France coach Thierry Henry described his team’s Olympic performance as “magical” despite their agonising extra-time defeat against Spain in the men’s football final on Friday.

“I told the players they had done something magical and that I was so proud of them. In the end we have medals. It didn’t finish the way we wanted it to but it was still really an extraordinary evening,” France legend Henry said after his side lost 5-3 in a classic match.

Enzo Millot gave France an early advantage at the Parc des Princes only for Spain to come back and lead 3-1 by half-time.

However, Maghnes Akliouche pulled one back and a last-gasp Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty made it 3-3 to force extra time, in which Sergio Camello scored twice for Spain to hand them gold.

“What is really important for me is that the team really fought. There really wasn’t much in it in the end, so we can’t say the team didn’t fight, from the first to the last minute of every game,” Henry said after France claimed silver, their first football medal since winning gold in 1984.

“I would have preferred to win, but we must still celebrate this. It is the first time in my life where I have lost a final but won a medal all the same,” added the former Arsenal and Barcelona star.

“That is what is great about the Olympics. It has been an extraordinary human adventure. This team have earned my respect for life.”

Source: AFP

Boxer Cindy Ngamba said she was “just human like any other refugee” after making history by guaranteeing the Refugee Olympic Team a first Games medal.

The 25-year-old beat sixth-seeded Frenchwoman Davina Michel by unanimous decision on Sunday to reach the women’s 75kg semi-finals.

With both losing semi-finalists awarded bronze, the Cameroon-born fighter is assured of a medal at Paris 2024.

Ngamba moved to the UK aged 10, but cannot compete for Team GB because she does not have a British passport.

“It means the world to me to be the first ever refugee to win a medal,” she said. “I’m just a human, just like any other refugee and athlete all around the world.”

The Refugee Olympic Team first competed at Rio in 2016, but prior to this Games the team’s best results were two fifth-placed finishes in Tokyo through Hamoon Derafshipour in karate and Kimia Alizadeh in taekwondo.

Ngamba, who was the team’s flagbearer at the opening ceremony in Paris, next faces Atheyna Bylon of Panama on Thursday.

She added: “Hopefully in the next one, I will also get the job done. No, not hopefully. I will get it done.”

From Cameroon to Britain – who is Ngamba?

Ngamba is unable to return to Cameroon because of her sexuality – with homosexuality in the country punishable with up to five years in prison.

However, after 15 years in England, she is still fighting to be granted a visa and UK citizenship.

Five years ago she was on the verge of being deported after attending what she thought was a routine signing-on process to let authorities know she was still in the country.

Ngamba was arrested, along with her brother Kennet, and sent from Manchester to a detention camp in London, before being released the following day.

Before Paris 2024, GB Boxing unsuccessfully tried to add Ngamba to their ranks for the Olympic programme, even writing a request to the Home Office to grant her citizenship.

She won a scholarship with the IOC refugee team, and is the first female boxer to represent the team at a Game.

Source: Capitalfm.co

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic scored his first Olympic gold on Sunday after beating Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in stunning men’s tennis singles final. Djokovic, who claims a men’s-record 24 Grand Slam titles, previously won a bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics  — but he had made it clear that was not sufficient.

Novak Djokovic won his first Olympic gold medal by beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in an enthralling men’s tennis singles final Sunday, giving the 37-year-old from Serbia the last significant accomplishment missing from his glittering resume.

Djokovic’s impressive career already featured a men’s-record 24 Grand Slam titles and the most weeks spent at No. 1 in the rankings by any man or woman. It also already contained a Summer Olympics medal, from 2008, but it was a bronze — and he has made clear that simply was not sufficient.

Until he got past bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the semifinals Friday, Djokovic was 0-3 in that round at the Games. He lost to the eventual gold winner each time: Rafael Nadal at Beijing in 2008, Andy Murray at London in 2012, and Alexander Zverev in Tokyo three years ago.

In Paris, wearing a gray sleeve over the right knee that required surgery for a torn meniscus two months ago, Djokovic faced Nadal in the second round and eliminated his longtime rival in straight sets. Now Djokovic is the oldest man to win the singles gold in his sport since 1908 — and prevented Spain’s Alcaraz, who is 21, from becoming the youngest.

