The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday opened a new office in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled for next year.

The opening of the office constituted a concrete step toward CAF’s goal to organize “an unprecedented football championship” in Cameroon, said CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba, who inaugurated the office together with Cameroon’s Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi.

“CAF will be present here from now to the end of the competition. This [inauguration of the office] demonstrates our willingness to really work in collaboration with local authorities for the complete success of AFCON,” Mosengo-Omba told reporters at a press conference.

Officials said that CAF staff will work closely with the local organizing committee in various departments and deliverables in the next few months in the build-up to flagship tournament.

“Again, I want to stress that AFCON will be organised in this wonderful country next year, that is why we are opening the office,” Mosengo-Omba said, dispelling rumours of Cameroon’s inability to host the tournament due to delays in preparations and security concerns.

The Africa Cup of Nations will take place in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6 next year.

The biennial competition has been moved twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Xinhuanet

Aside the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League (UCL) is by far the most prestigious football competition across the world – by virtue of its popularity and reach.

The pool of players participating means that an there is always a medley of playesr from across all continents represented on the field.

This adds to the UCL vibe as people across the world support nationals from their country who play in the league.

On May 29, 2021, the final of the 2020 / 2021 edition of the UCL took place in Porto with Manchester City facing Chelsea.

The African interests were squarely in Algeria (Riyad Mahrez of City) and Senegal and Morocco (Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech respectively of Chelsea).

In the end, Mendy in the Chelsea goal kept out Mahrez and all of City’s attacking power to ensure that Thomas Tuchel’s side emerged victorious – winning their second UCL. Ziyech on the other hand played a less prominent role in the win.

Below is a list of winners (countries, clubs and season)

26 – Hakim Ziyech (Morocco) : Chelsea FC, 2020 – 2021

25 – Edouard Mendy (Senegal) : Chelsea FC, 2020 – 2021

24 – Naby Keita (Guinea) : Liverpool FC, 2018 – 2019

23 – Mohamed Salah (Egypt) : Liverpool FC, 2018 – 2019

22 – Sadio Mane (Senegal) : Liverpool FC, 2018 – 2019

21 – Joel Matip (Cameroon) : Liverpool FC, 2018 – 2019

20 – Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) : Real Madrid FC, 2017-2018

19 – Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) : Chelsea FC, 2011-2012

18 – Salomon Kalou (Ivory Coast) : Chelsea FC, 2011-2012

17 – Michael Essien (Ghana) : Chelsea FC, 2011-2012

16 – John Obi Mikel (Nigeria) : Chelsea FC, 2011-2012

15 – McDonald Mariga (Kenya) : Inter Milan 2009 – 2010

14 – Sulley Muntari (Ghana) : Inter Milan, 2009-2010

13 – Seydou Keita (Mali) : FC Barcelona, 2008-2009, 2010-2011

12 – Yaya Touré (Côte d’Ivoire) : FC Barcelona, 2008-2009

11 – Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) – FC Barcelona, 2005-2006, 2008-2009, Inter Milan, 2009-2010

10 – Djimi Traoré (Mali) : Liverpool FC, 2004-2005

9 – Benni McCarthy (South Africa) : FC Porto, 2003-2004

8 – Samuel Kuffour (Ghana) : FC Bayern Munich 2000-2001

7 – Geremi Njitap (Cameroon) – Real madrid, 1999 -2000, 2001 -2002

6 – Ibrahim Tanko (Ghana) : Borussia Dortmund 1996-1997

5 – Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria) : Ajax, 1994-1995

4 – Finidi George (Nigeria) : Ajax, 1994-1995

3 – Abedi Pelé (Ghana) : Olympique de Marseille, 1992-1993

2 – Rabah Madjer (Algeria) : FC Porto, 1986-1987

1 – Bruce Grobbelaar (Zimbabwe) : Liverpool FC, 1983-1984

Culled from Ghanaweb

The four qualifiers for the semi-finals of the African Champions League will be known Saturday night.

The Algerians of Belouizdad have a strong chance to be part of this final four, after having crashed Esperance of Tunis by 2-0 in the first leg. However, Algeria will have to be wary of the four-time winners of the competition.

