by FSL News | 1 Jul, 2017 | African News
Belhanda completed his €8million move from Dynamo Kiev on Friday, signing a four-year deal, with Galatasaray set to make further payments if they return to the Champions League.
The 27-year-old started his career at French club Montpellier and has had spells in Ukraine and Germany and he spent last season on loan at Ligue 1 side Nice.
“I’ve joined the biggest club in Turkey and after two years without the title, I hope my coming will change that,” Belhanda told the club’s official website.
He becomes Galatasaray’s third signing of the season after Brazilian defender Maicon and French forward Bafetimbi Gomis.
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by FSL News | 29 Jun, 2017 | African News
The president of the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), Jamal Malinzi, has been arrested by the country’s Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau.
He was detained along with the TFF’s secretary general Selestine Mwesigwa.
The Anti-graft agency has confirmed that it will continue to hold all the other accused as investigations proceed. The duo was held overnight and faces a second round of questioning on Thursday.
Bureau spokesperson Musa Misalaba added the pair will stay in custody until further notice as they are questioned.
The detention comes after a lengthy investigation by the bureau. Details of the specific allegations are yet to be made public.
Misalaba said the bureau is continuing to investigate other federation officials over similar allegations.
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by FSL News | 29 Jun, 2017 | African News
The International Federation of Football Associations, FIFA has decided to suspend the activities of the Sudan Football Association (SFA) starting from Friday.
On 30 April 2017, a group backed by the government and led by, Abdel-Rahman Sir Elkhatim, was declared the winner of SFA election, despite FIFA had ordered the suspension of the elections for six months.
However, the current president of the SFA, Mutasim Gaafar Sir Elkhatim, and his group dismissed the results claiming the election were illegal.
Following what, Sudan’s police on 2 June 2017 evacuated the SFA premises forcefully upon a decree from the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and handed over the building to Sir Elkhatim’s group.
The last move prompted Gaafar and his group to complain to the world football governing body about political interference in football activity.
In an effort to reach a solution to avert any threat of freezing Sudan football, a delegation from the FIFA arrived in Khartoum on 13 June to investigate the issue and me with the disputing groups as well as the Minister of Youth and Sport, Abdel-Karim Musa.
In a letter addressed to the current SFA Secretary General Magdi Shams al-Din on 27 June, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura said if the decision of the Ministry of Justice “of 2 June 2017 hasn’t been declared null or void by 30 June 2017, the SFA will be automatically suspended with immediate effect”.
“The suspension would only be lifted once the decree of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice of 2 June 2017 is declared null or void and the Board of Directors of the SFA with its President, Dr Mutasim Gaafar Sir Elkhatim, is reinstated” read the letter.
Sudan first formed its football federation in 1936, joined FIFA 12 years later in 1948 and CAF (Confederation of African Football) in 1957.
Sudan’s al-Bashir to participate in AU summit next week
(Credit ST)
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by FSL News | 28 Jun, 2017 | African News
Bristol City has confirmed the signing of Senegal striker Famara Diédhiou for a club record fee of £5.3m from French club Angers.
The club has eclipsed its previous transfer record of £3.25m, ironically spent on Jonathan Kodjia from the same French Ligue 1 club in 2015.
Diedhiou, 24, has agreed to a four-year deal and is the Sky Bet Championship club’s second new summer signing following Tuesday’s arrival of defender Eros Pisano on a free transfer from Hellas Verona.
“Obviously it’s our record signing, which is amazing,” Robins head coach Lee Johnson told the club’s official website.
“He fits the bill for us because he’ll compliment all of our strikers perfectly. He’s powerful, he’s quick and I think he’s got the potential to get even bigger and stronger physically.
“Thank you to (chairman) Steve (Lansdown), the board and everybody involved in making the decisions, particularly how well (chief operating officer) Mark (Ashton) has done in this process because it’s never easy to bring in a player when the competition is so high.”
Forward Diedhiou, who started out in the French lower leagues with ASM Belfort, scored nine goals in 36 appearances in Ligue 1 last season for Angers.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” Johnson added. “I think he’s going to be a huge player for us.
Diedhiou has had spells with Epinal, Ajaccio before joining Sochaux in 2014.
He was Ligue 2’s leading goalscorer in the 2015/16 season while on loan at Clermont before moving on to Angers, and has made six appearances for Senegal.
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by FSL News | 26 Jun, 2017 | African News
Premier League Champions Chelsea FC have confirmed the departure of their Burkina Faso international, Bertrand Traoré. (Photo Credit OLWED)
After he failed to break into the Chelsea first team, Traore, 21 has moved on a permanent transfer to French top-flight side, Lyon on a five-year deal.
The attacker, who joined Chelsea from Association Jeunes Espoirs De Bobo-Dioulasso in his native Burkina Faso, became a first-team player at Stamford Bridge only a few days after his 20th birthday and proved capable of providing important back-up and support for Diego Costa during the 2015/16 season.
Traoré OLTV: “I am very happy to be here, to be Lyonnais. Lyon has always been an impressive club, with big players and a great history. It is an honour for me to play here.
“When I came here with Ajax a few months ago, I was attracted by the philosophy of the club, with several young players from the academy, and the magnificent Parc OL. With Ajax, we had a bit of a similar style of play and that enticed me to come here.
“I am coming to bring something extra to OL and I hope to continue progressing and to learn with the coach and my new team-mates.”
Traore, who scored in three consecutive games early in 2016 for Chelsea in the FA Cup at MK Dons and then at home to Newcastle and Manchester City, has spent recent seasons on loan at the Dutch clubs Vitesse Arnhem and Ajax and will continue his trade with Lyon – contract until 2022.
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by FSL News | 25 Jun, 2017 | African News
African Champions Cameroon have been dumped out of the 2017 FIFA Confederation Cup after they lost 3-1 to Germany in their final Group B match at Fisht Olympic Stadium on Sunday, June 25, 2017, in Sochi, Russia.
Cameroon only managed a draw from three matches losing twice in Group B.
After a goalless first half, a brace from Timo Werner and Kerem Demirbay (47’) opener was enough to send Cameroon home.
They were reduced to ten men in the 64th minute when, after a video assistant referee review, Ernest Mabouka was sent off for a late challenge on Emre Can.
Werner then gave Germany a two-goal cushion with a diving header, his first goal at senior international level, from Joshua Kimmich’s cross on the right wing.
Vincent Aboubakar found the net with a glancing header with ten minutes remaining, but Werner restored Germany’s two-goal lead, ensuring their first-place position in the group and becoming the first German to score two goals in a single Confederations Cup match with his close-range, accurate finish.
The victory means that Joachim Low’s side will stay in Sochi for their semi-final against Mexico on 29 June.
Meanwhile, Chile reached the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 semi-finals after coming from behind to draw 1-1 against Australia in front of 33,639 fans in Moscow.
James Troisi had Robbie Kruse partly to thank for the opener. The No10 stole possession from the Chileans around the halfway line before persevering with the ball. His cross-shot found its way to Troisi, who lofted the ball delightfully over Claudio Bravo.
Germany: Ter Stegen; Ginter, Ruediger, Suele – Kimmich, Can, Rudy (Henrichs 74′), Plattenhardt – Demirbay (Brandt 78′), Draxler (Younes 80′), Werner
Cameroon: Ondoa; Mabouka, Teikeu, Ngadeu-Ngadjui, Fai – Anguissa, Siani, Djoum (Ngamaleu 58′); Moukandjo (Guihoata 70′), Bassogog (Ekambi 82′), Aboubakar
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