African Football Archives - The African Mirror

Oct

26

2023

African Football League’s grand debut marks a new era of football excellence

NEWS

THE African Football League (AFL) made its grand debut on October 20, heralding a new era in African football. This unique pan-African super league has brought together the continent's elite club teams, and its inauguration was nothing short of spectacular. The Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, filled to capacity with 60,000 fans, set the stage for the opening ceremony. It was followed by an electrifying inaugural match between Simba Sports Club and Egypt's Al Ahly, which ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw. Notable figures including Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi, CAF President Patrice Motsepe, FIFA's Chief of Global…

Sep

30

2023

By The African Mirror

Salif Keïta, the defiant Malian football legend who created history on and off the field

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

FORMER Malian footballer Salif “Domingo” Këita, who passed away on 2 September in Bamako, embodied a crucial moment in the history of African football, helping shape its relationship with the world. His influence was also felt in Europe when he helped shine a light on the rights of French footballers at a critical time. Born on 6 December 1946, the year that the French West African Cup was created, Keïta (not to be confused with Salif Keita the musician) was also an important leader in Malian football. PAUL DIETSCHY, Professeur d'histoire contemporaine, Directeur du Centre Lucien Febvre (EA 2273), Université…

Dec

28

2022

By The African Mirror

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

SPORT

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…

Nov

25

2022

By The African Mirror

Apologetic Embolo gives Swiss 1-0 victory over Cameroon

SPORT

KAROLOS GROHMANN SWITZERLAND edged Cameroon 1-0 courtesy of a goal against the run of play by apologetic Breel Embolo versus the country of his birth for an opening win in World Cup Group G at the Al Janoub Stadium. While it was a good day for the Swiss it was a bad one for African football, whose teams in Qatar have yet to score a goal in the tournament. Apart from Cameroon, Tunisia, as well as Morocco and Senegal, all failed to find the net in their opening matches. Ghana is in action later on Thursday against Portugal. Embolo, born…

Jul

21

2022

By The African Mirror

Superstars Sadio Mané and Mo Salah eclipse African football at home

SPORT

SENEGAL’S Sadio Mané and Egypt’s Mo Salah are among 10 players nominated for the African Footballer of the Year prize at this year’s Caf Awards held by the Confederation of African Football in Rabat, Morocco. Both players rose to global prominence playing for Liverpool in the English Premier League, propelling the club to three champions league finals and winning a title. Both have won Caf player of the year before, Salah twice in 2017 and 2018, and Mané once in 2019. Now Mané is poised to even the score at 2-2. Star forwards, their pursuits on the field are the…

Jun

21

2021

By The African Mirror

Africa to go ahead with planned Super League – CAF

SPORT

MARK GLEESON AFRICAN football is going ahead with plans to launch a Super League, the continent's governing body said yesterday, despite a similar project in Europe crashing after public outcry. Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe said an African Super League, an idea first suggested by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, was needed to improve the game on the continent and make it financially viable. "We are assessing and in preliminary discussions to start an inclusive and broadly supported and beneficial CAF African Super League," he said in a statement. "We have been following the attempts by some top…

May

17

2021

By The African Mirror

1st African woman to win Champions League medal

SPORT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER NIGERIAN striker Asisat Oshoala became the first African Woman to lift the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) trophy as her Barcelona team trounced English Champions Chelsea 4-0. Oshoala has made history by lifting Nigeria atop the mantle of having both male and female UEFA Champions League winners (Nwankwo Kanu, Findi George, and John Obi Mikel). Source: Twitter Barcelona’s women’s team were dominant throughout the season winning 26 Spanish La Liga games -without losing or sharing the spoils in a single fixture- and conceding a grand total of five league goals. https://twitter.com/oluwashina/status/1394230179703267329 Oshoala firmly cements her name at…

Apr

20

2021

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s Super Falcons: playing and begging

SPORT

OLUWASHINA OKELEJI DESPITE being Africa’s most successful side by far, with more continental titles than their male counterparts, the Nigerian women’s national football team have been denied the respect befitting their hegemonic dominance and treated as an afterthought. This culture of disrespect is not new. It goes back close to two decades at least and has seen the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) deploy a number of deplorable tactics – from scapegoating to gaslighting and using the divide-and-conquer approach to devastating effect – to shirk their responsibilities and browbeat successive national teams into submission. As Africa’s sole representative at the first…

Mar

31

2021

By The African Mirror

Bafana Bafana coach fired after failing to qualify for AFCON

SPORT

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER THE South African Football Association (SAFA) has fired coach Molefi Ntseki after the team failed to qualify for the 2022 AFCON tournament in Cameroon. The national football team - Bafana Bafana - lost 0-2 to Sudan in a match which they needed just a point to qualify for the AFCON. SAFA CEO Teboho Motlanthe announced that SAFA’s national executive committee met this morning and agreed, throught a vote, to terminate Ntseki’s contract. Motlanthe said he, as head of administration, would attend to all the legalities associated with the decision to part ways with the national coach. He…

Mar

20

2021

By The African Mirror

Key players missing for Ghana

SPORT

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…