday hailed coach Eric Chelle for creating a team spirit which has taken the Super Eagles to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, only two months after their dreams of World Cup qualification were ended agonizingly.

The Nigerians take on AFCON hosts Morocco in Rabat on Wednesday, looking to continue the prolific form that has carried them to the last four.

They reached the final of the last Cup of Nations two years ago in the Ivory Coast before losing to the hosts, while Iwobi also played in the side that reached the semi-finals in 2019.

But he said a happier environment off the pitch — despite reports of rows with the national football federation over bonuses — was now helping bring out the very best in him and a team in its prime.

“I feel like the difference is the sense of brotherhood, the family environment that we have created for each other,” the 29-year-old Fulham star said at a packed press conference in the Moroccan capital.

“Of course, at previous AFCONs, we have done really well. The team was so strong, but at the same time, we were young, and we were learning about each other.

“I feel like right now everybody is entering their prime, everyone is doing well for their clubs, and you can see the joy and the chemistry we have when playing for our country.

“It is not just on the pitch, but also off the pitch, there is a big unity, we are a big family. It starts from the coach — he has brought that brotherhood.”

Nigeria limped through their qualifying campaign for the World Cup and saw their dreams of making it to the finals go up in smoke with a play-off defeat on penalties against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Rabat in November.

That was despite a notable upturn in form following the appointment of former Mali boss Chelle 12 months ago.

“We have always given 100 percent,” insisted Iwobi.

“In the World Cup qualifiers, we wanted to win as well, but it was a difficult moment for us, and we have used that disappointment as motivation to go and achieve something for our country, for ourselves, for our families.”

READ ALSO: Traditional Healer Arrested For Alleged Fraud After Promising Mali AFCON Trophy Win

Ndidi suspended 

Chelle, meanwhile, admitted that the presence of two recent winners of the African player of the year award in forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman made his job easier.

Nigeria are the tournament’s top scorers with 14 goals, including four for Osimhen and three for Lookman.

But it remains to be seen how they cope against Morocco without suspended skipper Wilfred Ndidi in midfield — Raphael Onyedika of Club Brugge is a likely replacement.

“We are a group and there are some very good players who are waiting for the chance to show something,” said Chelle.

Morocco, Africa’s top-ranked nation, will be hoping to make the most of home advantage with a crowd of almost 70,000 behind them at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

However, their coach, Walid Regragui, is well aware of the quality in the Nigerian ranks.

“We will need to be strong mentally, but when you get to the AFCON semi-finals, you need to raise your concentration levels, run more to stop Nigeria taking a breather, or be able to play with the same impact,” warned Regragui.

The man who led the Atlas Lions to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals is under enormous pressure to win the tournament at home and knows there are plenty of critics who will be out to get him if he fails.

“In my country, it’s like this — you need to accept that when you are the coach of Morocco,” he said.