Afcon - The African Mirror

NIGERIA has been dealt a further injury blow ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations finals after striker Umar Sadiq was ruled out of the tournament due to a knee problem and replaced by Paul Onuachu, officials confirmed on Friday. Nigeria have already lost forward Victor Boniface and midfielder Wilfred Ndidi due to injury, while striker Kelechi Iheanacho has had a muscle problem and is expected to arrive in the Ivory Coast on Saturday. Real Sociedad striker Sadiq had been a doubt for some time with his knee injury but was officially ruled out two days before Nigeria opens their tournament against Equatorial Guinea…

Jan

2024

By HATEM MAHER

Attack-minded Egypt enter AFCON with renewed confidence

EGYPT hope a new attacking approach will bear fruit as they launch a fresh bid to win a record-extending eighth Africa Cup of Nations title in the Ivory Coast, putting behind them the disappointment of two recent near misses. They kick off their campaign against Mozambique in Abidjan on Sunday, having had to settle for silver medals in 2017 and 2021, with a shock round of 16 loss to South Africa on home soil in 2019. Both recent final appearances were achieved via stout defensive displays as Argentine coach Hector Cuper and Portuguese boss Carlos Queiroz made this the foundation…

Jan

2024

Africa Cup of Nations records

FACTBOX on Africa Cup of Nations records ahead of Saturday’s kick off of the 34th edition of the continental championship first played in 1957. MOST TITLES WON7- Egypt: 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010 MOST APPEARANCES IN A FINAL10 – Egypt: 1957, 1959, 1962, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2021 MOST APPEARANCES AT THE FINALS TOURNAMENT26 – Egypt: 1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 MOST GAMES PLAYED AT THE FINALS TOURNAMENT107 – Egypt MOST WINS AT THE FINALS…

Dec

2023

Tunisia’s Man Utd midfielder Mejbri opts not to play at AFCON

TUNISIA will be without Manchester United's Hannibal Mejbri at the African Cup of Nations as the midfielder decided he was not ready to be in the squad, manager Jalel Kadri said. The 20-year-old Mejbri decided to skip next month's tournament amid media speculation that he is close to securing a loan move away from Old Trafford. "Hannibal told me that he did not feel ready for the African Cup of Nations because he is going through an important situation at his club," Kadri told a press conference. Experienced midfielder Ferjani Sassi has been excluded from the final 27-man squad along…

Dec

2022

6 moments in African football in 2022 that will be talked about for years to come

2022 was a significant year for African football. It was a benchmark for the women’s game and a year that may mark the first real move into African football as a business rather than football as development. It ended with some thrilling matches at the men’s World Cup in Qatar, proving the real progress made by teams from African countries. The first full year of a return to the sport after the COVID pandemic, 2022 has shown that the African game is able to grow and claim its own space in world football beyond the headlines generated by star African…

Jul

2022

South Africa defeat Nigeria in WAFCON opener

SOUTH Africa got off to a flying start following a 2-1 win over nine-time record African champions Nigeria in their first Group C encounter at the ongoing 2022 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Desiree Ellis’ outfit scored twice in two minutes thanks to Jermaine Seoposenwe and Hilda Magaia goals in the 60th and 62nd minutes to destabilize their opponents, who were caught off-guard by the quick firing South Africans. Banyana Banyana made their intentions clear right from kickoff, pushing forward with Thembi Kgatlana and Seoposenwe asking the right questions and building momentum, which explained the 61% ball possession they registered at the end of the game.…

Sep

2021

Chelsea FC’s Ziyech ousted from Morocco team

Chelsea star winger Hakim Ziyech has been omitted from the Morocco national team due to ‘unacceptable behaviour’, confirmed Morocco head coach Vahid Halilhodzic. Morocco competed in a game against Ghana, a 1-0 victory in which Ziyech featured from the bench, prior to the team announcement for the World Cup qualifiers. Head coach Vahid Halilhodzic subsequently left Ziyech off the team list for the qualifiers against Sudan and Guinea. “For the first time in my coaching career, I have seen behaviour that disappoints me.” Halilhodzic said,” A player who refuses to play a game, Admittedly a friendly, on the pretext that…

Mar

2021

New golden age for Côte D’Ivoire

BOITUMELO RANTAO MAY 2013 marked the peak Côte D’Ivoire reached in the FIFA Rankings after the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in the same year. Gleefully, an enthusiastic glow hovers around the 2021 team - star studded with talent hungry to surpass the triumph of the generation before them. The 2013 team, consisting of all-time top scorer Didier Drogba and Premier league star Yaya Toure, reached 12th among the world’s best. The current Côte D’Ivoire team is ranked 61st, as of 20 March 2021, with high-level talent honouring the trend of Ivorian footballing success. The present-day squad features AC…

Mar

2021

Key players missing for Ghana

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER ARSENAL midfielder Thomas Partey, along with Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew and Swansea City star Andre Ayew have been left out of Ghana’s national squad for the upcoming 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. A full squad of 29 has been summoned for the games against Sao Tome e Principe and South Africa. The British Premier League and Championship players have been excluded due to the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 restrictions, which includes South Africa on the red list. Travel from such countries requires a mandatory 10-day quarantine period. This restriction will see players miss a number…

Mar

2021

Ghana end 12-year long drought