by FSL News | 10 Apr, 2017 | African News
Liverpool have a suffered a major blow with news injured Sadio Mane has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
The Senegalese international, sustained cartilage damage in a challenge with Leighton Baines in last week’s 3-1 victory over Everton.
Manager Jurgen Klopp had said Mane, 25, needed surgery, leaving it “pretty much impossible for him to play again this season”.
He is expected to undergo surgery in London on Tuesday to solve the knee problem, Football Sierra Leone understands.
Liverpool are third in the Premier League with six games to go. The injury is expected to rule him out for two months.
The Senegal star is the Merseyside club’s top scorer this season despite missing a period while away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
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by FSL News | 9 Apr, 2017 | African News
Tunisia, targeting another World Cup finals since 2006, have sacked their coach Henryk Kasperczak, the country’s football federation announced on Saturday.
The Tunisians were knocked out of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations by Burkina Faso in the quarter-finals in Gabon.
Kasperczak, 70, who guided Tunisia to the final of the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, returned for a second spell in charge in 2015.
“The decision was made on Friday,” federation spokesman Kais Reuez told AFP.
A successor will be named “by the end of the month,” he added.
Tunisia will tackle Democratic Republic of Congo in August-September In a double header of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
Connect with us @football_sierra, on Facebook/ Instagram Football Sierra Leone, the writer Prince Scott @PrinceArmaniSc2.
by FSL News | 8 Apr, 2017 | African News
The 2017 CAF Confederation Cup resumes this weekend with 15 playoffs matches, first-leg encounters slated to be played across the continent.
Saturday afternoon all action will get underway with five matches, starting with Madagascar’s CNaPS Sport hosting Angolan side Recreativo do Libolo in Antananarivo and concluding with CF Mounana of Gabon looking to secure a decent home result against Ivorian giants ASEC Mimosas in Libreville.
Uganda’s KCCA will tackle Al-Masry from Egypt and South African side Bidvest Wits will fight things out with another Egyptian outfit Smouha SC.
Sunday is another busy day in the continent, with 10 more exciting matches played from early afternoon through to late evening.
The pick of the matches sees defending champions TP Mazembe of the DR Congo host Algeria’s tough-to-beat JS Kabylie in Lubumbashi. TP Mazembe are aiming to repeat last season’s feat of winning the Confederation Cup after a demotion from the Champions League.
Other highlights include Rail Kadiogo of Burkina Faso, who will meet CS Sfaxien of Tunisia, winners of the Confederation Cup a record three times.
Zesco are away to Nigerian top flight side Enugu Rangers, whose lone Caf success came 40 years ago in the now defunct African Cup Winners Cup.
Moroccan derby is between FUS Rabat and Maghreb Fez, both former Confederation Cup title-holders.
South African sides Platinum Stars and SuperSport United, both are out in West Africa to face AS Tanda of the Ivory Coast and Liberia’s Barrack Young Controllers respectively.
The second leg matches for the 15 ties will be played next weekend.
All Playoff winners advance to the group stage, starting next month.
Meanwhile, The Rivers United v Rayon Sports tie will be played a week out of sequence, with the first leg on April 15 followed by the return game on April 22.
CAF Confederation Cup playoff, first leg fixtures
TP Mazembe won the Confederation Cup for the first time last season
Saturday 8 April
CNaPS Sports v Recreativo do Libolo
Bidvest Wits v Smouha SC
Young Africans v MC Alge
KCCA v Al-Masry
CF Mounana v ASEC Mimosas
Sunday 9 April
AS Tanda v Platinum Stars
AS Port Louis 2000 v Club Africain
Rail Club de Kadiogo v CS Sfaxien
AC Leopards v Mbabane Swallows
TP Mazembe v JS Kabylie
Gambia Ports Authority v Al Hilal Al-Ubayyid
Enugu Rangers v Zesco United
Horoya AC v IR Tanger
Barrack Young Controllers v SuperSport United
FUS Rabat v Maghreb Fez
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by FSL News | 4 Apr, 2017 | African News
James Kwesi Appiah, the first black man to qualify Ghana for the World Cup has been reappointed head coach of Ghana and will also take charge of the local Black Stars.
The former Asante Kotoko left back, who managed the team from 2012 to 2014, qualifying the team for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, will lead the Black Stars against Sierra Leone, Kenya and Ethiopia in the race for Cameroon 2019.
Only the winner of the group will guarantee a place in Cameroon. The 57-year-old will officially start work May 1 on two years deal. He replaces Avram Grant who stepped down as coach after the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
His first major task will be against Ethiopia in the qualifier of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in June.
The Black Stars are presently struggling to reach World Cup 2018 in Russia with just a single point from their two games five points behind Group E leaders Egypt.
Uganda are second behind Egypt and Congo-Brazzaville the other team in the group.
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by FSL News | 3 Apr, 2017 | African News
Born in Paris, France, Udinese midfielder Seko Mohamed Fofana has decided to switch his international allegiance to Ivory Coast from France.
In Photo with the President of the Ivorian Football Federation, and Les Éléphants new coach Marc Wilmots.
The former Manchester City player was a France Under-17 team regular before stepping up to the U-19 side.
“Midfielder Seko Mohamed Fofana has opted for the National Selection of Côte d’Ivoire on Monday (April 3rd),” the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) said in a statement.
“Seko Fofana’s enrolment is good news for Marc Wilmots, who will be able to benefit from the promising talent.”
Seko Fofana started his professional career with team B of Lorient (2012-2013), before joining Manchester City (2013-2014) and Fulham on loan (2014-2015).
He made his Fulham debut two days later, where he came on as a substitute for Emerson Hyndman in the 63rd minute, in a 2–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
After three years at Manchester City payroll, Fofana joined Serie A side Udinese, signing a five-year deal for worth £2.5 million.
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by FSL News | 28 Mar, 2017 | African News
Les Coelecantes of Comoros Islands and South Sudan booked their places in the group stage of qualifying for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations with aggregate victories.
South Sudan walloped Djibouti 6-0 in Juba on Tuesday to progress with a 6-2 aggregate.
It means they (South Sudan) will battle it out in Group C with Mali, Gabon and Burundi.
Minnows Comoros Islands will take on Morocco, Malawi and reigning champions Cameroon in Group B.
Les Coelecantes beat Mauritius 2-0 in the first leg preliminary of their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier and played 1-1 in the second leg away in Mauritius.
Tournament hosts, the Indomitable Lions will qualify automatically no matter where they finish in the qualifiers.
The qualifiers will starts in June this year and end in November 2018 with the 12 group winners automatically earning a place in the finals.
The three best runners-up will also advance to the tournament in Cameroon.
Draw in full: A: Senegal, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, Madagascar B: Cameroon, Morocco, Malawi, Comoros
C: Mali, Gabon, Burundi, South Sudan D: Algeria, Togo, Benin, The Gambia E: Nigeria, South Africa, Libya, Seychelles
F: Ghana, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya G: DR Congo, Congo, Zimbabwe, Liberia H: Ivory Coast, Guinea, Central African Republic, Rwanda I: Burkina Faso, Angola, Botswana, Mauritania J: Tunisia, Egypt, Niger, Swaziland K: Zambia, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia L: Cape Verde, Uganda, Tanzania, Lesotho
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Sierra Leone | Highlights -