Afcon 2023 providing more tears and souvenirs in equal measures

Whilst the hosts suffered a first ever defeat against Nigeria on home soil in years, Egypt had to fight back twice to draw with Ghana, as Equatorial Guinea closed in on Afon 2023 knock-out stages by easing past a lack-lustre Guinea-Bissau.

AFCON 2023 set to be the most competitive yet

Despite being an old soccer tournament — held for the first time 67 years ago — the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is still one of the most difficult ones to predict.

Afcon tension mount as knock-out taking no prisoners

Goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi scored the 18th penalty of a nerve-shredding shoot-out as DR Congo produced the latest shock at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations by knocking seven-time champions Egypt out to reach the quarter-finals following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

DR Congo went ahead for the first time at the finals when Meschack Elia nodded in Yoane Wissa's cross to put the team ranked 67th in the world on course for the latest surprise result at a tournament which has been illuminated by underdog success in Ivory Coast. Their lead lasted nine minutes before Mostafa Mohamed converted a penalty on the stroke of half-time after Ahmed Hegazi was caught by a flailing arm from Dylan Batubinsika.

Egypt finished with 10 men after left-back Mohamed Hamdy was shown a second yellow card seven minutes into extra time for a mistimed lunge on Simon Banza. And, after Pharaohs keeper Gabaski had clipped the top of the crossbar in the ninth round of the shoot-out, Mpasi stepped up to win it 8-7 on penalties.

In the absence of injured captain Mohamed Salah, Rui Vitoria's team ended the tournament winless and suffered the same fate as they did in the 2021 final, when they were beaten on penalties by Senegal. Mohamed Bay headed a 98th-minute winner as Guinea reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations with victory over 10-man Equatorial Guinea, who had earlier missed a penalty.

Equatorial Guinea midfielder Federico Bikoro was dismissed 10 minutes after the break for catching Bayo in the ribs with his studs. The National Thunder were awarded a spot-kick midway through the second half after Sekou Sylla caught Iban Salvador, but captain Emilio Nsue hit the base of the right-hand upright.

And, with the game set to head to extra time, striker Bayo stooped to guide Ibrahim Diakite's cross from the right flank just inside the near post in the final minute of added time. The West Africans have made the last eight for the first time since 2015 and next play in Abidjan.

African keeper, Sarr, says Vinicius Jr can't fight racism in Spain alone

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr "can't fight racism alone" in Spain, according to a player who was banned after climbing into the stands to confront a supporter about alleged abuse.

Vinicius was among those who spoke out in support of Senegalese goalkeeper Cheikh Kane Sarr, who was sent off following the incident during a Spanish third-tier league game. The Brazilian broke down in tears last month while discussing the toll racist abuse in Spanish stadiums has had on him.

Real boss Carlo Ancelotti says he has "never seen a player persecuted" like the 23-year-old. "Vinicius is doing incredible work regarding racism in Spain. I want to thank him," Sarr said.

"If every player like him took a stand, I'm not saying racism would stop but it's going to be slowly erased. It would be less of a topic.

"He's doing a remarkable job." Vinicius (pic) posted on social media in support of Sarr and his Rayo Majadahonda team-mates, who walked off the pitch in a show of solidarity during last month's game against Sestao River, refusing to return.

"Racists must be exposed and matches cannot continue with them in the stands," Vinicius said. "We will only have victory when the racists leave the stadiums and go straight to jail, the place they deserve."

Sarr was "grateful" to have the backing of a player who had 10 incidents of racial abuse against him reported to prosecutors by La Liga last season. "He's a generous man who knows what he wants," Sarr, 23, said.

"But one person can't fight racism alone. He needs support.

"Racism has no place in the world and in the world of soccer." Cheikh Kane Sarr was forced to sit out two league games this month after confronting a fan about alleged racial abuse

Sarr does not think Spanish football is serious about combatting racism, given how his case was handled. Following the incident in Sestao on 30 March, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) handed him a two-match ban and a 600 euro ($645, £510) fine - a punishment Sarr says is "not fair".

Rayo Majadahonda were given an automatic 3-0 defeat, deducted three points and fined 3,006 euros ($3,230, £2,575) for not completing the match. "If you're ready to fight sufficiently against racism, you have to protect the victim and give him power," said Sarr.

