Category: Football Africa

Ivorian Wilfred Zaha makes Olympique Lyonnais debut in win at Toulouse
by Football Sierra Leone

Ivorian Wilfred Zaha makes Lyon debut in win at Toulouse

Wilfried Zaha, the former Crystal Palace and Manchester United winger, made his debut for Lyon in their 2-1 victory over Toulouse on Sunday. In August, the Ivorian international joined the French club on a season-long loan from Galatasaray.

Lyon took the lead with a goal from Yann Gboho in the 14th minute, but an own goal from Lyon’s Rasmus Schmidt Nicolaisen leveled the scoreline. At halftime, the score was 1-1.

The match was still open, and Lyon appeared to strengthen as time passed. In the end, Belgian Malick Martin Fofana secured the win for the visitors with a last-minute goal.

Zaha, 31, had left Palace for Galatasaray last summer and made 42 appearances for the Turkish club. However, he was mainly a substitute towards the end of the season and did not play in any of Galatasaray’s four league or Champions League games this season.

Lyon secured their first win of the season with a 4-3 victory against Strasbourg on Friday.

Key Moments

Toulouse Municpal Stadium

L1 (MD6): Toulouse FC – Olympique Lyonnais

Referee: Gaël Angoula

Yellow cards: Veretout (11′); Caleta-Car (48′) to OL. Dønnum (58′), Casseres (88′) to Toulouse

Goals: Gboho (14′) for Toulouse. Nicolaisen (csc) (28′), Fofana (90+6) for OL.

Toulouse FC: Rest – Sidibé, Nicolaisen, McKenzie – Kamanzi, Sierro (Cap.) (Genreau 90+3′), Casseres, Dönnum (Suazo 67′) – Babicka (Aboukhlal 64′), Magri (King 64′), Gboho (Zajc 90+2′). Coach: Carles Martinez Novell

OL: Perri – Kumbedi, Mata (Maitland-Niles 88′), Caleta-Car, Abner – Veretout (Cherki 54′), Tessmann (Tolisso 67′), Caqueret (Cap.) – Zaha (Fofana 54′), Mikautadze (Lacazette 67′), Benrahma. Coach: Pierre Sage

FIFA Disciplinary Committee Sanctions FECAFOOT boss Samuel Eto’o
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

FIFA Disciplinary Committee Sanctions FECAFOOT boss Samuel Eto’o

Cameroonian football icon Samuel Eto’o has been banned for six months by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).

Eto’o, who is the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT), has been sanctioned for breaching two articles of FIFA’s disciplinary code. The ban is related to the 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup last-16 match between Cameroon and Brazil on 11 September. Brazil won the game 3-1 after extra time.

The former FC Barcelona, Chelsea, and Inter Milan striker is now prohibited from attending any national team games due to misconduct, as stated in the FIFA statement.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed a six-month ban on Samuel Eto’o from attending matches of Cameroon’s representative teams for violations of articles 13 (Offensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play) and 14 (Misconduct of players and officials) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

The ban prevents Mr. Eto’o from attending men’s and women’s matches involving FECAFOOT teams of all categories and age groups. Eto’o was notified on Monday and the ban comes into force immediately.

CAF Media & TV rights agreements for CAF Interclub season revealed
by Football Sierra Leone

Media & TV rights agreements for CAF Interclub season revealed

The Confederation African Football (“CAF”) has announced new media rights and TV agreements for the 2024/25 CAF Interclub Competitions in Sub-Saharan Africa following successful bidding for pay-TV and Free to Air rights.

The media rights encompass African football’s prestigious Club competitions: TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2024/25, TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup 2024/25, CAF Women’s Champions League 2024, and TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup 2025.

CAF has reached agreements with SuperSport International for the PayTV rights (in English) South African Broadcasting Corporation (“SABC”) and Azam Media for the Free to Air (“FTA”) rights.

In a statement, CAF President, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, remarked: “The remarkable growth and heightened global competitiveness of football in Africa has garnered substantial interest from major African and international broadcasters in African Football. SuperSport, SABC, and Azam Media have all been active participants in the CAF Media Rights bids.

CAF welcomes all partners to ensure the quality of its competitions and broadcast products. During the 2023/24 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, TV audiences grew over 25% in North Africa, and over 40% in East and Southern Africa for both TV and digital engagement.

