Sports

5, November 2025

Women’s soccer: Cameroon among four teams added to 2026 WAFCON after failing to qualify ⁰

The recently-added nations lost in the final qualifying round but were the highest ranked of those who did, deeming them eligible, by CAF’s executive committee, to be included in the expansion. Of them, only Mali featured in this summer’s tournament.

They will join Morocco (hosts), Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Cape Verde, South Africa and Senegal for the continent’s flagship tournament between March 17 and April 3 next year.

“The decision is in line with CAF’s strategic vision to strengthen the competitiveness and development of women’s football on the African continent,” the federation said in a release on Wednesday.

CAF had decided to host it in the summer — in line with the men’s edition — instead of the November-December slot but found a clash as Zambia and Nigeria qualified for the summer Olympics.

The men’s edition of the tournament is set to take place from December 21 to January 18 in Morocco, as Ivory Coast bid to defend their title.

Source: nytimes

4, November 2025

Football: David Beckham receives knighthood ⁰

Former England captain Sir David Beckham has been formally knighted for his services to football and British society.

The 50-year-old, who was named on King Charles’ Birthday Honours list earlier this year, was knighted by the King during a ceremony in Berkshire on Tuesday.

“I couldn’t be prouder,” said Beckham. “People know how patriotic I am – I love my country.

“I’ve always said how important the monarchy is to my family.

“I’m lucky enough to have travelled around the world and all people want to talk to me about is our monarchy. It makes me proud.”

Beckham was joined by his wife Victoria and his parents Sandra and David at Windsor Castle.

Victoria, who received an OBE in 2017 for services to the fashion industry, designed and made the suit that her husband wore at the castle.

“[King Charles] was quite impressed with my suit,” said Beckham.

“He’s the most elegantly dressed man that I know, so he inspired quite a few of my looks over the years and he definitely inspired this look.

“It was something that my wife made me.

“I looked at old pictures of him when he was quite young in morning suits and I was like ‘OK, that’s what I want to wear’ – so I gave it to my wife and she did it.”

Beckham played 115 times for his country and captained the Three Lions for six years between 2000 and 2006.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder featured in three World Cups for England, as well as two European Championships.

Source: BBC

7, October 2025

“AFCON will go ahead in Morocco despite anti-government protests” ⁰

African football boss Patrice Motsepe said on Monday he is “absolutely confident” the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will go ahead in Morocco, the scene of daily anti-government protests for more than a week.

Young Moroccans took to the streets on Sunday for a ninth straight night of protests, calling for an end to corruption and a change of government.

The protesters have demanded reforms to social services, especially health and education, and voiced anger over social inequality.

Morocco is scheduled to stage the Cup of Nations (AFCON) from December 21 to January 18 at nine venues, with 24 national teams competing in the premier African football competition.

Stars like Egypt and Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah and Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi are among the players set to participate.

Speaking during an annual gathering of African football bosses in Kinshasa, Confederation of African Football president Motsepe said: “We (CAF) are absolutely confident the AFCON will go ahead as planned.

“Morocco is plan A, Morocco is plan B and Morocco is plan C,” he told his audience, including FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

“CAF will co-operate and work with the government and all the citizens of Morocco to host the most successful AFCON in history,” said Motsepe, a South African billionaire businessman.

Morocco hosted the 1988 AFCON – then an eight-nation tournament – and withdrew as hosts of the 2015 version citing Ebola virus fears.

Source: AFP

6, October 2025

Barcelona interested in signing Cameroonian striker Karl Etta Eyong ⁰

Barcelona remain keen on securing the signature of striker Karl Etta Eyong.

According to Diario Sport, the Catalans already attempted to sign the striker last summer when he was playing for Villarreal, but financial constraints prevented the deal from going through.

The 22-year-old Cameroonian forward has a release clause set at €30 million. Barcelona’s management continues to monitor his performances and could reignite negotiations in one of the upcoming transfer windows.

The Cameroonian striker has started this season in sensational form: in five matches for Levante, he has already netted four goals and provided one assist.

Source: Daily Sports

3, October 2025

Lions: Brys names squad for World Cup qualifiers against Mauritius, Angola ⁰

Cameroon’s men’s football team coach Marc Brys unveiled a 26-player roster on Friday for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers against Mauritius and Angola.

The squad includes established players such as Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Andre Onana, Bryan Mbeumo, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Vincent Aboubakar.

Key defender Christopher Wooh is absent from the squad, which also features two newcomers, Levante striker Karl Etta Eyong and Norwegian club Valerenga midfielder Fidel Brice Ambina.

Cameroon will visit Mauritius next Wednesday and host Angola five days after.

Cape Verde leads Group D with 19 points while Cameroon sits second four points adrift, with third-placed Libya one point further back.

Source: Xinhuanet

16, September 2025

Football: Onana off to flying start in Turkey ⁰

Cameroon international Andre Onana was named Man of the Match in his first game for Turkish Süper Lig side Trabzonspor in their 1-0 loss to Fenerbahçe on Sunday.

The 29-year-old completed a loan move from Manchester United after not featuring in their first three Premier League games of the season. His spell in the English top flight was heavily criticized, with the shot-stopper becoming known for his mistakes.

Trabzonspor were reduced to 10 men in the 20th minute at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium on Sunday as Okay Yokuşlu had his yellow card changed to a straight red by VAR.

Onana kept out former United teammate Fred’s effort from the edge of the box in the 45th minute but could not stop the follow up from Youssef En-Nesyri.