Serbian coach Manoljovic has a clear message. For him there’s no way his team is content to defend, they will have to score to avoid any suspense.

“All staff and the players can’t have a 0-0 on our minds. We want to win the game and I hope the players will also be very strong, emotional and (strong) psychologically because it’s a very hard game”, said Belouizdad head coach, Zoran Manojlovic.

Another North African derby decisive for a place in the last four, Wydad Casablanca, semi-finalists in the last edition, hosts Mouloudia a week after the 1-1 draw in Algiers.

In search of a third African crown, after those of 1992 and 2017, the Red and White start as favorites but remain focused like their Moroccan international defender Salaheddine Saidi.

“We will have an important and decisive match, the match will not be easy, usually, like these Maghrebins derby, always know a lot of competition, I think, the result of the first leg match can make our task a little easier, but on condition if we would play our role as we should”, Saidi said.

In case of qualification, Wydad would face Kaizer Chiefs of Soweto in the semi-finals.

The South Africans have little to fear from Tanzanian Simba, who were swept aside 4-0 in the first round.

Mamelodi Sundowns, on the other hand, have a tough challenge ahead of them: to come back from a two-goal deficit to the reigning African champions, Al Ahly of Egypt, led by their former coach Pitso Mosimane.

Source: African News

Its been confirmed, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon will face everlasting foes, Super Eagles of Nigeria in a classic international friendly next month.

This comes after both nations opted to stay active despite CAF’s decision to push forward the 2022 FIFA world cup qualifiers from The June FIFA window to the September 2021 window.

The old age foes fold will have to fold their sleeves for another round of bare-knuckled battle when they clash in the Austria next month.

It will be the first meeting between the West African neighbors since that nail-biting five-goal thriller in the eight final of the July 2019 which handed Nigeria an AFCON quarter-final berth after winning by an odd goal.

Overall, Cameroon and Nigeria have met 23 times with Nigeria the most successful in their meetings as they have won 12 times and lost only four of those games, with the rest ending up in draws.

Their first official meeting dates back to 1960 in an international friendly with the game ending in a barren draw.

Nigeria then tasted identical 3-1 victories in the next two meetings, one a tie at the Nkrumah Cup in 1961 and the following year in an international friendly.

Their most recent meeting was during the Total Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2019 round of 16, which Nigeria won 3-2. Of those 23 meetings between these two African greats, seven have been at the AFCON including three final meetings which Cameroon emerged victors.

The upcoming meeting will provide an opportunity for coach Gernot Rohr of Nigeria and Antonio Conceição to have more details about their teams before the start of the 2022 FIFA world cup qualifiers in September.

Source: Sunnewsonline

The Nigeria Football Federation have opened talks with Fédération Camerounaise de Football (FECAFOOT) over the possibility of the Super Eagles and the Indomitable Lions facing off in an international friendly in Austria next month, Bill Tchato, General Coordinator of the Cameroon national teams has revealed.

At the request of the Confederation of African Football, FIFA has postponed the first two matchdays of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, earlier scheduled for June, to September 2021.

FIFA postponed the qualifiers so that work could be completed on some of the stadiums that do not meet international standards.

Nigeria were due to face Liberia and Cape Verde before the 2022 World Cup qualifiers schedule was revised last week.

Source: Sunnewsonline

The delayed CAF Super Cup match between Al Ahly of Egypt and Renaissance Berkane of Morocco will be played on May 28 in Doha, the organisers confirmed Monday.

Coronavirus and disagreements over the venue led to several postponements of the annual fixture between the winners of the CAF Champions League and the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup.

Last November, Ahly beat Zamalek 2-1 in an all-Egypt Champions League final and Berkane edged another Egyptian club, Pyramids, 1-0 to lift the Confederation Cup.

This will be third consecutive Super Cup match to be staged in Qatar, who will host the 2022 World Cup, the first to be staged in the Middle East.

Previously asked why an African match was being played in Asia, a CAF official said taking the game outside the continent helped to “broaden the appeal of the Super Cup”.

Traditionally, the match was hosted by the African champions, leading them to win 21 of 23 matches between 1996 and 2018.