Zamalek win the CAF Super Cup after penalty shootout in Riyard
by FSL News

Zamalek win CAF Super Cup after penalty shootout in Riyard

On Friday night, Zamalek won the 2024 TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup in a thrilling penalty shootout against their rivals Al Ahly. The match ended in a 1-1 draw at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Zamalek clinched the victory by winning 4-3 in the penalty shootout, securing their fifth Super Cup title. The win is a significant achievement for Zamalek, as it marks their fifth CAF Super Cup title.

The game started with Al Ahly taking the lead in the 44th minute through Wessam Abou Ali’s penalty. This was confirmed after a VAR review identified a foul on Akram Tawfik by Zamalek’s Hamza Mathlouthi.

Zamalek responded in the second half, with substitute Naser Mansy scoring the equalizer in the 77th minute from a well-delivered cross by Omar Gaber.

The match remained intense, with both teams seeking a winning goal, but ultimately went to a penalty shootout.

In the shootout, Al Ahly’s Yahia Attiyat Allah missed a crucial penalty, and Wessam Abou Ali’s shot hit the post, giving Zamalek the advantage.

Zamalek capitalized on this advantage, converting four of their five attempts, with Hossam Abdelmaguid securing the victory with a well-placed shot into the bottom left corner.

Senegal's U20 crowned WAFU A champions after defeating Sierra Leone
by Football Sierra Leone

Senegal’s U20 crowned WAFU A champions after defeating Sierra Leone

In the 2024 WAFU A’ U-20 tournament, Senegal emerged as champions after defeating Sierra Leone 2-0 in the finals. Despite the loss, Sierra Leone’s performance throughout the tournament was remarkable.

Senegal took the lead in the 13th minute with a goal from Cheikh Tidiane Thiam and then doubled their advantage ten minutes later with a stunning long-range goal from Ibrahima Dieng.

Nonetheless, Sierra Leone qualified for the U20 Africa Cup of Nations U-20 tournament for the first time in the country’s history – a significant achievement for Shooting Stars.

This historic milestone is a source of pride for both the team and the nation, as they will be joining champions Senegal in representing WAFU A’ in the 2025 U-20 continental tournament.

Sierra Leone’s skipper Momoh I. Kamara played a pivotal role in their success. He was named player of the tournament – the 19-year-old’s exceptional performance throughout the tournament earned him the joint top scorer award, having scored three goals in four matches.

His outstanding skills and leadership on the field also led to him being decorated as the best player of the tournament.

Ivory Coast named a strong squad for the Sierra Leone doubleheader
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Ivory Coast named strong squad for Sierra Leone doubleheader

Ivorian coach Emerse Faé has selected a strong 25-man squad for two matches against Sierra Leone in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Striker Sébastien Haller returned after missing the last two qualifiers. He joined La Liga club Leganés on loan for the 2024–25 season on August 30, 2024.

The Laurent Pokou Stadium has been confirmed as the venue for the first match between Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone on October 11. The game is a crucial one for the 2025 qualifier.

The Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) announced that the second leg of the doubleheader will be held on October 15 at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia, Liberia.

Ivory Coast has had a perfect start in the AFCON 2025 qualifiers, winning their matches against Zambia and Chad, securing the top position in Group G with six points.

The Leone Stars will aim to bounce back from their recent loss to Zambia and revive their hopes of qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Here is the squad selected by Ivory Coast for the upcoming matches.

Ivory Coast named a strong squad for the Sierra Leone doubleheader
Ivory Coast named a strong squad for the Sierra Leone doubleheader
AS Pikine Ligue 1 challenge excites midfielder Saidu Fofanah
by Football Sierra Leone

AS Pikine Ligue 1 challenge excites midfielder Saidu Fofanah

Saidu Fofanah, one of the top midfielders in the Sierra Leone Premier League, has signed with AS Pikine – Ligue 1 (Senegal) for two seasons and has described his move as an exciting challenge.

He expressed his excitement about joining the Association Sportive de Pikine based in Pikine – their home venue is the Stade Alassane Djigo, with a capacity of 5,000.

Saidu, 27, made his international debut with the Sierra Leone national team in a 1–0 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification win over Benin on 15 June 2021.

He stated that his decision to move to Senegal was to try a new challenge in his football career and experience a different style of football in one of the best countries in West Africa and the continent.

He expressed his eagerness to compete in a new league outside Sierra Leone and help his new teammates, just as he did with FC Kallon.

