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AFCON

Gambia announces provisional 40-man squad for AFCON

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Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet announced his provisional 40-man squad to begin preparations towards next month’s Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021.

The Belgian will trim his squad to 28 players before the start of the tournament on 9 January 2022 in Cameroon.

Former France U-17 and U-19 midfielder Mahdi Camara, who currently plays for Ligue 1 side Saint Etienne, was included in the squad.

The squad also has Dembo Darboe listed for the tournament following his terrific form in the Belarusian top-flight 2021 season.

Darboe scored 19 goals and provided nine assists in 29 appearances to ensure Shakhtjor Soligorsk clinched the league title.

AS Roma midfielder Ebrima Darboe and Italy-based duo of Omar Colley and Musa Barrow as well as former Swansea City forward Modou Barrow were named by Saintfiet.

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The Scorpions will make their first appearance in the flagship African football competition in Cameroon where they were drawn in Group F along with Tunisia, Mali and Mauritania.

Gambia booked their place in next year’s tournament after winning Group D of the qualifiers ahead of Gabon, DR Congo and Angola.

The Scorpions will play their opening match on 12 January 2022 when they take on Mauritania in Limbe before facing Mali and Tunisia.

Gambia Coach Tom Saintfiet has released a provisional 40-man squad ahead of our debut in the African Cup of Nations next month. The Belgian will trim the list to a final 28 players, before the tournament. 

Provisional Squad:

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GOALKEEPERS: Baboucar Gaye, Sheikh Sibi, Lamin Sarr, Modou Jobe, Lamin Saidy

DEFENDERS: James Gomez, Noah Sonko Sundberg, Maudo Jarjué, Ibou Touray, Saidy Janko, Mohammed Mbye, Leon Guwara, Omar Colley, Sheriff Sinyan, Sulayman Bojang, Muhammed Sanneh, Pa Modou Jagne, Bubacarr Sanneh

MIDFIELDERS: Dawda Ngum, Ebrima Sohna, Sulayman Marreh, Ebrima Darboe, Yusupha Bobb, Ebou Adams, Alasana Manneh, Mahdi Camara, Yusupha Njie, Ablie Jallow, Steve Bubacarr Trawally, Ebrima Colley

FORWARDS: Lamin Jallow, Bubacarr Jobe, Assan Ceesay, Muhammed Badamosi, Modou Barrow, Dembo Darboe, Musa Barrow, Kalifa Manneh, Nuha Marong Krubally, Abdoulie Sanyang

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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AFCON

Libya sacks coach ahead of AFCON qualifying back-to-back matches with Nigeria

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Milutin Sredojević

The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has sacked its Serbian coach, Milutin Sredojević who is popularly known as Micho.

This is coming ahead of Libya’s back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations clashes with Nigeria next month.

Paradoxically, Sports Village Square gathered that the coach’s contract was only recently renewed for six months before the axe fell on the Serbian.

His sack was precipitated by the results obtained in their teo matches of the AFCON qualifiers.

Libya drew 1-1 with Rwanda at home and lost 2-1 away to Benin Republic despite beig a goal up at half time.

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The Libyan side, Mediterranean Knights are due to play against the Nigeria Super Eagles in Uyo on 6 October while  the return leg holds on 14 October at the 11 July Stadium in Tripoli.

According to information Sports Village Square gathered from Tripoli, the Mediterranean Knights’ coach,  Micho led the Libyan national team to win nine matches since taking over in October of last year, he failed to build a strong team due to his poor choices.

 He also took a risk with the footballers chosen in the AFCON qualifiers, and the result was shocking to the Libyan sports audience. 

According to sources close to the Libyan Football Federation, there is a strong tendency to sign a national coach to lead the Libyan team during the remaining qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations.

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AFCON

CAF president blasts Ghana, others over stadium ban

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CAF President Patrice Motsepe has lashed out at Ghana and some other African countries whose home grounds were recently banned from hosting CAF matches owing to inadequate facilities. He made the remarks in Nairobi, Kenya during a press conference,

After the MatchDay 2 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, CAF ruled Ghana’s Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi as being inadequate to host international matches. Being the only approved ground in the country, Ghana will now look towards either Cote d’Ivoire or Togo for their remaining home matches of the Afcon qualifiers.

Other African countries without approved home grounds are: Djibouti,  Chad,  Niger,  Eritrea,  Gabon,  Sudan,  Zimbabwe,  Madagascar,  São Tomé and Burundi.

Motsepe voiced his frustration over the recurring issue of nations being unable to host home games.

“Nothing frustrates me more than a national team or club side having to play home matches outside,” he stated.

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He stressed the significance of playing in front of home fans, adding, “You can’t grow football if the national teams or club sides aren’t playing in front of their home fans.”

Motsepe reiterated CAF’s commitment to working with countries to ensure they have at least one suitable stadium to host international fixtures.

“Our conversations in every country are to make sure there is at least one stadium capable of hosting a CAF category C game,” he emphasized.

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AFCON

Present and Past as CAF Coaches Symposium unites Rohr, Peseiro and Eguavoen

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The on-going CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Coaches Symposium in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire has brought together, the last three coaches that handled the Nigeria national football team.

Gernot Rohr, Jose Peseiro and Austin Eguavoen are part of the the elite coaches currently gathered in Abidjan.

Gernot Rohr whose tenure of 5 years and 55 matches is the longest ever by any coach in Nigeria, is currently handling Nigeria’s Africa Cupof Nations and World Cup qualifying rivals, Benin Republic. He was succeeded in the interim by Austin Eguavoen who is currently having another interim stint.

Peseiro left his position after the Africa Cup of Nations

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