Aside the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League (UCL) is by far the most prestigious football competition across the world – by virtue of its popularity and reach.

The pool of players participating means that an there is always a medley of playesr from across all continents represented on the field.

This adds to the UCL vibe as people across the world support nationals from their country who play in the league.

On May 29, 2021, the final of the 2020 / 2021 edition of the UCL took place in Porto with Manchester City facing Chelsea.

The African interests were squarely in Algeria (Riyad Mahrez of City) and Senegal and Morocco (Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech respectively of Chelsea).

In the end, Mendy in the Chelsea goal kept out Mahrez and all of City’s attacking power to ensure that Thomas Tuchel’s side emerged victorious – winning their second UCL. Ziyech on the other hand played a less prominent role in the win.

Below is a list of winners (countries, clubs and season)

26 – Hakim Ziyech (Morocco) : Chelsea FC, 2020 – 2021

25 – Edouard Mendy (Senegal) : Chelsea FC, 2020 – 2021

24 – Naby Keita (Guinea) : Liverpool FC, 2018 – 2019

23 – Mohamed Salah (Egypt) : Liverpool FC, 2018 – 2019

22 – Sadio Mane (Senegal) : Liverpool FC, 2018 – 2019

21 – Joel Matip (Cameroon) : Liverpool FC, 2018 – 2019

20 – Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) : Real Madrid FC, 2017-2018

19 – Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) : Chelsea FC, 2011-2012

18 – Salomon Kalou (Ivory Coast) : Chelsea FC, 2011-2012

17 – Michael Essien (Ghana) : Chelsea FC, 2011-2012

16 – John Obi Mikel (Nigeria) : Chelsea FC, 2011-2012

15 – McDonald Mariga (Kenya) : Inter Milan 2009 – 2010

14 – Sulley Muntari (Ghana) : Inter Milan, 2009-2010

13 – Seydou Keita (Mali) : FC Barcelona, 2008-2009, 2010-2011

12 – Yaya Touré (Côte d’Ivoire) : FC Barcelona, 2008-2009

11 – Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon) – FC Barcelona, 2005-2006, 2008-2009, Inter Milan, 2009-2010

10 – Djimi Traoré (Mali) : Liverpool FC, 2004-2005

9 – Benni McCarthy (South Africa) : FC Porto, 2003-2004

8 – Samuel Kuffour (Ghana) : FC Bayern Munich 2000-2001

7 – Geremi Njitap (Cameroon) – Real madrid, 1999 -2000, 2001 -2002

6 – Ibrahim Tanko (Ghana) : Borussia Dortmund 1996-1997

5 – Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria) : Ajax, 1994-1995

4 – Finidi George (Nigeria) : Ajax, 1994-1995

3 – Abedi Pelé (Ghana) : Olympique de Marseille, 1992-1993

2 – Rabah Madjer (Algeria) : FC Porto, 1986-1987

1 – Bruce Grobbelaar (Zimbabwe) : Liverpool FC, 1983-1984

Culled from Ghanaweb

The Nigeria Football Federation have opened talks with Fédération Camerounaise de Football (FECAFOOT) over the possibility of the Super Eagles and the Indomitable Lions facing off in an international friendly in Austria next month, Bill Tchato, General Coordinator of the Cameroon national teams has revealed.

At the request of the Confederation of African Football, FIFA has postponed the first two matchdays of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, earlier scheduled for June, to September 2021.

FIFA postponed the qualifiers so that work could be completed on some of the stadiums that do not meet international standards.

Nigeria were due to face Liberia and Cape Verde before the 2022 World Cup qualifiers schedule was revised last week.

Source: Sunnewsonline

South Africa will name a new national coach Saturday, with former Real Madrid manager and Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz favourite to return for a second spell in charge.

Now 68, the Portuguese was in charge of Bafana Bafana for two years from 2000, taking the team to the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals and qualifying them for the 2002 World Cup.

He was axed before the World Cup in South Korea and went on to lead Portugal (2010) and Iran (2014, 2018) in subsequent editions.

Queiroz guided Real Madrid for one year from 2003, either side of spells as senior assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

His most recent post was coach of Colombia, who sacked him last December with the nation lying seventh in the 10-team South American 2022 World Cup qualifying group.

The South African media have installed him as favourite to succeed Molefi Ntseki, who was fired after South Africa lost in Sudan and failed to qualify for the 2021 Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Ntseki had been a controversial choice as he had no senior-level coaching experience before succeeding England-born Stuart Baxter in the top post.

South Africa launch their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign in June with Group G matches against Zimbabwe (away) and Ghana (home).

Ethiopia are also in the section and only the winners of the six-round mini-league advance to the final qualifying stage where two-leg playoffs will determine which five African nations go to Qatar.

Source: AFP

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