Afcon 2023 NFF cancels friendlies with DR Congo and Burkina Faso, Eagles to play Guinea

The Super Eagles have no plan to meet either DR Congo or Burkina Faso in warm-up matches ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has said.

Dismissing earlier reports that the Super Eagles will meet the Burkina Faso and DR Congo in test games in Abu Dhabi, NFF Media Director, Ademola Olajire, said the federation had at no time told anybody that it had arranged those games.

Rather, he said the Super Eagles will meet Guinea on Monday to test their preparations for the Nations Cup before returning to Nigeria on January 9, from where the Nigerian delegation will move to Cote d’Ivoire.

The Super Eagles had two training sessions on Thursday, but the sessions were closed to the media ‘for strategic reasons.’

Camp sources said all the players picked for the Africa Cup of Nations have arrived in the team’s Abu Dhabi base, except for the injured Kelechi Iheanacho, who will join the squad later.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has increased the prize money for the Africa Cup of Nations by 40 percent. According to CAF, beginning from the 2024 edition in Cote d’Ivoire, the winner of the tournament will earn $7 million, while the losing finalist will now get $4 million. Each of the two semifinalists will receive $2.5 million and each of the four quarterfinalists are entitled to $1.3 million.

According to CAF President, Patrice Motsepe: “CAF has made significant progress over the past two years in increasing the prize money of the AFCON and all its other major competitions. We have increased the prize money by 40 percent from the previous prize money.

“I am confident that a portion of the prize money will contribute to developing football and also benefit all the football stakeholders, as well as assist our member associations with their administrations.”