Sports

20, February 2024

Football: Kylian Mbappe agrees Real Madrid deal to join in summer ⁰

Paris St-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe has agreed to join Real Madrid this summer.

The France captain, 25, has told PSG he intends to leave the club with his contract expiring in June.

Mbappe has not signed a contract with Real yet, but the deal could be announced once it is no longer possible for the clubs to meet in this season’s Champions League.

The World Cup winner is PSG’s record goalscorer with 244 goals.

Mbappe wanted his future sorted before March, so on 13 February, before training, he met PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and told him he was leaving and joining Real.

After reports emerged last Thursday that he would leave, Mbappe was left out of the starting line-up for Saturday’s match against Nantes, but came off the bench to score a penalty as PSG went 14 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.

He is set to sign a five-year deal with Real, earning 15m euros (£12.8m) a season, plus a 150m euro (£128m) signing-on bonus to be paid over five years, and he will keep a percentage of his image rights.

Real manager Carlo Ancelotti has already thought how he will use Mbappe in his team, with England midfielder Jude Bellingham playing a deeper role, Brazilian Vinicius Jr playing on the left and Mbappe playing left of centre.

If Croatia midfielder Luka Modric leaves this summer, then Mbappe would inherit the number 10 shirt he wears for France.

PSG are 2-0 up against Real Sociedad after the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, while Real lead RB Leipzig 1-0.

How have we got here?

Mbappe won the French title with Monaco before joining PSG as an 18-year-old in 2017, initially on loan before a 180m euro (£165.7m) move.

Overall, he has 244 goals and 93 assists in 291 games for PSG and has helped the club to five Ligue 1 title wins.

Mbappe was set to leave PSG on a free transfer at the end of the 2021-22 season but ultimately signed a two-year contract extension, with the option of a further year.

However, after Mbappe told PSG he would not agree to the additional 12 months of the deal, he was not selected for their pre-season tour to Japan last July.

He subsequently refused to meet with representatives of Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, who made a world record £259m offer for him.

He later returned to first-team training following what PSG said were “very constructive and positive” talks.

Mbappe turned down a move to Real when he agreed to his current deal with PSG in May 2022.

He has a one-year extension clause, so it is expected his departure will involve either a sale with a transfer fee or financial sacrifices on the player’s part.

“He is no doubt one of the players anyone would love to have on his side. He is an amazing player,” former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon told the BBC’s Football News Show.

“We have very young players – he will join Vinicius, Rodrygo, Bellingham – and I think we have a very strong team. That’s why we are leading La Liga and also we’ve won all our matches in the Champions League.

“So, for him it would be fantastic. Every fan of Real Madrid would like to see him playing in the Bernabeu.

“He will leave a mark. If he continues to play as he has up until now, for sure he will be one of the important players we have had in our history.”

Source: BBC

19, February 2024

Indomitable Lions: Hugo Broos Opens Up on Why He Was Fired As Coach ⁰

The head coach of the South African national football team, Hugo Broos, has opened up on what went wrong during his time with the Cameroonian national team.

Barely 10 months after guiding the Indomitable Lions to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations title, the tactician was shown the door.

Broos has detailed all that transpired before he was sacked, including allegations that he was extorting money from players before they were called up to the national team.

He explained that there appeared to be some similarities with his present situation with South Africa, having led them to a third-place finish at the just-concluded 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

In 2017, Cameroon lost 4-0 to Nigeria and then fell out of their 2018 World Cup campaign. Commenting on the manner of his departure, Broos said this week-

“I was in the hotel with the staff, I forget before which game, and there was a sports programme [on TV]. There were two guests, and one of them said, ‘I know the coach, team manager and team doctor asked for money for players to be in the national team. €5,000 if they want to play’.

“We were all in front of the TV saying, ‘What is this guy saying?’. The team manager and the doctor went to court. They stopped the programme and the guy got a fine. That’s Cameroon.”

Source: Sportsbrief.com

15, February 2024

Kylian Mbappé tells PSG he will leave club at end of season ⁰

France captain Kylian Mbappé has told officials at Paris Saint-Germain that he intends to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season, a source close to the Ligue 1 champions said on Thursday.

The 25-year-old, who arrived in Paris from Monaco in 2017, had extended his contract in 2022 until 2024 but last summer declined to activate a clause allowing him to stay another year at PSG.

Mbappé has been widely tipped to move to Real Madrid and, according to a source close to the matter, has already entered negotiations with the Spanish giants.

