By Wale Mustapha
Assistant coach of Nigeria’s home-based Super Eagles, Daniel Ogunmodede, has expressed confidence in the team’s readiness to compete at the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), beginning with their opening match against defending champions Senegal.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s Group A showdown in Zanzibar, Ogunmodede acknowledged the strength of the Senegalese side but maintained that Nigeria is fully prepared to put up a strong challenge.
“Of course, Senegal are defending champions, so they’ll be eager to defend their title,” the Remo Stars manager told ESPN.
“But we’re ready to give them a very good fight. We’re not here to make up the numbers, but to compete and show our quality.”
The fixture marks Nigeria’s return to the continental tournament after missing the last two editions. Their most recent appearance was in 2018, when they finished as runners-up to Morocco.
The Super Eagles will face Senegal on Tuesday at the Amman Stadium, Zanzibar, in what promises to be a key test of their title aspirations.
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.
