AFCON
Osimhen returns from injury as Napoli beat Atalanta in coach Mazzarri’s debut
Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen is back and so might Napoli under new coach Walter Mazzarri. Osimhen came off the bench to mark his first appearance after more than a month injured and proved decisive in a 2-1 win at Atalanta on Saturday for the defending Serie A champion.
Osimhen took advantage of a poor clearance from Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi and stuck out his boot to push the ball with his toes toward fellow substitute Eljif Elmas, who used one touch to redirect it in for the winner in the 79th minute.
Osimhen, last season’s top scorer in the Italian league, hadn’t played since injuring his right thigh with Nigeria last month.
Mazzarri, who also coached Napoli a decade ago, was hired to replace the fired Rudi Garcia after Napoli lost to Empoli before the international break — the Partenopei’s third home loss this campaign after dropping only two all of last season.
Napoli moved up to third place, one point ahead of AC Milan, which was hosting Fiorentina later, and within seven points of leader Inter Milan, which visits second-place Juventus on Sunday.
Atalanta dropped to sixth.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia put Napoli ahead with a header late in the first half. Ademola Lookman equalized for Atalanta with a header after the break.
Both sides had goals waved off for offside after video reviews — a first-half header from Napoli center back Amir Rrahmani and a second-half effort from Atalanta midfielder Mario Pasalic.
Napoli also lost left back Matias Olivera to an apparent knee injury.
Up next for Napoli is a visit to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday and then a match against Inter next weekend.
Sarri under pressure
Last-place Salernitana produced a 2-1 comeback win over visiting Lazio for its first victory of the season.
Former Lazio winger Antonio Candreva scored the deciding goal with a swerving shot from beyond the area.
Ciro Immobile had put Lazio ahead with a penalty kick to become the first Serie A player to score 100 away goals. But then Grigoris Kastanos equalized for Salernitana to start the comeback.
Salernitana moved within two points of safety, while Lazio remained 10th.
Lazio has won only five of 13 matches after finishing second last season and is winless for three matches.
“Over the coming days I will make an evaluation and if I find that the fault is mine, then I will assume responsibility and tell the president to make a change,” Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri said. “But for the moment I’m not there yet.”
Lazio hosts Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Players and coaches across the league had red marks painted on their faces to promote a campaign for the elimination of violence against women.
-AP
Ghana Black Stars lost 2-0 to Sudan Tuesday afternoon in matchday 4 of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series putting their prospects in great doubt.
The former three-time African champions are now third in Group F having accrued just two points from four matches. Sudan, with seven points, are second.
Angola, who still have a match to play later in the day with bottom-placed Niger, are on top with nine points.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
With CAF referring the case of the botched Libya-Nigeria match to its
Disciplinary Board, a nine-man panel has the task of deciding which party was at fault.
Possible decision could be forfeiture of the match by the offending party or rescheduling of the fixture. The latter seems unlikely considering the already congested international calendar.
Even if that were to be the decision, the match would likely be taken to a neutral ground.
On the other hand, the board may also take it that it was Nigeria that refused to play the match after having hosted the first leg.
In that case, Article 62 of the competition’s regulations will be enforced. It reads: “Any team that withdraws or refuses to play the return match after having played the first leg on its territory must refund the association of the visiting team a minimum sum of fifteen thousand (15,000) U.S. dollars in reparation for the damage suffered by the host country.”
If the NFF is adjudged as the culprit, the body will be fined $15,000. Chapter 19 of the regulations gives a window to appeal the fine. But judging from the CAF statement of the situation, and the condemnation of the treatment meted out to the Super Eagles, the fine is very unlikely as the weight of evidence tilts against the Libyans who in the x-handle admitted keeping the Super Eagles in captivity with an explanation that episode was largely due to an airport protocol mishap.
A decision lies firstly on the nine-man panel. With the possibility of the losing side not satisfied, another nine-man panel, the Appeals Board will take a possible final decision which can only be contested at the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS)
Here are the decision-makers:
Disciplinary Board
- Ousmane Kane, Senegal. – President.
- Jane Njeri Onyango, Kenya – Vice President.
- Norman Arendse, South Africa – member
- Mohamed Mostafa El-Mashta, Egypt. – member
- Djonfoune Golbassia Felix, Chad. – member
- Patrick Shale, Lesotho – member
- Douma Ibrahim Issaka – Niger. -member
- Ruth Kisaakye, Uganda. -member
- Drucil Taylor, Sierra Leone. – member
Appeal Board
Justice Roli Daibo Harriman, Nigeria
Faustino Varela Monteiro, Cape Verde
Moez Ben Tahar Nasri, Tunisia
Moses Ikanqa, Namibia
Hamoud T’feil Bowbe, Mauritania
Mohamed Robleh Djama, Djibouti
Asogbavi Komlan, Togo
Justice Masauko Timothy Msungama, Malawi
Lubamba Ngimbi Hector, DR Congo
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The Libya-Nigeria Group D tie of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers scheduled for this Tuesday has been put off owing to the refusal of the Libyan authorities to allow the Nigerian team to enter their territory for the match.
As a result, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has referred the case to its Disciplinary Board to make an appropriate decision. The immediate consequence of this is the delay of the Nigerian team picking an early qualification as has been done by Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Algeria who have all qualified after four matches.
A win by Nigeria on Tuesday would have taken their point haul to 10 while a draw would take their total to eight. That way, irrespective of the result of the Rwanda-Benin Republic corresponding match would have qualified the Super Eagles for Morocco 2025 as they would not have ended below second position in Group D.
They now await the decision of the CAF body. A possible outcome could be Libya’s forfeiture of the match. A case in point is that of USM Alger of Algeria versus Morocco’s RS Berkane in last year’s Confederation Cup semi-final duel when the Moroccans were unjustly delayed at the airport by the Algerians.
In the case of the Super Eagles, it was worse as theirs was not just delayed, they were locked up in a desolate airport in what was a psychologically draining and energy sapping tactics.
NFF Communication director unfolds 20 Points of a 20-hour ordeal on Libyan soil
African football legends, Adebayor and Aubameyang condemn Libya’s treatment of Super Eagles
BREAKING! CAF wades into the Libya-Nigeria Airport episode
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Players boycott Libyan national team
-
AFCON5 days ago
Billiat’s penalty seals Zimbabwe’s 1-0 win over Namibia
-
AFCON1 week ago
Eguavoen unfolds Super Eagles’ squad for back-to-back duel with Libya
-
AFCON7 days ago
Facts & Figures as AFCON 2025 qualifiers enter Matchday 3
-
AFCON6 days ago
AFCON 2025 in Morocco: Everything you need to know
-
AFCON5 days ago
Libya’s captain, Faisal Al-Badri alleges poor treatment in Nigeria
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
CAF compels Kwasi Appiah to step down from Ghana FA
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Fastest World Cup final scorer is dead!