Sports

CPDM Crime Syndicate and the Africa Cup of Nations : Postponement or cancellation are a big possibility

29, October 2021

CPDM Crime Syndicate and the Africa Cup of Nations : Postponement or cancellation are a big possibility 0

There is a real possibility that the 2021 African Cup of Nations could well be postponed or even cancelled due to problems in the host country of Cameroon, it is claimed.

The 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to take place from 9 January to 6 February 2022 after it was originally due to be played in June and July 2021 before the CAF announced that it would be postponed due to ‘unfavourable climatic conditions’ and then because of the effects of Covid-19.

The dates of the competition mean that Milan would be without the likes of Fode Ballo-Toure, Franck Kessie and Ismael Bennacer for a few games including some important fixtures in January.

However, journalist Eduardo Hagn is reporting that AFCON is at risk for 2022 as ‘there have been legal fights between the bodies responsible for making the tournament happen’. The main problem is that the President of FECAFOOT is in his role illegally and that is why ‘postponement or cancellation are a big possibility’.

Source: Sempremilan.com

CPDM Crime Syndicate Not Ready To Host The Africa Cup of Nations?

29, October 2021

CPDM Crime Syndicate Not Ready To Host The Africa Cup of Nations? 0

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has expressed concerns about Cameroon’s readiness to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The tournament will begin on 9 January 2022, and according to the competition’s Organising Committee, certain areas need ‘urgent attention’ ahead of the kick-off.

CAF said in a statement: “The Executive Committee noted the report and the progress made so far. The EXCO emphasized the need to make follow-ups with the Local Organising Committee on the areas that still need some urgent attention ahead of the kick-off on 9 January 2022.

“On the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations and Covid19 situation and preparations for supporters, the Executive Committee raised some sanitary matters that will be part of on-going discussions between CAF and Cameroon government.”

Zimbabwe is among the twenty-four countries that will participate in the tournament.

Source: Soccer24 Zimbabwe

Cristiano Ronaldo announces partner expecting twins

28, October 2021

Cristiano Ronaldo announces partner expecting twins 0

Cristiano Ronaldo announced on social media on Thursday that his partner Georgina Rodriguez is expecting twins.

“Delighted to announce we are expecting twins. Our hearts are full of love – we can’t wait to meet you,” the 37-year-old Manchester United and Portugal star, who is already the father of four children, wrote on Instagram.

The post was accompanied by a photo of the couple lying in bed with Ronaldo holding up a double ultrasound for the camera.

The footballer’s eldest son, Cristiano Junior, was born in June 2010 to a surrogate.

Seven years later, in June 2017, Ronaldo became the father of twins Eva and Mateo in the same way. Alana Martina, born in November 2017, was the first child from his union with Rodriguez.

In 2017, Ronaldo told France Football that he wanted seven children.

Source: AFP

Football: Barcelona fires coach Ronald Koeman after string of post-Messi defeats

28, October 2021

Football: Barcelona fires coach Ronald Koeman after string of post-Messi defeats 0

After another poor performance and yet another loss, Ronald Koeman couldn’t hang on any longer as Barcelona coach.

It took less than three months after Lionel Messi’s departure for Koeman to finally succumb as the pressure kept increasing and the Catalan club’s struggles continued.

Barcelona announced Koeman’s firing shortly after the team’s 1-0 loss at Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish league on Wednesday.

The loss followed a 2-1 home loss to rival Real Madrid in the “clásico” at the Camp Nou Stadium on Sunday.

Koeman had said in a post-match interview Wednesday he didn’t know if his future with the club was at risk. He soon found out. Club president Joan Laporta informed the Dutch coach of his decision after the loss.

Captain Sergio Busquets had said Koeman shouldn’t be the only one to blame for the team’s poor performances.

“We are all on the same boat,” the midfielder said after the match, before the decision on Koeman was announced.

Koeman has been under constant pressure after a poor start to the team’s first season without Messi in nearly two decades. The Argentina star joined Paris Saint-Germain in August.

Barcelona said Koeman “will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday.”

Koeman leaves with the club in ninth place in the Spanish league standings with 15 points from 10 matches.

Among the team’s five losses this season were 3-0 results in the Champions League against Bayern Munich at home and at Benfica.

The loss to Rayo marked the team’s fifth away match without a win, something that hadn’t happened to the club in nearly two decades.

Barcelona won five matches and drew three this season under the Dutch coach who took over shortly after the team’s embarrassing 8-2 loss to Bayern in the Champions League last year. His only title with the Catalan club was last season’s Copa del Rey.

