AFCON

Sierra Leone coach gets death threats over Afcon squad selection

Published

3 years ago

January 5, 2022

Sierra Leone coach John Keister says he received death threats prior to naming his squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, which begins on Sunday in Cameroon.

The 51-year-old received two threats – regarding the inclusion of certain players – a day before announcing his 28-man squad and reported them to police in the west African country.

“I think it’s very, very sad that it has to come to this,” Manchester-born Keister told BBC Sport Africa.

“Whatever walk of life you are in, nobody deserves that.”

Keister added: “I don’t think it should get to that point where my life is being threatened because people feel players should be in [the squad] – and if they are not, this is what they are going to do.”

Keister featured for several British clubs, including Walsall and non-league Margate, during his playing career and was capped by Sierra Leone between 1997 and 2003.

He is in his second spell as national coach and has led the Leone Stars, ranked 108th in the world, to the tournament finals for the first time since 1996.

“We have come a long way [so] there’s no reason for [the death threats],” added Keister.

“I’ve got family, I look after these boys and I have a job to do. It gets me angry and for me, where I have come from and my background, I feel there is something I need to do about it.

“Regardless of the job, I need to do something about it.”

His squad, including one-time England defender Steven Caulker and former Middlesbrough striker Kei Kamara, 37, will face holders Algeria, Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea in Group E at the Nations Cup.

-BBC

AFCON

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

Published

8 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

4 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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