But the switch to Doha saw successive victories by the Confederation Cup title-holders, Raja Casablanca of Morocco and Zamalek.

Ahly have won the Super Cup a record six times in eight appearances while Berkane are debutants.

Source: AFP

Belgian Hugo Broos will replace sacked Molefi Ntseki as coach of South Africa, national football association chief executive Tebogo Motlanthe said in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Broos, 69, coached Cameroon to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations title, but was fired the following year after poor showings in the Confederation Cup and 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

He has signed a five-year contract with South Africa having been jobless since quitting as caretaker coach of Belgian club KV Oostende in 2019.

A defender who made 24 appearances for Belgium, his other experience of Africa was being employed by Algerian clubs JS Kabylie and NA Hussein Dey during a 33-year coaching career.

Motlanthe said Broos was chosen due to his “experience and ability and passion to work with young players”.

“He has been watching our games and picked up where we are going wrong. The plan that he will be coming with will be to get (us) back to where we belong as a football country.”

Since winning the Cup of Nations for the only time as 1996 hosts, South Africa have steadily faded as an African powerhouse and were ranked 15th in the continent and 75th in the world last month.

South Africa are in a 2022 World Cup qualifying group with Ghana, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia, and only the team finishing first advances to the final elimination phase.

The first qualifiers, scheduled for June, are likely to be postponed until September because match venues in many countries do not meet international standards.

Ntseki was fired in March after South Africa lost in Sudan and failed to qualify for the 2021 Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Source: AFP

Benin refused to play a decisive African Cup of Nations qualifying game in Sierra Leone on Tuesday after disputing that five of its players had tested positive for Covid-19 just before kickoff and should be ruled out of the match.

The farce left the final place at next year’s African Cup undecided on the last day of qualifying. Sierra Leone needed to win at home to reach the tournament for the first time in 25 years. Benin needed only a draw.

The dramatic final qualifying day for the 2021 tournament in Cameroon also saw a referee collapse, leading to a match between the Ivory Coast and Ethiopia being abandoned 10 minutes from time.

There were five qualifying places up for grabs and Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania took four with Benin or Sierra Leone set to join them.

In the Benin game, the positive tests were announced just before kickoff in Freetown. Two hours after the scheduled kickoff time, and with no sign of the Benin team, the Sierra Leone Football Association announced the game had been canceled and that the Confederation of African Football would have to make a ruling on what happens next.

The Benin squad was reportedly already heading for the airport to take a flight home.

Rows over Covid-19 tests have plagued African football since last year with host national teams and clubs accused of producing false positive results to deprive opponents of stars.

Talks between Sierra Leone, Benin and Confederation of African Football (CAF) officials in Freetown failed to resolve the standoff as both squads remained in their hotels.

Tournament plagued by Covid-19 problems

The 2021 African Cup qualifying competition has been plagued by teams crying foul over local authorities’ Covid-19 tests.

Kenya complained when four key players were ruled ineligible for a qualifier in Togo on Monday, also after test results were announced on the day of the game. Kenya federation president Nick Mwendwa said the players forced out of the game had all tested negative in Kenya days earlier.

Ivory Coast’s game against Ethiopia on Tuesday ended 10 minutes early after Ghanaian referee Charles Bulu collapsed and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. The fourth official was from Ivory Coast and couldn’t officiate.

Ivory Coast was winning 3-1 with goals by Willy Boly, Franck Kessié and Jean Evrard Kouassi when the game ended with no more play. Although Ethiopia’s football federation said the result would be canceled, both teams have qualified.

Despite the loss, Ethiopia went through when Madagascar drew 0-0 with Niger in the other Group K game. Ivory Coast had already reached the finals.

Madagascar fail

Ethiopia, who were trailing 3-1 at the time, still qualified as shock 2019 quarter-finalists Madagascar were held 0-0 in Toamasina and had to settle for third place.

Willy Boly and Franck Kessie gave the Ivorians a two-goal half-time advantage and after Getaneh Kebede reduced arrears on 74 minutes, Jean Kouassi quickly scored a third goal for the hosts.

Guinea-Bissau beat Congo Brazzaville 3-0 in Bissau to overtake them and claim the second Group I ticket to the finals behind Senegal.