When the victory was his, when the gold was his, thanks to one last forehand winner, Djokovic turned toward his team in the stands — sitting in front of his wife and their two children — and dropped his racket as he knelt on the clay. As emotional as ever, he cried and covered his face, then rose and grabbed a red-white-and-blue Serbian flag. After hugs in the stands, Djokovic waved that flag. Alcaraz wept afterward, too.

The final, which lasted 2 hours, 50 minutes despite being decided in only two sets, was a rematch of the Wimbledon title match three weeks ago that Alcaraz won to follow up his French Open title in June.

Alcaraz also defeated Djokovic in last year’s final at the All England Club, but Djokovic won when they met in the semifinals of the 2023 French Open, the annual clay-court tournament held at Roland Garros, the site used for tennis during these Olympics.

Sunday’s contest was an enthralling matchup, featuring one of the best to ever do it in Djokovic, and the best at the moment in Alcaraz. Indeed, could have been frustrating for Djokovic to find himself once again across the net from a younger, speedier version of himself. Maybe that’s why Djokovic frequently looked up and gesticulated and muttered toward his guest box.

Still, he came out on top

It required long exchanges filled with superb ball-striking at the baseline, deft drop shots — Alcaraz’s tended to be more successful, sometimes so good Djokovic declined to even give chase — and tremendous sprinting, sliding, stretching defense at both ends. They served so well that neither got broken even once: Djokovic saved eight break points, Alcaraz six.

Most remarkable, perhaps, was how cleanly both men played, despite the talent of the opposition and pressure of the occasion. Unforced errors were rare.

The only shame, perhaps, for the fans — and, naturally, the loser — was that the Olympics uses a best-of-three-set format, instead of the best-of-five at Grand Slam tournaments. Make no mistake, this encounter between the No. 1-seeded Djokovic and No. 2-seeded Alcaraz was worthy of a major final, and no one fortunate enough to hold a ticket could complain about not getting their money’s worth.

Those in the stands became part of the show, repeatedly breaking out into choruses of “No-le! No-le!” or “Car-los! Car-los!” that often overlapped, creating an operatic fugue. In the second set, as Alcaraz attempted to mount a comeback, his supporters began chanting, “Si, se puede!” (essentially, “Yes, you can!”) while shaking their red-and-yellow flags. Chair umpire Damien Dumusois occasionally reminded folks to remain silent during the action.

Yet it also became as quiet as a theater between points, enough so that play was delayed briefly in the first set when the air thick with anticipation was pierced by a young child’s crying.

Both men played to the crowd. When Alcaraz raced to reach one drop shot and deposit it over the net for a winner, he basked in the raucous reaction by pointing his right index finger to his ear. When Djokovic laced a cross-court forehand winner on the run to cap a 10-shot point to lead 3-2 in the second tiebreaker, he waved both arms overhead to encourage folks who already were on their feet, screaming.

The first set alone lasted more than 1 1/2 hours, chock full of epic shots and epic games. One lasted 18 points spread over more than a dozen mesmerizing minutes, including five break chances for Alcaraz, before Djokovic managed to hold for a 5-4 lead. In the tiebreaker, Djokovic was superior in crunch time, as he so often is, taking the last four points.

At 3-all, Alcaraz delivered a body serve, but Djokovic slid just enough to his left to smack a cross-court forehand return winner. After two mistakes by Alcaraz, Djokovic produced a volley winner and turned to face his family with a fist held high.

Source: AP

Oleksandr Usyk has confirmed he will vacate his IBF title just weeks after he became undisputed world heavyweight champion.

The Ukrainian, 37, became the first heavyweight to hold the IBF, WBO, WBA and WBC belts when he beat Tyson Fury on a split decision in Saudi Arabia last month.

With Usyk now contracted to a rematch with Britain’s Fury, he is not in a position to defend the IBF crown against interim champion and mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.

That means Dubois’ expected all-British fight against Anthony Joshua at Wembley in September could now be for the vacant title.

Usyk said in a video posted on social media: “Anthony and Daniel, listen. I know the IBF title is important to you. It is my present to you on September 21.”

Britain’s Lennox Lewis was the last man to unify the major heavyweight belts — three at the time — prior to Usyk, in 1999.

Source: AFP

Singapore goalkeeper Hassan Sunny says he has received money from Chinese football fans after his 11 saves against Thailand in a World Cup qualifying match helped China reach the next round.

