Sports

Africa Cup of Nations: Hosts Ivory Coast to face Nigeria in group

12, October 2023

Africa Cup of Nations: Hosts Ivory Coast to face Nigeria in group 0

Hosts Ivory Coast were joined in Group A by Nigeria in the draw for the Africa Cup of Nations in Abidjan on Thursday.

Fast-improving Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, who have qualified for a fourth straight edition, complete the mini-league.

Other heavyweight pairings included defending champions Senegal with five-time winners Cameroon, while Africa’s first World Cup semi-finalists Morocco face Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ivory Coast, seeking a third Cup of Nations title, will face Guinea-Bissau in the opening match on January 13 in Abidjan, the economic hub.

The Ivorian clash with three-time champions Nigeria will attract most attention among the six Group A fixtures.

Nigeria were last crowned Cup of Nations winners in 2013 in South Africa and the Ivory Coast succeeded them two years later in Equatorial Guinea.

Morocco were drawn in Group F with DR Congo, Zambia and Tanzania.

The Atlas Lions have won the premier African football competition only once, in 1976 in Ethiopia. Their best performance since then was finishing runners-up to 2004 hosts Tunisia.

Defending champions Senegal are in Group C with five-time winners Cameroon, Guinea and the Gambia.

South Africa will face Tunisia, Mali and Namibia in Group E while Ghana take on Egypt, Cape Verde and Mozambique in Group B.

Group D, comprising Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Angola, completes the line-up for a tournament that will reach a climax with the final on February 11.

Draw

Group A

Ivory Coast (hosts), Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau

Group B

Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mozambique

Group C

Senegal (holders), Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia

Group D

Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola

Group E

Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia

Group F

Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Tanzania

Notes

— Group winners and runners-up and the four highest ranked third-placed teams qualify for knockout stage

— Tournament kicks off on January 13 and ends on February 11, with matches at six stadiums in five cities

Source: AFP

Football: Paul Pogba’s ‘B’ sample also positive

6, October 2023

Football: Paul Pogba’s ‘B’ sample also positive 0

Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba’s ‘B’ sample has confirmed the presence of testosterone, a source close to the case told AFP on Friday.

The 30-year-old former Manchester United player, a World Cup winner in 2018, faces a ban of up to four years.

The original test by the Italian anti-doping agency (Nado) showed the presence of testosterone metabolites.

On Friday, Pogba learned that the analysis of his B sample, carried out on Thursday, had produced the same result.

The player’s entourage declined to comment.

Under the World Anti-Doping Code, Pogba is liable to a four-year suspension, which could be halved if he proves that he was not at fault.

The ban could even be limited to a few months if the use of the substance took place “out of competition and is not related to his level of performance”.

Pogba’s representatives said last month that the testosterone came from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor he consulted in the United States.

Testosterone promotes muscle development.

Contacted by AFP, Nado was unable to confirm this information “due to a decision by the Italian privacy authority”.

Source: AFP

Champions League: Man City on course to qualify for the knockout stages

4, October 2023

Champions League: Man City on course to qualify for the knockout stages 0

Reigning champions City are well on course to qualify for the knockout stages after successfully negotiating their hardest test in Group G to beat Leipzig 3-1 away.

Phil Foden finished off a fine move to put City ahead midway through the first half, only for Lois Openda to equalise just after the interval.

Foden then hit the bar from a free-kick and it looked like Pep Guardiola’s side might have to settle for a point until substitute Julian Alvarez found the top corner with a superb strike on 84 minutes.

Alvarez then turned provider for Jeremy Doku to make it 3-1 in stoppage time as City made it two wins out of two in the competition this season.

“We played a fantastic game in all departments. Everyone was perfect,” Guardiola told TNT Sports.

Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys got off the mark in the same group with a 2-2 draw in Serbia, where Osman Bukari grabbed an 88th-minute equaliser for the home team.

Cherif Ndiaye had given Red Star the lead but Young Boys — who face City next — drew level through Filip Ugrinic and then went ahead courtesy of a Cedric Itten penalty.

