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There will be a significant African feel to this LaLiga season

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More than half of the 20 LaLiga teams have at least one African player in their 2018/19 squad.

The new LaLiga season should be especially exciting for football fans based in Africa, as there are so many players from the continent who’ll be competing at the highest level in Spain this year. In fact, 13 of the 20 LaLiga clubs have at least one African in their squad, while some of these teams have several.

Morocco and Ghana can both claim to have the most African players in the Spanish top division, with five each, which is a very impressive tally when considering that only eight other countries – including Spain – have more representatives in LaLiga.

Amongst the Moroccan contingent, there’s the experienced Real Betis defender Zouhair Feddal, Girona goalkeeper Yassine ‘Bono’ Bounou and Leganés forwards Nabil El Zhar and Youssef En-Nesyri.

There’s also Sofiane Boufal, who has just arrived at Celta Vigo after spending the past two seasons at Southampton. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder had previously been at Lille before moving to England as the second-most expensive Moroccan ever and will be looking to shine in Galicia while on loan. With Celta expected to play direct football under new coach Antonio Mohamed, there will be plenty of opportunities for Boufal to express himself.

As for the Ghanaian quintet, they are made up of Atlético Madrid’s Thomas Teye Partey, plus Alavés midfield duo Patrick Twumasi and Mubarak Wakaso, and Levante strikers Raphael Dwamena and Emmanuel Boateng. Of course, Partey is the most high-profile of these players as he plays for one of the very best club sides in Europe and he has already made an impact this season during the UEFA Super Cup, where he created the decisive third goal for teammate Saúl Ñíguez in Los Rojiblancos’ victory over Real Madrid, becoming the first Ghanaian to win that competition. This will be the 25-year-old midfielder’s fourth season in Diego Simeone’s first-team squad and his importance has been growing with each year.

Another African nation with a significant presence in this year’s Spanish top division is Equatorial Guinea. National team striker Iban Salvador is at Celta Vigo, while Equatoguinean full-backs Sergio Akieme and Carlos Akapo will spend this season at newly promoted sides Rayo Vallecano and Huesca respectively.

Then there’s the Senegalese contingent to keep an eye on too. Abdoulaye Ba, Pape Diop and Amath Ndiaye have all joined new LaLiga clubs within the past year and they all became very important for their new sides in the 2017/18 season, with Ba helping Rayo Vallecano win promotion and with Diop and Ndiaye helping Eibar and Getafe with their respective battles for European football.

Ivorian striker, Seydou Doumbia joined the African LaLiga train following his move from Portuguese side, Sporting Lisbon to Girona on a three- year deal. The 30year old who has been capped thirty-nine times by his country was a member of the Elephants squad that won the 2015 African Cup of Nations.

Nigeria are also well-represented in LaLiga this time around. Leganés have signed Chelsea’s Nigerian centre-back Kenneth Omeruo on loan for one season and this is very exciting for the Madrid-based club given that the 24-year-old defender already has close to half a century of caps for his country, who he represented at the 2018 World Cup. Also in LaLiga is Moses Simon, the Levante winger who has also played many times for his country and who would have been likely to go to Russia in the summer had he not been injured. The 23-year-old has just signed for Levante from Gent, for whom he scored six times and provided three assists in the Belgian league last season.

Then there’s goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, who played every minute of Nigeria’s World Cup campaign and who made some impressive parries for his country. At just 19 years of age, he is a really special prospect and he’ll be playing in Spain too this season, as he’ll be at Deportivo La Coruña. Their senior team are playing in LaLiga 1|2|3, the second tier of Spanish football, and it remains to be seen if he’ll make the jump up from the B team, but sooner or later he’ll likely be making excellent saves against some of the best strikers in the country.

There are actually a number of African players in the Spanish second division this season. Numancia have Senegalese midfielder Pape Maly Diamanka and Ghanaian winger Yaw Yeboah. Lugo have Cameroonian duo Jean Marie Dongou and Serge Leuko, as well as Nigerian midfielder Ramon Azeez. Gimnàstic de Tarragona have another Nigerian, in the form of striker Ikechukwu Uche, while Cameroonian defender Mohammed Djetei is also at the Catalan club. Then there’s Almería’s Cameroonian defender Lucien Owona, Mallorca’s Ivorian forward Lago Junior and Elche’s Guinean forward Sory Kaba.

