Nigeria embrace WAFU Cup
22 SEPTEMBER 2017: The 2017 WAFU Cup of Nations final has been confirmed as Ghana beat Niger 2-0 while Nigeria brought their best effort to beat Benin 1-0 during the semi-final clash on Thursday 21 September 2017.
Ghana and Nigeria will battle for the right to be crowned 2017 WAFU Cup of Nations champions when they meet in the final at Cape Coast Sports Stadium on Sunday, kick-off at 18h00 (GMT).
Ghana and Nigeria have already met once in this WAFU tournament: the Super Eagles beat the Black Stars 2-0 in the teams’ final Group A match on Monday, though it must be noted that the home side had already guaranteed themselves top spot regardless of the result.
Ghana coach Maxwell Konadu insists that his side is more than capable of claiming revenge against the Super Eagles when the teams meet again in the final. “We will be very prepared for Nigeria. They beat us last time so we have to come out strong to turn the table against them come Sunday,” he said at the post-match conference. They are a very good side, but we have to fight very hard. You know we are the defending champions, but that now belongs to history. Sunday will be a new chapter we have to open and we will do so by trying to beat Nigeria. It won’t be an easy game, they won’t find it easy as well.”
CAF President Ahmad Ahmad has arrived in Ghana and will attend the final in Cape Coast on Sunday giving his full support to the tournament and the growth of African football with international the home side had already guaranteed themselves top spot regardless of the result.
Ghana coach Maxwell Konadu insists that his side is more than capable of claiming revenge against the Super Eagles when the teams meet again in the final. “We will be very prepared for Nigeria. They beat us last time so we have to come out strong to turn the table against them come Sunday,” he said at the post-match conference. They are a very good side, but we have to fight very hard. You know we are the defending champions, but that now belongs to history. Sunday will be a new chapter we have to open and we will do so by trying to beat Nigeria. It won’t be an easy game, they won’t find it easy as well.”
CAF President Ahmad Ahmad has arrived in Ghana and will attend the final in Cape Coast on Sunday giving his full support to the tournament and the growth of African football with international partnerships such as this. The success of the tournament could not have been predicted, with sold out stadiums and audiences globally impressed by the magnitude of the production. The platform provided to players allows for a larger African focus on the sport.
The three-week tournament, which has ends on Sunday 24 September 2017, is part of a 12-year partnership between Fox Sports and WAFU, providing global coverage to football on the African continent in a world-class setting. Initial numbers suggest an average of 60 million people watching Nigeria’s WAFU Cup of Nations fixtures on NTA in Nigeria. Viewership is set to increase when Ghana and Nigeria go head-to-head for the crowning glory.
The broadcast numbers as well as online engagement is set to increase as the feed is distributed to across Africa, Asia and Europe. The final will be broadcast via the Fox Sports Africa feed to , ORTB Benin, RTS Senegal, Radio Télévision Guinéenne (CIS MEDIA), Nigeria Television Authority, Radiodiffusion Television du Burkina, Radiodiffusion Television Ivoirienne, Gambia Radio & Television Service, Television Togolaise, Radio Televisao de guinee-Bissau, Office de Radiodiffusion Television du Niger, Office de Radiodiffusion Television du Mali and Uganda Broadcasting Commission..
Distributed through FOX Globally in Fox Sports will broadcast the matches in Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam), Europe (Italy, Netherlands, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Turkey and Israel) USA and Caribbean.