In total, Koeman coached Barcelona in 67 matches in his 15 months in charge, with 39 wins, 16 losses and 12 draws.

Barcelona last season finished third in the Spanish league and was eliminated by PSG in the quarterfinals of the Champions league.

Koeman had been publicly at odds with Laporta, though the club had recently expressed its support for the coach, including after he was harassed by a small group of fans outside the stadium after the home loss to Madrid last weekend.

Koeman had also upset some of his players after saying Barcelona would not realistically contend for much this season as it continued to deal with serious financial difficulties.

The club also lost Antoine Griezmann to Atlético Madrid and was relying mostly on youngsters who have been hastily promoted from its youth squads.

The coach reportedly agreed to let go of striker Luis Suárez after he arrived in a bid to help the team financially. Suárez went on to help Atlético win the league title last season.

A replacement for Koeman was not immediately announced, but Spanish media reported former player Xavi Hernández was the front-runner to take over.

The team’s next match is Saturday at home against relegation-threatened Alavés in the Spanish league.

Source: AP

AFCON 2022 in Cameroon at risk? CAF releases statement

27, October 2021

AFCON 2022 in Cameroon at risk? CAF releases statement 0

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has issued a statement following shock reports suggesting that the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations could be cancelled or postponed.

It was reported earlier this week that there was a chance that the upcoming AFCON was at risk of cancellation or postponement due to reported in-fighting between those responsible for organising the tournament.

Journalist Eduardo Hagn had claimed that this was due to the president of Cameroon’s football governing body, FECAFOOT, being “in his role illegally”.

The tournament is scheduled to take place between 9 January and 6 February next year after it was initially set to be hosted in Cameroon in June and July last year. It was, however, moved due to unfortunate weather conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In a statement released on Monday, though, the CAF Executive Committee revealed that the upcoming tournament has been approved, with the official calendar soon to be distributed.

The statement, as per CAF’s website, read: “The Executive Committee received a comprehensive report from the CAF Organising Committee delegation led by Vice President Augustin Senghor and General Secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba who recently visited Cameroon.

“The Executive Committee noted the report and the progress made so far. The EXCO emphasised the need to make follow-ups with the Local Organising Committee on the areas that still need some urgent attention ahead of the kick-off on 9 January 2022.

“On the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations and Covid19 situation and preparations for supporters, the Executive Committee raised some sanitary matters that will be part of on-going discussions between CAF and Cameroon government.

“The Executive Committee also ratified the signing of the Agreement for the Organising Association Agreement (OAA) of the AFCON with the host nation, Cameroon last weekend.”

On the 2021/22 CAF calendar, the statement concluded: “The Executive Committee approved the 2021/22 competitions calendar. The calendar will be distributed in due course.”

Source: SoccerLaduna

Football: Five candidates to replace Solskjaer as manager of Manchester United

25, October 2021

Football: Five candidates to replace Solskjaer as manager of Manchester United 0

Solskjaer has failed to win a trophy in nearly three years in charge at Old Trafford and tangible signs of progress after finishing second in the Premier League last season have been blown away amid a run of five defeats in their last nine games.

United are already eight points off the pace at the top of the table and there is a growing consensus that they need a coach to match the calibre of Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and Chelsea’s Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel.

Solskjaer has led United to two consecutive top-four finishes for the first time since Alex Ferguson’s retirement as manager in 2013, but his time looks to be running out.

AFP Sport looks at five of the candidates to replace the 48-year-old if and when he is shown the door at Old Trafford.

Antonio Conte

A proven title winner, Conte turned a Chelsea side that had finished 10th the previous season into Premier League winners in his debut campaign in England in 2016/17.

Antonio Conte is without a club after leaving Italian champions Inter Milan
Antonio Conte is without a club after leaving Italian champions Inter Milan MIGUEL MEDINA AFP

The Italian is without a club having left Inter Milan in May after ending their 11-year wait to win Serie A.

Conte appears a perfect fit to solve United’s defensive woes that have blighted their season. Solskjaer’s men have kept one clean sheet in 21 games and shipped 11 goals in a week against Leicester, Atalanta and Liverpool.

However, Conte’s fiery temperament and tendency to fall out with his superiors could count against him.

“He’s not a fit for United,” said former United captain Gary Neville on Sunday.

Zinedine Zidane

Expectations were high for United to challenge for major trophies this season after the signings of serial winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane, along with £73 million ($100 million) winger Jadon Sancho.

