by FSL News | 30 Aug, 2018 | African News
Morocco will represent UNAF at next year’s Total U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Tanzania after finishing tops in the zonal qualifying series.
The Atlas Cubs maintained their unbeaten run, beating Tunisia 1-0 in the ultimate match on Tuesday in Monastir. In a highly tempered match that saw ten players cautioned (five from each side), Akram Nakach scored the only goal of the match on 21 minutes. It was the third victory for Morocco after previous wins over Libya in Algeria.
In the other match in Sousse, Algeria and Libya played to a 1-1 draw. Riad Rahmoun opened the score sheet for Algeria on 24 minutes before Abraheem Almost drew level nine minutes later.
After the round-robin matches, Morocco finished on nine points, Algeria on four points whilst Tunisia three points and a point.
Morocco will now join the likes of Uganda (CECAFA), Angola (COSAFA) and Cameroon (UNIFFAC) who have qualified alongside host Tanzania for next year’s finals. The remaining three slots will be known in a fortnight after the completion of the qualifiers for WAFU A (two teams) and WAFU B (one team).
Complete Results
Monday 20 August 2018
Tunisia 1-0 Libya
Morocco 5-2 Algeria
Friday 24 August 2018
Morocco 1-0 Libya
Algeria 2-0 Tunisia
Tuesday 28 August 2018
Tunisia 0-1 Morocco
Libya 1-1 Algeria
Final Standings
1- Morocco (9 points)
2- Algeria (4 points)
3- Tunisia (3 points)
4- Libya (1 point)
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by FSL News | 29 Aug, 2018 | African News
The Walias of Ethiopia will face ‘Les Hirondelles’ of Burundi on September 2, 2018, in an international friendly contest in Hawassa.
The test match will be played six days before Ethiopia’s showdown with Sierra Leone at the same venue in one of Group F African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Burundi match is part of coach Abraham Mebratu‘s preparation for Sierra Leone after the much talked about friendly with Eritrea did not materialize.
The Ethiopians are desperate for their first maximum points in the Group after a bad start away to the Black Stars of Ghana losing 5-0 in the qualifiers opener while Sierra Leone defeated the Harambee Stars of Kenya 2-1 in the other fixture in Freetown June 2017.
Cameroon 2019 Group F standings
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by FSL News | 26 Aug, 2018 | African News
Senegal coach Aliou Cisse has named five uncapped players in his 23-man squad for the Teranga Lions’ 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Madagascar next month.
France-born goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, defender Pape Abu Cisse, Sidy Sarr as well as forwards Amath Ndiaye and Mbaye Diagne in his squad.
The fixture, on 9 September in Antananarivo, will be Senegal’s first since their early exit from the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Senegal narrowly failed to get past the group stage despite opening with a 2-1 win over Poland, before being held 2-2 by Japan and then losing 1-0 to Colombia.
Seven players from the World Cup squad have been omitted including first-choice goalkeeper Khadim Ndiaye.
Pape Alioune Ndiaye, Kara Mbodj, Mame Diouf and Diafra Sakho are also missing and Moussa Wagué is injured, while Moussa Sow has retired from international duty.
Ibrahima Mbaye and Opa Nguette have both earned recalls, while experienced star quintet of Sadio Mané, Kalidou Koulibaly, Idrissa Gueye, Keita Baldé and Mbaye Niang complete the strong squad.
Senegal began their campaign to qualify for the 2019 Nations Cup in Cameroon with a comfortable 3-0 home win to visiting Equatorial Guinea in June last year.
The West Africans are currently top of Group A on goal difference after second-placed Madagascar managed a 3-1 win in Sudan.
The top two from the four-team pool will qualify for next year’s finals.
Senegal squad:
Goalkeepers: Abdoulaye Diallo (Rennes, France), Alfred Gomis (SPAL, Italy), Edouard Mendy (Reims, France).
Defenders: Ibrahima Mbaye (Bologna, Italy), Pape Abdou Cissé (Olympiakos, Greece), Lamine Gassama (Göztepe, Turkey), Adama Mbengue (Caen, France), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli, Italy), Salif Sané (Schalke, Germany), Youssouf Sabaly (Bordeaux, France)
Midfielders: Cheikhou Kouyaté (Crystal Palace, England), Sidy Sarr (Châteauroux, France), Idrissa Gana Gueye (Everton, England), Cheikh Ndoye (Angers, France), Alfred Ndiaye (Malaga, Spain)
Forwards: Mbaye Niang (Torino, Italy), Ismaïla Sarr (Rennes, France), Keita Baldé (Inter Milan, Italy), Moussa Konaté (Amiens, France), Mbaye Diagne (Kasimpasa, Turkey), Sadio Mané (Liverpool, England), Opa Nguette (Metz, France), Amath Ndiaye (Getafe, Spain)
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by FSL News | 17 Aug, 2018 | African News
Fifa says the government of Ghana has pledged to stop the process to dissolve the country’s football association (GFA) over corruption allegations.
