SPORT - The African Mirror

Jul

24

2020

From bombs, bullets to hoops

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO THE odds of survival in a country devastated by civil war are slim. The odds of making it overseas, away from a civil war, are even slimmer. The odds of making it into the best basketball league in the world as a native of South Sudan? Near impossible. But defying the odds is what turns good teams into great ones. That is the inspirational story of Manute Bol, who survived the bombs and bullets of a war in South Sudan and made it into the US National Basketball Association (NBA), the biggest and richest league in the sport.…

Jul

21

2020

By The African Mirror

Banyana Banyana star Thembi Kgatlana moves to Spain

SPORT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER SOUTH African star forward Thembi Kgatlana has joined Spanish La Liga Iberdrola team SD Eibar from Portuguese outfit SL Benfica. Kgatlana, the Banyana Banyana striker, joins Iberdrola for the duration of the 2020-2021 season. The 24-year-old established herself after scoring South Africa’s first Women’s World Cup goal in France in 2019. She joins Eibar on a free transfer after a short spell in Portugal. Following her debut for Benfica on 1 February 2020, she made three appearances and scored three goals. The 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations top scorer and player of the tournament is coming…

Jul

19

2020

By The African Mirror

South Africa soccer legend celebrates Leeds United’s promotion

SPORT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER SOUTH African football legend Lucas Radebe has celebrated the return of Leeds United to the English Premier League after 16 years Radebe, who played Leeds for 11 years - 1994 and 2005 - ended as captain. Years after retirement, he remains hugely popular in the English town. Known as “The Chief”, he has a beer, a bar and bus named after him. There are also many youngsters in Leeds who were named after the Leeds legend. Reacting to Leeds promotion, Radebe wrote on Twitter: “After 16 years, finally the wait is over. Our dreams have come true.…

Jul

19

2020

By The African Mirror

Hamilton’s historic victory

SPORT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER A dominant Lewis Hamilton has won his second race of the season and equaled Formula One legend’s Michael Schumacher’s record of eight successive wins at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton, the defending champion, led from pole to finish and was never under threat from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished in second position, eight seconds behind Hamilton. Hamilton, who surged ahead in the world championship standing, paid tribute to his car and the Mercedes technical team. Gallery: Hungarian Grand Prix “Whilst I was on my own for the race it was a different kind of challenge. We…

Jul

17

2020

By The African Mirror

Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam sign Ghanian prodigy

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO DUTCH club Ajax Amsterdam have confirmed the signing of 19-year old sensation Mohammed Kudus. Kudus was previously at FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark where he found the net 11 times after starting 22 games. He joined the Danish club from feeder Ghanian club Right to Dream Academy in 2018. The attacking-midfielder joins the Dutch titans on a five-year deal reportedly worth nine million euros and has been given the number 20 jersey. "It has been a long journey for me with both tailwinds and bumps on the road. I am grateful for it because it has brought me development,…

Jul

16

2020

By The African Mirror

Football betting among young Nigerians may create problems but a ban isn’t the answer

SPORT

SAHEED BABAJIDE OWONIKOKO, Researcher, Centre for Peace and Security Studies, Modibbo Adama University of Technology In Nigeria, football betting has a long history that can be traced to colonial times, when pool betting was popular, especially among older adults. Since then, more younger people have taken up betting on the results of football matches, including European league football. The country has many betting outlets where people can place a bet manually. They can also open an account online with a betting company, using a debit card, and place bets on the website or app. A report revealed that about 60…

Jul

16

2020

By The African Mirror

Kolbe signs with Roc Nation Sports

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO WORLD Cup-winning South African star rugby player Cheslin Kolbe, has signed up with American Jay-Z’s sports management agency. Roc Nation Sports is a division of Jay-Z’s entertainment company and is home to some of Africa and the world’s biggest sports stars such as Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, footballers Eric Bailly (Ivory Coast and Manchester United), and Romelu Lukaku (Belgium and Inter Milan). With the move to Roc Nation, Kolbe became the second rugby player in the world to be in the books of Jay-Z’s agency, after Kolisi was signed in December 2019. "Roc Nation Sports is honoured to…

Jul

14

2020

By The African Mirror

From a refugee to an Olympian

SPORT

EMMA BATHA SOUTH Sudanese Olympic marathon runner Guor Maker is training for next year's Tokyo Games in the foothills of the U.S. Rocky Mountains, but three decades ago he was running for his life. During Sudan's long civil war Maker lost 28 members of his family and was twice kidnapped and enslaved before making it to the United States as a teenage refugee. Today he is a member of the U.S. Air Force and two-times Olympian, who made history at the 2016 Rio Games as the flag-bearer for South Sudan's first Olympic team. His journey from refugee to South Sudanese…

Jul

12

2020

By The African Mirror

Hamilton scores 51st win from pole position

SPORT

MOTORING CORRESPONDENT DEFENDING champion Lewis Hamilton produced an excellent drive to register his first win of the 2020 season during the Styrian Grand Prix race in Austria. The world champion 85th career win means that he is now six wins shy of the legendary Michael Schumacer’s record. Hamilton led from pole to finish and crossed the winning line 1.2 seconds ahead of his teammate Valterri Bottas. Bottas, who won the first race of the season a week ago, leads the world championship race by eight points. Hamilton paid tribute to his team, for the win. “The team did a fantastic…

Jul

11

2020

By The African Mirror

England soccer legend Jack Charlton dies at 85

SPORT

JACK Charlton, a soccer World Cup winner with England who became the darling of Ireland after leading their national team to unprecedented success as manager, has died aged 85. A family statement said the former Leeds United defender died peacefully on Friday at his home in Northumberland, northern England. "We cannot express how proud we are of the extraordinary life he led and the pleasure he brought to so many people in different countries and from all walks of life," the statement read. "He was a thoroughly honest, kind, funny and genuine man who always had time for people. His…