Category: Sport News

Kei Kamara's Los Angeles tighten grip on Western Conference table
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Kei Kamara’s Los Angeles tighten Western Conference table grip

The Major League second-all-time top scorer played 21 minutes as Los Angeles defeated Seattle Sounders 3-0 at Lumen Field in Seattle on Saturday night.

The victory means they are two points behind the rival LA Galaxy despite having played two fewer games. Denis Bouanga scored two goals for LAFC, with the first coming from a penalty kick in the 16th minute.

Mateusz Bogusz scored the second goal nine minutes later with a right-footed volley. In the 74th minute, Bouanga scored his second goal through Kei Kamara’s assist to seal the victory for LAFC.

Hugo Lloris made three important saves in the final moments to keep a clean sheet for LAFC, his ninth of the season.

With this win, LAFC remains in second place in the Western Conference and fourth in the Supporters’ Shield standings, six points behind the leaders, Inter Miami.

LAFC’s next match will be at home on Friday, July 26, against Club Tijuana in the Leagues Cup opener for both clubs.

Match Highlights

Guinea beat Argentina in preparation for the Olympic opener
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Guinea defeat Argentina in pre-Olympic football match

Guinea’s Syli national U23 team impressively defeated Argentina 1-0 in their final match before the Olympics in Vitré, France.

Thanks to a goal by Mohamed Soumah in the 72nd minute, they wrapped up their preparations ahead of their Paris Olympics opener on Wednesday.

Argentina’s Olympic coach, Javier Mascherano, has welcomed all of his players, including Copa America champions Nicolás Otamendi, Julián Álvarez, and Gerónimo Rulli, who joined the team earlier in the week.

Guinea’s manager, Kaba Diawara, was pleased to watch his team beat one of the tournament favourites.

The West Africans will start their Olympic campaign against New Zealand on July 24 at Stade de Nice, followed by a match against the home team, France, three days later.

They will finish the group stage with a challenging game against the USA on July 30.

Argentina, on the other hand, has been drawn into Group B with Morocco, Iraq, and Ukraine. They will play their first match on July 24th against Morocco, their second on July 27th against Iraq, and their third on July 30th against Ukraine.

Guinea’s Group A fixtures –All kick-offs in local time

Wednesday, 24 July Guinea v New Zealand | 17:00 | Stade de Nice

Saturday, 27 July France v Guinea | 21:00 | Stade de Nice

Tuesday, 30 July USA v Guinea | 19:00 | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint Etienne

Egypt's U23 national team won their final friendly match against Iraq 2-1 before the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will begin on July 24th.
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Egypt gear up for Olympics opener with a win over Iraq

Egypt’s U23 national team won their final friendly match against Iraq 2-1 before the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will begin on July 24th.

The Pharaohs drew 1-1 with Ukraine earlier this week and then secured a 2-1 victory over Iraq to complete their preparation.

Ibrahim Adel from Pyramids FC scored both goals for Egypt. Adel’s performance is crucial for Egypt in the upcoming Olympics, where he will have support from Ahmed Sayed Zizo and Mohamed Elneny, a former Arsenal midfielder.

Despite the win, the team still struggles to keep a clean sheet. Coach Roger Micale hopes the players will gain experience from these matches before the Olympic games.

The win over Iraq has boosted confidence within the team ahead of the Olympics.

Egypt will start their Olympic campaign against the Dominican Republic on July 24, followed by a match against Uzbekistan three days later.

They will finish the group stages with a challenging game against Spain on July 30.

The Egypt XI lineup for the match against Iraq was: Hamzaa Alaa, Omar Fayed, Hossam Abdelmeguid, Ahmed Eid, Kareem El-Debes; Mohamed Elneny, Mohamed Sheata, Ahmed Atef; Ibrahim Adel, Ahmed Sayed Zizo, Osama Faisal.

The selected 22 players are ready for 2024 Paris Olympics
The selected 22 players are ready for 2024 Paris Olympics
Sierra Leone Interclub representatives await CAF clearance to host matches
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Sierra Leone await clearance to host CAF Interclub matches

Sorie Ibrahim Sesay, the Director of Competitions and a CAF-certified stadium Inspector for the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA), diligently inspected the Southern Arena on Saturday, July 20th, to ensure it meets the standards required for CAF approval.