“The season will start next month on 19th October, but there will be a four-team tournament starting on Friday. I’m looking forward to showing what I can do on the pitch.”

Saidu was part of the Sierra Leone squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

Saidu Fofanah was playing for the Senegalese team in a warm-up friendly.
Saidu Fofanah was playing for the Senegalese team in a warm-up friendly.
Ismael Kabia makes Arsenal's senior debut in the Carabao Cup win over Bolton
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Ismael Kabia makes Arsenal’s senior debut in Carabao Cup win over Bolton

Ismael Kabia, a native of Sierra Leone, made his senior debut for Arsenal as they secured a 5-1 victory over League One side Bolton in the Carabao Cup at Emirates Stadium.

As a result of this win, the London side advanced to the fourth round after a convincing performance against League One side Bolton.

Declan Rice opened the scoring, followed by two goals from Ethan Nwaneri on either side of half-time, making it 3-0. Although the visitors managed to score one goal, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz added to the scoreline, securing a strong victory for Mikel Arteta’s men.

In addition to the first starts for Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, 16-year-old goalkeeper Jack Porter and right-back Josh Nichols made their full debuts, with substitute appearances for Maldini Kacurri and Ismael Kabia.

Kabia expressed his excitement on his Instagram page, stating, “A dream come true to make my professional debut for Arsenal. Proud moment for me and my family and everyone that has helped me in my journey,” Kabia noted on his Instagram. 

The youngster, 18, signed his first professional contract in July and was impressive after he was subbed on in the 81st minute to make his senior debut.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to co-host Africa Nations Championship
by Football Sierra Leone

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to co-host Africa Nations Championship

The Confederation of African Football (“CAF”) has confirmed that Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania will co-host the TotalEnergies Africa Nations Championship (“CHAN”).The tournament will take place from 01-28 February 2025.

Senegal is the current CHAN champion, having defeated hosts Algeria two years ago in Algiers. The competition is for players in their country’s domestic leagues.

The qualification process will begin with the first round of qualifiers on the weekends of 25-27 October 2024 and 01-03 November 2024.

The second round of qualifiers will be played on 20-22 December and 27-29 December 2024.

The tournament slots have been allocated as follows: WAFU A, WAFU B, UNAF, UNIFFAC, and COSAFA will each have three qualifying teams.

The CECAFA zone, which includes the three host countries, will receive an additional slot due to their automatic qualification as hosts. This increases the total number of teams qualifying for the final tournament to 19.

Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania will participate in the qualifiers and, in addition to their automatic qualification as hosts, the team with the best result in the CECAFA qualifiers will also advance to the final tournament.

New Hartford Athletic deal for Sierra Leone International Emmanuel Samadia
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Emmanuel Samadia pens new Hartford Athletic contract extension

Sierra Leone’s Emmanuel Samadia has agreed to stay with Hartford Athletic for another two years, until the 2026 USL Championship season. The deal is awaiting approval from the league and federation.

“I’ve enjoyed my time here in Hartford, and I’m happy to stay with the club long-term,” said Samadia.

“I want to thank Coach Burke for the trust and belief he’s shown in me, and the Hartford Athletic fans who have made me feel welcome and supported us all year long. We still have work to do this year, but I can’t wait to create more memorable moments with this club for years to come.”

The 23-year-old has made a significant impact in his first season of American soccer, excelling as a versatile wingback. He ranks in the top five on the team in assists (3), chances created (23), crosses (70), and interceptions (22), and has been recognized with USL Championship Team of the Week honours at both left-back and right-back positions.

Samadia has played a key role in Hartford’s recent success, contributing to the team’s seven-match undefeated streak and assisting on two of Mamadou Dieng’s six goals during this period, while creating 12 chances.

“Emmanuel’s development this year has been incredible, and we would not be in the position we’re in without him,” said Head Coach and General Manager Brendan Burke.

“We’re thrilled to have him with us for the long term, and I’m excited to see him continue to develop and be a leader for us in the seasons ahead.”

The Freetown, Sierra Leone native has also impressed in six appearances with the Sierra Leone National Team this year, providing two assists in World Cup qualifying matches against Djibouti and Burkina Faso.

Samadia and Athletic are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and will play against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday, September 28th at 7:30 PM.

New deal for Sierra Leone international Emmanuel Samadia with Hartford Athletic
New deal for Sierra Leone international Emmanuel Samadia with Hartford Athletic