FOOTBALL - The African Mirror

Apr

15

2023

Bayern drop Mane from squad for Saturday game over Sane clash

FOOTBALL

BAYERN Munich's Sadio Mane will not be part of the squad for Saturday's Bundesliga game against Hoffenheim and has been fined over a row he had with teammate Leroy Sane, the club said. Senegal international Mane clashed with Sane at the end of their 3-0 loss at Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday. "Sadio Mane will not be included in the FC Bayern squad for this Saturday's home match against 1899 Hoffenheim," the club said in a statement. "This is due to his misconduct after Bayern's Champions League match at Manchester City. Mane will also…

Apr

06

2023

By The African Mirror

Bryan Habana’s MATCHKIT partners with SOSA in support of the national team

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WITH less than 3 months until the Special Olympics Summer World Games in Germany this June, Special Olympics South Africa (SOSA) today announced its official partnership with Bryan Habana’s MATCHKIT in support of the sports Launched in February 2023, the Adopt an Athlete campaign will help raise much-needed funds in support of the 2023 Special Olympics South Africa National Team. The team will represent the country at the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin, Germany from 17 – 25 June 2023. Bryan Habana The games will welcome 7,000 Special Olympic athletes and Unified partners from approximately 170 countries…

Apr

06

2023

By The African Mirror

LaLiga is coming to Sub-Saharan Africa on the mobile phone with Upstream

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LALIGA has partnered with global marketing technology company, Upstream, on LaLiga Premium, a fan-focused online portal with exclusive LaLiga content for African mobile phone users. The new partnership will allow mobile network operators to tap into the rapidly growing popularity of LaLiga across Africa by providing subscribers with access to unique and exclusive content and features. LaLiga Premium will also be available in multiple languages and part of its content is available through feature phones as well. LaLiga-Premium-Upstream-LaLiga-Joint-PR-ENG-4.4.2023Download

Mar

30

2023

By The African Mirror

Holders Senegal through to Cup of Nations finals

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MARK GLEESON DEFENDING champions Senegal, Burkina Faso, South Africa and Tunisia added their names to the list of qualified teams for next year’s African Cup of Nations finals after away successes in Tuesday’s qualifiers. Senegal, who won the tournament in Cameroon some 14 months ago, beat Mozambique 1-0 away to keep up their 100% record and secure the top spot in Group L while a point away from Burkina Faso at Togo in a 1-1 draw was enough for them to progress from Group B. South Africa scrambled a 2-1 away win over Liberia to join Morocco, who qualified without…

Mar

30

2023

By The African Mirror

The South African Council on Sport at 50: the fight for sports development is still relevant today

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IT'S 50 years since the official formation of the South African Council on Sport (Sacos). Sacos was the sports wing of the anti-apartheid liberation movement. It was established in 1973 and disbanded in 2005. It’s main aim, at the time, was to lay the ground for all national sports federations to be able to compete in international competition – and not just the teams of the white-minority apartheid state. Author FRANCOIS CLEOPHAS, Senior Lecturer in Sport History, Stellenbosch University As a remembrance campaign, regional committees were established in various South African cities to commemorate this nearly forgotten but historically important…

Mar

29

2023

By The African Mirror

Spain hotel worker arrested for hate crime against Morocco players

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A 27-year-old worker at a Madrid hotel hosting the Morocco team was arrested for an alleged hate crime after posting derogatory comments on Islam and racist slurs against the players on social media, Spanish police and the hotel said. Local police told Reuters the employee, a waiter at the Spanish capital's five-star Eurostars Hotel Tower, asked players to take photographs with him. He then uploaded the images to Instagram with xenophobic insults and tagged the Moroccan team's account, with the post quickly receiving over 70,000 views. The man is due to appear before a judge shortly, police said. "We wish…

Mar

24

2023

By The African Mirror

Egyptian FA suspend referee after he watched replay on mobile phone

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AN Egyptian referee has been suspended indefinitely after using a mobile phone before disallowing a goal in a second-division match last week, the Egyptian Football Association said. With the video assistant referee (VAR) system not in use in second-tier games, referee Mohamed Farouk used the phone of a crowd member to watch a replay of a goal during the match between Suez and Al-Nasr. Al-Nasr thought they had scored a late equaliser, but the hosts protested due to a handball, and after a long time spent reviewing the video on the phone, the referee decided to rule it out. The Egyptian FA…

Mar

29

2023

By The African Mirror

Algeria win to join teams qualified for 2024 Africa Cup of Nations

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MARK GLEESON ALGERIA secured a place at the next Africa Cup of Nations finals with a 1-0 away win over Niger that ensured a top-two finish in their qualifying group with two games to go. They will join neighbours Morocco, who qualified last Friday without kicking a ball, in the field of 24-team for the finals in the Ivory Coast next January. Nigeria, Congo, Guinea, Sudan and the Central African Republic, who have never previously qualified for the finals, were also winners on Monday. Algeria's Baghdad Bounedjah slipped through the defence in the fifth minute to put the visitors ahead…

Mar

28

2023

By MARK GLEESON

Daka double puts Zambia on brink of Cup of Nations qualification

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PATSON Daka scored a double to guide Zambia to a 2-0 away win over Lesotho in Africa Cup of Nations qualification and strengthen their chances of qualifying for next year’s finals. The Leicester City attacker played a centre-forward role for his country and tucked away opportunities in the 14th and 69th minute, both set up by Scottish-based Fashion Sakala. It was a second successive win since Avram Grant took over as coach and puts Zambia top of Group H, from which only one team qualifies. The group also includes the Ivory Coast, who are participating in the qualifiers but already…

Mar

18

2023

By The African Mirror

The city of Barcelona lives and breathes football

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THERE is so much for football fans to see in the Catalan capital, and not just at the Camp Nou or RCDE Stadium. While the whole world looks to the Catalan capital every time it hosts an ElClásico match, the city lives and breathes football 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, even if you don't play football. However, there is much more football than living in Barcelona. Most of the most popular tourist attractions have links to FC Barcelona or other football clubs in the city (RCD Espanyol, for example). The focal point of most football fans' visit…