International Football
Kenya holds Rwanda in another East African World Cup qualifying derby
Abdul Rwatubyaye’s fortunate 21st minute goal cancelled out Michael Olunga’s ninth minute opener as Kenya and Rwanda played to a 1-1 draw in Kigali on Sunday another of the East African derby matches in Group E of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The draw meant Kenya temporarily go to second spot with two points, pending the tie between group leaders Mali and Uganda in Kampala on Monday.
Coming into the tie after a 0-0 draw at home against Uganda, Kenya looked to start the game better with an improved attacking acumen. They went into the lead in the ninth minute when Olunga rifled home from close range with his weaker right foot.
But, the home side which lost 1-0 away to Mali in the first game got back on level terms in the 21st minute.
A cross from Haruna Niyonzima was headed goalward by Jacques Tuyisenge and it fortunately hit the back of Rwatubyaye, the ball changing direction and going past keeper Ian Otieno.
It turned out to be a closely contested tie and the only other real chance in the half came six minutes from the break. Masud Juma took a good run on the left before cutting back. However, Eric Johannah slipped as he tried to adjust his body to take a shot.
In the second half Rwandese keeper Emery Mvuyekure who plays his club football in Kenya with league champions Tusker FC made a great save just a minute in, tipping Olunga’s brilliantly curled freekick behind for a corner.
Stars then made attacking changes to keep the tempo up, Abdallah Hassan coming on for Lawrence Juma.
In the 57th minute, Olunga should have surely buried the second for Kenya when he picked the ball brilliantly on the left, skipped past one marker before dummying the second. However, his final shot was way wide, just from the edge of the six yard box.
The lanky forward had another chance three minutes later when Daniel Sakari’s cross landed on him at the back post but he bounced his connection just over.
In the 65th minute, Meddie Kagere who had come on as an early sub in the first half had a chance for Rwanda with a volley on the halfturn off a throw-in, but it went just wide.
With the clock ticking and a goal desperately needed, Kenya made another chance with Boniface Muchiri coming on for Johannah. The Tusker FC forward had a chance to score six minutes from time off a counter, but he was clipped from behind by Rwanda skipper Haruna Niyonzima.
From the resultant setpiece, Muchiri curled his effort wide.
There was no change in score even with Kenya bringing on Henry Meja late on.
Uganda takes on Mali in the group’s other game on Monday.
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
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A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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