Category: Football Africa

Medeama SC face gigantic Al Ahly test in CAF Champion League
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Medeama SC face gigantic Al Ahly test in CAF Champion League

Moses Parker, the President of Medeama SC, has stated that the club is determined to secure victory against Al Ahly in the upcoming CAF Champions League encounter. 

Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi to host the highly anticipated between Medeama SC and Al Ahly on Friday and is of significant importance to Medeama SC.

Speaking to Akoma FM, Moses Parker expressed his confidence in Medeama’s ability to emerge victorious, citing their previous triumph over TP Mazembe in 2015. 

“Medeama is going all out – this game means a lot to us. We did it in 2015 against TP Mazembe at Essipong, so repeating it won’t be difficult. This Friday, we will shock Ghanaians by defeating Al Ahly and secure qualification in Algeria,” Parker said.

Al Ahly of Egypt, record 11-time title-holders, leads the Group standings with six points, followed by Young Africans and CR Belouizdad with five points each, while Medeama remains at the bottom with four points.

Connect with us @football_sierra on Facebook/ Instagram, Football Sierra Leone, and the Writer Alie Bittar on Twitter @bittar32 – African News.

ASEC Mimosas eye win over Simba in CAF Champions League
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

ASEC Mimosas, Simba set for Champions League showdown

This weekend, the CAF Champions League resumes with Ivorian side Asec Mimosas, who are top of Group B, set to play against Tanzanian side Simba SC in Abidjan. 

Asec Mimosas presently standing fourth in the Ivorian top tier – knows that they must avoid defeat to keep their momentum going after three wins in their last four Champions League matches.

Simba SC will be tough competition as they aim to maintain their composure in the group stages, having won their last two league matches. 

The first meeting between the two teams at Mkapa Stadium, Dar es Salaam, they played to a 1-1 draw. 

In the first leg, Saidi Ntibazonkiza put Simba SC ahead with a penalty in the 44th minute, but after the break, ASEC Mimosas secured a point with a goal from Serge N’guessan Archange Pokou in the 77th minute in Group B action.

The other teams in the group are Wydad AC, who are struggling for form in the competition this season. 

They will travel down south to face Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy, who stunned them in their backyard in the opening group match. 

The former champions are at the bottom of the Group with a single win from four outings and know that anything less than a victory could spell the end of their campaign.

  • TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Match Day 5 Fixtures:

 

  • Friday, 23 February
  • 16h00 GMT | Al-Hilal – Petro de Luanda
  • 16h00 GMT | Medeama – Al Ahly SC
  • 19h00 GMT | Asec Mimosas – Simba SC

 

  • Saturday, 24 February

 

  • 13h00 GMT | Jwaneng Galaxy – Wydad AC
  • 13h00 GMT | TP Mazembe – Pyramids FC
  • 16h00 GMT | Nouadhibou – Mamelodi Sundowns FC
  • 16h00 GMT | Young Africans – CR Belouizdad
  • 19h00 GMT | ES Sahel – ES Tunis

 

Connect with us @football_sierra on Facebook/ Instagram, Football Sierra Leone, and the Writer Alie Bittar on Twitter @bittar32 – African News.

The Road to AFCON 2025 in Morocco Begins in March
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

The Road to AFCON 2025 in Morocco to start in March

Between March 20-26, eight teams will play home and away ties to determine the final four teams to advance to the qualifier proper joining 44 other nations.

The four preliminary round winners will join the 44 exempted teams in the group stage following the draw on Tuesday at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

The qualifiers will be played on home and away fixtures during the next FIFA International Break between 20 – 26 March 2024.

CAF say the dates, venues, and kick-off times for the matches will be announced at a later date.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has tentatively agreed to hold the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco during July and August of next year, according to a CAF official who spoke to AFP.

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Here are the results of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Preliminary Draw:
Here are the results of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Preliminary Draw:
Liberia unveils former Malawi coach Mario Marinica
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Liberia unveils former Malawi coach Mario Marinică

The Liberia Football Association has unveiled Mario Marinica, a Romanian, as the new head coach of Liberia’s senior men’s national football team, the Lone Star.

