Three-time champions Nigeria qualified for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Saturday after Lesotho and Sierra Leone drew 0-0 in Group L.

The result in Maseru guaranteed the Super Eagles a top-two finish in the section ahead of their top-of-the-table clash away to Benin in Porto-Novo later Saturday.

Nigeria have eight points, Benin seven, Sierra Leone four and Lesotho three. The countries finishing first and second qualify for the 24-team tournament in Cameroon next January.

Benin need one point from the match against Nigeria to also secure a place at the finals of the premier African national team competition.

Nigeria travelled by sea to west African neighbours Benin on Friday after players raised concerns about the poor road network linking the countries.

Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Comoros, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia and Zimbabwe have qualified, leaving seven places to be filled.

Source: AFP

Egypt and Ghana qualified for the African Cup of Nations on Thursday and were joined by Comoros and Gambia, who will make surprising debuts at next year’s tournament.

Egypt drew 1-1 in Kenya, enough to see the record seven-time champion clinch one of the two qualifying places in Group G.

That result also helped Comoros take the other spot. Comoros had earlier drawn 0-0 at home against Togo but Kenya needed to win in order to maintain its hopes of qualifying in the last round of matches next week.

Comoros, an archipelago of volcanic islands off the east coast of Africa, is one of the continent’s smallest countries and has a population of less than a million. But it had some memorable results in the qualifying campaign, including victories over Togo and Kenya and a 1-1 draw at home against Egypt.

While Comoros will make its debut, Egypt will play in its 25th African Cup next year in Cameroon. Egypt took the lead after two minutes through Mohamed Magdi but Abdallah Hassan equalized early in the second half for the Kenyans after a scramble in front of goal.

The momentum was with Kenya until it had defender Johnstone Omurwa sent off for an elbow on Motsafa Mohamed, allowing Egypt to regain control.

Ghana qualified after drawing 1-1 away against South Africa in Group C. Mohammed Kudus put Ghana ahead just after halftime with a low shot that went in off the post.

South Africa took two minutes to level through in-form striker Percy Tau. But the draw means Bafana Bafana travel to Sudan for a crunch meeting on Sunday, when Sudan can take the second qualifying place from the group with a victory. South Africa needs at least a draw.

Gambia secured its debut appearance when Assan Cessay’s goal in the 62nd minute sealed a 1-0 win over Angola.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon also went through from Group D with Gambia after beating Congo 3-0. Aubameyang rounded off the victory with the third goal four minutes from the end.

Twelve of 24 teams have now qualified for the tournament next January and February, including defending champion Algeria and Sadio Mane’s Senegal. Both those countries booked their places in November.

The African Cup was due to be played in January and February this year but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

(AP)

Four days after being elected President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe set out his plans to take the sport forward across the continent at a press conference in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The 59 year-old South African mining billionaire assumed the role on Friday at a CAF General Assembly meeting in Morocco, without the need for a vote after a deal brokered by the world governing body FIFA saw his three challengers withdraw, leaving him as the only candidate.

Motsepe said that African football must aspire to have one of their national teams win the World Cup in the near future.

“During the next World Cup and also during the forthcoming World Cups, that African nations compete (in) and, if you look at what we said in the manifesto, it’s part of our plan that an African team must win the World Cup. I think let’s clap hands for that.

“We have to, we need to get the private sector to sponsor African football. We must increase the sponsorship for the AFCON Africa Cup of Nations), make it significantly more substantial. We must increase the sponsorship for the Champions League, the African Champions League.”

He also promised to be more proactive in bringing together the 56 member associations that make up the CAF.

As the head of CAF, Motsepe automatically becomes a FIFA vice president and a member of the FIFA Council.

Source: Africa News

South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe is the new president of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) after being elected unopposed on Friday.

The 59-year-old’s path to the presidency was cleared over the last week when his rival candidates for the presidency withdrew from the race, while another rival – Madagascar’s Ahmad – was barred from running.

Who is Caf’s new billionaire president Motsepe?

Addressing a gathering of Africa’s member associations at the elections venue in the Moroccan capital Rabat, Motsepe stressed his belief in how unity can herald a new era for African football.

“It’s a huge honour and privilege for me [to be Caf president],” said Motsepe, Africa’s ninth-richest person according to Forbes magazine.

