FOOTBALL - The African Mirror

Oct

30

2023

Ancelotti praises “stupendous” Bellingham after Clasico double

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REAL Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti hailed Jude Bellingham as 'stupendous' after the midfielder scored twice to earn his side a 2-1 fightback win at Barcelona in Saturday's LaLiga 'El Clasico'. Ancelotti said the 20-year-old Englishman kept surprising him with his maturity and that he gave Real the spark they needed to recover against a Barcelona side who dominated proceedings before succumbing due to two late stunners. "(Bellingham) looks like a veteran out there because of his attitude. His first goal changed the dynamic completely of what was a difficult game for us," Ancelotti told a press conference. "I can't deny…

Oct

28

2023

By The African Mirror

Man Utd’s Onana supports Garnacho over gorilla emoji post

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MANCHESTER United's goalkeeper, Andre Onana, said teammate Alejandro Garnacho should not face any repercussions for his use of gorilla emojis in a recent social media post. The 19-year-old Garnacho included the emojis in a post featuring a photo of himself and Onana celebrating the Cameroonian goalkeeper's remarkable save of an injury-time penalty against FC Copenhagen on Tuesday. Garnacho later deleted the post, but English media reported that the Football Association (FA) had been made aware of the post and contacted the Argentinian. "People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what Garnacho meant: power & strength.…

Oct

27

2023

By FERNANDO KALLAS

Injury doubts haunt Barcelona ahead of Saturday’s Clasico against Real Madrid

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BARCELONA manager Xavi Hernandez is facing serious injury concerns as his team prepares to host rivals Real Madrid in the LaLiga 'El Clasico' on Saturday. Xavi had to call up eight academy players for their Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday, as the Catalonian side grappled with injuries to eight key players, including Polish striker Robert Lewandowski. Barca secured a hard-fought 2-1 win against Shakhtar thanks to a brilliant display by 20-year-old Fermin Lopez, who is becoming a regular in the first team. Despite earlier reports suggesting that last year's LaLiga top scorer Lewandowski and midfielder Frenkie De…

Oct

27

2023

By The African Mirror

Swiss prosecutors end proceedings against FIFA boss Infantino

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CRIMINAL proceedings against FIFA President Gianni Infantino over his dealings with former Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber have been closed, Swiss prosecutors said, a decision Infantino hailed as a vindication of "the new FIFA". Infantino was elected in 2016 to clean up the world soccer body FIFA after it became embroiled in corruption scandals. However, Swiss authorities launched proceedings against Infantino himself in 2020 on suspicions of secrecy violations, abuse of office and aiding and abetting related to meetings he held with Lauber. In ending the proceedings, prosecutors said their investigations had "invalidated" such suspicions. Swiss-Italian Infantino, who had repeatedly…

Oct

22

2023

By The African Mirror

Late Adebayo goal secures Luton 2-2 draw at Forest

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LUTON Town's Elijah Adebayo scored in stoppage time to complete a late comeback and earn his side a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. Forest, now without a win in five games, dropped to 15th in the table on 10 points while Luton remained in 17th place after picking up their fifth point of the season. After a scoreless first half, Chris Wood scored twice to give Forest a 2-0 lead. The opening goal came in the 48th minute after a counter-attack. Anthony Elanga played the final pass to Wood, whose first touch took him past Luton…

Oct

22

2023

By The African Mirror

Reaction to death of England and Man Utd great Bobby Charlton

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ENGLAND and Manchester United soccer great Bobby Charlton died aged 86. Following are reactions to his death from around the world: ENGLAND 1966 WORLD CUP WINNER GEOFF HURST "Very sad news today. One of the true greats Sir Bobby Charlton has passed away. We will never forget him & nor will all of football. "A great colleague & friend, he will be sorely missed by all of the country beyond sport alone. Condolences to his family & friends from Geoff and Judith." FORMER UNITED AND ENGLAND MIDFIELDER DAVID BECKHAM "It all began with Sir Bobby. Sir Bobby was the reason I had the opportunity…

Oct

21

2023

By AVIT NDAYIZIGA, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Meet Coach Belyse, her country’s first-ever woman coach of a top-flight men’s team

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“A pregnancy did not prevent me from playing football, I continued playing until I was five months pregnant, but a red card paved my way to a coaching career,” said Belyse Ininahazwe, the first female tactician of a male soccer team in Burundi. Ininahazwe is a 35-year-old mother of one, and the first female head coach of the Association Sportif Inter Star (AS Inter Star), a male football club from Bujumbura, Burundi, founded in 1977. Inter Star is a well-known male soccer team that plays in the Burundi Ligue A, currently known as the Primus Ligue. The league was established…

Oct

20

2023

By The African Mirror

Hamas-Israel conflict: Algeria offers to host Palestine’s football matches – the bigger history

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PALESTINE was about to embark on its 2026 men’s Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign when the latest round of Hamas-Israeli conflict broke out, making Palestine’s national football stadium in the Israeli-occupied West Bank potentially unsafe for matches. As a result, the Asian Football Confederation asked the football-loving nation to stage its home matches in a neutral venue. Algeria in North Africa offered to host Palestine’s games and cover its players’ costs. Mahfoud Amara is a specialist in the intersection of sport and politics with a particular research focus on football in the Arab world. We asked him three questions. MAHFOUD…

Oct

20

2023

By The African Mirror

Bullet point previews of Premier League matches

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MATCH-BY-MATCH facts and statistics ahead of the next round of Premier League fixtures from October 21-23 (all times GMT): Saturday, October 21 Liverpool v Everton (1130) * Everton has beaten Liverpool only once in the last 28 Merseyside derbies in all competitions. * Liverpool are unbeaten in 18 of their last 19 league games. * Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has six goals and four assists in 10 appearances in all competitions this season. Nottingham Forest v Luton Town (1400) * Forest have not beaten Luton in their last four matches, which were played in the second-tier Championship (D2 L2). * Luton…

Oct

20

2023

By HATEM MAHER

Liverpool’s Salah calls for end to ‘massacres’ in Gaza

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LIVERPOOL forward Mohamed Salah called for an end to what he described as "massacres" in Gaza, saying humanitarian aid must immediately be allowed into the besieged Palestinian enclave. Salah released a video message on his social media accounts, making his first comments on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict after coming in for some fierce criticism in his native Egypt for staying silent on the issue for over a week. The Gaza health ministry said at least 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and 12,065 injured in Israeli air strikes on Gaza since October 7, the day Palestinian militant group Hamas stormed into…