by FSL News | 2 Aug, 2017 | African News
Ghanaian international Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has joined Turkish top-flight club Bursaspor on a season long loan from Italian club Udinese.
The powerful midfielder, who will be playing in the Super Lig next season after agreeing to join Bursaspor, has thanked his Italian club Udinese after they loaned him to Turkish side Bursaspor.
Agyemang-Badu, 26, posted on social media, “Wow wow wow, what a wonderful family I have been with for the past 7 years.”
“Thank you thank you for everything. God bless us all,” he added.
He has been at the club since 2010 after joining from Ghanaian side Berekum Chelsea.
The midfielder featured 29 times for Udinese last season as well making five appearances at the Africa Cup of Nations for the Black Stars.
He was a member of Ghana’s World Cup team in Brazil where the Black Stars failed to make it out of the group stage.
He has played 72 times for country with 11 goals to his name and was on the team that crashed out of the Africa Cup of Nations at the semi-final stage in Gabon.
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by FSL News | 28 Jul, 2017 | African News, Sport News
Sierra Leone home-based national team, has been paired against the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the first round knockout clash of the 2017 WAFU tournament.
The draw which was conducted last Thursday, July 27 at the Labadi beach hotel in Accra, Ghana will see Sierra Leone and Nigeria engaged each other with the winner advancing to group A.
While six others; Ghana and Gambia, Mali and Mauritania, Guinea and Guinea Guinea Bissau will all battle in the first round to get the final four teams in Group A whose matches will be played in Takoradi.
The similar rules also apply to the zone B sides as Senegal will take on Liberia, Burkina Faso battles Niger, Ivory Coast up against Togo an Benin taking on Cape Verde to also get the final four in Group B.
After the final eight teams would have been decided, the top two winners from each group will advance to the semi-final before getting the final two the grand-finale.
The WAFU tournament will be held at the Sekondi Stadium and the Cape Coast Stadium from 9th September to 24 September 2017 and 16 countries are; Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, host nation Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo will all participate.
GROUP A
Ghana vs. The Gambia
Nigeria vs Sierra Leone
Mali vs Mauritania
Guinea vs Guinea Bissau
GROUP B
Senegal vs Liberia
Burkina Faso vs Niger Republic
Cote d’Ivoire vs Togo
Benin Republic vs Cape Verde
Follow the writer @morrisjr88 By Sahr Morris Jr. – @football_sierra
by FSL News | 23 Jul, 2017 | African News
The next Africa Cup of Nations hosts can cater for an expanded 24-team finals, says the head of Cameroon’s FA.
After sweeping changes to the Nations Cup this week, the Central African nation will now have to prepare for eight more teams than expected.
“I spoke this morning with our country’s hierarchy and the decision is that Cameroon is ready to host,” Tombi A Roko Sidiki told BBC Sport.
After reports of slow progress in Cameroon, Morocco is keen to step in.
There are some countries who would like to host this competition but they should keep quiet
“Morocco will not hesitate for a second to respond favourably to any invitation to host this Nations Cup,” said the country’s FA president Faouzi Lekjaa.
Caf has announced that its inspection team will visit Cameroon in September with the country having had to deny reports its preparations were behind schedule.
Morocco was set to host the 2015 Nations Cup until it lost the finals following concerns over the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
The Moroccan capital Rabat hosted this week’s symposium on African football, where decisions such as moving the Nations Cup from January-February to June-July were taken.
This was among a raft of changes overseen by Ahmad, the Malagasy who was elected president of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) in March.
However, Sidiki is not impressed by the Moroccan manoeuvres with regard to the next Nations Cup.
“There are some countries who would like to host this competition but they should keep quiet and think about other editions and not 2019 because Cameroon will be ready,” he rallied.
Moving the Nations Cup to June allows Cameroon an extra five months to prepare for the finals.
Sidiki said he backed the expansion to 24 teams, a decision which Caf executive committee member Amaju Pinnick says will triple the African body’s income.
Despite the presence of debutants Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau in recent years, Sidiki believes the expansion will open up the finals to more teams that have never qualified.
“Cameroon has always been participating but in life, you don’t need to see only your position as you should think about those who are dreaming each year to be part of this famous competition.
“This is why we think this is a right and good decision.”
The country’s national team are the reigning African champions.
Source BBC
by FSL News | 20 Jul, 2017 | African News
24 teams will contest the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) when the next tournament takes place in 2019, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed.
CAF’s Executive Committee rubber-stamped the proposal on Thursday, at a meeting in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.
Africa’s flagship sporting event has featured 16 teams since 1996.
This implies that two teams from each of the 12 qualifying groups in the ongoing campaign, including the hosts, will sail through.
However, a decision on whether the finals will be moved from January and February to June and July is still awaited.
Meanwhile, Morocco is reported to have committed to hosting the 2019 event should Cameroon fail to cope with the burden of the expanded tournament.
The West African country that will be defending the title won in January will have recently been under pressure with critics doubting her preparedness for AFCON even before today’s development.
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by FSL News | 18 Jul, 2017 | African News
North London Premier League side, Arsenal, are reportedly weighing up a bid for Napoli’s Senegalese centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly.
The Gunners are in the market for a central defender and TMW claims that the Teranga Lions man is now Arsene Wenger’s top target.
Koulibaly, 26, has previously been linked with a move to Chelsea, but Antonio Conte’s side failed with several bids last year.
Arsenal have now made an approach but Napoli, for the moment at least, remains unwilling to sell their prized asset.
Kalidou Koulibaly was born and raised in France by Senegalese parents and was therefore eligible for both nations.
He played for the U-20 French side starting in 2011.
However, in early September 2015, Koulibaly changed federations and joined the Senegal national football team
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by FSL News | 16 Jul, 2017 | African News
Eight people have been killed during a Senegal football league final in Dakar in a stampede that broke out following clashes at the end of the match, the official APS news agency said.
A wall collapsed at Demba Diop Stadium on Saturday as people prepared to leave after the game between local teams Ouakam and Stade de Mbour, APS reported, adding much more were injured.
Police fired tear gas at clashing supporters from both teams who were throwing projectiles, and panic spread in the stadium leading to a crush.
Sports minister Matar Ba said a young girl was among the dead, while around 60 injured fans had been taken to health facilities in Dakar.
He vowed, “strong measures so that such an event will never be repeated in Senegal”.
At 2-1 during extra time, US Ouakam supporters began throwing stones at Stade de Mbour fans, causing spectators to begin vacating their seats in a rush, an AFP news agency journalist at the scene said.
Part of a wall supporting bleachers seating fans from both sides then collapsed as police started firing tear gas.
“All of a sudden, the wall fell. We knew some of our own had lost their lives because the wall fell directly onto people,” said Cheikh Maba Diop, a witness who helped evacuate victims from the stadium and lost a friend in the tragedy.
Campaigning for Senegal’s legislative elections due on July 30 would be suspended on Sunday in respect for the victims, said a spokesman for President Macky Sall.
Sall also wanted “punishments serving as a warning” following the tragedy, spokesman El Hamidou Kasse said on TFM television.
Senegal’s safety record at large gatherings has been heavily criticised this year after the death of dozens of people at a religious retreat in April when a fire ripped through makeshift shelters.
Source: News agencies
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