International Football
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI Congratulates AS FAR for downing Sundowns
Again, it all went well for Morocco, the ‘Mecca’ of football pilgrimage in Africa. The balance of power in women’s football in the continent has suddenly swung in favour of Morocco who also made impressive performence some moths ago when they hosted the Africa Women’s Nations Cup.
In the champions league, most analysts had expected South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundown, an arm of the football club owned by CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, to continue their winning streak which began last year in the first edition in Egypt, alas a stop was made by the AS FAR ladies.
A winning streak that stretched to nine matches was terminated. Not only were the Mamelodi Sundowns downed, it was a big fall of four goals to nothing.
It is the heaviest defeat inflicted on the club in the continent. The big feat by ASFAR was promptly acknowleged by the Moroccan monarch, King Mohammed VI.
The King held a phone call with the team‘s coach Mohamed Amine Alioua and Captain Rabbah Aziza, expressing his warm congratulations for the win.
Morocco’s AS FAR won CAF’s Women Champions League after defeating Mamelodi Sundowns 4-0 on Sunday
The final match took place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah sports complex in Rabat.
Fatima Tagnaout opened the scoring through a penalty in the first 15 minutes of the match, while Ibtisssam Jraidi scored a hat trick for her club.
Take-aways from the final match
- AS FAR 4 Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies 0
- AS FAR are the second team to win the CAF WCL after Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies who did so in 2021.
- AS FAR are the first host club to win the CAF WCL title.
- AS FAR are the first North African club to win the title.
- This is the first time at the CAF WCL Finals that Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies lost a game, seeing their 9 -game unbeaten run come to an end (W7 D2).
- This is the third game at the CAF WCL finals that Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies had failed to score a goal, the other occasions were when they drew 0-0 with AS FAR and Malabo Kings in 2021 at the group stages and the Semi-finals respectively.
- This game represents the first time that Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies had conceded more than one goal in a game at the finals.
- This was the second meeting between AS FAR and Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies at the CAF WCL Finals, the Moroccans kept their second clean-sheet and remain undefeated against them (D1), the teams played out a 0-0 draw at the 2021 group stages.
- This is the biggest win by a team in a CAF WCL Final, in 2021 Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies defeated Hasaacas Ladies 2-0.
- Fatima Tagnaout’s opening goal from the penalty spot was the first time that Mamelodi Sundowns had conceded the first goal in a game at the CAF WCL Finals, it was the first time that they had ever trailed in a game at the finals. This being their 10th game at the tournament.
- Ibtissam Jraïdi scorer of AS FAR’s second, third and fourth goals netted her fourth, fifth and sixth goals of the tournament, the most goals by a player from AS FAR at the finals. She is also the first player to score in four different games at the finals.
- Ibtissam Jraïdi is the first player to score six goals at a single edition of the CAF WCL Finals, overtaking Evelyn Badu who scored five in 2021.
- Both of the hattricks scored at CAF WCL Finals have been scored by players from AS FAR, Ibtissam Jraïdi joins Sanaâ Mssoudy as the only two players to have managed such a feat. Mssoudy netted three goals in a 3-0 win for AS FAR against Rivers Angels in their opening game in 2021.
- Fatima Tagnaout had three goal involvements in this game making two assists and scoring a goal.
- All three of the goals scored at the tournament by Tagnaout have come from the penalty spot.
- Overall Tagnaout has had six goal involvements in the tournament scoring three goals and making three assists.
- Tagnaout assisted half of the six goals that Jraïdi scored in the tournament, setting up three of her goals.
- This is the biggest win managed by any team in a knockout round game at the CAF WCL Finals, AS FAR are also the first team to score four goals in a knockout game at the CAF WCL Finals.
- At the 2022 CAF WCL Finals the first three knockout games produced three goals, this game surpassed that total producing four goals.
- In all of the knockout round games only the winning team has managed to score.
- AS FAR kept their fourth clean sheet of the tournament.