Source: AFP

FECAFOOT: Lawyers for Eto’o say he has not been notified of legal proceedings

4, October 2023

FECAFOOT: Lawyers for Eto’o say he has not been notified of legal proceedings 0

Lawyers representing Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot), have denied that the former striker has been notified of legal proceedings against him.

In a statement, French law firm Vey & Associes dismissed allegations made against the 42-year-old as “calumnious rumours”, adding that Eto’o had not been informed of any judicial action or been issued with any kind of summons.

Whilst widespread media reports claimed on Friday that the four-time African Player of the Year was facing action linked to match-fixing allegations, a Cameroonian police document spoke of allegations of “abuse of authority, corruption” and other unnamed claims.

These police reports appear to have been based on a redacted image of an official-looking document. Although the BBC has seen the image, it has not yet been able to obtain confirmation of its authenticity from the authorities in Cameroon.

This is not the first time Eto’o’s Fecafoot presidency has come into question recently.

Last week, a group of football officials in Cameroon sent an open letter to Fifa claiming that the world governing body had “remained silent” on allegations raised against Eto’o despite “numerous complaints and reminders from Cameroonian football actors”.

The signatories of the letter included Fecafoot executive committee member Guibai Gatama as well as the president and vice-president of the Professional Football League of Cameroon, the organisation that runs league competitions in the country.

Alleging that the former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea player “continues to illegally impose himself on the Fecafoot presidency”, the letter said the situation was “perhaps even more serious” than the case involving former Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales and World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso, which resulted in Fifa suspending Rubiales for 90 days and initiating disciplinary proceedings against him.

It also accused Fifa of operating a “two-speed management” between Africa and Europe which had allowed the continent to become “a kind of enclave where you can take liberties with the ethics and exemplarity that sports leaders should embody”.

Responding to the letter, Vey & Associes said Eto’o had launched a series of reforms to reorganise Cameroonian football leadership and was supported by “the vast majority of stakeholders”.

They also described the letter as “harmful” and “defamatory”, adding that Eto’o’s “bold policy change” would arouse “resistance from individuals ready to do anything to avoid losing their income from corruption”.

In July, a group representing amateur clubs in Cameroon called on Eto’o to resign and cited “grave irregularities” within Fecafoot following an 11-1 vote by Cameroon’s Amateur Clubs’ Association (ACFAC) in favour of asking him to stand down.

At the time, the BBC invited Fecafoot to comment on the nature of ACFAC’s claims but has received no response.

In August, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) began an investigation into allegations of improper conduct made against Eto’o, stating it had received “written statements from several Cameroonian football stakeholders” and would be “looking into these requests based on and in accordance with the Caf statutes and regulations”.

A Caf statement also said that on first impression the allegations looked “serious” but Eto’o would be “presumed innocent until an appropriate judicial body concludes otherwise”.

The BBC is also yet to receive comment from Fecafoot on Caf’s investigation.

During a glittering playing career, Eto’o was named African Footballer of the Year on four occasions, won three Uefa Champions League titles and represented Cameroon 115 times, winning two Africa Cup of Nations with the Indomitable Lions.

Source: BBC

Old CPDM Tricks: Eto’o investigated by police over match-fixing allegations

29, September 2023

Old CPDM Tricks: Eto’o investigated by police over match-fixing allegations 0

Police in Cameroon have opened an investigation into claims that Samuel Eto’o was part of a match-fixing scandal.

The former Barcelona striker, who has been president of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) since December 2021, was accused of helping to fix matches in Cameroon’s second tier in July after a recording of him speaking to someone alleged to be Valentine Nkwain, the president of Victoria United and known as ‘Bobdidy’, was made public. According to Camfoot, Eto’o allegedly promised to promote the club from the second division by manipulating matches – a claim denied by the former striker and by Nkwain, who has said it was not his voice on the recording.

Police have confirmed in a letter, seen by the Guardian, that they have opened an investigation into alleged “abuse of authority and corruption”. They are understood to have interviewed several key witnesses involved in the case. The investigation will also look into wider accusations of corruption at Fecafoot during Eto’o’s tenure, which it is believed could involve up to 40 people.