Marinica’s first match as head coach will be in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 preliminary round. 

Liberia will learn her opponent on Tuesday, 20 February, from the draw that will take place in Cairo, Egypt. 

Marinica, a UEFA Pro Licence coach with over 28 years of experience in coaching at both club and national team levels, signed a two-year contract with the task of qualifying the Lone Star for the 2025 AFCON final tournament. 

He will also work with the technical department to identify and develop young potential talents domestically and internationally.

Marinica, along with his two foreign assistant coaches, Clwyd Jones and Ronald D. Moroka, as well as a physical therapist, Chikondi Mandalasi, were unveiled at the association’s headquarters on Monday, 19 February. He will later choose two local coaches, including a goalkeeper trainer, to work with.

Marinica declared that his philosophy is centred on winning, and he will consistently work with flexible plans and strategies to achieve the desired outcome. He acknowledged that Liberians and supporters are dissatisfied with the team’s lack of victories in recent years, and it’s crucial to secure a win and qualify for the 2025 Nations Cup.

In November 2021, Marinica was appointed as the Technical Director of the Football Association of Malawi on a three-year contract. He led the Malawi team to the last sixteen of the Cameroon 2021 AFCON, but unfortunately, they were eliminated by Morocco at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé.

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CAF of Nations Morocco 2025 Preliminary draw set for Tuesday
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Preliminary draw set for Tuesday

After the conclusion of the 34th edition of TotalEnergies CAF AFCON, preparations have begun for the next edition.

The preliminary draw for TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 is scheduled for Tuesday, 20th February 2024, in Cairo, Egypt at 2:00 PM local time (noon GMT).

The preliminary round of CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will feature the eight (8) lowest-ranked teams according to the FIFA ranking: Somalia, Djibouti, Sao Tome, Chad, Mauritius, South Sudan, Liberia, and Eswatini.

These matches will be played on a home and away basis during the FIFA Window of 18th-26th March 2024. The four (4) preliminary round winners will then join the 44 exempted teams for the group stage.

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AFCON 2023 top scorer Emilio Nsue suspended for 'indiscipline'
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

AFCON top scorer Emilio Nsue suspended for Indiscipline

Equatorial Guinea’s football federation has suspended Emilio Nsue, the country’s striker, indefinitely for his alleged involvement in “several episodes of serious indiscipline” during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Although Nsue finished as the top scorer at the finals with five goals in four outings, Equatorial Guinea were knocked out in the last 16. In addition to Nsue, midfielder Iban Salvador, who plays for National Thunder, has also been suspended.

The federation (Feguifut) stated that Salvador had been involved in an “unpleasant incident” in Abidjan on 29 January, the day after the team’s 1-0 defeat by Guinea, which saw them exit the tournament. Feguifut added that Ivorian police had to intervene, and the incident delayed the squad’s return to Equatorial Guinea.

Nsue, who is the all-time top international scorer for his country with 22 goals, was in Abidjan on Sunday to collect the golden boot following Ivory Coast’s victory over Nigeria in the Nations Cup final. He currently plays for Intercity and has previously played for Birmingham City and Middlesbrough.

The National Thunder’s next competitive fixtures will be in June, which is when two 2026 World Cup qualifiers are scheduled.

Abu Kamara seals Portsmouth's win over Cambridge United
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Abu Kamara seals Portsmouth’s win over Cambridge United

Sierra Leone native Abu Kamara scored again as Portsmouth maintained their lead at the top of League One with a come-from-behind victory over Cambridge United.

The team’s 3-1 victory kept the six-point gap to second place in the League One standings unchanged.

The visiting team unexpectedly took the lead just before half-time when Danny Andrew headed in Sullay Kaikai’s corner kick, which was deemed to have crossed the line at the near post.

However, on 44 minutes, Kusini Yengi, who had returned to the starting line-up, was fouled in the box. The Australian striker picked himself up and converted from the penalty spot, sending the U’s goalkeeper Jack Stevens the wrong way.

