By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s Super Eagles B may have crashed out of the 8th African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Tanzania, but they will still pocket a prize of $300,000 (about N460 million) from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The home-based Eagles secured the payout after finishing third in Group D, despite signing off with a morale-boosting 2–0 win over Congo’s Red Devils at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.
Anas Yusuf broke Nigeria’s goal drought at the tournament with a cool finish in the 56th minute after a fine link-up involving Abdulrafiu Taiwo and Sikiru Alimi.
The striker then turned provider in stoppage time, setting up Alimi to seal Nigeria’s only victory of the competition.
It was a bittersweet end for the 2018 CHAN silver medallists, who opened their campaign with a narrow defeat to defending champions Senegal before being humbled 4–0 by Sudan.
Their late revival proved insufficient, as Senegal and Sudan clinched the two quarter-final tickets from the group.
Despite the early exit, Nigeria will at least take financial consolation from CAF’s group-stage reward. The squad is expected back in the country on Thursday.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