“The terms of the departure have yet to be fully agreed,” the source said, adding that the club and Mbappé will make an official statement “when everything is finalised in the next few months”.

PSG declined to comment when contacted by AFP

Mbappé will leave PSG on a free transfer but the blow to the club will be softened by an agreement they reached last summer which will see the player waive bonuses amounting to around 60 to 70 million euros ($65.6 million to $76.6 million).

After seven seasons at PSG, Mbappé, the club’s all-time top scorer, looks set to seal a move to Real Madrid, the club that the player has dreamt of since he was a child.

Real have made no secret of their desire to bring him to the Santiago Bernabeu. In 2019, 2021 and 2022, club president Florentino Perez considered signing him, only to be rebuffed each time.

For PSG, the departure of their main star, a year after the exits of Neymar and Lionel Messi, marks the beginning of a new era of uncertainty.

Source: AFP

14, February 2024

Eto’o among 24 players to win the Champions League with more than one club ⁰

Here are the 24 players to have won the Champions League with more than one club, with some select notes.

Note: we haven’t included the likes of Frank Rijkaard, Vladimir Jugovic and Dejan Savicevic, who won the first of their European Cups in the pre-Champions League era (1992 onwards).

Toni Kroos – Bayern Munich (2013), Real Madrid (2016, 2017, 2018, 2022)

Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United (2008), Real Madrid (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018)

Mateo Kovacic – Real Madrid (2016, 2017, 2018), Chelsea (2021)

Gerard Pique – Manchester United (2008), Barcelona (2009, 2011, 2015)

Clarence Seedorf – Ajax (1995), Real Madrid (1998), AC Milan (2003, 2007)

David Alaba – Bayern Munich (2013, 2020), Real Madrid (2022)

Samuel Eto’o – Barcelona (2006, 2009), Inter (2010)

Fernando Redondo – Real Madrid (1998, 2000), AC Milan (2003)

Xherdan Shaqiri – Bayern Munich (2013), Liverpool (2019)

Daniel Sturridge – Chelsea (2012), Liverpool (2019)

Thiago Alcantara – Barcelona (2011), Bayern Munich (2020)

Thiago Motta – Barcelona (2006), Inter (2010)

Xabi Alonso – Liverpool (2005), Real Madrid (2014)

Deco – Porto (2004), Barcelona (2006)

Jose Bosingwa – Porto (2004), Chelsea (2012)

Paulo Ferreira – Porto (2004), Chelsea (2012)

Owen Hargreaves – Bayern Munich (2001), Manchester United (2008)

Paulo Sousa – Juventus (1996), Borussia Dortmund (1997)

Edwin Van Der Sar – Ajax (1995), Manchester United (2008)

Christian Panucci – Milan (1994), Real Madrid (1998)

Marcel Desailly – Marseille (1993), Milan (1994)

Didier Deschamps – Marseille (1993), Juventus (1996)

Scott Carson – Liverpool (2005), Man City (2023)

Culled from MSN

14, February 2024

Africa Cup of Nations: Ivory Coast and Nigeria players get cash, villas and honours ⁰

Cash, houses and honours are being bestowed on footballers from Ivory Coast and Nigeria, after Sunday’s riveting Africa Cup of Nations final.

Every player in Ivory Coast’s winning squad will pocket $82,000 (£65,000) and get a villa worth a similar amount, the presidency announced.

“You have brought happiness to all Ivorians, bravo, bravo,” said President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast, which hosted the pan-African tournament.

Nigeria also got a heroes’ welcome.

Although their 2-1 loss in the final spelled heartbreak for the Super Eagles’ millions of fans at home and in the diaspora, their efforts are being handsomely rewarded by President Bola Tinubu.

Each member of the Nigerian squad has received one of the country’s highest honours – the Member of the Order of the Niger. The president is also giving them each an apartment and a piece of land near the capital, Abuja.

Third-placed South Africa are also set to receive about $52,000 per player, according to local media.

It is not clear what cash payment Nigeria’s players are to receive from the state purse.

But all of the perks listed above are in addition to the usual prize money doled out by the Africa Cup of Nations, which they say they have boosted by 40% since the last tournament.

This means that winners Ivory Coast get $7m, runners-up Nigeria get $4m, semi-finalist South Africa and DR Congo each get $2.5m, while the four teams who made the quarter-finals take home $1.3m each.

