by FSL News | 16 Mar, 2017 | African News
Madagascar FA boss Ahmad pictured is the new Caf president.
Congratulations to the Madagascar FA president Ahmad Ahmad on his triumph over Issa Hayatou.
Ahmad Ahmad was elected the new head of Confederation of African Football (CAF), denying Issa Hayatou, the last of the old generation leaders in world football, his eighth term at the helm of the continental body on Thursday.
“I’m a candidate for change and the majority wants change. I’m the only one who could dare present a candidacy for change. And I’m vying to bring this change,” Ahmad was quoted as saying when launching his election bid. “Our football has been relying too much on its official course since 1957 when CAF was created. It is now high time for it to free itself and to update itself with the current situation”
Hayatou had headed CAF since 1988. The win sees Ahmad now become a FIFA vice president and take Hayatou’s place on the FIFA Council.
Madagascar Football Association chief Ahmad claimed 34 votes against Hayatou’s 20 to break Hayatou’s 29-year reign and give African football a new leader for the first time in three decades.
Caf former presidents
Abdel Aziz Abdallah Salem (1957-1958) – Abdel Aziz Moustafa (1958-1968) – Abdel Halim Muhammad (1968-1972) – Yidnekatchew Tessema (1972-1987) – Abdel Halim Muhammad (1987-1988)
Issa Hayatou (1988-2017) – Present is the Madagascar Football Association boss Ahmad
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by FSL News | 14 Mar, 2017 | African News
Ghana and former Chelsea anchorman, Michael Essien, has joined Indonesian side Persib Bandung on a one-year deal.
The Ghanaian, who earned 58 caps for Ghana during his international career, signed a deal on Monday with the option to extend his stay for a further 12 months at the end of the season.
Speaking after his move to the South-East Asia country, Essien told the club’s website: “I hope I am the prelude to other world players moving to Indonesia.
“Hopefully this is a good beginning for Indonesian football and also for Persib. Thank you for bringing me here. I’m excited and want to give my best.”
The Former Real Madrid player will don the number five shirt for the Liga 1 side, the same one he wore during his nine years at Stamford Bridge.
Persib Bandung last won the Indonesian league title in the 2014 season after the last two campaigns were abandoned due to a FIFA suspension.
The Ghanaian veteran made 256 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, before leaving on loan move to Real Madrid in the 2012/13 season.
Essien, 34, has also had a spell with AC Milan and most recently, Panathinaikos.
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by FSL News | 14 Mar, 2017 | African News
Egypt’s general prosecution has referred Confederation of African Football president Issa Hayatou to the country’s Economic Court on charges of violating local anti-monopoly rules.
Caf Secretary General Hicham El Amrani has also been charged.
A lawyer representing both parties attended a hearing on Monday.
With Caf based in Cairo, Egyptian authorities maintain it is governed by local laws.
The African football body firmly rejects accusations it committed any wrongdoing when signing a multi-million dollar deal with sports agency Lagardere in June 2015.
“Caf categorically asserts that all claims against it are groundless and without merit,” a statement read.
“Caf will vigorously defend its position, its right and reputation using all legal means available under international law.”
The Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA) started to investigate the Lagardere deal in June 2016, prior to asserting – in January 2017 – that Caf had engaged in monopolistic practices that infringed local laws.
The deal gives Lagardere rights to a variety of African football competitions, including the flagship Africa Cup of Nations, from 2017 until 2028.
“As a result, the board voted in favour of (referring) Hayatou and El Amrani for criminal prosecution,” said the ECA in a statement dated 8 March.
Caf stresses that the allegations accusing it of selling rights without opening them for due tender are incorrect.
The organisation, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this week, maintains it did not sell any broadcasting rights to Lagardere – merely appointing the French company as its marketing and media agent instead.
Lagardere paid $1bn to Caf for the privilege and while it then undertakes responsibility for negotiating deals across the globe, “the rights remain vested at Caf” – says Caf Communications Director Junior Binyam.
The resurgence of the ECA’s interest comes at a critical time for Caf, which hosts its presidential elections on Thursday.
“The timing of the ECA’s media campaign underlines its attempt to disrupt and undermine Caf at the time of its presidential elections,” the Caf statement added.
“The referral of Caf’s president and its secretary general, in violation of all Caf’s constitutionally- and universally-protected rights of defence, only a few days before Caf’s presidential elections is meant to tarnish Hayatou’s image and exercise unfair external influence on the integrity of the whole electoral process,” added Binyam.