On the recording, Eto’o is alleged to have informed Nkwain that “there are things we can do” regarding a game in which Victoria were beaten 1-0 in December last year “but you have to be very discreet, brother”. “Don’t worry, we’ll give you your three points and we will suspend the referee,” he is alleged to have said. “Opopo [Victoria’s nickname] must go up to the first division. This is our goal. This is our federation. Victoria United will go up.” Victoria went on to be promoted in April.

Eto’o told the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in June that he had been “talking to a friend, someone who invests in football and wants to make his club one of the best in Cameroon”. He said: “I just reassured him by saying that I would have done everything possible to avoid any refereeing errors against him.”

The news comes after a group of Cameroon’s football officials called on Fifa to take action against Eto’o after a series of public incidents, including a “violent altercation” with an Algerian journalist at the World Cup in Qatar last year. The group – which includes Pierre Semengue, president of the Professional Football League of Cameroon – have written a letter jointly addressing Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) president, Patrice Motsepe, questioning how the former striker has been allowed to continue “to illegally impose himself on the Fecafoot presidency”.

An investigation into “certain alleged improper conduct” of Eto’o was opened by CAF in early August but no action has been taken.

“Not a word has been heard from Fifa,” the letter reads, “despite numerous complaints and reminders from Cameroonian football actors. How can Fifa continue to remain silent in the face of so many scandals that compromise public confidence in sporting ethics and the sincerity of matches?”

The letter was also critical of Infantino after he and Eto’o were pictured together earlier this month in France to discuss “football development”.

“The sad reality … is that Africa remains a kind of enclave where you can take liberties with the ethics and exemplarity that sports leaders should embody,” the letter says. “Can you imagine Fifa and Uefa remaining silent when the president of a European football federation is suspected of match-fixing, with audio recordings to back it up?”

By Haggai Fung Achuo

Spanish Football Crises: Police raid football referee HQ over Barca graft probe

28, September 2023

Spanish Football Crises: Police raid football referee HQ over Barca graft probe 0

Police on Thursday raided Spain’s football refereeing headquarters as part of a probe into claims FC Barcelona paid for favourable decisions in a fresh blow for Spain’s scandal-hit football association.

The search was ordered by the judge investigating the so-called Negreira case involving payments allegedly made to a firm owned by a former top refereeing official Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

Police began the search early on Thursday at the offices of the CTA referees’ technical committee located at the RFEF football federation headquarters on the outskirts of Madrid.

A Barcelona court ordered the search “as part of the investigation into the suspect payments made by the Catalan club” to Negreira, a statement said.

Prosecutors suspect that between 2001 and 2018, Barca paid millions of euros to Negreira’s company Dasnil 95 to secure favourable refereeing decisions from corrupt officials.

While the club admits making payments to Dasnil, it said the firm was paid to advise it on refereeing matters. It denies all wrongdoing.

Also Thursday, magistrate Joaquin Aguirre said he would investigate the club and several of its former directors for bribery.

The fact that Barcelona paid “one of the CTA’s three vice presidents through intermediary companies” is not in dispute, the judge wrote in his decision.

The payments, which lasted about 18 years, grew steadily “from an initial 70,000 euros a year to 700,000 euros” and stopped when Negreira left his position in 2018, he wrote.

“It stands to reason that the payments by FC Barcelona satisfied the club’s interests given their duration and annual increase,” Aguirre said.

“The payments resulted in refereeing decisions sought by FC Barcelona in such a way that must have involved unfair treatment of other teams and consequently systemic corruption across Spanish refereeing as a whole.”

Police investigators were looking into the scope of the graft, he said.

‘Illegal acts favouring Barca’

Prosecutors in March opened a corruption investigation over the affair, naming FC Barcelona and four others: Negreira, his son Javier Enriquez, and two of Barcelona’s former presidents, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell.

They allege Barca paid more than 7.3 million euros to Negreira who was a vice president at the CTA between 1994 and 2018.