This year’s Africa Cup of Nations enjoyed the highest viewing numbers in its 67-year history – thanks to bigger broadcasting and commercial deals, and social media buzz. Almost two billion people are said to have watched worldwide.

Analysts hope the global appreciation for Africa’s footballing flair will translate into more starting slots for African teams at future World Cups.

As it stands, Africa has only nine World Cup spots to Europe’s 13, despite the fact these two continents have a near-identical number of Fifa-affiliated countries.

African national teams have in the past complained their salaries and bonuses have not been paid.

The Cameroon side who won global admiration for their quarter-final performance against England in the 1990 World Cup waited over 30 years to get houses they were promised, by which time their captain had died.

At last year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup, South African footballers won a pay dispute after sitting out a match in protest. Their hastily assembled substitutes had included a 13-year-old girl.

Source: BBC

13, February 2024

Patrick Mboma’s son Kenji Mboma selected in the first division club FC Cincinnati ⁰

Cameroonian footballer Patrick Mboma’s son Kenji Mboma is selected in the first division club FC Cincinnati for the 2024 MLS super draft. He is a left-footer player and has played very well for his long range goals and exceptional dribbling skills.

Mboma had played for Dayton and has a record of scoring nine goals and tallied three assists in 15 appearances, all began while logging 1,330 minutes as a central striker. He scored six goals in his last five matches and was named First Team All-Atlantic 10.

Before he went Dayton, Mboma Dem was a playmaker in Omaha. There he notched 12 goals and 12 assists in 42 games that he played.

In the year 2022, Mboma Dem tallied six goals, eight assists and five games of two or more goal contributions.

On the course of completing his three-year career as a Maverick, Mboma Dem was invited to All-Summit Conference Newcomer Team in 2020 and All-Summit First Team 2021.

Mboma Dem was selected by FC Cincinnati with other 56 selected players. He expressed that he is incredibly grateful for the opportunity and the people that helped him and supported him along the way.

“This includes my family, friends, all my teammates and coaches, it also includes the University of Dayton,” said Mboma Dem.

Considerably, the 2024 MLS SuperDraft was the 25^th edition of the MLS SuperDraft which was organised as sports draft to select amateur, usually collegiate, soccer players that are not affiliated with an MLS club or college soccer players that had their Homegrown player rights relinquished by their parent MLS club.

Reportedly, the draft was held on Dec 19, 2023 marking the second year in a row. Despite of this that it held in 2023, the draft will retain and do the branding for 2024.

Source: News Invasion 24

12, February 2024

World record marathon holder Kelvin Kiptum dead in Kenya road accident ⁰

World marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana died in a car crash in western Kenya that left a third passenger injured, police said Sunday.

“The accident happened around 11 pm (2000 GMT). The car had three occupants, two died on the spot, while one was taken to hospital. The two are Kiptum and his coach,” said Peter Mulinge, police commander for Elgeyo Marakwet County in western Kenya.

He said the car was heading to Eldoret, a city in western Kenya, when the accident occurred.

Kiptum ran a world record 2:00:35 in the Chicago Marathon in October, taking 34 seconds off fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge’s previous record.

Source: AFP

12, February 2024

Haller’s late goal seals Ivory Coast’s 2-1 win over Nigeria in AFCON final ⁰

Sebastien Haller scored a dramatic late winner as hosts Ivory Coast fought back to beat Victor Osimhen’s Nigeria 2-1 in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final and complete the most remarkable of major tournament turnarounds by claiming their third continental title.

Nigeria looked set to repeat their 1-0 victory over the Ivorians here at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium during the group stage when captain William Troost-Ekong — who had netted a penalty to decide that first meeting — rose to head in the opener late in the first half.

However, Franck Kessie equalised just after the hour mark and Haller turned in Simon Adingra’s cross in the 81st minute to spark wild celebrations among the sea of orange in the Abidjan stands.

Ivory Coast’s success sees them add this year’s title to those claimed in 1992 and 2015, while this win also allows them to join Nigeria on three Cup of Nations triumphs overall.

Only Egypt, Cameroon and Ghana have won the title more often, with the Super Eagles squandering the opportunity to match their Ghanaian rivals on four victories.

Spearheaded by reigning African player of the year Osimhen, the Nigerians had looked the most formidable team in the competition over the last month.

But Ivory Coast’s sense of destiny was simply too overpowering, as they became the first host country to win the AFCON since 2006.