Hayatou is seeking an eighth term as he stands against his sole challenger, Ahmad, who goes by one name and who heads up Madagascar’s FA.
The African body also says it has not been given a chance to discuss the case with local authorities.
“In the ordinary course of any legal dispute under international norms, Caf would be given the opportunity to present its case to relevant authorities and have the right to be heard in accordance with due process,” says Caf.
“To date, the ECA and the Public Prosecutor, in quite remarkable and unprecedented fashion for regulatory bodies, have attempted to conduct a trial by media offering Caf no right of defence and serving it with no formal charges other than through the media.
“Indeed, the Public Prosecutor has referred its fait accompli case to the Egyptian Economic court following only a few days of investigations without any communication or engagement whatsoever with Caf.”
By contrast, ECA officials have often spoken to Egyptian media to air the organisation’s claims.
By Piers Edwards
BBC
by FSL News | 9 Mar, 2017 | African News
Tunisian top flight club, Club Africain, will be without January acquisition striker Matthew Rusike (pictured) for the 2017 Total CAF Confederations Cup first round home and away ties against the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces FC (RSLAF).
The former Kaizer Chiefs forward, who made 30 appearances for Swedish side Helsingborg, scoring four goals in the process before leaving the club last year is not eligible to face RSLAF.
Football Sierra Leone understands Rusike, who signed unexpectedly documents arrived one day after sending the final list of eligible players to play the competition.
The two sides will go head-to-head for the first time ever on Sunday, March 12th, 2017 at the Stade Olympique de Radès in the first leg double header in Tunis and the second leg in Freetown, Sierra Leone the following weekend.
Coach Chiheb Ellili will have to do without the former Helsingborgs IF player in their bid to reach the next stage of the competition.
However, Algerian referee Mehdi Abid Charef will be the centreman to officiate the contest between Tunisian Club Africain and RSLAF in the first round of 2017 Total CAF Confederations Cup.
Abid Charef, 36, has been a FIFA referee since 2011 and was the man who handled Nigeria’s 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifier against the Taifa Stars of Tanzania in May 2016.
He also took charge of the CAF Under-20 Championship finals between Ghana and Egypt in 2013 as well as the Group B clash between Gabon and DR Congo match which ended 0-0.
Meanwhile, It would be recalled that RSLAF eliminated Nigerian club Wikki Tourists 2-1 on aggregate in the preliminary stage.
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by FSL News | 8 Mar, 2017 | African News
Former Algeria Under-23 international Youcef Touati has died following a car crash in France.
The accident involving the Mouloudia Bejaia midfielder, 27, took place on Sunday, with the death of the Algerian club’s player confirmed on Monday.
One of Touati’s former sides, Red Star in France, led the tributes.
“It’s with profound sadness and tremendous pain that Red Star learnt of the death of Youcef Touati,” the Paris-based club said.
“He was with Red Star during the 2011-12 season where everyone will remember his ‘joie de vivre’ and talent.
“Red Star lost a member of its family today.”
After spells with a variety of lower tier French sides, Touati – an attacking midfielder known for his dribbling – joined Bejaia in the middle of last year.
He was part of the Bejaia team that reached its first continental cup final, as the Algerians lost to 2015 African champions TP Mazembe in the 2016 Confederation Cup final.
“He was really highly-rated as a youngster,” Algerian football journalist Maher Mezahi told BBC Sport.
(C) BBC
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by FSL News | 3 Mar, 2017 | African News
Ivorian International striker Wilfried Bony has grown disillusioned with life at his current club Stoke City.
The 28-year-old Ivorian joined the club on loan from Manchester City in August, says his exclusion from the team is a “crazy situation”.
Bony, who turned down a move to China in the winter transfer window, has scored just twice in 11 games and has not played since 27 December.
His contract allowed him to be sold to Chinese Super League clubs in January, but he chooses to stay at Stoke.
“When you hear everything is fine and you don’t play, it’s crazy,” he said.
The Ivory Coast international confirmed his frustration when speaking to the BBC’s World Football programme: “It is more than difficult. This is something that I want to know why the coach told me I’m training very well and my attitude is very good. It doesn’t make sense. It’s painful.”
Bony, who joined City from Swansea £28m in January 2015, said he was not tempted by the money on offer in China.
He added: “My agent told me there was an offer but I refused to go because my plan is to stay in the UK to show more – to show that I’m not at the end.”
Bony’s first international match was against Burundi in a 1–0 away victory, where he came on as a substitute in the 80th minutes for Gervinho in Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
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Sierra Leone | Highlights -