Zinedine Zidane won three Champions League titles at Real Madrid
Zinedine Zidane won three Champions League titles at Real Madrid GENYA SAVILOV AFP/File

Three of Ronaldo and Varane’s Champions League titles came under Zidane at Real Madrid and the Frenchman is also a free agent having ended his second spell with the Spanish giants in May.

Zidane proved himself a master of moulding a star-studded squad into a team at Madrid, where he also won two La Liga titles.

That is exactly what United need and his global profile fits the brand-building exercise the English giants have gone down in recent years, at times to the detriment of a well-functioning team on the field.

Brendan Rodgers

The outstanding option on the domestic market for United is Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers.

The Northern Irishman’s past as a Liverpool manager may rule him out for many United fans, but he has rebuilt his reputation since a rollercoaster three years at Anfield between 2012 and 2015.

Rodgers proved himself capable of handling the demands of winning every week in three years at Celtic, where he won a clean sweep of seven domestic trophies before returning to the Premier League with Leicester.

The Foxes have narrowly missed out on the Champions League for the past two seasons to Chelsea despite far inferior resources and beat the European champions to win the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history last season.

Erik Ten Hag

The Dutchman is responsible for arguably the form team in Europe right now with Ajax cruising towards the last 16 of the Champions League and another Eredivisie title after thrashing PSV Eindhoven 5-0 on Sunday.

Erik Ten Hag has Ajax cruising towards the Champions League last 16
Erik Ten Hag has Ajax cruising towards the Champions League last 16 MAURICE VAN STEEN ANP/AFP

Ten Haag was linked with a number of top jobs after leading the four-time European champions to the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 1997 two years ago.

But unlike many of his players from that run, he is yet to be poached by one of Europe’s top clubs.

The former Bayern Munich youth team coach would fit the attacking style demanded of a United manager, as exhibited by a 4-0 thrashing of Borussia Dortmund last week.

Luis Enrique

The Spain coach is another with plenty of experience in getting the best out of a collection of talented individuals.

Luis Enrique has spoken of his desire to one day coach in the Premier League
Luis Enrique has spoken of his desire to one day coach in the Premier League FRANCK FIFE AFP

He won the treble in his first season at Barcelona and added another La Liga title with a front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

Fluent in English, Luis Enrique has never hidden his desire to one day coach in the Premier League

His success with Spain this year at Euro 2020 and the Nations League finals shows he is also capable of producing an exciting side without the same quality of stars he had on offer at the Camp Nou.

Source: AFP

Biya regime, CAF sign AFCON host rights agreement

24, October 2021

Biya regime, CAF sign AFCON host rights agreement 0

Cameroonian football authorities and Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Friday signed a framework agreement that authorizes the Central African nation to organize the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) next year.

The framework agreement secures host rights for Cameroon and also allows the country to use the working handbook of CAF to organize the football jamboree.

Cameroon’s minister of Sports and Physical Education Narcisse Mouelle Kombi and the interim president of Cameroon Football Federation Seidou Mbombo Njoya signed on behalf of Cameroon while CAF’s vice president Augustin Senghor inked the deal.

“It is an honor for me to sign this agreement. Cameroon will surely host a wonderful AFCON,” Njoya said after signing the agreement in the capital, Yaounde.

“Cameroon is ready in many aspects to host AFCON. We hope that they will hasten up to finish the remaining works,” Senghor said.

The biennial competition is scheduled to take place in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6 next year.

Source: Xinhuanet

FIFA drive for biennial World Cup stalls amid fierce resistance from European football

21, October 2021

FIFA drive for biennial World Cup stalls amid fierce resistance from European football 0

FIFA’s drive to get approval in December for holding World Cups every two years stalled Wednesday, one day after its president met with fierce resistance from European soccer leaders.

Gianni Infantino instead announced FIFA would host a remote “global summit” on Dec. 20 to discuss the future of international soccer and “try to reach a consensus.”

That fell short of staging an extra congress of 211 member federations which could formally vote on the planned biennial World Cups for men and women in which Infantino has invested his and FIFA’s political capital.

“It is really important to listen to all the legitimate questions … and to see how we can adjust the proposals that have been made,” Infantino said at a news conference after chairing a meeting of FIFA’s ruling Council.

Infantino’s comment about exploring “what other kinds of events we can create” was a further hint that staging extra World Cups has not reached the broad agreement he aims for.

Sustained opposition from European soccer body UEFA — including threats to boycott future World Cups and veiled warnings by some of its members to leave FIFA — was joined last weekend by a rare IOC statement explicitly criticizing an Olympic sport.

The International Olympic Committee said FIFA was chasing extra revenue while crowding other sports from the sports calendar, promoting men’s soccer that would overshadow the women’s game and putting extra strain on athlete welfare.