Didier Drogba captained the Elephants team that lost on penalties to Egypt in Cairo in that final 18 years ago, while this time he was among the spectators to witness a stunning victory for his country.

Back from the brink

It is an incredible achievement for a side that was on the brink of elimination in the group stage after losing 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea on January 22.

That was their heaviest ever home defeat and the Ivorians then parted company with coach Jean-Louis Gasset, replacing him with Emerse Fae, a teammate of Drogba’s in 2006.

They then began a remarkable turnaround which saw them oust holders Senegal on penalties, beat Mali with a last-gasp goal in extra time, and edge out DR Congo with a Haller goal in the last four.

Their supporters packed out the stadium to its 60,000 capacity, with many fans having to watch the game from vantage points on stairways.

Anyone wanting to dampen the excitement levels might have pointed out that Cup of Nations finals tend to be low-scoring affairs.

There were just 10 goals scored in the last 11 finals, five of which were decided on penalties after a 0-0 stalemate.

Indeed, Ivory Coast’s four previous final appearances had all ended goalless before going to penalties, two of which they had won.

This looked set to be another nervy, low-scoring affair with chances few and far between early on.

However the home side then had a great chance on 34 minutes when Kessie found Adingra on the left and his shot was turned away by Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.

That proved crucial as Nigeria went ahead just four minutes later when Ademola Lookman’s corner from the left was touched on and Troost-Ekong headed in from the edge of the six-yard area.

Earlier in the tournament the Ivorians would have crumbled in such a scenario, but they deserve great credit for regrouping at the interval and throwing everything at Nigeria.

Max-Alain Gradel’s netbound shot was blocked in front of the line by Calvin Bassey five minutes after the restart, before Nwabali turned an Odilon Kossounou long-range piledriver around the post on 62 minutes.

They drew level from the corner which followed that, as Kessie — whose late penalty had rescued the hosts against Senegal in the last 16 — appeared at the back post to head into the net.

It seemed inevitable that a second Ivory Coast goal would follow and it duly did with nine minutes of the 90 to play as Haller got his studs to Adingra’s cross and diverted the ball into the far corner.

Behind for the first time since their opening match, Nigeria could not react, and Ivory Coast held on for victory.

Source: AFP

11, February 2024

Olembe tragedy families invited to AFCON final ⁰

Families of the victims of the Stade d’Olembe tragedy that took place during the last Africa Cup of Nations in Yaounde, Cameroon, have been invited to Sunday’s final in Abidjan, according to Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe during an address to review the ongoing AFCON.

At least eight people were killed and 38 were injured, seven seriously, in a crush that took place at the stadium before a round of 16 match between hosts Cameroon and Comoros during the last edition of the biennial continental competition on Jan. 24 2022.

It was determined that a “massive and late influx of supporters … caused the crush,” according to a government report, with security forces opening a gate outside the stadium to ease the over-crowding, which subsequently led to the tragedy.

“Some of the [victims’] family members from Cameroon are invited [to the AFCON final],” Motsepe began, “and will be with us here in Cote d’Ivoire.

“We visited each of their houses, met with their families, and expressed our condolences.”

Motsepe expressed confidence before the tournament began that measures in place around stadiums across the Ivory Coast would prevent a repeat incident during the ongoing tournament.

“The day after the final in Cameroon, we were in Cote d’Ivoire already to prepare for this following AFCON,” he added. “We had to identify what our failures and weaknesses were, and what the things were in Cameroon we had to improve.

“I’m happy that there’s been specific improvement, but despite all the precautionary measures you can take, there will always be unforeseen events. When you’re better prepared, you have a much better propensity to deal with these consequences.”

With the Ivorian government investing around $1.5 billion in tournament infrastructure, there has been no repeat of supporter deaths at the continent’s premier football event to date.

However, it hasn’t been an entirely smooth competition, with injuries suffered by media professionals travelling in a shuttle bus between Yamoussoukro and Abidjan one notable example.

For Motsepe, broadcast consistency, ticket sales and transport between the tournament venues are three clear areas of improvement that provide learnings from this year’s competition for future editions to come.

“We could have sold 150,000 tickets for the opening match, but there were empty seats,” the South African billionaire recalled. “My sponsors want to see value, and we want them to put more money in for the continent’s football development.

“Empty seats are not good for African people, but people bought up many tickets and then sold them at extortionate prices. This is one area that needs to improve.