"If you sanction him, you're not defending the cause. You have to punish the other team or the person in the stand throwing racist abuse.

"If I was playing for Real Madrid, I don't think I would have been punished. Yes, the players are better known, but the penalties should be the same."

Sestao denied that there were any racist chants, external at the match, but the Basque club were also sanctioned by the RFEF with a stadium closure and a fine.

Rayo Majadahonda were losing 2-1 when Sarr left the pitch in the 83rd minute. "An ultra in the stands came down and started insulting me," he explained.

African Sports Ministers Covid-19 indaba held

The African Union Commission in collaboration with the Republic of Algeria, the Chair of the Bureau of the Specialized Technical Committee on Youth Culture and Sport, recently convened a Ministerial Virtual Forum which brought together the Ministers of Sport, Sport Movement and other stakeholders in Africa to deliberate on sport responses in mitigating the impact of Covid-19 on the continent.

A total of eight-six participants which included Ministers from five of the ten African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Member Countries attended the meeting. Ministers of sport from Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa attended on behalf of AUSC Region 5. 

Sport in Africa has been adversely impacted by the spread of the corona virus. The conference of ministers therefore sought to explore the potential of sport to provide unique solutions in these unprecedented periods.

The importance of remaining physically active and ensuring regular exercise and physical activity for African citizens is regarded as fundamental towards sustaining people’s physical health and well-being. The direct contribution of sport towards improvement of immunity as well mental health has been confirmed by many studies.

The conference of Ministers therefore convened to explore ways of motivating people confined in their homes due to covid-19 inspired travel restrictions to be able to enjoy good health and well-being through sport and recreation. 

In their deliberations, the African Ministers of sport placed emphasis on the need for governments to provide realistic guidelines on how people can remain active under such a fractured and decimated sporting environment. In addition, the Ministers deliberated to find solutions on how to deal with the growing anxiety regarding the post Covid-19 period as most people mainly athletes keep speculating on whether sport, which is already under financed, will be prioritized for support post covid-19 in Africa.

It was in view of these challenges that, the conference of African Ministers of sport sought to draw deliberate and collective action to mitigate the spread of the virus and to develop a strategy for African sport during and post Covid-19 period.

The Ministers further sought to develop a continental response on current and post Covid-19 period for sport in African. The indaba also created a platform for exchange of best practices and experience sharing by Member States and the African Sports Movement. 

In the presentation on behalf of the AUSC Region 5 Council of Ministers, Honourable Likeleli Tampane, the Lesotho Minister of Gender, Youth, Sports and Recreation, in her capacity as the Region 5 Council of Ministers Chairperson raised a number of suggestions to be considered as Africa’s response to Covid-19.

She noted that the impact of Covid-19 had been experienced at four levels being, Participation in organized sport and physical activity; Social impact, inclusion and equality; Economic development and employment and at Governance of sport level. “Africa needs a risk adjusted strategy to balance between saving lives and sustaining livelihoods in all considerations for return to sport while ensuring that sport satisfies health protocols and requirements of experts to avoid spiking new waves of infections,” said Honourable Tampane.

The AUSC Region 5 Council of Ministers recommended the need for African Member States to consider developing responses at Systems and population level, Institutional level and Community level.

“As Region 5 Council of Ministers, we recommend with strong conviction the need for African responses to address prevention and containment measures; advocacy and communication; advice and guidance on staying active; economic support packages and return to sport planning,” Honourable Tampane emphasised. 

The Conference was officially opened by the African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs, Her Excellency Amira Al Fadil. The indaba was chaired by Algeria Minister of Sports and Youth Sid Ali Khaldi and in attendance were African Ministers of sport, the African Union Sports Council Coordinator Dr. Hikabwa Chipande, African Sports Development Regions Presidents and Secretaries General, Continental Sports Confederations, the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), the African Women in Sport Association (AWISA) as well as the World Anti-Doping Agency Africa among others. 

The Conference resolved to introduce numerous responses among them being advocacy and awareness campaigns to heighten knowledge about the pandemic.

