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Nine teams including Nigeria’s arch-rival Egypt will compete for the 11 titles at stake in the competition.
Other teams listed for the tournament are Seychelles, South Africa, Algeria, Madagascar, Tunisia, Morocco, Angola and host – Mauritius.
Coach Jimmy Vel of Seychelles said the inability of Nigeria to be part of the tournament will give Egypt the chance to mop up all the titles. He however took solace in the fact that the tournament would help his players to improve their game.
“I don’t know why that a nation like Nigeria will not be at this tournament considering their contribution to the sport in the continent and worldwide. There is no doubt that their inability to be part of this year’s AJC has indeed denied the competition the expected glamour and excitement that the team is known for. We in Seychelles wanted to come here and learn from nations like Nigeria because to me they are the best.
But not seeing them here alone psychologically has affected most of the teams. My players have been asking whether Nigeria is coming because some of them are fans of Aruna Quadri and they are eager to see his compatriots perform in Mauritius,” Vel said
For the Coach Patrick Sahajasein of Mauritius, the absence of Nigeria has really dampened the spirit of his team for the AJC.
Sahajasein, who is familiar with the quality of Nigerian playerssaid they are all looking forward to seeing the team in Mauritius.
“I know that if Nigeria has been here, Egypt will not be having a field day at the AJC. It is disappointing that Nigeria is not coming and even before the commencement of the tournament, the feeling among all the participating teams is that the tournament is for Egypt to win.
But this will not discourage my players from giving their best because from what I saw at the WJC, the Egyptians are beatable,” Sahajasein said.
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