China’s hopes of making the final stage of Asian qualifying for the 2026 tournament were slim following a 1-0 defeat by South Korea in Seoul on Tuesday.

Thailand then needed to beat Singapore by three goals in Bangkok to move second in Group C above China, which would have resulted in China’s exit from the competition.

Thailand did defeat bottom side Singapore 3-1, but China progressed thanks to 40-year-old Hassan’s multiple saves.

Hassan told Singapore’s state broadcaster CNA a picture of a payment QR code from the food stall he runs has been circulated online which fans have then used to transfer money.

“I did enjoy it for a while. I was like, ‘oh OK, money coming in’,” he said on Thursday.

“But having said that, I was thinking, ‘when is this going to stop? Is this legal?'”

Hassan did not disclose how much money he had been sent but added: “I think we have to stop somewhere.”

His family’s stall, Dapur Hassan, which is located in the eastern suburbs of Singapore, has seen many Chinese fans visit since his heroics against Thailand, so much so that local reports said they ran out of food on Thursday.

“My family is obviously a bit shocked by all these messages,” said Hassan.

“Especially my daughters. They’re like, ‘why do I see your face everywhere?'”

Source: BBC

O.J. Simpson, the star NFL football player whose 1995 acquittal in the so-called “trial of the century” for the brutal murders of his wife and a male friend gripped the world, has died at the age of 76, his family announced.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” a message signed by the family said on social media site X.

Source: AFP

Former Brazil international football player Robinho has been arrested to serve a nine-year prison sentence for rape.

He was convicted two years ago in Italy for his part in the gang rape of an Albanian woman at a night club in Milan in 2013.

Robinho, 40, was arrested at his flat in his home city of Santos.

The Italian government had requested that he serve his sentence in Brazil after failing to get him extradited.

On Wednesday, a court in Brazil upheld the decision and also ruled that he should serve his time behind bars instead of under house arrest.

Earlier on Thursday, a Supreme Court judge rejected a request to halt his detention.

The decisive action taken by Brazil’s justice system has been praised by many on local media, who feared that Robinho would evade justice thanks to his fame and his wealth.

The former Brazil international, who has 100 caps for his country, was playing for AC Milan at the time of the crime. After being found guilty, he lost an appeal in 2020 before Italy’s highest court upheld his sentence in 2022.

Italian prosecutors then issued an international arrest warrant for him.

The footballer, who spent two years with Manchester City, told a Brazilian network on Sunday that the sex had been “consensual”.

Source: BBC

Ngannou returned to his feet and stood in the middle of the ring, talking to Joshua and the world knew it was all over!

The pair exchanged greetings and Joshua said “don’t leave boxing.”

It could be the last time we see Ngannou in a boxing ring.

He’s lost both of his fights but, in fairness, those defeats have come against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and two-time champion Joshua.

Boxing experts say it could be a return to mixed martial arts for Ngannou

Ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou clashed with Tyson Fury and says he is “just getting started” in boxing before his heavyweight fight with Anthony Joshua.

Ngannou faces Joshua in Saudi Arabia on Friday but opted to do his best verbal sparring with former opponent Fury at Wednesday’s news conference.

Joshua took a back seat as Fury reacted to Ngannou’s suggestion he had “struggled” in their October bout.

“I had one win over [Fury] and I want one more,” Ngannou said with a grin.

Fury shouted back that he would face Ngannou in the “octagon” – the UFC’s trademark cage – to which the French Cameroonian replied: “Your only chance is in a boxing ring, with boxing rules.”

Ngannou was the UFC’s reigning heavyweight champion when he left the promotion last year.

The 37-year-old made his boxing debut against Fury four months ago and suffered a contentious split-decision loss – but sent shockwaves through the sport by dropping the WBC champion in the third round.

Ngannou and Fury clashed at Saudi powerbroker Turki Alalshikh’s house on Tuesday and the MMA star was in a bullish mood on Wednesday with the Briton in the audience.

“I’m just getting started. I don’t think that [beating Joshua] will make any statement of my career because the road is still long,” he said.

The remarkable possibility remains that Ngannou could fight for a world title in his third boxing bout, should he beat Joshua in what is only his second fight.

“I really think I haven’t shocked the world yet,” he said, adding he is “still learning” the art of boxing.