“Let me thank my brother [Fifa president] Gianni [Infantino] for the vision and encouragement of unity. We can only deal with the challenges of Africa and we will succeed, but we will only do so when we are united.”

Motsepe then turned to Africa’s assembled member association presidents and Executive Committee as he looked towards a brighter future.

“The leadership we have in Africa [and] the leadership we have of football in every country gives me confidence and inspires me.

“I am absolutely confident that by working together, we will indeed succeed to make African football not just reach the summit but be amongst the best in the world.”

Motsepe, the owner of 2016 African champions Mamelodi Sundowns, one of South Africa’s most successful teams, has previously spoken of his desire to see an African team win the World Cup.

During the General Assembly, the 52 members present – with Chad, whose FA was dissolved by the government on Thursday, and Eritrea the only countries failing to attend – voted to expand the number of Caf vice-presidents from three to five.

Elections for both Caf’s Executive Committee and for Africa’s representation on the Fifa Council are also being held – with results expected shortly.

Source: BBC

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) might have provisionally suspended his ban by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) but Ahmad Ahmad is not out of the woods yet in his bid to regain the presidency of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

He thus faces a race against time with polls scheduled for next month in Rabat, Morocco.

The Madagascan official, found guilty by FIFA for financial misconduct and banned him for five years last November, still barbours ambitions of a return to CAF’s highest office.

However, in an about turn, the executive committee (Exco) of the continental mother body deemed FIFA should have the final say on the matter.

With FIFA unlikely to rescind its decision, it appears the 61-year-old’s prospects of leading the organisation, and the automatic rule as FIFA’s vice-president is null.

The CAF Exco met at a heated meeting in Cameroon ahead of the conclusion of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) where the board decided to ignore the independent Governance Committee’s advice.

The Exco opted to rely on FIFA’s position on the matter, which at the moment is a ban.

The meeting in Cameroon was Ahmad’s first official event since his ban by FIFA last November.

He left the meeting in a huff while his candidacy was under discussion.

Ahmad also lost in his attempts to have the March 12 polls postponed.

A postponement could have bought the beleaguered executive, found guilty of breaching FIFA’s Code of Ethics, some time.

It is believed a majority of the CAF Exco is advocating for Ahmad to excuse himself from the election.

Jacques Anouma (Ivory Coast), Patrice Motsepe (South Africa), Augustin Senghor (Senegal) and Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania) are in the running for the polls.

Source: CAJ News Africa

Banned by FIFA in November for financial wrongdoing and abusing his position as the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Madagascar’s Ahmad Ahmad was reinstated as the head of African soccer on Friday during a presidential election campaign pending his urgent appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The CAS said it granted Ahmad an interim ruling to freeze his five-year ban by FIFA ahead of an appeal hearing on March 2 and also promised a verdict the CAF elections on March 12 in Rabat, Morocco.

A Complex Legal Matter in Football

The court said there was a “risk of irreparable harm for Mr Ahmad” if he remained banned from leading the Cairo-based African soccer body while awaiting an appeal during the election campaign.

Ruling in Ahmad’s favour, the judges “emphasized that such a temporary decision does not prejudge in any way the decision it will take after analysing the merits of the case.”

Still, it was unclear whether Ahmad — a former minister in Madagascar’s government — could be recognised as a candidate in the weeks ahead.

Ahmad was barred this week from the election in a mandatory review by a FIFA review panel of each would-be candidate’s integrity and eligibility.

In a second decision on Friday, CAS rejected the soccer official’s request for a separate interim ruling and, instead, upheld FIFA’s right to make decisions about the African elections that were “aimed at preventing Mr Ahmad from participating.”

Background and Context

Ahmad was banned in November when FIFA ethics judges found he “breached his duty of loyalty, offered gifts and other benefits, mismanaged funds, and abused his position as the CAF president.”

He was elected in 2017 and was seeking a second four-year term leading African soccer as a FIFA vice president.

FIFA integrity checks were passed this week by four presidential candidates: Jacques Anouma of Ivory Coast, Patrice Motsepe of South Africa, Augustin Senghor of Senegal, and Ahmed Yaya of Mauritania.

Source: Africa News