AFCON

Senegal’s Lions roar out over Watford ‘blocking’ Sarr from Africa Cup of Nations

Published

3 years ago

January 2, 2022

The Senegalese football federation (FSF) on Sunday accused Premier League side Watford of preventing forward Ismaila Sarr from playing in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

The FSF claimed Watford had displayed “disrespectful, pernicious and discriminatory behaviour”.

Sarr is currently sidelined with a knee injury and has not featured for Watford since November.

“The Senegalese Football Federation wishes to express by this press release its deep condemnation of the disrespectful, pernicious and discriminatory behaviour of the leaders of Watford who seek by all means to prevent a player from playing with his national team,” an FSF statement said.

The tournament gets underway next Sunday in Cameroon and runs until February 6, clashing with the European club season.

Having to free Africans is a sore point with some managers and Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti labelled the Cup of Nations an “invisible monster”.

Sarr has impressed for struggling Watford this term, scoring five goals in 12 Premier League appearances.

Watford’s handling of Sarr’s fellow forward Emmanuel Dennis has also been controversial, with Nigeria saying the English club “showed their teeth” when refusing to release him for international duty.

-AFP

AFCON

One year to kick-off of Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025

Published

11 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Kunle Solaja

In exactly 12 months from today, Africa’s biggest event: the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations will kick-off in Morocco.

Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 is expected to break all records set by the previous edition in Côte d’Ivoire.

The AFCON is now the single biggest event on African soil attracting a television audience of over 1.5 billion and more than 2.4 billion digital streams.

Morocco will play host to the continental finals for the first time since 1988, and much work has already been done in preparing for the 24-team tournament that will run from 21 December, 2025 to 18 January, 2026.

The countdown has begun, with the draw for the group stages at the finals set for 27 January, 2025 in Rabat, Morocco, after which teams will learn their fate and their path to the trophy.

The tournament will be the 35^th staging of Africa’s greatest sporting show and another chapter in the rich history of a competition first played in 1957.

Morocco boasts world-class facilities, including the iconic Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, which hosted the 1988 AFCON final where Cameroon edged Nigeria 1-0.

The venue, and several others, will be filled with passionate fans, many of who will hope to see Morocco lift the continental crown for the first time since 1976.

Before the Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco will host the CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (30 March-19 April, 2025) and the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (5-26 July, 2025).

Morocco was also this month confirmed as co-host of the 2030 FIFA World Cup along with Spain and Portugal.

-CAFFollow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

AFCON

Super Eagles, others to know AFCON 2025 opponents on 27 January

Published

5 days ago

December 17, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Super Eagles and the other 23 finalist teams of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 will get to know the route they have to navigate to the final match of the competition.

This is one of the key points of the executive committee meeting of CAF held in Marrakech, Morocco ahead of the CAF Awards on Monday.

CAF President, Dr Motsepe announced that the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Final Draw will be held in Rabat, Morocco, on 27 January 2025.

The calendar for the year was also streamlined as the key dates were announced.

Key dates:

CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025: Opening Match will be played Sunday, 30 March 2025; Final Match will be played Saturday, 19 April 2025
CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2025:

Opening Match will be played Saturday, 26 April 2025; Final Match will be played Sunday, 18 May 2025

CAF Confederation Cup 2024-25:

Final, First Leg will be played Saturday, 17 May 2025; Final, Second Leg will be played Sunday, 25 May 2025

CAF Champions League 2024-25:

Final, First Leg will be played Saturday, 24 May 2025; Final, Second Leg will be played Sunday, 1 June 2025

CAF Women’s Champions League 2025:

Opening Match will be played Saturday, 8 November 2025; Final Match will be played Sunday, 23 November 2025

CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025:

Opening match will be played Sunday, 21 December 2025; Final Match will be played Sunday, 18 January 2026.

AFCON

Two Congo republics consider joint bid for AFCON 2029

Published

7 days ago

December 15, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo Brazzaville may put up joint candidacy for the host of the 2029 Africa Cup of Nations.

If that happens, it would be the first collaboration between the two neighbouring countries for a sporting event.

No official announcement has yet been made, but speculations in the media have it that the Minister of Sports of DR Congo, Didier Budimbu, confirmed this ambition in a statement relayed by local media: “With my counterpart from Congo-Brazzaville, we are determined to organize the CAN 2029 together. “

Morocco will be hosting the 2025 edition while the trio of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania already have that of 2027.

At the 46th General Assembly of CAF in Addis Ababa in October,

Ethiopia’s president, Taye Astike Selassie, requested that CAF endorse the East African nation’s bid to host the Africa Cup of Nations in 2029.

Ethiopia last hosted the Africa Cup of Nations in 1976. None of the two Congo republics has ever hosted.

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