FOOTBALL - The African Mirror

Nov

12

2023

Wolves stun Spurs 2-1 with stoppage-time goals

FOOTBALL

WOLVERHAMPTON Wanderers stunned Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 with stoppage-time goals from Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina on Saturday, thwarting the visitors in their bid to reclaim top spot in the Premier League table. Gary O'Neil's decision to bring on Sarabia as a late substitute paid off handsomely as the Spaniard scored the equaliser in the 91st minute and provided the pass for the 97th-minute winner. The result left Spurs second in the standings behind Manchester City, while Wolves climbed to 12th ahead of the weekend's other fixtures. "It is an amazing feeling, we've been pushing so hard. We deserve this game,"…

Nov

10

2023

By The African Mirror

Supporter handed three-year ban for racist gesture towards Tottenham’s Son

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A visiting supporter was given a three-year football ban for making a racist gesture towards Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min, the club said. The incident occurred during Tottenham's 1-0 home win over Crystal Palace in May. The offending fan was arrested and charged with a racially aggravated public order offence. The spectator, who pleaded guilty, was originally sentenced to 60 hours of community service and fined. But police appealed the original sentence after Tottenham raised leniency concerns, leading to the banning order. "The club does not tolerate discrimination of any kind and will always seek for the strongest possible action…

Nov

10

2023

By The African Mirror

Man United boss Ten Hag laments ‘harsh’ Rashford red card

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MARCUS Rashford's red card that caused a massive momentum shift in Manchester United's 4-3 Champions League loss to FC Copenhagen was "harsh," a shell-shocked Erik ten Hag said as his team's early-season calamity continued. Rasmus Hojlund's brace fired United to a brilliant start but Ten Hag's 10-man side gave up their two-goal lead after Rashford's dismissal in the 42nd minute -- and now United, who have already been eliminated from the League Cup and are a lowly eighth in the Premier League, are on a Champions League knife edge with two group games left to play. "Do you have one…

Nov

10

2023

By The African Mirror

Marseille v Lyon rescheduled game returns to Marseille, no disciplinary action

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THE Ligue 1 clash between Olympique de Marseille and Olympique Lyonnais, rescheduled for December 6 after being postponed due to an attack on the Lyon team bus, will be played at Marseille's Stade Velodrome, the French League (LFP) said. The disciplinary commission said it would not take any action following the incident. The ruling has annoyed Lyon, who said they would appeal the decision. The original fixture, scheduled for October 29, was called off after Lyon's team bus was pelted with bottles and stones, injuring coach Fabio Grosso, as the players made their way to the Stade Velodrome. On November 2, the LFP…

Nov

08

2023

By MARTYN HERMAN

Nine-man Spurs miss out on top spot in chaotic 4-1 loss to Chelsea

FOOTBALL

TOTTENHAM Hotspur's hopes of returning to the top of the Premier League were dashed in extraordinary fashion as they lost 4-1 at home to Chelsea after a Nicolas Jackson hat-trick in a chaotic London derby that they finished with nine men. It was a triumphant return to Spurs for Mauricio Pochettino who got the biggest win of his short Chelsea tenure, though few could have imagined how it would be achieved on a mind-boggling night of VAR calls, hot tempers, disallowed goals and injuries. Previously unbeaten Tottenham went ahead after six minutes thanks to Dejan Kulusevski's deflected shot and minutes…

Nov

07

2023

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

CAF Women’s Champions League sees surge in debutant clubs

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THE upcoming CAF Women’s Champions League will feature an impressive five debutant clubs out of the eight competing, underscoring its growing nature and the dynamic opportunity it is availing to women footballers on the continent. The tournament, which is Africa’s premier women’s club competition, will be held in Ivory Coast between November 5 and 19, in the cities of Korhogo and San Pedro, and will feature five first-time participating teams and only three returning teams. It is a critical moment for women’s football with this competition being held in sub-Saharan Africa for the first time, the past two editions having…

Nov

07

2023

By The African Mirror

Premier League talking points

FOOTBALL

TALKING points from the 11th round of the Premier League season: MAGUIRE AND FERNANDES ANSWER CRITICS Manchester United's Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes have come in for more than their fair share of criticism this season but both stood up to be counted in a vital 1-0 win at Fulham on Saturday. Maguire, who has been given a first-team reprieve largely because of injuries to Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, was a rock at the heart of United's defence, repelling numerous Fulham attacks and showing composure on the ball. Manager Erik Ten Hag described Maguire's display as massive but the…

Nov

06

2023

By The African Mirror

Newcastle’s Bruno and Willock racially abused on social media after Arsenal game

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NEWCASTLE United have condemned racist abuse sent to Bruno Guimaraes and Joe Willock on social media following Saturday's 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the Premier League. "Our message is clear. There is no room for racism in football or society," the club said. "We are providing support to Bruno and Joe and will work with relevant authorities and social media platforms to identify those responsible so that they can be held to account." Bruno escaped a booking for a late elbow on Arsenal midfielder Jorginho in a tense and fractious contest at St James' Park. Willock, a former Arsenal player, was involved…

Nov

06

2023

By The African Mirror

Brazil submits letter of intent to host 2027 Women’s World Cup

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BRAZIL has submitted a letter of intent to soccer's governing body FIFA to host the 2027 Women's World Cup, the South American country's Minister of Sports Andre Fufuca said. Fufuca presented the documents to FIFA President Gianni Infantino while he was in Rio de Janeiro for the Copa Libertadores final, which was won by Brazilian club Fluminense for the first time. "I delivered it to FIFA and Brazilian Football Confederation on behalf of President Lula," Fufuca said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "The Government Declaration formalising Brazil's intention to host the 2027 Women's Football World Cup and the government…

Nov

05

2023

By The African Mirror

Toure joins Mancini’s Saudi Arabia coaching team

FOOTBALL

YAYA Toure has been named assistant coach of Saudi Arabia's national team and will work alongside manager Roberto Mancini, the Saudi Football Federation said. The former Ivory Coast captain played for Mancini when the Italian was manager of Premier League Manchester City. Toure, 40, began his coaching career four years ago, working at Ukraine’s Donetsk Olympic, Russia’s Grozny, Belgium's Standard Liege and with the Under-16 team at England’s Tottenham Hotspur. He played more than 100 internationals for clubs including City, AS Monaco and Barcelona. Saudi Arabia has lost twice under former Italy coach Mancini who took the job in August,…