Category: African News

Our African football page passionately on all continental topics of all National and International football news, Identifying football heroes on our continent.

Striker Amadou Bakayoko takes his Dundee tally to seven
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Striker Amadou Bakayoko takes his Dundee tally to seven

On Saturday, Sierra Leone International Amadou Bakayoko recorded his seventh of the season as he helped Dundee to a 2-1 win over St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premier League.

Dundee secured a crucial win against St Johnstone in the Tayside derby in the Scottish Premiership, thanks to a late goal from Sierra Leone’s International Amadou Bakayoko in the 80th-minute

The win moved Dundee up to sixth in the league table, one point clear of Hibernian with a game in hand. 

Lyall Cameron opened the scoring for the visitors in the sixth minute of the game with a beautiful lob over the goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov from distance. 

St Johnstone replied in the 60th minute with a fantastic acrobatic overhead kick from Adama Sidibeh, equalizing the match.

However, Bakayoko snatched victory with 10 minutes to play as he slid in Luke McCowan’s cross.

Spoils shared between Asec Mimosas & Esperance de Tunis
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Spoils shared between Asec Mimosas & Esperance de Tunis

Asec Mimosas and Esperance Sportive de Tunis played out a goalless draw in their Quarter-Final fixture at Stade Olympique in Tunis on Saturday.

Both teams are to meet again in the CAF Champions League return leg Quarter-Finals on 05 or 06 April as everything will be decided at Felicia.

Despite having less possession, Asec Mimosas had the first chance at goal when Karidioula Mofosse almost scored after Raed Bouchniba lost possession in the danger area. 

In the first half, Ghaylen Chaleli’s dangerous ball almost caught Asec’s goalkeeper off guard, but he managed to fist it away.

After the recess, the hosts continued to attack, with coach Miguel Cardoso injecting fresh legs. 

Second-half substitute Oussema Bouguerra’s well-struck effort from outside the box hit the woodwork, and Houssem Tka missed a header that went just off target. 

Despite the pressure from the hosts, Asec Mimosas managed to absorb most of the attacks, securing a confidence-boosting draw before the return leg next weekend. 

Meanwhile, on Friday, in the CAF Champions League quarter-finals, Al Ahly SC, the title holders, won 1-0 in Dar es Salaam against Tanzanian giants, Simba SC in the first leg of the Quarter-Finals.

Ahmed Kouka scored an early goal to secure the first-leg victory for the Egyptian giants. They did well to withstand the ongoing pressure from Simba throughout the encounter.

Chad, Eswatini, Liberia, and South Sudan progress to AFCON 2025 group stage
by FSL News

Chad, Eswatini, Liberia & South Sudan progress to group stage 

Chad, Eswatini, Liberia, and South Sudan progressed to the group stage of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers after achieving successful results in the second legs on Tuesday.

Chad, Eswatini, Liberia, and South Sudan will now join the 44 exempted countries for the group stage of the qualifiers. The quartet will be eager to continue their journey towards securing a spot in the prestigious tournament in Morocco.

Eswatini drew 2-2 with Somalia in a crucial match but still advanced with a 5-2 aggregate score thanks to their 3-0 victory in the first leg.

Mauritius 1-2 Chad

In a tense football match at the National Sports Complex Pitch 1 in Saint Pierre, Mauritius faced Chad. Jeremy Villeneuve scored a goal in the 45th minute, giving Mauritius hope, but Chad responded fiercely. Charles Tchouplaou levelled the score in the 74th minute, and Ousmane Hassan sealed Chad’s victory with a goal deep into stoppage time, securing their advancement with a 3-1 aggregate score.

In Monrovia’s Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium, Liberia and Djibouti played a goalless draw. Despite failing to score in the second leg, Liberia advanced to the next round with a 2-0 aggregate score, thanks to their victory in the first leg.

In Berkane, Morocco, South Sudan and their opponent battled to a goalless draw at the Stade Municipal de Berkane. 

As the aggregate score was tied at 1-1, South Sudan advanced to the next round based on the away goals rule. They had secured a crucial away goal in the first leg, which ultimately made the difference.