Returning to the top flight, there are some other African stars not yet mentioned who are worth looking out for as they come up against the likes of Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Luka Modrić in the coming season.

Real Betis are an exciting possession-based team who will fight for European qualification and they boast Algerian pair Aïssa Mandi and Ryad Boudebouz among their ranks. Cheick Doukouré of the Ivory Coast will be expected to step up and to take on more responsibility at Levante this year after they lost Jefferson Lerma in the transfer window. Togo international Djené Dakonam plays for Getafe and is one of the best centre-backs in the entire league, while big things are expected of his 20-year-old teammate Merveil Ndockyt, a Republic of the Congo midfielder with a bright future. Elsewhere in Madrid, Rayo Vallecano will hope wingers Gaël Kakuta and Lass Bangoura – of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and of Guinea respectively – can score the goals to keep them up.

Over the course of the 2018/19 LaLiga campaign, there will be some mouth-watering clashes between international teammates from these African countries. It promises to be a season with a significant African feel.

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MTN Nigeria Awards 150 million Naira to Super Falcons after Historic WAFCON 2024 Win

Reporter: Sandra Ani

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MTN Nigeria Awards The Super Falcons 150 Million Naira Following WAFCON Win
L-R: Dr. Muhammed Sanusi, General Secretary, Nigeria Football Federation; Dr Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria; Rashidat Ajibade, Captain, Super Falcons; Ifueko Okauru, Director, MTN Nigeria; Chiamaka Nnadozie, Goalkeeper, Super Falcons and Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, President, Nigerian Football Federation at an MTN Super Falcons Breakfast Reception held at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday, July 31, 2025.

MTN Nigeria has rewarded the Nigerian Super Falcons with 150 million naira following their remarkable victory at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). 

The announcement was made at a celebratory breakfast reception hosted by the technology company in Lagos, in the presence of Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) leadership and female executives across key sectors, alongside a host of MTN executives who came out to celebrate the champions and reaffirm the company’s commitment to football, inclusion and youth empowerment.

The Super Falcons’ win goes down as one of the most thrilling in tournament history. Facing Morocco on their home soil, Nigeria came back from 2-0 down to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory, clinching their 10th WAFCON title and reinforcing their status as Africa’s most decorated women’s team. 

Delivering the opening remarks, MTN’s Chief Marketing Officer, Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, highlighted the Super Falcons’ win as an inspiration for Nigerian women. “The Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) is a championship that has been held 13 times and Nigeria has won 10 times. This is no small feat. It is a testament  to how determined  Nigerian women can be when they set out to achieve something. What you have achieved not only makes Nigeria proud, but it makes us, even we women, proud. Here at MTN, we believe, and one of our values is ‘Can Do’, can do with integrity. Your final match  exemplifies that.”

As the official telecommunications partner of the NFF, MTN presented the 150 million naira reward to celebrate the team’s resilience and achievement. MTN director, Ifueko Okauru explained that 115 million naira would go to the players and 35 million to the technical team. 

“At MTN we believe in the power of connection, not just through technology, but through our soul, through our spirits, what we share and what unifies us,” said Dr. Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria.

Toriola described the company’s investment in the NFF as fruitful. “As proud sponsors of the Nigerian Football Federation, this long-term significantly financially-heavy investment in supporting the NFF has borne so many fruits. We followed you through every match, every challenge, every trial  and some of them losses. We followed you and we continue to support you and today we are so proud to say our efforts have not been in vain. We followed you for the big things, we followed you for the smaller things.

He added, “To the Super Falcons, you are more than athletes, you are inspirations. You are an inspiration for everyone in Nigeria, every young lady to go out there and make a difference. You are role models, you are ambassadors, and you are proof that when Nigerian women rise, the world will take notice.”

Captain of the Super Falcons, Rashidat Ajibade, thanked MTN and its board members for their warm reception and support. “We appreciate you a lot. We feel valued, we feel honoured, we feel respected, and this only inspires us to do better, and keep inspiring the next generation.”

