By Wale Mustapha
Assistant Coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Daniel Ogunmodede, has expressed confidence in the team’s chances of securing qualification for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) coming up next year.
Nigeria has been absent from the last two editions of the tournament, having been eliminated by their West African rivals, Ghana, on both occasions.
However, Ogunmodede is resolute that this time will be different as the two nations once again battle for a place at the competition, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
“We are not focused on the past; what matters now is the present and the future,” Ogunmodede stated. “We all understand the significance of this tournament, especially for a team like Nigeria, which has a rich history in African football.”
While acknowledging that Ghana will come into the match with the confidence of having beaten Nigeria in previous qualifiers, Ogunmodede believes the Super Eagles are primed for success this time around.
“We are giants of Africa, and we know what playing at CHAN means. Ghana may have knocked us out twice before, but I believe things will be different this time,” he added in an interview with the Super Eagles media team.
The first leg of the qualifiers will take place at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, December 14, with the return fixture scheduled for the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo a week later.
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.