The payments stopped when Negreira left the CTA following a reshuffle at the RFEF.

When the money stopped, Negreira sent a letter to Bartomeu, Barca’s president at the time, threatening to reveal information that would “seriously harm the club” if it didn’t pay up.

It was clear from the letter that Negreira “was aware that there had been illegal acts that favoured FC Barcelona that were quite serious”, the judge said.

The investigation began in spring 2022 when Spain’s tax authorities identified irregularities in payments made by Dasnil 95 between 2016 and 2018.

The raid comes as Spain’s football federation is struggling to manage a crisis triggered by the World Cup kiss scandal in which its now disgraced former chief Luis Rubiales forcibly kissed midfielder Jenni Hermoso.

Source: AFP

Mike Tyson helping Francis Ngannou plot Fury ambush

27, September 2023

Mike Tyson helping Francis Ngannou plot Fury ambush 0

In a black-walled gym tucked away in a quiet corner of Las Vegas, Mike Tyson looks on approvingly as the unmistakable sound of violent, powerful punches fills the air.

Thirty-seven years after rewriting boxing’s record books by becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in history at the age of 20, Tyson is plotting another ambush.

The 57-year-old has been hired to help train mixed martial arts star Francis Ngannou ahead of the Cameroonian fighter’s money-spinning heavyweight boxing showdown with Britain’s Tyson Fury taking place in Saudi Arabia on October 28.

In the eyes of bookmakers at least, the odds are stacked against Ngannou, who will climb into the ring against the undefeated Fury next month having never boxed professionally. Ladbrokes have installed Fury as a 1/10 favorite; Ngannou a 6/1 underdog.

Yet as the 6ft 4in (1.93m), 264lb (120kg) Ngannou unleashes an array of punches on his heavily padded trainer, Dewey Cooper, the mood is anything but pessimistic.

Occasionally, Tyson, standing to one side, will intervene to correct a movement or suggest a subtle tweak. Ngannou, a long-time fan of the American boxing icon, relishes each suggestion.

“He comes from time to time to lend a hand, to give his expertise,” Ngannou told a group of reporters during a workout.

“I had specifically asked for him to train me four years ago, long before this fight was announced, the first time I met him.

“He has something inspiring, something motivating. If I could ever have just a tiny piece of what he has, boxing would be very easy for me.”

Ngannou, 37, has taken a long and unconventional road to his boxing debut.

He first took up boxing in his 20s in his native Cameroon, later moving to Paris hoping to forge a professional career.

But he would ultimately end up in the rough and tumble world of mixed martial arts, eventually becoming the UFC’s heavyweight champion and one of the circuit’s biggest stars, winning 17 of his 20 fights including 12 by knockout.

‘Nervous? He should be’

Whether Ngannou’s skills in the octagon will translate to the boxing ring remains to be seen. Tyson, however, says he has been impressed by what he has seen during Ngannou’s training camp.

“We’re in a good position over here,” the softly-spoken Tyson tells reporters.

“He’s very dedicated, he put forth the effort and I think people will be pretty much more surprised than they anticipated.

“This is the biggest fight in boxing right now, in all sports. In fact, there’s no doubt about it. It’ll be the biggest upset in the history of entertainment. I think I bring him confidence this could be accomplished.”

Should Fury feel nervous? “I don’t know if he’s nervous or not,” Tyson said. “But he should be.”

The size of the task facing Ngannou however is undeniably gargantuan.

At 6ft 9in, the skillful Fury (33-0-1, 24 knockouts) will take a sizeable height and reach advantage into the ring against Ngannou, where no titles will be at stake.

The British self-styled “Gypsy King” has repeatedly demonstrated his near-superhuman capacity to absorb punches as well as his ruthless instinct for dispatching opponents.

Those in Ngannou’s camp however are adamant that the Cameroonian has a puncher’s chance.

Carlos Takam, the 42-year-old Cameroon-born heavyweight who has been training alongside Ngannou in Nevada, says all bets will be off when the bell sounds for the first round in Riyadh.

