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Tanzania Coach Gamondi Vows to Contain Nigeria Attack at AFCON
Tanzania coach Miguel Gamondi reveals strategies to contain Nigeria’s attack, including Victor Osimhen, ahead of their 2025 AFCON Group C opener in Fez.
Tanzania coach Miguel Gamondi has outlined plans to curb Nigeria’s attacking threat ahead of their Group C opener at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, set for today at the Complexe Sportif de Fès.
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The clash will mark only the second AFCON meeting between Nigeria and Tanzania, 45 years after their first encounter in 1980 at the National Stadium, Lagos, where Nigeria won 3–1 en route to their maiden continental title.
Their most recent meetings occurred during qualification for the 2017 tournament, resulting in a goalless draw in Dar es Salaam and a 1–0 victory for Nigeria in Uyo on September 3, 2016.
Gamondi, who took charge of the Taifa Stars just a month before the tournament, acknowledged the challenge posed by Nigeria’s star-studded attack led by striker Victor Osimhen.
“We have tactical plans to try and neutralise Osimhen, but the collective importance is not only him,” Gamondi said at a pre-match press conference.
“You also have players like Chukwueze and Lookman. They move very well with the ball, so we must be aware of our positioning on the pitch. I’m not the type of coach who focuses on just one individual.”
He added, “The quality of the player defines the situation, and Osimhen is the reference point in Nigeria’s attack. But we also need to take care of players coming from the second line. That is the job we need to do.”
The Tanzanian coach emphasised that Nigeria’s strength across all departments demands near-perfect performance from his squad.
“When you see the quality Nigeria possess, you need to give more than 100 per cent. The smallest mistake can be punished by these types of players,” he said.
“Our mentality is to play, recover the ball and try to attack. If we can avoid mistakes, we can do something good.”
Gamondi will rely on the experience of captain Mbwana Samatta, who plays for PAOK in Greece, and forward Simon Msuva, the team’s most capped player, who returns after missing previous international windows.
A start on Tuesday would mark Msuva’s 100th international cap.
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Defender Mohamed Hussein and youngster Haji Mnoga, who plays for Aldershot Town, are also included to provide balance and stability in the squad.
David Umahi predicts a South-East voting shift in 2027, citing Tinubu’s infrastructure projects and appointments across the region
Minister of Works David Umahi has predicted that voters in the South-East will support President Bola Tinubu differently in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that federal infrastructure projects and political appointments have changed the region’s relationship with the administration.
Also read: FG to immortalise Nigerian soldiers killed in Liberia, Sierra Leone
Umahi made the prediction in an interview with ARISE News published on Friday, describing the region’s overwhelming support for Labour Party candidate Peter Obi in the 2023 election as an “accident of history”.
He attributed the voting pattern to anger over what he described as the region’s marginalisation under the previous administration.
“In 2023, it was an accident of history. It was a demonstration of the anger of the people of South East on how they were treated,” he said.
The former Ebonyi State governor added that he believed the situation had changed under Tinubu.
“We’ve been marginalised in the past, but it’s no longer so,” Umahi said.
“If in 2023 they demonstrated their anger, in 2027 they are going to demonstrate their joy on how the President has treated them,” he added.
The minister said federal road projects and other investments in the South-East were reasons voters might reconsider their political choices in 2027.
He also claimed that serving and former governors, traditional rulers and other influential figures in the region were increasingly aligning with Tinubu.
Umahi argued that voters would be reluctant to abandon what he described as infrastructure gains for another political “gamble”.
However, his prediction reflects his own assessment of the region’s political mood.
The interview did not establish how voters currently intend to vote in 2027.
Umahi rejected suggestions that South-East political leaders supporting Tinubu were betraying the region or Obi, arguing that the region’s political interests should not be permanently tied to one candidate.
He also criticised social media supporters who insult regional leaders for backing the President, saying such attacks would not advance Obi’s political interests or those of the South-East.
The minister maintained that the region needed to negotiate and build alliances with other parts of Nigeria if it hoped to produce a president in the future.
Asked whether he believed Tinubu would defeat Obi in the South-East in 2027, Umahi responded confidently: “Why do you say I believe? That is what is going to happen!”
Also read: FG to immortalise Nigerian soldiers killed in Liberia, Sierra Leone
His comments come as political alignments and debates over regional representation begin to shape discussions ahead of the 2027 general election.
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