Niger national football team
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| Nickname(s) | Ménas | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Fédération Nigerienne de Football | ||
| Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Gernot Rohr | ||
| Captain | Moussa Maâzou | ||
| Home stadium | Stade Seyni Kountché | ||
| FIFA code | NIG | ||
| FIFA ranking | 100 | ||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 68 (November 1994) | ||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 196 (August 2002) | ||
| Elo ranking | 121 | ||
| Highest Elo ranking | 103 (July 1991) | ||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 146 (December 1980) | ||
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| First international | |||
 Niger 2–2 Chad  (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; 25 December 1961) |
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| Biggest win | |||
Niger 7–1 Mauritania  (Niamey, Niger; 12 October 1990) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||
 Congo 10–0 Niger (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; 27 December 1961) |
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| Africa Cup of Nations | |||
| Appearances | 2 (First in 2012) | ||
| Best result | Group Stage | ||
The Niger national football team, nicknamed the Menas,[1][2] is overseen by the Fédération Nigerienne de Football and a member of CAF. Niger plays in the colors of the Flag of Niger, white, green, and orange. Their nickname comes from the Dama Gazelle, native to Niger, the Hausa name of which is Meyna or Ménas[3] The Dama appears on their badge in the colors of the national flag.
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History [edit]
Although one of the weaker sides in the strong West Africa region, Niger has produced a couple of noteworthy runs in qualifying tournaments.
One of their best performances was in the 1982 World Cup qualifiers, in which Niger eliminated Somalia and Togo on away goals, but were beaten by Algeria in the third round where only eight teams were left. Notable players in this run included Jacques Komlan, Hassane Adamou and Moussa Kanfideni.
In 1990 they set one record – they trashed Mauritania 7–1 in continental qualifiers, which is for now the highest win for the Mena.
In the 2004 African Nations Cup qualifiers, Niger won all their home games (including a win over Guinea) to finish on 9 points, just 3 short of qualification.
The Niger squad is also plagued by financial concerns, which have caused them to withdraw from international tournaments on more than one occasion. The Niger FA would have turned to fundraising to pay for their trip to the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola, had they qualified.[4]
In June 2008, Romanian coach Dan Anghelescu[5] took over as team manager from Hamey Amadou, who was dismissed. Anghelescu had been coaching in Africa since 1999, training teams from Algeria, Tunisia and Burkina Faso. On 19 December 2008, Anghelescu was dismissed after a disastrous six-month spell. Former Niger U-17 coach Frederic Costa was appointed the new head coach of the Niger national side. Harouna Doula Gabde, a former Nigerien international, succeeded them in 2009.[6]
Despite a failed run for ACON2010, Niger hosted and won the UEMOA Tournament in November 2010, and followed up with their first ever qualification for the African Nations Championship in February 2011.[7]
On 10 October 2010, Niger earned a shock 1–0 win over Egypt at home in the 2012 African Cup of Nations qualification.
After home wins -- but away losses -- over South Africa and Sierra Leone, on 8 October 2011 Niger qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in its history, despite losing 3-0 in Egypt. [8][9] Niger, South Africa and Sierra Leone all ended with nine points, but Niger qualified thanks to their superior head-to-head record against their rivals.
On African Nations Cup Niger have been placed in Group C against co-hosts Gabon, Tunisia and Morocco. In their opening match Gabon made a comfortable 2-0 win against debutants. In second match Tunisia beat Niger 2-1 in Libreville. After Youssef Msakni dribbled his way through for a fine goal after just four minutes, William Tonji Ngounou made history when scoring Niger's first Nations Cup goal. But the Issam Jemaa's goal was cruel on the Nigeriens, who dominated the Group C encounter at times. In the third match Niger lost to Morocco 0-1. Younes Belhanda scored on the assist of Marouane Chamakh just 11 minutes from time. [10]
Niger repeated success in African Nations Cup qualifiers, beating Guinea, thus qualifying to 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Guinea won the first match 1-0, but Niger won 2-0 in return leg, and sent its fans into delirium. [11] Scorers for another historical success were Chicoto Mohamed and Issoufou Boubacar Garba.
In their first match on 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, they lost to Mali 1-0, at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. The Eagles captain Seydou Keita handed his side the hard-fought victory five minutes before the end of the encounter. Niger earned their first point at the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations after holding DR Congo to a 0-0 draw. In the third match Ghana outclassed Niger 3-0 to reach the quarterfinals of the African Nations Cup as Group B winners. [12] Niger finished bottom of the group.
