Nigeria’s Super Eagles will depart Ivory Coast on Monday by 2:45 PM after finishing second at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Ivory Coast beat the Super Eagles 1-2 in the final, stopping the Nigerian side from getting a fourth continental title on Sunday night.
Hours after the loss, the team is set to leave their hotel in Abidjan as they head back to Nigeria.
The departure is coming about one month after the team left Lagos for the Ivorian commercial capital.
Despite Sunday’s defeat, encomiums have continued to pour in for the three-time African champions.
President Bola Tinubu was among the first to hail the team for reaching the final of the competition, lauding their grit and determination to have gone far in the tournament.
A statement by his spokesman Ajuri Ngelale urged the team not to be dampened by the loss.
The statement said; “Let this passing event not dispirit us, but bring us together to work harder. We are a great nation bound as one by the green-white-green banner of resilience, joy, hope, duty, and untiring love,” Tinubu told the Super Eagles.
“To those cherished Nigerian youths expressing their gifts in communities, drawing lines in the sand as they play football in their humble rectangles of play, you can be our heroes tomorrow, do not relent in your pursuit. My administration is here to make dreams come true.”
State governors including Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Abia’s Alex Otti, Umar Baggo of Niger State, and Simi Fubara of Rivers State also praised Coach Jose Peseiro’s men for reaching the final of the 2023 AFCON.
In separate remarks, they hailed the Super Eagles for making Nigeria proud by defying the odds to reach the tournament’s final.
According to them, Nigeria’s outing in Ivory Coast reflects the country’s position as a strong footballing nation on the continent.
After the AFCON, Nigeria’s attention will now shift to the qualification race for the 2026 World Cup. The Super Eagles who are two points behind Group C leaders Rwanda will be aiming to resuscitate their campaign when they welcome the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in June.