CAF workshop on improving Stadium infrastructure
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

CAF workshop on improving Stadium infrastructure

CAF is hosting a stadium inspectors workshop in Rabat, Morocco, to monitor African infrastructure.

Investment in football infrastructure in Africa – building and maintenance of stadiums in the countries that are part of the 54 CAF Member Associations, is a key focus for the CAF Leadership.

Already commenced on Monday, the workshop in Morocco will continue till Wednesday, and the participants will undergo various theoretical and practical activities. They will also be taken for stadium visits accompanied by designated CAF Departmental Heads.

The workshop was inaugurated by Mr Fouzi Lekjaa, the President of Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) and a CAF Executive Committee Member. He emphasized the importance of investing in world-class infrastructure and maintaining the facilities.

To ensure that African clubs and Member Associations can host CAF events, the CAF conducts a Stadium Inspectors Workshop to train stadium inspectors appointed by the CAF.

These inspectors will guide the African clubs and Member Associations in complying with the CAF Stadium Regulations (edition 2022).

Morocco 2025 prelims; Chad, Liberia & Eswatini in driving seat
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Morocco 2025 prelims; Chad, Liberia & Eswatini in driving seat

On Wednesday, 20 March, Liberia and Eswatini won their first-leg matches in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 qualifiers. 

Liberia beat Djibouti 2-0 at home, while Eswatini won 3-0 against Liberia. On Friday, Chad also won their first-leg match, beating Mauritius 1-0.

Chad’s win gives them a slim lead in the two-legged affair against Mauritius. The return leg will take place on Tuesday, 26 March. 

Meanwhile, on the same evening, Sao Tome and Principe drew 0-0 against South Sudan in Berkane.

The eight lowest-ranked nations according to FIFA Rankings are currently playing in a home-and-away knockout format for the preliminary stage of the qualifiers. 

The four remaining nations from this stage will be eligible to join the 44 other nations in the group stages of the qualifiers.

TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 Preliminary Qualifiers Results:

First Leg Fixtures:

Wednesday, 20 March 

Somalia 0 – 3 Eswatini

Djibouti 0 – 2 Liberia

Friday, 22 March

Chad 1 – 0 Mauritius

Sao Tome and Principe 0 – 0 South Sudan

Return Leg Fixtures:

Tuesday, 26 March

13:00 GMT | Eswatini – Somalia

16:00 GMT | Liberia – Djibouti

17:00 GMT | South Sudan – Sao Tome and Principe

15:00 GMT | Mauritius – Chad

Ghana beat Uganda to clinch African Games Football Gold
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Ghana beat Uganda to clinch African Games Football Gold

Ghana’s U20 won the 2023 African Games Men’s Football tournament by defeating Uganda 1-0 at the Accra Sports Stadium. Jerry Afriyie scored the decisive goal in the final. 

The Ghanaian team, under Coach Desmond Offei, showed a strong performance throughout the tournament to win the gold medal.

Despite an intense and captivating first half from both sides, the score remained goalless, with Ghana coming close to scoring several times.

After halftime, Ghana intensified their attacking efforts and scored in the 90th minute to win the gold medal, while Uganda claimed silver for their commendable performance.

Having triumphed over Congo earlier in the day, Senegal received the bronze medals in recognition of their achievements.

The victory is a significant triumph for Ghana in the realm of African football as they completed a clean sweep by winning gold in both men’s and women’s football.

Ghana crowned African Games queens after comeback win over Nigeria
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Ghana crowned African Games champions after defeating Nigeria

Ghana’s U20 team won the women’s football tournament at the 13th African Games, beating defending champions Nigeria 2-1 in a dramatic final on Thursday night. 

Nigeria took the lead with a goal from Edeh Njideka in the 28th minute, but Ghana rallied in the second half, inspired by their home crowd. 

Tracey Twum scored a fine equalizer in the 78th minute, taking the match to extra time. Mukarama Abdulai then scored a classy winner, securing Ghana’s second African Games women’s football gold medal. 