Piqueti broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time and Frederic Mendy and Jorginho netted in the closing stages to seal a third straight qualification.

A Faisal Bangal own-goal condemned Mozambique to a 1-0 defeat in Maputo by Cape Verde, who qualified from Group F behind a Cameroon team that drew 0-0 with 10-man Rwanda in Douala.

Aboubakar Kamara scored in first-half stoppage time for Mauritania to earn a 1-0 win over the Central African Republic in Bangui.

In matches where only pride was at stake, Senegal needed a stoppage-time Cheikhou Kouyate goal to salvage a 1-1 draw with Eswatini in Thies and Nigeria outplayed Lesotho 3-0 in Lagos.

Victor Osimhen netted for the fifth time in qualifying to give the Nigerians a half-time advantage that was stretched by goals from Oghenekaro Etebo and Paul Onuachu.

Group E winners Morocco defeated Burundi 1-0 in another dead rubber with Munir el Haddadi netting just before half-time.

Qualifiers for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations include:

Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Comoros, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe.

Note: Benin or Sierra Leone will complete the list

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)

South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe is the new president of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) after being elected unopposed on Friday.

The 59-year-old’s path to the presidency was cleared over the last week when his rival candidates for the presidency withdrew from the race, while another rival – Madagascar’s Ahmad – was barred from running.

Who is Caf’s new billionaire president Motsepe?

Addressing a gathering of Africa’s member associations at the elections venue in the Moroccan capital Rabat, Motsepe stressed his belief in how unity can herald a new era for African football.

“It’s a huge honour and privilege for me [to be Caf president],” said Motsepe, Africa’s ninth-richest person according to Forbes magazine.

“Let me thank my brother [Fifa president] Gianni [Infantino] for the vision and encouragement of unity. We can only deal with the challenges of Africa and we will succeed, but we will only do so when we are united.”

Motsepe then turned to Africa’s assembled member association presidents and Executive Committee as he looked towards a brighter future.

“The leadership we have in Africa [and] the leadership we have of football in every country gives me confidence and inspires me.

“I am absolutely confident that by working together, we will indeed succeed to make African football not just reach the summit but be amongst the best in the world.”

Motsepe, the owner of 2016 African champions Mamelodi Sundowns, one of South Africa’s most successful teams, has previously spoken of his desire to see an African team win the World Cup.

During the General Assembly, the 52 members present – with Chad, whose FA was dissolved by the government on Thursday, and Eritrea the only countries failing to attend – voted to expand the number of Caf vice-presidents from three to five.

Elections for both Caf’s Executive Committee and for Africa’s representation on the Fifa Council are also being held – with results expected shortly.

Source: BBC

Nigeria have called up Napoli striker Victor Osimhen for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin and Lesotho after a difficult time in Italy, officials said Tuesday.

Osimhen had been sidelined for more than three months with a shoulder injury and was forced to apologise after images of him partying without wearing a mask were shared on social media, since his club-record transfer to Italy from French club Lille in September.

He was then hospitalised last month after a nasty fall in a defeat against Atalanta in which he hit his head, but scored on his reason this weekend in a 3-1 win over Bologna.

He has netted four goals in the qualifiers so far.

Nigeria visit Benin on March 27 before they host Lesotho on Lagos three days later to conclude the qualifying series for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be staged next year in Cameroon.

The Eagles lead their qualifying group with eight points, closely followed by Benin, who have seven points.

Sierra Leone have three points with only the top two teams advancing to the tournament proper.

Also called up to the 24-man squad are uncapped Sadiq Umar from Spanish second-tier club Almeria and Enyimba goalkeeper John Noble.

Umar has been on blistering form for Almeria, scored 14 goals as his club look set to return to the Spanish top flight.

Noble was the hero when Enyimba edged past fellow Nigerian club Rivers United on penalties to qualify for the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup.

He is the only player from the domestic league in the main squad and has been listed alongside Sparta Rotterdam ‘keeper Maduka Okoye and Francis Uzoho, who was the country’s No. 1 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Captain Ahmed Musa was a surprise inclusion as he has been a free agent since October and coach Gernot Rohr has often maintained he will not consider players without a club.

Source: AFP