Despite conceding, the goalkeeper faced 29 shots, made eight saves and four diving saves, doing well to keep his side in the game and earning Man of the Match for his performance.

Trabzonspor sit third in the Süper Lig after suffering their first loss of the season, with a record of three wins, one draw and one loss.

Source: African Football

11, September 2025

Football: Eto’o implicated in Chelsea agent payments ⁰

Chelsea have been charged by the Football Association with 74 alleged rule breaches related to payments to agents between 2009 and 2022.

The charges are primarily focused on transfers between the 2010-11 and 2015-16 seasons.

Three deals that form part of the investigation involved Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o and Willian.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of those players.

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was in control of the club from 2003 to 2022, before selling Chelsea to a consortium led by American investor Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital.

The alleged rule breaches concern agents, intermediaries and third-party investments in players.

Chelsea, who said they had reported the potential rule breaches to the FA themselves, have until 19 September to respond.

There are a wide range of options available to sanction Chelsea, including a fine, transfer embargo and points deduction. However, the Blues’ high level of co-operation will be factored in and the club don’t expect to be hit with a sporting sanction.

Sources at Chelsea also say they have no concerns about the impact of any future fines on compliance with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) having factored in a potential punishment after the takeover of the club in 2022.

“During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the purchase, the ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions and other potential breaches of FA rules,” Chelsea said.

“Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including the FA.

“The club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the club’s files and historical data.”

The Premier League has confirmed to BBC Sport that their investigation remains ongoing.

In 2023, Chelsea were fined £8.6m by Uefa for “submitting incomplete financial information” between 2012 and 2019.

Hazard was signed by Chelsea from Lille in 2012 and, in seven seasons at Stamford Bridge, won the Premier League and Europa League twice, the FA Cup and League Cup.

The Belgian scored 110 goals in 352 games for the Blues before joining Real Madrid in 2019.

Brazilian forward Willian and former Cameroon striker Eto’o arrived at Chelsea from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala in August 2013.

Willian, who scored 63 goals in 339 appearances, won five trophies with the Blues before leaving for Arsenal in 2020, while Eto’o spent one season at Chelsea before making a switch to Everton.

Source: BBC

11, September 2025

Football: Onana moves to Trabzonspor on loan ⁰

Manchester United keeper Andre Onana has joined Trabzonspor on loan for the rest of the 2025-26 season.

The move has taken place before the transfer window in Turkey closes on Friday and follows the Cameroon international not playing in United’s opening three Premier League games.

“We would like to wish Andre good luck,” said United in announcing the deal, which is subject to international clearance and registration.

Onana’s only appearance for Ruben Amorim’s side this season came in their shock Carabao Cup exit at the hands of League Two Grimsby.

The 29-year-old was signed from Inter Milan for £47.2m in July 2023 by former Old Trafford boss Erik ten Hag to replace David de Gea as United’s number one.

He has made 102 appearances for the club and was part of their 2024 FA Cup-winning side.

But his United spell has been punctuated by a number of mistakes and Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens, 23, was signed on deadline day from Royal Antwerp in a deal worth an initial 21m euros (£18.1m) plus add-ons.

Amorim, whose side visit Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, now has Lammens, Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton as his goalkeeping options.

Source: BBC

5, September 2025

Football: Indomitable Lions too much for Eswatini ⁰

The Indomitable Lions crushed Eswatini (3-0) thanks to an own goal and goals from Georges Kevin Nkoudou and Arthur Avom on Wednesday in the seventh round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers (Africa zone). The victory was secured within the first half hour, as Marc Brys’ men stifled their opponents.

It took just six minutes for the Indomitable Lions to break the deadlock. In a pressing move, Gift Gamedze accidentally beat his own goalkeeper, giving the Lions the lead (1-0). It was a nightmare start for Eswatini, who were quickly overwhelmed by the pace of the game.

The rest of the match confirmed Cameroon’s dominance as Georges-Kévin Nkoudou doubled the lead with a fine strike in the 25th minute (2-0), before Arthur Avom made it 3-0 three minutes later. By the half-hour mark, the match was already over.

After returning from the dressing rooms, Eswatini, better organised, resisted Cameroon’s attacks. For their part, the Indomitable Lions controlled the game without exerting themselves, managing their lead without taking unnecessary risks. Despite a few chances, the scoreboard remained unchanged until the final whistle.

With this clear victory, Cameroon consolidated its second place in Group D, now with 15 points, one point behind Cape Verde (16 points), the provisional leader. The Indomitable Lions can approach the rest of the qualifiers with confidence, buoyed by a convincing performance and a highly successful attack.

By Rita Akana

4, September 2025

Football: Levy steps down as Tottenham executive chairman ⁰

Tottenham’s long-serving executive chairman Daniel Levy has stepped down after almost 25 years at the helm of the club.

Levy was appointed in March 2001 and leaves after Spurs won the Europa League in May to end a 17-year wait for a trophy.

The 63-year-old was the Premier League’s longest-serving chairman and earned an estimated £50m-plus during his time in charge, but he was also the target of regular protests from Spurs fans, especially last season.

“I am incredibly proud of the work I have done together with the executive team and all our employees,” said Levy, who had a reputation in football for being a shrewd operator and tough negotiator.

“We have built this club into a global heavyweight competing at the highest level. More than that, we have built a community.

“I was lucky enough to work with some of the greatest people in this sport, from the team at Lilywhite House and Hotspur Way to all the players and managers over the years.

“I wish to thank all the fans that have supported me over the years. It hasn’t always been an easy journey but significant progress has been made. I will continue to support this club passionately.”

Source: BBC