“Anything can happen in the heavyweight division,” said Takam, who upset France’s 2016 Olympic superheavyweight champion Tony Yoka in March this year.

“We’re talking about behemoths who can hit you with the full force of 120 kilos,” said Takam. “When that happens, you fall, and you don’t get up, even if you’re stronger. Don’t be surprised if something happens during this fight.”

Source: AFP

Boxing: Francis Ngannou calls on the international community to check Tyson Fury’s gloves

26, September 2023

Boxing: Francis Ngannou calls on the international community to check Tyson Fury’s gloves 0

Unbeaten since the start of his professional career, Tyson Fury will face Cameroonian Francis Ngannou in the ring on October 28. Ngannou believes that the Briton’s glove strategy is illegal.

With just one month to go before the unprecedented showdown between undefeated boxing champion Tyson Fury and former MMA heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, commentary is running high. Specialists give their predictions, and fans get in each other’s faces on social networks. The two fighters, who are in the home stretch of their preparations, are not to be outdone. Through the media, they don’t hesitate to take jabs at each other.

“Wilder and Chisora complained about Fury’s gloves”.

In mid-week, Tyson Fury, whose atypical physique for a top-level sportsman makes Ngannou fans hilarious, announced that his opponent’s muscles were no asset when it came to his moves. And this weekend, it’s the MMA champion’s turn to attack his future opponent. For the Cameroonian, the British boxer was using an illegal strategy with his gloves. “He’s very cunning with his gloves. I think he’s cheating. I’ve heard a lot of complaints about his gloves, that they have no protection. Even when he fought Deontay Wilder, he complained about that. Derek Chisora complained about it too,” says Francis Ngannou.

“All gloves must be checked”.

Cyril Gane’s MMA faller is putting the pressure on the organizing committee to carry out a thorough check. “We’re going to make it and we need all the gloves to be checked. The commission must check. All gloves need to be checked. If you want us to fight barehanded, let’s do it, but don’t give me 10-ounce gloves, while he’s wearing 8- or 6-ounce gloves because he has no protection.”

Source: Sports News Africa

Chelsea Football Nemesis: Falkland Islands tactics not helping!

25, September 2023

Chelsea Football Nemesis: Falkland Islands tactics not helping! 0

Mauricio Pochettino has pleaded for more time as he scrambles for solutions to Chelsea’s mounting crisis. But how patient will the owners be?

The Blues, European champions only two years ago, are a lowly 14th in the Premier League table, just four points above the relegation zone, after one win in their first six matches.

Their latest setback was a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday, with Ollie Watkins scoring the winner after the dismissal of Chelsea defender Malo Gusto.

Last year, Chelsea mustered their lowest points tally of the Premier League era but they have made an even more dire start to the current campaign.

“Give me time,” Pochettino pleaded after Sunday’s match, urging the club’s American owners to back him.

“They (the owners) are disappointed, they arrived at the club and are so excited to build a project.

“Of course they feel disappointed but at the same time they need to support the plan.”

Pochettino was confirmed as the new man in the Stamford Bridge hot seat in May — becoming the third permanent boss since Todd Boehly’s consortium bought the west London club from Roman Abramovich in 2022.

Boehly backed his manager by bankrolling another huge spending spree during the summer transfer window, taking Chelsea’s outlay on new players in just over a year beyond £1 billion ($1.2 billion).

But the return on their investment has been pitiful during a period of churn and upheaval on and off the pitch.

Goal-shy Chelsea

Chelsea have mustered just five goals in their first six league matches — and three of those came in the 3-0 win against newly promoted Luton.

They have failed to score in 13 Premier League matches in 2023 — more than any other side.

The frustrated Pochettino bemoaned his team’s lack of luck in the Villa defeat, saying the only thing missing was goals.

“We need to be aware about what is going on but in some way we need to be calm because the team is creating, the team is alive, the team is fighting every single action,” he said.

Pochettino can point to a lengthy injury list as a partial explanation for Chelsea’s blunt attack.