Earlier this week football’s world governing body gave Ghana until 27 August to withdraw a court case or face a global ban from football.
A Ghana high court petition, brought by the attorney general to have the football association liquidated, came in the wake of a film alleging corruption.
Fifa said the two sides had on Thursday agreed to work together “to offer leadership in reforming football administration in Ghana and in Africa.”
In addition Fifa said it would be working with the government “to eradicate corruption and malfeasance and other associated criminal conduct from the administration of football in Ghana.”
The two sides will set up a so-called “normalisation committee” to administer football in the country as well as a task force to create disciplinary, governance and auditing mechanisms.
“Satisfied with the above measures, the Ghanaian government shall take steps to discontinue the process for the winding up of the Ghana Football Association,” Fifa added.
However Fifa did not explicitly state that it had withdrawn its threat to suspend the GFA. Such a ban would mean the country’s national teams would be barred from international competition.
The GFA became embroiled in a scandal when its president Kwesi Nyantakyi was filmed by an investigative journalist in a hotel room appearing to take $65,000 in cash from a supposed businessman seeking to sponsor the Ghanaian football league.
Nyantakyi resigned from his posts as GFA president and from the posts he held with Fifa and the Confederation of African Football (Caf). He denies any wrongdoing.
Fifa, suspended Nyantakyi for 90 days on 8 June but he has now left his role on the Fifa Council.
Despite having itself suspended Nyantakyi, Fifa does not accept third party interference in its member federations and had therefore threatened to ban the GFA over the government’s action.
BBC Sports
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by FSL News | 17 Aug, 2018 | African News
Four more teams can progress to the quarter-finals of the African Champions League this weekend after the fifth round of group matches.
Title-holders Wydad Casablanca of Morocco and eight-time winners Al Ahly of Egypt will both advance with wins.
Mouloudia Alger of Algeria and Primeiro Agosto of Angola both need to win and other results to go their way to qualify for the last eight.
DR Congo’s TP Mazembe along with Tunisia duo Esperance and Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia have already progressed.
Group A kicks off on Friday with already-qualified Esperance hosting Al Ahly in Tunis.
The Egyptians have managed to win on their last two visits to Esperance and will be looking to improve on their goalless home draw against the Tunis club three months ago.
Both teams are in good form after back-to-back victories over Township Rollers of Botswana and Kampala Capital City Authority of Uganda respectively.
“My target is simply to win every match,” stressed Al Ahly coach Patrice Carteron, the club’s first French coach.
KCCA host Rollers on Saturday with the two teams looking to avoid finishing bottom of the group.#
There is also a Friday evening match in Group B as Algeria’s Entente Setif host five-time champions Mazembe, who have already advanced.
A win for Setif would ensure that their local rivals Mouloudia Alger would not be able to clinch a quarter-final place this weekend.
However if Setif lose then Mouloudia would seal the second place with a win on Saturday in Morocco over winless Difaa el Jadida bring up the rear.
A draw for Setif would mean the second place from the group would be decided by their derby game against Mouloudia at the end of the August.
Friday’s match in Group C sees Guinea’s Horoya host Port of Togo while on Saturday South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns travel to play holders Wydad Casablanca.
The match in Morocco is a clash of the last two winners of the title and Wydad will earn a place in the last eight with a win.
Horoya are on five points from four matches while Port are on three and both know that a win will keep them in contention to progress.
Both Group D matches will be played on Saturday with Primeiro hoping to join Etoile du Sahel in the quarter-finals.
If the Angolan side are to reach the last eight with a match to spare they will have to win at Etoile du Sahel as well as banking on Zesco United of Zambia defeating Mbabane Swallows in eSwatini.
Primeiro coached by Serbian Zoran Manojlovic are still the likeliest team to join Etoile as they host Swallows in their final group match.
©BBC Sports
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by FSL News | 10 Aug, 2018 | African News
Football’s world governing body, FIFA has banned former Zambian international and FA boss, Kalusha Bwalya for two years.
It follows a Fifa investigation into his links to banned Qatari official Mohammed Bin Hammam.
The FIFA adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee banned Kalusha, a member of the executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), for two years after concluding its investigations.
“The investigation against Mr Bwalya was opened on 28 February 2017, and focused principally on benefits that Mr Bwalya had received from Mr Bin Hammam,” a statement from FIFA read.
The adjudicatory chamber found Mr Bwalya guilty of having violated art. 16 (Confidentiality) and art. 20 (Offering and accepting gifts and other benefits) of the FIFA Code of Ethics.
“A fine in the amount of 100,000 Swiss francs ($100,600, £78,900) was also imposed on Mr Bwalya,” the statement added.
The decision was notified to Mr Bwalya today, and the ban comes into force immediately.
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