Competition records [edit]
World Cup record [edit]
- 1930 to 1974 – Did not enter
- 1978 to 1982 – Did not qualify
- 1986 – Withdrew
- 1990 – Did not enter
- 1994 – Did not qualify
- 1998 – Withdrew
- 2002 – Did not enter
- 2006 to 2010 – Did not qualify
Africa Cup of Nations record [edit]
- 1957 to 1968 – Did not enter
- 1970 to 1972 – Did not qualify
- 1974 – Withdrew
- 1976 – Did not qualify
- 1978 to 1980 – Withdrew
- 1982 – Did not enter
- 1984 – Did not qualify
- 1986 to 1990 – Did not enter
- 1992 to 1994 – Did not qualify
- 1996 – Withdrew during qualifying
- 1998 – Disqualified for withdrawing in 1996
- 2000 to 2010 – Did not qualify
- 2012 – Group stage
- 2013 – Group stage
Head-to-Head Records against other countries [edit]
As of March 28, 2011
| Opponent | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Differential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Algeria |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | −10 |
 Angola |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 |
 Benin |
13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 20 | −4 |
 Botswana |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
 Burkina Faso |
11 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 16 | −4 |
 Cameroon |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 |
| Chad |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Congo |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 |
 Ivory Coast |
12 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 28 | −19 |
 Egypt |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 |
 Equatorial Guinea |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
 Ethiopia |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
 Gabon |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 |
 Gambia |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
 Ghana |
10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 35 | −31 |
 Guinea |
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 |
 Lesotho |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
 Liberia |
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | −4 |
 Libya* |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | −4 |
 Mali |
7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | −5 |
| Mauritania |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 |
 Morocco |
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 14 | −12 |
 Namibia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
 Nigeria |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 |
 Senegal |
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 |
 Sierra Leone |
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 14 | −3 |
 Somalia |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
 South Africa |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 |
 Togo |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 11 | −1 |
 Uganda |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 |
| 30 Countries | 127 | 29 | 27 | 69 | 113 | 238 | −125 |
- Match versus Libya in November 2010 finished 1–1, after which Niger lost 4–1 in penalty shootout. Under the rules of Association football and the official European Championship tournament regulations, a loss inflicted via a penalty shootout does not count as a defeat, but rather a tie which needed a final process to determine the team which advances.
Recent results and forthcoming fixtures [edit]
| 20 January 2013 20:00 |
Mali |
1–0 | Niger |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Slim Jedidi (Tunisia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Keita  84' |
Report |
| 24 January 2013 20:00 |
Niger |
0–0 |  Congo DR |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Bouchaib El-Ahrach (Morocco) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report |
| 28 January 2013 19:00 |
Niger |
0–3 | Ghana |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Badara Diatta (Senegal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Gyan 6' Atsu 23'Boye 49' |
| Niger formation on their debut on African Nations Cup (2012-01-23 against Gabon) |
Current squad [edit]
The following players were called up for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations:
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List of coaches [edit]
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References [edit]
- ^ Orange 2012 Afcon qualifiers :130 Million FCFA for the Menas. 22/05/2011 StarAfrica sports.
- ^ Menas to test Pharaohs form. Confederation of African Football. 10-09-2010
- ^ Dama Gazelle Nanger dama. Sahara Conservation Fund, 2007, 2011.
- ^ "Project MENA is dedicated to assisting MENA, the Niger national soccer team. The project aimed to raise enough money to send the team to compete for the 2010 African Cup in Angola.".
- ^ "Announcement about Dan Anghelescu becoming the manager of Niger". (French)
- ^ FACTBOX-Soccer-Factbox on African Nations Cup finalists Niger. 2012-01-18, Reuters.
- ^ CHAN 2011 : Un Niger héroïque mais éliminé par le Soudan - Football/CHAN 2011 - RFI 2011-02-19
- ^ "Niger in historic qualification despite Cairo loss". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
- ^ Fixtures, results and tables for the qualifiers for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations to be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. BBC Sport.
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16803984
- ^ http://www.mtnfootball.com/africa/african-tournaments/2013-afcon-qualifiers/
- ^ http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=263428
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/2514163.stm
External links [edit]
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