SPORT - The African Mirror

Jun

06

2024

Somaliland’s first all-girls basketball team shoot for recognition

BASKETBALL

WRAPPED in the tricolour flag of her homeland, 21-year-old captain Hafsa Omer bounces the basketball between her legs, dribbles lays it up off the backboard, and watches it clatter into the hoop. Her dream is to one day play for her nation, but there is a catch - Somaliland is not a country. The breakaway territory has struggled to gain international recognition from any foreign government, despite governing itself and enjoying comparative peace and stability since declaring independence in 1991. Omer and her two sisters, who also play for Hargeisa Girls Basketball, the first all-girls team in the incipient country,…

Jun

05

2024

By OLIVER OCHIENG AND BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

bird TenX: 10 African players who dominated European leagues in the 2023/24 season

FOOTBALL

THE 2023/2024 Champions League final pitting Spanish giants Real Madrid against German Bundesliga side, Borussia Dortmund, at the Wembley Stadium in London on June 1 marked the end of an eventful 2023/2024 season in major European leagues and tournaments. From England to Germany; from Spain to Italy to France, players of African descent played huge roles in aiding their clubs to silverware. The following is a list of ten African players who had a significant impact on clubs across Europe in the 2023/24 season. 1. Amad Diallo - Ivory Coast - The 21-year-old Ivorian winger, was key to Manchester United…

Jun

04

2024

By BIRD STORY AGENCY

Angola’s Petro de Luanda wins 2024 Basketball Africa League Championship

BASKETBALL

ANGOLA’S Petro de Luanda clinched the 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Championship, becoming the first team outside of North Africa to win the BAL finals after overpowering Libya’s Al Ahly Ly 107-94 in the finals. The Angolans, who are also the 2022 BAL runners-up and one of only two teams to compete in all four BAL seasons, have broken a streak of previous champions from Egypt and Tunisia. Past BAL champions include Egypt’s Zamalek, the 2021 champions, US Monastir of Tunisia, crowned champions in 2022, and Al Ahly of Egypt, the latest champions as of 2023. According to Sandrine Nzeukou,…

Jun

03

2024

By FERNANDO KALLAS

Real Madrid come full circle with second great European dynasty

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid added another chapter to their already astonishing love affair with European soccer's elite club trophy by claiming a 2-0 win against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final as they were crowned for the 15th time. The story of the season they finished at Wembley was about two generations of players who met, bonded as a group and connected on the pitch like a well-oiled machine to establish the second great dynasty Real spent half a century looking for. It all started at the dawn of the competition when, during the Alfredo Di Stefano years, the Madrid side won the…

Jun

03

2024

By The African Mirror

Mourinho unveiled as new Fenerbahce manager

FOOTBALL

JOSE Mourinho was unveiled as the new manager of Turkish Super Lig club Fenerbahce in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans on Sunday. Mourinho, 61, has been out of a job since he was sacked by Serie A side AS Roma in January. The Turkish club held a signing ceremony for Mourinho in Fenerbahce's Ulker Stadium in Istanbul as thousands of supporters cheered the Portuguese coach's name and sang songs. "Normally a coach is loved after victories, in this case, I feel that love before victories. And that for me is a big responsibility that I feel and I promise…

Jun

02

2024

By MITCH PHILLIPS

Real Madrid strike late to beat Dortmund and win 15th European Cup

FOOTBALL

REAL Madrid were crowned kings of Europe for a record-extending 15th time with a trademark 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final at a raucous Wembley on Saturday as they were outplayed for an hour but then showed their class. After Dortmund had made, but spurned, several good chances, particularly in a one-sided first half, Real turned the game around with goals by Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr after 74 and 83 minutes to delight their fans. It gave them the trophy for the sixth time in 11 seasons, matching the run of the team that started…

May

30

2024

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Stellar qualifiers raise Africa’s hopes of a Paris gold heist

ATHLETICS

PREPARATIONS for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games are in full swing and African countries are assembling their teams for the world's premier sports competition, which features up to 200 teams from across the globe. While African countries haven't amassed as many medals as powerhouses like the USA — whose all-time Olympic medal count exceeds 2,600 compared to Kenya’s 113, the highest in Africa — African athletes are likely to continue to deliver unforgettable Olympic moments. From Kenya’s steeplechase legacy to Ethiopia's marathon successes to South Africa’s excellence in the swimming pool, there will be no shortage of moments when African…

May

30

2024

By The African Mirror

Osimhen out of Nigeria’s World Cup qualifiers due to injury

FOOTBALL

NAPOLI striker Victor Osimhen will miss Nigeria's two upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers due to injury, the Nigeria Football Federation said. The federation gave no details about the injury but said the 25-year-old would be out for four weeks. Osimhen will miss the clashes against South Africa in Uyo on June 7 and Benin in neutral Ivory Coast three days later. His absence will make it difficult for recently appointed head coach Finidi George to get the side's qualification campaign back on track after surprise 1-1 draws with tiny Lesotho at home and Zimbabwe in neutral Rwanda.

May

30

2024

By The African Mirror

Cameroon appoint Ndtoungou as interim coach after Brys is sidelined

FOOTBALL

THE organisation said that the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) have sidelined newly-appointed Belgian coach Marc Brys and replaced him with Martin Ndtoungou on an interim basis ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers next month. The decision follows a heated exchange between Brys and federation president Samuel Eto’o on Tuesday, the culmination of a stand-off between the pair after the Belgian was appointed by the country’s sports ministry in April, against the wishes of Eto’o. Brys had been invited for a working session on Tuesday but several of his support staff, also appointed by the sports ministry, were refused entry to the…

May

29

2024

By OLIVER OCHIENG, BIRD STORY AGENCY

‘Eat, dream football culture’ propels Al Ahly to 12th CAF Champions League title

FOOTBALL

IT is no surprise that Egyptian giants, Al Ahly are the Confederation of African Football (CAF) TotalEnergies 2023/2024 Champions League winners for a record 12th time, according to a Kenyan footballing strategist and coach. The Egyptian ‘Red Devils’ beat Tunisia’s Esperance Sportive de Tunis 1-0 at a packed Cairo International Stadium on Saturday, May 25, 2024, in the second leg of the final to clinch the title, a week after a 0-0 draw in the first leg encounter in Tunisia. Speaking after the Champions League title triumph, Al Ahly coach Marcel Kohler attributed his team’s success to a tactical style…