The hosts celebrated wildly, while Nigeria took silver, and Uganda won bronze after defeating Senegal in the third-place playoff. 

“I’m so proud of this team. We never stopped believing even when we went behind,” said Ghana coach Yussif Basigi.

But it was Ghana’s night as the nation’s rising stars announced themselves on the continental stage with a triumph for the ages.

Liberia & Eswatini register encouraging wins in Afcon preliminaries
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Liberia & Eswatini register encouraging wins in Afcon preliminaries

Liberia and Eswatini claimed impressive away victories in their respective Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025, preliminary round ties on Wednesday. Liberia defeated Djibouti 2-0, while Eswatini thrashed Somalia 3-0.

Ammed Sangare and Murphy Dorley helped Liberia secure a comfortable lead at halftime. Sangare scored the opening goal in the 23rd minute by converting a penalty. In the 35th minute, Dorley made it 2-0 by brilliantly firing in a second ball from Sebastian Teclar’s cross inside the box.

Eswatini were also celebrating after demolishing Somalia 3-0 in the Moroccan city of El Jadida to put one foot in the group stage qualifiers. 

Striker Sabelo Ndzinisa was the hero, netting twice on either side of Felicio Figuareido’s 40th-minute opener for the visitors.

Both sides, Liberia and Eswatini, now have a huge advantage heading into the second legs as they target a place in the group stage on the road to next year’s finals in Morocco. 

Somalia now faces an uphill battle to qualify when they travel to the Mbombela Stadium in the South African city of Nelspruit for the return on March 26th.

Uganda defeated Congo to set up Ghana's final in African games
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Uganda down Congo to set up African Games final against Ghana

Uganda and Ghana will compete in the men’s final of the 13th African Games on Friday after winning their respective semi-final matches in Accra on Tuesday. 

Both matches were thrilling and produced exciting football performances. The final promises to be a fiercely contested battle between two formidable opponents as Ghana and Uganda aim to win gold medal glory.

Ghana secured their place in the final with a late goal against Senegal, winning 1-0. Meanwhile, Uganda staged a remarkable comeback from two goals down to defeat Congo 4-2 in a six-goal thriller.

Ghana’s home support played a crucial role in their narrow victory, with Michael Ephson scoring the only goal of the match. 

Uganda’s success was attributed to prayers and hard work by their coach Morley Byekwaso, who expressed their aspirations to join the ranks of African football giants.

Congo’s coach, Clement Massamba Madieta, lamented his team’s performance, acknowledging the challenges they faced due to fatigue from previous matches. 

Despite their disappointment, Madieta emphasized his team’s determination to salvage a podium finish in the bronze medal match.

CAF Launches CLOP System for MA's Top-tier Men’s Competitions
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

CAF Launches CLOP System for MA’s Top-tier Men’s Competitions

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has introduced a new system called the “Club Licensing System” for the top-tier men’s competitions of its member associations. This new system will ensure that the clubs meet the required standards in areas such as management, infrastructure, legal, financial and sporting aspects.

The CAF Club Licensing Online Platform (CLOP) has recently completed its pilot phase with great success. As a result, CAF is proud to announce the extension of this revolutionary initiative to all top-tier men’s club competitions across all 54 Member Associations.

The CLOP system is a cutting-edge electronic tool designed by CAF to streamline and oversee club licensing and stadium inspections for both domestic and continental competitions.

Through this platform, every Member Association is now equipped with a fully automated and electronic club licensing process. This allows clubs to easily archive and submit their club licensing documents virtually for CAF Club Interclub competitions.

In line with CAF’s goal of developing football across the continent, the system will now be extended to all Member Associations to implement within their domestic top-tier club competitions.

Under Article 64 of the CAF Men’s Club Licensing Regulations (edition 2022), the system will focus on implementing domestic club licensing criteria for men’s top-tier national club competitions across all 54 Member Associations.

With this initiative, CAF is paving the way towards a more efficient and transparent football landscape across the continent. By implementing this system, CAF is ensuring fair play and safety for all involved in football, from fans to clubs and players alike.