SPORT - The African Mirror

Jun

12

2024

Nigeria lose World Cup qualifier, Ghana and Algeria win, Egypt held

FOOTBALL

NIGERIA’S World Cup qualifying hopes took a heavy blow with a 2-1 defeat by Benin, but Ghana and Algeria salvaged wins while Egypt drew after all three were behind at halftime. Ghana's Jordan Ayew got a hat-trick as they beat the Central African Republic 4-3 in Kumasi after trailing 2-1 at the break, while Algeria were 1-0 down to Uganda in Kampala but second-half goals from Houssem Aouar and Said Benrahma secured a 2-1 win. Mohamed Salah came to Egypt’s rescue with a sensational equaliser for a 1-1 draw in Guinea Bissau. Nigeria lost away to Benin, who were forced…

Jun

12

2024

By EMMA BATHA

Women and the Olympics: the road to equality

SPORT

THIS year's Olympics in Paris are set to make history as the first Games to field as many women competitors as men, 128 years after the first modern version of the ancient Greek competition was held - with no women allowed. The founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, said women's participation would be "uninteresting, unaesthetic and improper", arguing that the Games were for the "exaltation of male athleticism" with "female applause as reward". Although the ban was short-lived women only accounted for 22 competitors at the first Paris Games in 1900, barely 2% of the total. This summer, 5,250 women will…

Jun

11

2024

By FERNANDO KALLAS and EMMA PINEDO

Valencia fans convicted for racist abuse against Vinicius Jr

FOOTBALL

THREE Valencia football fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for hate crimes against Real Madrid's Brazil player Vinicius Jr, the first conviction for racist insults in a soccer stadium in Spain, the court announced. "The ruling handed down today, which is final, establishes as proven that the three defendants insulted Vinicius with shouts, gestures and chants referring to the colour of his skin," the Magistrate's Court of Valencia said in a statement. "These shouts and gestures of a racist nature, consisting among other things in the repetition of the sounds and imitating the movements of monkeys, caused the…

Jun

11

2024

By The African Mirror

Political turmoil won’t derail Games, IOC and Paris 2024 say

SPORT

POLITICAL upheaval in France won't affect preparations for the Olympics, IOC President Thomas Bach and Paris 2024 organisers said after President Emmanuel Macron shocked France with his call for new parliamentary elections. Macron called the snap election to try to reassert his authority after the far-right National Rally (RN) trounced his own party in Sunday's European Parliament vote. Voting rounds will be held on June 30 and July 7, the latter coming less than three weeks before the July 26-Aug 11 Olympics begin in Paris. "France is used to holding elections, they will do it one more time, there will be…

Jun

09

2024

By The African Mirror

Cameroon put turmoil behind them with emphatic win

FOOTBALL

CAPTAIN Vincent Aboubakar scored twice as Cameroon put weeks of turmoil around their national team behind them to beat the Cape Verde Islands 4-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Yaounde. They moved level with Libya at the top of Group D on seven points from three matches. In Saturday’s other qualifier in Africa, Gambia hammered the Seychelles 5-1 in Group F, a winning start for their new Irish coach Johnny McKinstry. Centre-back Michael Ngadeu marked his return to the team after a two-year absence to put Cameroon into a 13th-minute lead, rising to power home Nicolas Ngamaleu’s corner. The…

Jun

09

2024

By MARK GLEESON

Important wins for Ivory Coast, Morocco in World Cup qualification

FOOTBALL

AFRICAN champions Ivory Coast and World Cup semi-finalists Morocco both won important points in World Cup qualification but Nigeria were held at home by South Africa and is still to win a match in the 2026 preliminaries. Seko Fofana’s 36th-minute strike marked a successful homecoming for the Ivorians, playing their first home match since winning the Africa Cup of Nations in February, as they beat Gabon 1-0 in Korhogo to go clear at the top of Group F. A soft-looking penalty saw Hakim Ziyech put Morocco ahead after six minutes against Zambia in Agadir in Group E but there was…

Jun

07

2024

By MARK GLEESON

Penalty hands Tunisia victory as Africa’s World Cup qualifiers resume

FOOTBALL

TUNISIA needed a late penalty to beat Equatorial Guinea 1-0 and move to the top of the standings in their World Cup qualifying group as Africa’s preliminaries for the 2026 finals resumed. Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane struck the 81st-minute spot kick to deny Equatorial Guinea a deserved point as they looked to shrug off the FIFA sanctions that stripped them of the six points from their opening two qualifiers in November. FIFA found striker Emilio Nsue, a former Spanish junior international, was ineligible to play for the small central African nation despite being in the team over the past 11…

Jun

07

2024

By ROHITH NAIR

Amnesty urges FIFA to assess human rights risks before awarding World Cups

FOOTBALL

FIFA and countries bidding to host the 2030 and 2034 World Cups should agree to binding commitments and legal reforms to prevent human rights violations connected to the tournament, Amnesty International said. In October, soccer's world governing body awarded the 2030 World Cup to Morocco, Spain and Portugal while Saudi Arabia is the lone bidder for the 2034 edition, with Amnesty saying there are "serious human rights" risks that must be addressed. "FIFA should ensure a rigorous and transparent bidding process, based on meaningful stakeholder participation, including genuinely independent human rights risk assessments and comprehensive human rights strategies," human rights organisation Amnesty…

Jun

06

2024

By The African Mirror

Kenyan Kipruto banned for six years

ATHLETICS

RHONEX Kipruto has been banned for six years for doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said, with the Kenyan set to lose his 10-kilometre road race world record and a world championship bronze medal. Kipruto, 24, who won 10,000 metres bronze in the 2019 world championships, had been provisionally suspended for an anti-doping violation in May last year. He is now banned until May 2029. Kipruto broke the 10km road race world record in 2020 in Valencia and won the 10,000 metres at the 2019 Stockholm Diamond League -- results which will now be annulled. A Disciplinary Tribunal ruled that…

Jun

06

2024

By The African Mirror

Africa Cup of Nations put back six months to early 2026

FOOTBALL

THE next Africa Cup of Nations finals will be put back six months to the start of 2026, the Confederation of African Football said . The 2025 finals in Morocco were due to be played next June but that clashed with the expanded 32-team Club World Cup, which will be held in the U.S. from June 15-July 13. Africa will have four teams at the Club World Cup and many of those players are likely to be picked for the Cup of Nations. CAF was repeatedly asked about the obvious clash but failed to offer a solution until General Secretary…