He lost France forward Christopher Nkunku to a serious knee injury in a pre-season friendly, but others including Mykhailo Mudryk, Nicolas Jackson, Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer have failed to deliver.

The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss will be painfully aware that Chelsea are not a patient club — the hire-and-fire culture of the Abramovich era persists under Boehly’s leadership.

Chelsea sacked Thomas Tuchel in the early weeks of last season, and Graham Potter suffered the same fate in April, axed after less than seven months in charge when the club were 11th in the table.

Pochettino enhanced his reputation during his five-year stint at Tottenham, subsequently taking charge at PSG, where he won the Ligue 1 title.

However, he failed to meet PSG’s primary goal of winning the Champions League, leaving his managerial CV still relatively light on silverware compared with some of his Premier League counterparts.

Next up for Chelsea are in-form Brighton, who travel to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday for a League Cup third round tie.

They then face local rivals Fulham in the Premier League, with matches looming against Arsenal, Tottenham and champions Manchester City.

The Villa fans delighted in the discomfort of the Chelsea boss at the weekend, chanting that he would be “sacked in the morning”.

There are no signs that the club hierarchy are preparing to pull the trigger yet, but they may feel compelled to act soon unless there is a dramatic improvement.

Source: AFP

Football: Onana laments poor start as Man Utd crisis deepens

20, September 2023

Football: Onana laments poor start as Man Utd crisis deepens 0

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana said he had let his teammates down after a howler set the tone for a 4-3 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.

A third consecutive defeat ramps up the pressure on United manager Erik ten Hag and two late goals from Casemiro masked the gulf in class between the sides at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.

However, United had started brightly until Leroy Sane’s strike slipped through Onana’s grasp on 28 minutes.

“After my mistake we lost control of the game. It’s a difficult situation for us, for me especially because I’m the one who let the team down,” Onana told TNT Sports.

The Cameroonian starred for Inter Milan on their run to last season’s Champions League final, but has struggled in the early weeks of his United career since joining in a £47 million ($58 million) move.

The Red Devils have now conceded three or more goals in three consecutive games for the first time since 1978.

“My start in Manchester is not so good, it’s not how I want (to play),” added Onana.

“Today is one of my worst games and it is difficult because we have big ambition, we want to win everything – it was a big opportunity for us to bounce back after the situation we are facing.

“It’s a tough time. We have to be together and learn from our mistakes because it’s the only thing to do.”

United have now lost four of their opening six games of the season for the first time in 37 years.

Downward curve

Ten Hag earned plenty of plaudits for his first season in charge as he led United back into the Champions League and ended a six-year trophy drought by lifting the League Cup.

But his side’s downward curve dates back to the latter part of last season. Since a historic 7-0 humiliation at the hands of Liverpool in March, United have lost eight of their last 12 games away from home in all competitions.

Ten Hag called for character from his side to bounce back from being outplayed on home soil by Brighton 3-1 at the weekend.

Instead, the former Ajax boss will be concerned at how quickly his side crumbled after Onana’s blunder and twice conceded within seconds of getting back into the game.

Serge Gnabry quickly doubled Bayern’s advantage after Jamal Musiala burst through the United defence with ease.

Rasmus Hojlund’s first goal for the club was the big positive of the night for Ten Hag’s men.

But Harry Kane had restored Bayern’s two-goal cushion within five minutes from the penalty spot after Cristian Eriksen was harshly penalised for handball.

Bayern should have then ran up a far more convincing scoreline as they twice hit the woodwork and eased up by bringing off Kane, Sane, Gnabry and Musiala.

Casemiro’s first goal could have provoked a nervy finale had Mathys Tel not been given space to crash in Bayern’s fourth within three minutes.

The Brazilian then headed in his second with virtually the last action of the match.

“When you score three goals at Bayern then you have to at least take a point,” said Ten Hag.

But he was keen to point to a collective failure rather than pointing the blame at Onana.

“If you see the first 25 minutes you have to score, but if not stay in the game. Don’t allow the opponent to score goals like we did. It’s not only about one mistake.”

Source: AFP

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