Sierra Leone stadiums were not included in the initial list of approved stadiums by CAF for the 2024/25 Inter-Club competitions.

In August, Champions Bo Rangers FC and East End Lions Football Club are scheduled to participate in the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup, respectively.

There is a chance that these matches could occur in Sierra Leone. This will depend on the review of the pre-inspection report by CAF in the coming days, which will determine the eligibility of the Southern Arena stadium for these important matches.

In the preliminary stages of the 2024/2025 CAF Confederation Cup, East End Lions will play against ASC Jaraaf from Senegal, and Bo Rangers will play against San-Pédro from Ivory Coast in the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League.

The first leg matches are scheduled for August 16th-18th – with the return fixtures taking place the following weekend.

The upcoming 2024-2025 women's interclub football season is eagerly anticipated, with the official kickoff scheduled for Wednesday, July 24th.
by FSL News

CAF set date for Women’s Champions League Qualifying draw

The upcoming 2024-2025 women’s interclub football season is eagerly anticipated, with the official kickoff scheduled for Wednesday, July 24th.

The draw for the CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers is particularly exciting, as it will determine the teams competing in the 4 zones: UNAF, UNIFFAC, WAFU B, and CECAFA.

Mamelodi Sundowns, as the reigning champions, and the tournament hosts automatically qualified, resulting in eight teams competing in the final phase of the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League.

The draw is at 13:00 Cairo time (10:00 GMT) at CAF Headquarters in Egypt. It will be broadcast live on CAF TV and CAFOnline.com. Details about participating teams and qualifying tournament dates are below.

  • WAFU B (10 – 23 August): Ainonvi FC (Benin), Hasaacas Ladies (Ghana), Inter d’Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), AO Étincelles OU USFA (Burkina Faso), AS Garde Nationale (Niger), Edo Queens (Nigeria), ASKO de Kara (Togo).
  • UNAF (21 – 31 August): CF Akbou (Algeria), Tutankhamun (Egypt), AS Far (Morocco), ASF Sousse (Tunisia)
  • CECAFA (17 August – 4 September): PVP Buyenzi (Burundi), FAD

(Djibouti), CBE FC (Ethiopia), Kenya Police Bullets (Kenya), Kawempe

Muslim (Uganda), Rayon Sports (Rwanda), Yei Joint Stars (South Sudan), Simba Queens (Tanzania), Warriors Queens (Zanzibar)

  • UNIFFAC (16 – 24 August): Lekié FF (Cameroon), TP Mazembe (DR Congo), Atlético de Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), CSM Diables Noirs (Congo)

CAF has said the COSAFA and WAFU A tournament draw dates will be announced in due course.

Nigeria's Victor Osimhen in talks to join French giant PSG
by FSL News

Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen in talks to join French giant PSG

Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen is reportedly in negotiations to transfer from Italian club SSC Napoli to the French champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

This potential move is prompted by PSG’s search for a replacement for Kylian Mbappe, who recently joined Real Madrid.

Reports from esteemed Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano suggest that Osimhen has reached an agreement with PSG, with negotiations still ongoing over the transfer fee between the two clubs.

Napoli manager Antonio Conte has expressed confidence in the amicable resolution of Osimhen’s departure, stating, “It was already a clear pact about Osimhen’s exit. The timing is exactly as we expected, and there will be no issues.”

Osimhen, whose current contract with Napoli runs until June 2026, has a buyout clause of €130 million. Alongside PSG, English clubs Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC have also shown interest in the 25-year-old striker.

Widely acknowledged as one of the premier strikers in the global football arena, Osimhen has achieved a commendable record of 76 goals in 133 matches across all competitions for Napoli. Furthermore, he has contributed 21 goals in 35 international matches for Nigeria.