- AS FAR scored 10 goals at the 2022 CAF WCL Finals conceding one goal, while Sundowns scored 12 but let in five.
- Starting with their third-place play-off win against Malabo Kings in 2021, AS FAR have now won their last six games in a row at the CAF WCL finals. They are the first team to win six games in a row in open play at the tournament.
- Having not conceded a goal in at the 2021 edition Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies conceded five at the current tournament.
- AS FAR goalkeeper Khadija Errmichi kept four clean sheets in the tournament conceding just one goal. She was named goalkeeper of the tournament.
- This is AS FAR’s biggest win at the CAF WCL Finals it is the first time they managed to score four goals in a game.
- While just one game at the 2021 edition of the CAF WCL Finals saw a team win a game by four or more goals, the 2022 edition saw four games where a team managed to win by a margin of four or more goals.
- AS FAR’s Women’s team joins their men’s team who were crowned winners of the African Club of Champions Cup in 1985.
- This is now AS FAR’s third major continental title as a club their men’s team won the African Club of Champions Cup in 1985 and the CAF Confederation Cup in 2005.
- All three major CAF Club titles belong to Moroccan clubs with Wydad Casablanca holding the CAF Champions League title and RS Berkane the current CAF Confederation Cup defending champions.
- This was the fourth time that Mamelodi Sundowns had a club in a CAF Club competition final, along with their men’s team who reached the 2001 and 2016 CAF Champions League Finals. It was the second time that Sundowns had lost a continental final in either the men’s or women’s competition, their men’s team lost to Al Ahly of Egypt in the 2001 CAF Champions League Final.
The ‘Finalissima’ match between Spain and Argentina that was scheduled to be held in Qatar has been cancelled due to the conflict in the Middle East, while the South American side rejected multiple alternatives, UEFA said on Sunday.
The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran have affected countries throughout the Gulf, disrupting travel in some of the world’s busiest transit hubs and forcing several sporting events to be cancelled due to safety concerns.
The contest between European champions Spain and Copa America winners Argentina was scheduled for March 27 at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, where fans would have had the opportunity to watch Lionel Messi go head-to-head with Lamine Yamal.
UEFA said they held discussions with the organising authorities in Qatar and concluded that the match could not take place due to the “current political situation” in the region.
“It is a source of great disappointment to UEFA and the organisers that circumstances and timing have denied the teams of the chance to compete for this prestigious prize in Qatar,” UEFA said in a statement.
Qatar’s Local Organising Committee said airspace disruption and travel restrictions led to the cancellation of its Qatar Football Festival, where the host country, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Serbia were also set to play friendly games this month.
The Football Association of Serbia later announced they would play away in Spain on March 27 and host Saudi Arabia four days later.
OTHER ALTERNATIVES REJECTED BY ARGENTINA
The Finalissima’s cancellation was not just about Qatar’s security concerns, however, with UEFA saying they explored other feasible alternatives, but they proved to be ‘unacceptable’ to the Argentinian Football Association (AFA).
UEFA first offered to stage the match at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid with a 50:50 split of supporters in the stadium.
A second option was to stage the Finalissima over two legs — at the Bernabeu on March 27 and the second leg in Buenos Aires during an international window before the next Euros and Copa America in 2028.
However, the AFA rejected both options. UEFA said Argentina made a counter offer to play the game after the World Cup but Spain had no available dates.
“Ultimately, UEFA sought a commitment from Argentina that, if a neutral venue in Europe could be found, the game could go ahead on 27 March… or on the alternative date of 30 March. This proposal was also rejected,” UEFA added.
SPAIN WERE READY TO PLAY
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) said they had offered Argentina “all possible options” in collaboration with UEFA to ensure the match went ahead, adding that they had the organisational capacity to stage the clash on short notice.
“From the very outset, the Federation has expressed its absolute commitment to ensuring this match goes ahead, as it believes it brings prestige and international reputation at a crucial time in a World Cup year,” the RFEF said.