“This win is for all of us,” she said, dedicating the 10th title not just to the current Super Falcons squad but to all the players who came before. While grateful for the milestone, she made it clear they were not content. “We want to take this to the next level. We want to be global contenders. We don’t want to be just local champions. It’s time to take it to the next level. We understand the huge responsibility on us,  and we hope that we can all work together, the Federation, the federal government, and also private bodies to keep investing and keep supporting  the Super Falcons Council so we can all  achieve this objective.”

The breakfast reception featured a classical string quartet, stirring soul-Afrobeats choir rendition that had the Falcons on their feet, dancing joyfully in celebration of their hard-won victory. Singer Praiz also delivered a performance that drew cheers from the audience and added to the festive energy in the room.

As the nation continues to celebrate their victory, this moment stands as both a reward and a reminder of what Nigerian women can achieve when backed by belief, investment and opportunity. The celebration was especially timely as it fell on Pan African Women’s Day, a fitting moment to honour the strength, resilience and achievements of Nigerian women on and off the pitch.

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Nwosu hails Super Falcons: You’ve shown the Nigeria spirit

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Super Falcons are 10th time WAFCON Champions
Super Falcons are 10th time WAFCON Champions

John C. Nwosu, governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has hailed the Super Falcons for lifting the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Women’s African Cup of Nations (WACON) held in Morocco for the 10th time, after a dramatic outing in Rabat, capital of the North African nation.

The Nigerian female team came from behind after a 2:0 lead they were handed down by the Atlas Lionesses at half time to turn the tide in a dramatic fashion, marked by energy, resilience, determination and skill, slotting in three goals in less than 30 minutes.

A totally enthralled Nwosu declared that feat clearly showed how with determination and focus, the most difficult tasks could be achieved and toughest challenges could be surmounted, adding that the feat embodied a lot of life’s lessons.

“What we saw today is the can-do spirit of that Nigerians are known for. It is a spirit that has broken many barriers and achieved great things. I particularly noticed the teamwork and synergy among the girls and their determination not to give up. It shows the reward of unity of purpose.

“As I watched our girls lift this beautiful trophy up, my spirit was also lifted. I am sure I am not alone. This spectacular achievement today shows how much we can achieve in Nigeria when we de-emphasise those things that divide the nation and emphasise the things that unite us.

“This is the focus of the ADC. We take it as a task to unite Nigeria by promoting unity, equity, justice and fair play in all facets of the society, knowing that together, working individually and collectively, we wake the sleeping giant.

“It is particularly so as we make deliberate moves to recreate a new Anambra where the government and the people will form an environment of common vision and move in the same direction, achieve a common goal. That vision has gained a strong fillip by this wonderful feat in Morocco.”

Well done girls. Once again, you have put smiles on millions of Nigerians, both home and abroad. May this joy continue to resonate everywhere in the life of our dear nation, now and in future.

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Gov Mbah Congratulates Super Falcons on Historic 10th WAFCON Title

Report by Ikenna Oluka

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WAFCON
Super Falcon players after winning 10th WAFCON

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has congratulated the Super Falcons of Nigeria on their 10th Women African Cup of Nations, WAFCON, title, saying that they demonstrated the resilience of the Nigerian spirit.

The Super Falcons, who fell behind by two goals in the first half, staged a memorable comeback in Rabat in the second half, beating their Moroccan counterparts before their huge crowd of home fans to lift the WAFCON 2025 trophy courtesy of goals delivered by Esther Okoronkwo, Folashade Ijamilusi, and Jennifer Echegini.

Mbah, who took to his verified social media handle, @PNMbah, to celebrate the impressive Nigerian side wrote, “Congratulations, Super Falcons, on your well-deserved WAFCON 2025 triumph.

“Coming from two goals down to beat the Moroccans to the trophy underscores the resilience and invincibility of the Nigerian spirit and what we can achieve as a people by working together in oneness of mind.

“We are super proud of you.

“Again, congratulations, girls, and keep flying higher.”

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