Sullay Kaikai's Cambridge United end pre-season in Portugal
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Sullay Kaikai’s Cambridge United end pre-season in Portugal

Cambridge United played against League Two newcomers Bromley in the second of their two pre-season friendly matches in Portugal.

Stevens, Digby, Rossi, Andrew, Brophy, Gibbons, Hoddle, Kachunga, Kaikai, Lavery, and Munday played the first hour.

In the first game – George Munday and Shayne Lavery scored, resulting in a 2-2 draw. In the second game, featuring a younger U’s side, Cambridge United lost 2-0.

The U’s fell behind after just a minute but quickly equalized and then missed some good chances. Just before the first break, Bromley almost scored.

The 28-year-old Sierra Leonean attacker joined the U’s last summer on an initial one-year deal and was a consistent performer in his first year with the Club, making 47 appearances across all competitions.

Kaikai signed a new one-year contract ahead of the new campaign. Their next in the pre-season schedule is a trip to Braintree on Friday and Ebbsfleet on Saturday.

Freetown City's relegation confirmed after the Disciplinary Committee's decision
by FSL News

Freetown City relegated after Disciplinary Committee’s decision

On July 19th, 2024, Freetown City suffered relegation from the Sierra Leone Premier League. This decision came after the league’s Disciplinary Committee awarded three points and two goals to Wilberforce Strikers.

On the second-to-last day of the league, a controversial penalty was awarded to Wilberforce Strikers in the 52nd minute while FCFC was leading 1-0. As a result of this decision, the match was halted and subsequently abandoned by the referee.

FCFC has forfeited the match. As a result, 3 points and 2 goals have been awarded to Wilberforce Strikers FC by Rule 24.2 paragraphs b, c, and d, reports the Emergency Disciplinary and Protest Committee.

Several fines and suspensions were imposed on FCFC players, coaches, and management due to the incident. Additionally, FCFC has been fined 10 million Leones for the collective misconduct of its players, officials, and supporters.

The Secretary General of FCFC expressed disappointment with the decision and stated that the club will challenge it through established mechanisms to ensure justice.

https://twitter.com/football_sierra/status/1814606173993144383

Ex-International Nibombe Dare is the new Togo head coach
by FSL News

Ex-International Nibombe Dare is the new Togo head coach

The Togolese Football Federation (FTF) has officially announced that Nibombe Dare is the new head coach of the national team, known as the Sparrowhawks.

During a press briefing at the FTF headquarters in Kégué, it was announced that Daré, a former Togolese international player with a UEFA Pro license, will be leading the team in the upcoming TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifiers.

“Nibombé Daré, a former international defender for the Hawks, was chosen from a group of Togolese candidates. After a rigorous evaluation, it was finally Daré who was selected to lead the Hawks.

The new coach inherits a team in search of stability and performance. With important deadlines in perspective, including the qualifications for the African Cup of Nations, CAN 2025 and the World Cup 2026, Daré will have the arduous task of forming a solid and coherent group,” FTF noted.

This announcement ends weeks of speculation about who would succeed Paulo Duarte. His first match in charge will be a home game against Liberia in early September.

FTF Secretary General Herve Agbodan told reporters, “This is the official announcement of his appointment. Nibombé Daré will soon be in Lomé to discuss the terms of his contract before his official presentation.”

Equatorial Guinea, Angola, and DRC make progress in Fifa ranking
by FSL News

Equatorial Guinea, Angola and DRC make progress in Fifa ranking

In July’s Fifa ranking, Sierra Leone stayed at 122nd place and 34th in the continent but the focus is on Equatorial Guinea, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The impact on the rankings of certain African teams was due to their limited participation during the concurrent UEFA EURO and Copa América events.

Equatorial Guinea moved up by two places, while Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo each moved up by one place.

Morocco, a top team in African football, didn’t do as well but still did well against tough teams. They dropped from 12th to 14th place in the world, but they are still a strong force in international football.

Senegal’s national team, the Lions of Teranga, also dropped to 19th place in the rankings.

Overall, these changes show the bright and competitive spirit of African football. They also show that African football is getting better and becoming more important globally.

Click the link to see the FIFA ranking of African teams.