Africa – Inside World Football

Al Ahly fan ban after Zamalek hatred bubbles over in Pharco with Shikabala insults

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 05:35:12 +0000

April 17 – Three thousand Al Ahly fans have been suspended for two games for shouting “insults” aimed at Zamalek’s Egypt international Shikabala during the club’s last game against Pharco.

Even though league leaders Al Ahly were not playing Zamalek, their fans vented their anger towards midfielder Shikabala in what has been a long-running saga of insult trading. Al Ahly were also fined 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($650) for the incident.

“If the insults are repeated fans will be banned from attending league matches until the end of the season,”

Libya detains two Marumo Gallants officials over unpaid hotel bill

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:05:01 +0000

April 4 – Two South African club officials held in Libya for more than two weeks over unpaid bills will not be allowed to travel home until the debt is settled.

Rufus Matsena and Dina Dhlomo of Premier Division side Marumo Gallants were kept back in Libya after the club failed to settle their hotel bill and other expenses incurred when they travelled for an African Confederation Cup tie in Benghazi on March 19.

Kenyan court clears former FA president Mwenda of embezzlement

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 05:10:56 +0000

April 3 – Former Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwenda has been cleared by a domestic court of graft charges.

Mwendwa (pictured) faced multiple counts of fraud as part of a group that allegedly embezzled 38 million Kenyan shillings (€265,000) in funds the government and sponsors had channelled to the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) for running the national teams, but he was cleared by a local court.

The evidence was in the view of the magistrate not enough to implicate the embattled FKF boss.

CAF dampens Euro enthusiasm for Ivory Coast AFCON setting Jan-Feb 2024 dates for finals

Paul Nicholson — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 02:30:51 +0000

March 31 – The next Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ivory Coast will run from January 13 to February 11 next year, potentially throwing up yet another club versus country clash for top African players in Europe’s elite leagues.

The 2023 finals were postponed from June-July this year due to concerns over the weather at that time, and will instead be played in the middle of the 2023/24 European season.

CAF ideally wants to carry out its pledge to follow the European calendar by playing the finals in summer in the future but can’t when it is hosted in west Africa due to heavy rains in that part of the continent over those months.

South Africa return to AFCON finals; Senegal, Burkina Faso and Tunisia book Ivory Coast slots

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 12:15:24 +0000

March 29 – South Africa will return to the Africa Cup of Nations after booking their ticket with a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Liberia. Senegal, Burkina Faso and Tunisia also ensured their presence at the finals in Ivory Coast with wins on Tuesday.

The South Africans missed out on the 2021 finals, prompting another crisis at the South African Football Association (SAFA), an organisation that has long been dysfunctional, but Belgian coach Hugo Broos on Tuesday guided Bafana Bafana back to the big stage with a tight win in Monrovia.

Algeria book slot for AFCON finals as qualifiers reach crucial final phase

Paul Nicholson — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 14:26:43 +0000

March 28 – Algeria have qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations following a 1-0 win against Niger through a sixth-minute strike by Baghdad Bounedjah. On 12 points, they enjoy an unassailable lead in Group F with two matches to go.

The Algerians took an early lead in Tunis where Niger hosted the game because CAF deemed their stadium inadequate for international competition, and it was enough for victory and a ticket to next year’s finals in Ivory Coast – the 2023 finals have been shifted from the summer of 2023 to January 2024.

FIFA suspends Congo coaches and opens into abuse probe

Paul Nicholson — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 11:20:33 +0000

March 23 – FIFA and its Ethics Committee have suspended a number of coaches in DR Congo accused of having abused minor players, the world federation announced on Wednesday.

The coaches suspended include Jonathan Bukabakwa. FIFA said that there were enough grounds to believe Bukabakwa violated the organisation’s ethics code. The allegations first surfaced on media platforms.

FIFA said that “the investigatory chamber determined that, pursuant to article 62 paragraph 1 of the FIFA Code of Ethics (“FCE”),

Motsepe hints that he is done leading in CAF and won’t seek a second term

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 10:15:16 +0000

March 20 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe has given another clear hint that he will not stand for re-election for a second term.

On the sidelines of the CAF Presidential Awards where Motsepe honoured both Rwandan autocrat Paul Kagame and the King of Morocco Mohammed XI, the African supremo told Insideworldfootball: “If you are a leader, a leader must be capable of being replaced at short notice. You don’t think about when you are going to step down,

Ghana lays Christian Atsu to rest with service at State House

Paul Nicholson — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 09:00:36 +0000

March 20 – Ghana’s president was among hundreds of mourners who paid their last respects at the funeral on Friday of former international Christian Atsu, who died last month in the devastating earthquake that rocked Turkey.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and former President John all attended the service at State House, the seat of the West African nation’s parliament.

Atsu had been playing for Hatayspor in Turkey’s Süper Lig when he went missing.

Controversial Zamalek boss Mansour jailed for defamation of rival Al Ahly president

Paul Nicholson — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 10:56:35 +0000

March 1 – The president of leading Egyptian side Zamalek, Mortada Mansour (pictured), has been jailed for a month for “verbally insulting” his counterpart at bitter Cairo rivals Al Ahly.

Al Ahly chairman Mahmoud El-Khatib had filed two defamation cases against Mansour for the latter’s comments back in 2021 in a video that appeared on social media and the Zamalek club channel.

Mansour, who is also a politician and former member of parliament,