“The broadcast of the game between Senegal and the Gambia was partly interrupted, and we can’t have that — there must be zero tolerance for any interruption or interference with the broadcast.

“There was also an instance where there was a [road] accident and our advice wasn’t followed.”

Despite these problems, Motsepe expressed his broader confidence that the tournament had been an overwhelming success, and a valuable testament to the state of African football under his premiership.

“This AFCON has been excellent, the best AFCON in the history of the competition,” he concluded. “We’ve had more than 180 countries worldwide, close to two billion people watching the football in Africa, and we should feel proud as Africans that we can produce such an exceptional competition.

“The next one must be even better, and the next one even better.”

Source: ESPN

9, February 2024

Ivory Coast’s Haller eyes AFCON glory after cancer battle, Bundesliga agony ⁰

No single player symbolises Ivory Coast’s remarkable turnaround to reach this weekend’s Africa Cup of Nations final quite like striker Sebastien Haller.

Sebastien Haller scored Ivory Coast's winner in the semi-final against DR Congo in his first start of the Africa Cup of Nations — Sebastien Haller scored Ivory Coast’s winner in the semi-final against DR Congo in his first start of the Africa Cup of Nations

The 29-year-old was the host country’s match-winner in the semi-final against the Democratic Republic of Congo in his first start of the tournament after injury.

That came after a year marked by a return from cancer and then an agonising climax to the German Bundesliga title race with Borussia Dortmund.

Like Didier Drogba once upon a time, Haller is the poster boy of the Elephants team at this, their home Cup of Nations.

He appears on billboards across Abidjan, advertising anything from mineral water to deodorant and a major mobile phone operator.

“It’s bizarre. I wasn’t expecting that,” he admitted ahead of the tournament when asked about seeing his face everywhere.

“I need to use this notoriety to serve as an example to others.”

Yet it looked like he might not play any part in the competition as an ankle injury picked up playing for Dortmund in December prevented him from featuring in the group stage.

The Ivorians were on the brink of a humiliating group-stage exit after a stunning 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea in their third game, but squeezed through as the last of the four best third-placed teams.

Haller was therefore able to play a part from the bench under interim coach Emerse Fae — appointed mid-tournament to replace the sacked Jean-Louis Gasset — as Ivory Coast faced Senegal in the last 16.

He scored in the penalty shoot-out as the hosts knocked out the holders, and he again played an important part as a substitute in the dramatic quarter-final win over Mali.

Finally considered fit to start in the semi-final, it was his volley that saw off DR Congo at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium.

“It is true that we had a few slip-ups at the start of the competition but maybe we are a different team now,” he told broadcaster Canal Plus Afrique after that game before playing down his own role in the semi-final triumph.

“I wasn’t really thinking that I absolutely had to score. The most important thing was to help the team,” he said.

Struggles at club level

Haller was born in France and represented them up to Under-21 level, playing alongside 2018 World Cup winners such as Benjamin Pavard and Ousmane Dembele.

However, with the call from France senior coach Didier Deschamps never coming, he accepted the offer in 2020 to play for Ivory Coast, the country of his mother’s birth.

“When I scored my first goal on my first cap against Madagascar, it was really something. I was so happy,” he later recalled in an interview with So Foot magazine.

Haller has endured a difficult season at club level with Dortmund

Haller played in the Ivorian team that went out of the last Cup of Nations in Cameroon in the last 16.

At that point the former Eintracht Frankfurt and West Ham United forward was starring for Ajax, banging in the goals in the Netherlands and in the UEFA Champions League.

A big-money move to Dortmund followed in July 2022, with the German club seeing him as the man to replace Erling Haaland, who had just been sold to Manchester City.

However, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer just days after joining, and several months of treatment followed, including four rounds of chemotherapy and two operations.

His first competitive appearance for the club only came on January 22 last year against Augsburg.

He went on to score nine goals in the run-in as Edin Terzic’s side looked certain to end a decade of Bayern Munich dominance and win the Bundesliga.

They were in the driving seat on the final day of the campaign, but Haller missed a penalty in a 2-2 draw with Mainz which allowed Bayern to pip Dortmund on goal difference.

There has been little to shout about at club level since then for Haller, who has not started a game for Dortmund since September and has not scored since netting a brace in a Cup tie against lower-league opponents on August 12.

Yet now he has the chance to lead his country to Cup of Nations glory on Sunday against Nigeria, something which he will also hope can kickstart his club career.

Source: AFP