FOOTBALL - The African Mirror

Feb

11

2024

London at the heart of Nigeria’s bid for Cup of Nations glory

AFCON 2023

NIGERIA will have a strong London connection in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final with key players born in Britain likely to line up against the Ivory Coast. There are four players born in the boroughs of the British capital in the Nigerian squad plus two other key regulars, Calvin Bassey and midfielder Alex Iwobi, who have lived in London from an early age. Ola Aina, Semi Ajayi and Ademola Lookman are English-born and have made a major contribution to Nigeria’s progress to the final. Joe Aribo, also from London and who struggled with injury at the start of the…

Feb

11

2024

By The African Mirror

Burkina Faso’s Velud latest Cup of Nations coaching casualty

AFCON 2023

BURKINA FASO has decided not to renew the contract of coach Hubert Velud after their Africa Cup of Nations last-16 exit, the country’s football federation said. Burkina Faso were eliminated by neighbours Mali in the first knockout round, having finished second in their group behind Angola but ahead of top-seeded Algeria. Velud was making a belated first appearance on the bench at the Cup of Nations. The 64-year-old Frenchman was shot in the arm in an attack on the Togo team bus by separatists in the Angolan enclave of Cabinda on the eve of the 2010 Cup of Nations finals. He…

Feb

11

2024

By JOEL OMOTTO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Former Banyana Banyana captain scores major first at AFCON 2023

AFCON 2023

AT the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), there has been a distinct female voice in the commentary box. For those who don't know, it's the voice of Amanda Dlamini, the former South African football national team captain and the first woman to commentate a game at the men’s AFCON. In yet another major score for women at this tournament, Dlamini’s mastery of her craft, including deep analysis of the action and a good understating of the game, tactics and players, have shown that on all levels, women’s inclusion in the men’s game was not only long overdue but also…

Feb

10

2024

By MARK GLEESON

Ivory Coast’s place in Cup of Nations final ends home misery

AFCON 2023

IVORY Coast ended almost two decades of home misery at the Africa Cup of Nations by becoming the first tournament host to reach the final since Egypt in 2006. It has been one of the many peculiarities of the African championship that host countries have struggled for success despite having all the advantages of playing at home. The Ivorians' 1-0 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in Wednesday’s semi-final has set up a decider against regional rivals Nigeria in Abidjan on Sunday and the chance to deliver on an investment in stadiums and other infrastructure estimated to be over…

Feb

09

2024

By JOEL OMOTTO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

The Moroccan referee who has overcome cultural barriers and gender stereotypes to make history at AFCON 2023

AFCON 2023

BOUCHRA Karboubi is blazing a trail through the beautiful game. While there has been a laudable increase in the number of female referees at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following the appointment of six women, only one has been given the mandate to officiate as a centre referee, with the rest working as either assistant referees or Video Assistant Referees (VAR). That honour was bestowed on Morocco's Karboubi, who became the second woman, and first Arab woman, to officiate a men’s AFCON match. She followed in the footsteps of Rwanda’s Salima Mkansaga, who made history at the 2021…

Feb

09

2024

By The African Mirror

FIFA chief Infantino repeats call for action against racism

FOOTBALL

FIFA President Gianni Infantino reiterated his call for action to tackle the increase in racist incidents in football when he spoke at the UEFA Congress. AC Milan's France goalkeeper Mike Maignan left the pitch during a game at Udinese last month after racist chants from the home fans, while Coventry City's Kasey Palmer said he was the target of racist abuse by some Sheffield Wednesday supporters. The incidents were described at the time as "totally abhorrent" by Infantino, who added that clubs should face automatic defeat if their fans displayed racist behaviour. "We live in a divided world, we say that football…

Feb

09

2024

By The African Mirror

Guinea-Bissau coach shown the door after Cup of Nations elimination

FOOTBALL

LONG-SERVING Guinea-Bissau coach Baciro Cande will not have his contract renewed when it expires next month, the country’s football federation said. The 56-year-old joins the list of coaching casualties after the Africa Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast, where his side was the first to be eliminated after losing all their Group A games. The home-born coach became a national hero in the former Portuguese colony for engineering four successive qualifications for the Cup of Nations finals after decades of being one of the continent’s whipping boys. Cande had been in charge since 2016 following a previous stint…

Feb

08

2024

By The African Mirror

Halle strikes as Ivory Coast reach Cup of Nations final

AFCON 2023

SEBASTIEN Haller sent hosts Ivory Coast into the Africa Cup of Nations final as they beat Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 in Wednesday's semi-final at the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium. Haller's 65th-minute goal continued a remarkable recovery by the Ivorians who were almost eliminated in the group phase but will now take on Nigeria in Sunday's final. Nigeria beat South Africa on penalties in Wednesday's other semi-final in Bouake. Striker Haller missed two other good chances and Franck Kessie struck the woodwork in a deserved win for Ivory Coast.

Feb

08

2024

By HATEM MAHER

Egypt name record scorer Hossam Hassan as new coach

FOOTBALL

EGYPT named Hossam Hassan as their new coach, with the team's all-time leading scorer finally landing his dream job following the sacking of Portuguese Rui Vitoria. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced in a brief statement, saying Hassan's twin brother, Ibrahim Hassan, had also been appointed as Egypt's team director. Although the EFA initially said they were considering foreign candidates for the role, they swiftly brought in Hassan as a replacement for Vitoria, who was dismissed on Sunday after the Pharaohs exited the Africa Cup of Nations at the last-16 stage. Hassan has made no secret of his desire to take up…

Feb

07

2024

By MARK GLEESON

Ivory Coast fancied to continue Cup of Nations revival

AFCON 2023

HOSTS Ivory Coast are fancied to continue their remarkable revival at the Africa Cup of Nations and ride a frenzied wave of home support as they seek a place in the final with victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo. The two meet in Abidjan on Wednesday just hours after Nigeria face South Africa in Bouake in the first semi-final. The winners advance to Sunday’s final in Abidjan. The Ivorians have put aside their stuttering start to the tournament, including a humiliating 4-0 loss in the group stage to tiny Equatorial Guinea, to reach the final four, roared on by…