2025 AFCON (Q) - Togo: Nibombé with a qualification and his future on the line

Ahead of facing Liberia in Monrovia on Wednesday (16:00 GMT, matchday 5) and Equatorial Guinea on 17 November, Daré Nibombé is preparing for every eventuality: carrying on as head coach of the Togo Sparrowhawks (Eperviers) or seeing his spell end after three months.

Ambition without results

For a country that has not played at an Africa Cup of Nations finals since 2017, the messaging of Nibombé, who is starting out as a coach since earning his UEFA Pro licence, surprised many in his first public comments as Togo boss.

"The aim is to put Togo back on top of Africa, even the world, and simply to qualify for the 2025 AFCON," he said on 16 August after putting pen to paper on a 3-year contract. He repeated it two weeks later at his first press conference: "... The objective we've been given is to qualify Togo for the 2025 AFCON. We are all here for that and we badly want it... ", Nibombé added on 29 August, a few days before his debut in September against Liberia at the Stade de Kégué in Lomé (1-1).

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Beyond his tactical trial and error, his selections and where he has played them, notably captain Dakonam Djené, who is sometimes moved from centre-back to right-back, back up those who think he does not yet have what it takes to manage a struggling side like Togo. Since then, his record has been a rather underwhelming 2 draws and 2 defeats in 4 games.

Daré Nibombé under pressure

With two matchdays left in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, the Togolese coach is in a delicate position at the helm of the Eperviers. Supporters hoping their national team will return to the AFCON are increasingly anxious, while some feel he should be dismissed if they fail to qualify.

But the man himself does not appear worried. "My ambitions haven't changed. We'll take stock after the two games. I think mathematically there are still points to play for, and we'll go after those six points, and if at the end we do the sums and we're qualified, we go through. I'm still enthusiastic, I still believe. If we keep the same mindset and the same quality of play, there's a way to get a result in Monrovia before hosting Equatorial Guinea in Lomé," he said last October after the two defeats against Algeria.

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For Togo (2 points) to qualify for the next AFCON, the permutations are far from simple. They must win both games this month and then hope Equatorial Guinea (7 points) lose to Algeria on Thursday 14 November. Put simply, after this international break Daré Nibombé could either win a new place in the hearts of Togolese fans or wreck his coaching career.