“We have received some legitimate criticism,” Infantino acknowledged. “When you are in the middle of all of that it’s a little bit like a referee in a riot going on in a match.

“I’m just calling everyone to be calm and rational about it,” he said.

Infantino has said FIFA organizing a men’s or women’s World Cup every year is important to attract young fans, give more countries the chance to qualify and fund development globally to close the gap on European and South American dominance.

UEFA and South American soccer body CONMEBOL have resisted the plans. They cited the risk of overloading players and disrupting the balance of soccer’s global schedule, including domestic leagues and their own successful international competitions for national and club teams.

“Everyone has taken note of the position of Europe,” said Infantino, who had a heated online meeting Tuesday with leaders of UEFA and its 55 member federations.

The Europeans made clear biennial World Cups were unacceptable, and one day later Infantino seemed to relent by insisting FIFA must try to reach consensus.

“How this consensus will look like, we will see,” he said. “For me, everything is open. Maybe we make one step forward and one back.”

Source: AP

Cameroon football legends inspect infrastructure ahead of AFCON

18, October 2021

Cameroon football legends inspect infrastructure ahead of AFCON 0

Cameroon football legends began inspecting football infrastructure in the country on Sunday ahead of next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The delegation, including former strikers Roger Milla and Samuel Eto’o, visited Japoma Stadium in the commercial hub of Douala, which will host matches when the central African nation hosts the competition next year.

Secretary General of the Presidency and delegation leader Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh said the inspection visit was intended to showcase Cameroon’s readiness to stage the championship.

“We are proud of the infrastructure in our country – everything is modern and well done. Cameroon’s football infrastructure is quite ready to host AFCON,” said Eto’o, a four-time African Player of the Year, during a tour of the stadium.

The biennial football championship will run from January 9 to February 6 with the participation of 24 teams.

Source: Xinhuanet

Football: Newcastle fans celebrate new Saudi era in spite of rights concerns

17, October 2021

Football: Newcastle fans celebrate new Saudi era in spite of rights concerns 0

Jubilant Newcastle fans descended on St James’ Park on Sunday to celebrate a new era for the club under the ownership of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund with few showing concern for the issues raised by human rights groups over the takeover.

Hundreds of supporters sported traditional Saudi headdress and flew flags of the Gulf kingdom ahead of the Magpies’ first match since a £300 million ($412 million) takeover was given the green light by the Premier League.

The protracted deal had been held up for over a year by a dispute over piracy of sports rights, including for English top-flight football, between Saudi and Qatar.ADVERTISINGhttps://8c753c88bbf2a44252e3b56fe4d3ee18.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Saudi’s agreement to lift a ban on Qatari sports broadcaster beIN Sports cleared that obstacle, but the deal has been criticised by human rights groups.

Amnesty International has accused Saudi Arabia of using the global appeal of the Premier League to “sportswash” its reputation.

The fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed inside the Saudi consolate in Istanbul in 2018, has described the takeover as “heartbreaking”.

A billboard with the hashtag #justiceforjamal was driven in front of St James’ Park in the hours before kick-off.

Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan (centre) and minority owner Amanda Staveley (centre right)were given a huge reception at St James' Park
Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan (centre) and minority owner Amanda Staveley (centre right)were given a huge reception at St James’ Park Paul ELLIS AFP

But there was little other sign of protest as Newcastle fans celebrated the departure of unpopular former owner Mike Ashley and dreamt of a transformation of their fortunes on the field.

“We’ve been waiting for this for 14 years. The atmosphere is immense, I haven’t seen it like this for years,” said Chris, a fan dressed in Saudi headdress.

“I’m just excited for the new era in Newcastle, you can feel it everywhere.”

Governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Yassir Al-Rumayyan, was handed a huge ovation by the 55,000 crowd as he was presented as the club’s new chairman before kick-off.

Newcastle have not won a major trophy since 1969 despite regular attendances of more than 50,000.

“It doesn’t matter where the money comes from, as long as we win something,” said another supporter, Rob McCafferty.

The club from northeast England began the day second bottom of the table, without a win in their opening seven league games of the season.

However, the fans are already dreaming big as they aim to follow in the footsteps of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, two clubs transformed by state-backed takeover from Abu Dhabi and Qatar respectively.

On top of being linked with a host of star players in the January transfer market, supporters are keen to replace manager Steve Bruce.

“The manager is the first thing,” said another fan, Sam Gardner. “Ideally (Antonio) Conte, but I don’t know if he is interested.”

Source: AFP

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