FOOTBALL - The African Mirror

Feb

06

2026

Exclusive: South Africa Sports Minister backs US ‘ICE’ programme ahead of FIFA World Cup

FOOTBALL

FOLLOWING their elimination in the Round of 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Bafana Bafana will now turn their attention to the biggest stage in world football — the FIFA World Cup. As South Africa’s qualification campaign continues, Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has once again made headlines with strong and controversial remarks ahead of the global tournament. The FIFA World Cup will be hosted jointly by the United States of America and Mexico. However, strained diplomatic relations between South Africa and the United States have raised concerns that visa restrictions could prevent South African supporters…

Jan

29

2026

By The African Mirror

CRACKDOWN: Massive fines for Senegal, Morocco as CAF wields iron fist to restore AFCON’s tarnished reputation

FOOTBALL

THE Confederation of African Football (CAF) has delivered its most emphatic statement on discipline in recent memory, imposing crushing financial penalties and lengthy suspensions on players, coaches and federations following the chaotic breakdown of order that marred the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final. In sanctions that totaled over $1 million in fines and saw multiple suspensions handed down, CAF's Disciplinary Board made clear that the disgraceful scenes in Rabat on January 18 - when Senegal's squad temporarily abandoned the pitch in protest and near-riots threatened to engulf the continental showpiece - represented an unacceptable breach that demanded severe consequences.…

Jan

29

2026

By CHUKA ONWUMECHILI

Afcon drama: what went wrong and what went right at the continent’s biggest football cup in Morocco

FOOTBALL

THE 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Morocco, produced thrills and several story lines, some good and others not so good. It ended in a victory for Senegal – their second Afcon championship. While the 1-0 victory over Morocco was deserved, the championship game ended on a sour note as fans invaded the field and the winning country abandoned the game for 16 minutes. I’m a sports communications scholar and an author of multiple books on football as it relates to Africa. The top four positives of the tournament were: quality matches played on impeccable surfaces…

Jan

27

2026

By JOVIAL RANTAO

Keeper howlers, last-gasp drama, and the beautiful chaos of African football

FOOTBALL

CHAMPIONS League: The Magnificent Malian Heist Picture this: You're Petro de Luanda's goalkeeper, Nuno Marques, having a lovely Sunday afternoon in Bamako. The sun's shining, the crowd's doing their thing, and you've got a simple goal kick to deal with. What could possibly go wrong? Narrator voice: Everything went wrong. In what can only be described as a moment that'll haunt goalkeeper union meetings for years, Marques absolutely shanked his clearance straight to Stade Malien's Mamadou Traoré. And Taddeus Nkeng, bless him, wasn't about to send the ball back politely. From distance, he pinged it past the stranded keeper like…

Jan

23

2026

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

The Lions roar: How Senegal’s heroes painted Africa gold

FOOTBALL

THIS is a tale of triumph, treasure, and a President who knows how to throw a party Once upon a time in West Africa, there lived a pack of magnificent Lions - not the four-legged kind that lounge in the savanna, mind you, but the Lions of Teranga, Senegal's fearless football warriors who had just pulled off the sporting heist of the century. Picture this: It's Sunday night in Morocco. The stadium is packed. The hosts are confident. Senegal? They're about to rewrite history with the audacity of a Hollywood blockbuster. Ninety minutes tick by. Stoppage time arrives. Morocco gets…

Jan

20

2026

By The African Mirror

Lions of Teranga Roar: Senegal’s triumphant return home

FOOTBALL

THE sky above Blaise Diagne International Airport erupted in a symphony of vuvuzelas, car horns, and unbridled joy as Senegal's triumphant squad touched down on home soil, their hands firmly gripped around the gleaming TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations trophy. What followed was a celebration that transformed the streets of Dakar into a pulsating sea of national pride - a tableau of green, yellow, and red that stretched as far as the eye could see. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye stood waiting to greet the returning champions, his words capturing the sentiment of an entire nation when he declared they had…

Jan

20

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

The lion who refused to walk away: Sadio Mané’s glorious farewell

FOOTBALL

THEY say legends are born in moments of crisis. On a chaotic Sunday evening in Morocco, as the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final threatened to descend into farce, Sadio Mané proved he was born for precisely such a moment. Picture the scene: the 98th minute, a contentious penalty awarded to the host nation, and Senegal's coaching staff making the extraordinary decision to march their players off the pitch in protest. The changing room doors closed. The world watched in disbelief. African football teetered on the edge of an abyss that would have scarred the beautiful game for generations. Then…

Jan

19

2026

By JOVIAL RANTAO

Senegal stage theatrical walk-off before snatching AFCON glory in Rabat riot

FOOTBALL

THEY say you should always leave your audience wanting more. Senegal took that advice literally on Sunday night - they left the pitch entirely, wandered off toward the dressing rooms, and nearly didn't come back. Welcome to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final: a spectacular triumph of skill, drama, and absolute bedlam that had everything except common sense and a smooth ending. ACT ONE: THE GREAT VANISHING Let's set the scene. It's deep into stoppage time at Rabat's Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. Morocco, chasing their first continental crown in half a century, have just been awarded a penalty after…

Jan

15

2026

By The African Mirror

TOTAL ENERGIES AFCON 2025: Atlas Lions claw their way to AFCON final in nerve-shredding penalty drama

FOOTBALL

IN a match that had everything except goals, Morocco scraped through to their first Africa Cup of Nations final in 21 years after edging Nigeria 4-2 on penalties following 120 minutes of football that will have had cardiologists across the continent reaching for their prescription pads. The Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium erupted into absolute bedlam as Youssef En-Nesyri – ice in his veins, thunder in his boots – smashed home the decisive penalty to send the Atlas Lions into Sunday's final. Cue pandemonium. Cue tears. Cue scenes that will be replayed in Moroccan cafes until the sun burns out. For…

Jan

15

2026

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

TOTAL ENERGIES AFCON 2025: When Lions devoured Pharaohs: A Moroccan night for the ages

FOOTBALL

IN the amphitheatre of the Tangier Grand Stadium, where the Mediterranean winds carry whispers of ancient rivalries, the Lions of Teranga proved once again that in football's grand theatre, it's not the pyramids that stand tallest, but those who dare to roar loudest. This wasn't just a semi-final. This was a clash of titans, a collision of dynasties, a battle royale where two of Africa's footballing superpowers - bristling with some of the continent's and the world's finest talents - locked horns in a supremely technical, heart-pounding spectacle that had everything except Egyptian resistance. On one side: Senegal, the reigning…