Just before the hour mark, the game was turned around when Yengi and Paddy Lane combined down the left to set up Myles Peart-Harris, on loan from Brentford, to score his first goal for the Pompey club, with a low finish.

In the dying minutes of the game, Lane’s charge-down found Abu Kamara in space on the right side of the field, and the Norwich City loanee curled in a superb angled shot that went past Stevens and hit the underside of the crossbar before going in. This was Kamara’s sixth goal of the season.

Pompey’s fifth victory in six games was their first consecutive home win since October. However, the only concern for boss John Mousinho was midfielder Tom Lowery’s apparent hamstring injury in the first half.

The U’s have only won one of their last five games and are currently four points above the relegation zone.

Connect with us @football_sierra on Facebook/ Instagram, Football Sierra Leone, and the Writer Alie Bittar on Twitter @bittar32 – Players Abroad News.

Emerse Fae pleased with Ivory Coast's AFCON achievement
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Emerse Fae ecstatic with Ivory Coast’s AFCON achievement

Emerse Fae, who took over from Jean-Louis Gasset, led Cote d’Ivoire’s national football team to their third CAF Africa Cup of Nations title is ecstatic.

The Elephants won the title on home soil after beating Nigeria 2-1 in a packed Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe on Sunday evening.

After the match, Fae spoke to the media and revealed that he was overwhelmed with emotions and couldn’t describe the great feeling of guiding the team to victory.

He said that it was hard to believe that they had come from almost being knocked out to winning the title.

This competition was going to mark his life, he added. Fae also won the Best Coach of the Tournament award for his tactical acumen in guiding the Elephants to the top spot.

He expressed his gratitude to the players for their hard work and to the loyal people of Cote d’Ivoire who supported them throughout the tournament.

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Sebastien Haller nets winner in Ivory Coast AFCON final win
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Sebastien Haller nets winner in Ivory Coast AFCON final win 

Ivory Coast won the Africa Cup of Nations final against Nigeria 2-1 on home soil on Sunday.

Emerse Faé, who played every minute in the Ivory Coast team that finished runners-up to Egypt in 2006, has now won Africa’s biggest prize in just his fourth game as a senior manager.

Sebastien Haller scored the winning goal in the 81st minute, completing a remarkable turnaround for the hosts, who won their third continental title.

Nigeria looked strong in the first half, with captain William Troost-Ekong scoring a goal with a header.

However, Ivory Coast equalised in the second half with a goal from Franck Kessie. The winning goal came from Haller, who turned in Simon Adingra’s cross.

This win sees Ivory Coast joining Nigeria on three Cup of Nations triumphs overall, and they become the first host country to win the AFCON since 2006.

Didier Drogba, who captained the Ivory Coast team that lost to Egypt in 2006, was among the spectators to witness this stunning victory for his country.

Ivory Coast has become the twelfth host nation to win the Nations Cup title. Nigeria will be left to rue their fifth defeat in the showpiece game, and their second in Abidjan after losing to Cameroon in 1984.

Ronwen Williams hero as South Africa claim AFCON 2023 bronze
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Ronwen Williams hero as South Africa claim AFCON 2023 bronze

South Africa defeated the Democratic Republic of Congo 6-5 in the penalty shootout to clinch third place in the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday.

Following a goalless draw in Abidjan, Bafana Bafana secured the bronze medal in the Ivory Coast after Williams saved penalty kicks from Chancel Mbemba and Meschack Elia.

South Africa’s goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was the hero of the day once again as Bafana Bafana defeated DR Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Since the game ended goalless, the match went straight to penalties after 90 minutes.

South Africa’s victory at the Nations Cup was their best finish since 2000. During the match, Bafana Bafana’s captain, Ronwen Williams, played a crucial role by saving two spot-kicks during the shootout.

South Africa missed their first penalty kick, causing them to fall behind in the match. However, goalkeeper Williams saved two subsequent penalties, allowing South Africa to secure third place in the competition.

Mbemba had the opportunity to win the match for their team, but Williams made a crucial save, leading to a sudden-death penalty shootout. In the end, Bafana Bafana emerged victorious.