Tinubu to be in the stadium for Super Eagles AFCON final match against Ivory Coast

President Bola Tinubu will be in the stands to cheer the Super Eagles of Nigeria to victory in their final match against hosts Elephants of Ivory Coast in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 final match.

According to Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the competition’s organisers, Tinubu will make a short trip to Abidjan on Sunday, February 11, 2024, for the all-important match.

Motsepe disclosed this while fielding questions from journalists at a media conference in Abidjan on Friday, February 9, 2024.

Asked if an African country would bid to host the FIFA World Cup again after South Africa, the CAF President said, “Nigeria must put in a bid. The Nigerian President (Bola Tinubu) is coming to watch the final on Sunday. I will have a conversation with him about it.”

The Federal Government sent a delegation led by Vice President Kashim Shettima to Bouake for the Super Eagles’ semi-final encounter against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa last Wednesday.

Nigeria won the tie 4-2 on penalties to book a date in the final against the hosts. The clash will take place at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpe Abidjan, kick off at 9 pm Nigerian time.

Dubbed the West Africa derby, the match is a repeat of the second Group A game. Recall Nigeria defeated Ivory Coast by a lone goal when both teams clashed at the same stadium on Thursday, January 18, 2024.

While Nigeria qualified as the second-placed team in the group behind Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, who garnered only three points with a minus-three goal difference, squeezed into the knockout round after finishing as one of the four best third-placed countries.

Nigeria will hope to win the AFCON for the fourth time on Sunday, while Ivory Coast is searching for their third title.