Joshua, 34, appeared relaxed at Monday’s grand arrivals and a little tetchy at the open workouts the following day.

He was more jovial at the news conference but in what is becoming a theme in AJ fight weeks, the Watford-born man was reluctant to give any soundbites or engage in verbal jabs the closer the bout comes.

Asked for his response on Ngannou saying he will look for a knockout, Joshua succinctly replied: “Let’s go. The best man will always win. It’s not rocket science.”

There was a respectful and light-hearted exchange between the headliners when Ngannou handed his opponent a set of wireless headphones. Joshua often attends news conferences with music playing in just one ear.

Promoter Hearn predicted his fighter will become undisputed champion, with Friday’s winner a potential next opponent for either Oleksandr Usyk or Fury – most likely in 2025.

Usyk, who holds the WBA, WBO and IBF titles, faces WBC belt-holder Fury in May for the undisputed heavyweight title, with a rematch already agreed.

Source: BBC

It was one of the most arresting spectacles in boxing for some time: Francis Ngannou dancing a jig of pleasure while leaning over a floored and obviously dazed Tyson Fury.

For boxing purists, disaster was brewing. Was a UFC fighter, in his very first boxing match, about to knock out a reigning world heavyweight champion?

Fury got back up and eventually won a much-discussed and unconvincing split decision victory, but Ngannou had made a spectacular entrance into the boxing world.

On Friday, the Franco-Cameroonian has another chance to shake up the established order and prepare for a new showdown with Fury.

Ngannou is back in Saudi Arabia for the second fight of his career, this time against another Briton, former two-time heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua.

Much of the pre-fight news assumes a victory for Joshua which would allow him to face Fury, provided that the latter – WBC champion – beats Oleksandr Usyk – WBA, IBF and WBO champion – in their rearranged fight on May 18 which will crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since the year 2000.

Ngannou is; however, ready to make headlines in his bid to become a boxing champion so soon after dominating the UFC scene.

“I exposed myself – the next opponent (Joshua) knows what to expect,” Ngannou said upon his arrival in Riyadh. “I’ve lost the element of surprise. So how can I surprise him again? What can I pull out of my sleeve one more time?”

Ngannou exudes a cool and confident air. He may be new to elite boxing, but the sport was his first love during a difficult upbringing in Cameroon, and he said it was only a matter of time before he returned to it.

“At the beginning, it was boxing. I didn’t know MMA. And for more than a decade, I only thought about boxing, I dreamed about boxing,” he said.

“Then even when the opportunity presented itself (in the UFC), it was an opportunity for me to shine, to be a world champion, and then potentially change to transition and come back to boxing. I feel like it was something that I needed, that I had to accomplish, to be at peace with myself.”

Ngannou, 37, fell out with the UFC and UFC president Dana White stripped him of his belt in January last year. Within five months, Ngannou signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), a rival organization.

However, he has yet to fight in the PFL as he is focusing on boxing. He intends to continue his career in MMA, but alongside boxing, not instead of it.

The big question heading into the Ngannou-Joshua fight – the latest high-profile boxing event in what is quickly becoming the sport’s new home in Saudi Arabia – is: Fury won’t Is he just not prepared well enough? Did Fury simply prepare poorly against Ngannou, thinking he would be easy to beat, but instead finding himself sprawled on the canvas in the third round of a fight that, against all odds, went the distance? Or is Ngannou a true champion and a born pugilist?

The answer should come on Friday, in the final fight for Joshua, who regained his place after two consecutive defeats to Usyk, which cost him his titles and put his career at a crossroads.

Since then, he has won three consecutive fights, but none of them were against elite opponents. His fifth-round stoppage against Otto Wallin in Riyadh in December was a comeback performance, demonstrating his powerful jab and then his renowned power, following disappointing victories against Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius.

Ngannou promises to be a much tougher challenge and the prize is huge, with Fury having already called out Joshua to be his next opponent if he gets away with Usyk.

“It’s the fast track to undisputed,” said Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, who is already planning a big-money Joshua-Fury fight that he has failed to secure several times. repeated over the past five years.

As for Joshua, he focuses on the present. “Francis is a hell of a fighter,” he said, “strong, a big hitter and a much better boxer than we all thought he would ever be.”

Source: Africa News