“Furthermore, it has worked tirelessly to achieve this. Spain was prepared to play, as has always been stated.”
The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada kicks off on June 11.
The 2022 edition of the Finalissima was held at Wembley Stadium in London where Argentina beat Italy 3-0.
-Reuters
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Soccer chiefs from Europe and South America will hold a final meeting before a Thursday deadline to decide whether and where this month’s “Finalissima” between Spain and Argentina will be played, with London emerging as the leading candidate after doubts over Doha, multiple sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
The match between European champions Spain and Copa America holders Argentina had been scheduled for March 27 at Lusail Stadium in Doha.
However, it has become increasingly unlikely that Qatar will host the fixture after the Qatar Football Association suspended soccer tournaments indefinitely following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory missiles fired at the Arabian Peninsula.
The Spanish FA (RFEF) has been pushing for a swift resolution, mindful that the March international break is viewed as vital preparation ahead of the June-July World Cup in North America.
“I know that negotiations are underway,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente told Spanish Public Radio (RNE) on Monday. “The first thing, as a society, is to stop the conflict, but once you are immersed in it and you don’t know how long it will last, the solution would be, as long as you can’t play there, to find another venue as soon as possible.
Wembley Stadium staged the previous edition in 2022, when Argentina beat Italy, but it is set to host England v Uruguay on March 27. London, however, has other stadiums capable of staging the showpiece, leaving the English capital as the most likely alternative should Doha be ruled out, sources confirmed.
ALTERNATIVE OPPONENTS CONSIDERED
While keen to face Argentina and high-profile players such as Lionel Messi, sources told Reuters that Spain had made clear their priority was not to waste the last window of international fixtures before the World Cup and they were already contemplating alternative opponents.
With Spain also due to face Egypt three days later, any change would require agreement between the RFEF and European soccer body UEFA, South American confederation CONMEBOL, global governing body FIFA and the Argentine FA (AFA).
The RFEF, AFA and UEFA did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
A spokesperson for South American confederation CONMEBOL told Reuters that several meetings between the parties had taken place in recent days but did not confirm Thursday’s deadline or London as the preferred venue.
Madrid was initially proposed by the RFEF but rejected by the AFA, who preferred a neutral venue rather than giving Spain home advantage.
Morocco offered to stage the game, but the RFEF was unwilling to back their Mediterranean neighbours amid tensions behind the scenes over the 2030 World Cup, which Spain, Morocco and Portugal will co-host. Both Spain and Morocco are campaigning to stage the final.
Miami was also considered, with Messi based there at Inter Miami, but Hard Rock Stadium is hosting the Miami Open tennis tournament at the same time.
-Reuters
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International Football
Spain-Argentina ‘Finalissima’ in Qatar at risk amid US, Israel attacks on Iran
The match between Spain and Argentina, tagged “Finalissima” in Doha, is in doubt after the Qatar Football Association suspended soccer tournaments indefinitely following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory missiles fired at the Arabian Peninsula.
The contest between European Championship winners Spain and Copa America champions Argentina was scheduled for March 27 at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, with potential big-name draws including Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi.
“Qatar Football Association announces the postponement of all tournaments, competitions and matches, effective from today and until further notice,” the association said in a statement on Sunday.
“The new dates for the resumption of competitions will be announced in due course through the Association’s official channels.”
The final call on whether to postpone the game rests with event organisers UEFA and CONMEBOL.
The Bahrain Football Association postponed all its matches until further notice, while the Asian Football Confederation on Sunday announced it was delaying Champions League Elite fixtures in the region.
The Asian Champions League Two, currently at the quarter-final stage, has also been impacted, along with games in the Challenge League.
Countries across the Middle East have been on high alert since Saturday, when the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes against Iran, aimed at diminishing Iran’s military capability.
Iran retaliated by attacking U.S. targets around the region, including in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
On Sunday, Qatar’s interior ministry reported a fire in an industrial zone after debris fell from an intercepted missile.
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