Ministers also resolved to ensure that Governments prioritise sport through sustainable funding and creating a conducive environment for sport to thrive during and post covid-19 pandemic.

In addition, Governments and the sports movement was implored to provide stimulus response packages to mitigate the covid-19 induced stress and anxiety on athletes and sports bodies.

Further more, the African Ministers of sport resolved to institute research to gather empirical evidence and document the contribution of sport towards economic resilience as well as the extent of the impact of the pandemic on the sports industry. 

Africa’s ‘first’ looking to boost darts throughout the continent

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Against the Odds: Black Managers in English Football

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Ahmad restored as Caf president following court ruling

Madagascar's Ahmad Ahmad has been dramatically restored as Confederation of African Football (Caf) president following a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas). He was banned by Fifa in November for five years after football's world governing body found him to have breached several of its ethics codes.

Ahmad is still ineligible to contest Caf's presidential elections in March however, since the Cas decision came after both Caf's Governance and Fifa's Review committees sat earlier this week to approve candidates' eligibility. The Malagasy - who will now resume his role as a Fifa vice-president - is appealing his ban at Cas, which issued a preliminary ruling.

Sport's highest legal body says it will hear the appeal in full on March 2, with a decision issued before the Caf presidential elections on March 12. "Due to a risk of irreparable harm for Mr Ahmad if the disciplinary sanction is maintained during the period prior to the Caf elections, the Cas panel has upheld the request to temporarily stay the effects of the Fifa ban," Cas said in a statement. This effective suspension of the Fifa ruling will be in place 'until the day that the final Cas award is issued'.

Since he was banned when Fifa met, followed by the Caf meeting to vet presidential aspirants, Ahmad was deemed ineligible. He will now need to overturn the decisions ruling him ineligible to run, since his appeal at Cas is not against the decision barring him from contesting the elections but against his Fifa ban. Should Cas uphold Fifa's ban when its hearing takes place in early March, Ahmad will be ruled out of the race once and for all. Yet if he can overturn both his ineligibility and his Fifa sanction, a man who was proclaiming the backing of 46 federations, out of 54, shortly before his ban will have the chance to secure an unlikely comeback.

As of this week, four candidates were cleared to run for the Caf elections in Morocco on March 12: Jacques Anouma (Ivory Coast), Patrice Motsepe (South Africa), Augustin Senghor (Senegal) and Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania). Ahmad's stay of execution is uncommon, says a sports lawyer with working knowledge of the Switzerland-based Cas.

Paolo Torchetti of Ruiz-Huerta & Crespo Sport Lawyers said: "The Cas rarely issues a preliminary decision suspending the effects of a sanction to ban someone from football."

Fifa adjudged Ahmad, who took charge of Caf in 2017, to have broken ethics rules relating to duty of loyalty, the offering and accepting gifts, abuse of position and misappropriation of funds. These were primarily related to a decision to approve deals totalling $4.4m with a French company run by a close friend of Ahmad's then attaché and the financing of a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia for Africa's Muslim FA presidents.

Airbnb becomes an official provider for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Airbnb has signed a landmark agreement with the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, becoming the Official Hosting Provider for the biggest multi-sport event ever in the West Midlands.

Birmingham 2022 is expected to attract more than one million spectators to the city from around the world, as well as around 4,500 athletes from 72 Commonwealth nations and territories.

Airspeeder announce groundbreaking two-year broadcast content deal with Fox Sports Australia for Flying Car Racing Series

Airspeeder are thrilled to announce a groundbreaking two-year broadcast content deal with Fox Sports Australia that will bring exclusive, cutting-edge flying car racing content to audiences across Australia. Under the agreement there will be four exciting content series shown over two years on Fox Sports which is available on Foxtel and streaming service, Kayo Sports.

Airspeeder's flying car racing series lands on DAZN in global content partnership

Airspeeder, a pioneering company in flying car racing technology (eVTOLs), has teamed up with DAZN, a leading global sports streaming platform, to bring exciting content from the Airspeeder EXA series race to audiences worldwide. This one-year non-exclusive content partnership will feature highlights from the first Airspeeder EXA Series Race in South Australia, the “Road to Flying Car Racing” series as well as "Finding Extreme Pilots" and "Building Flying Cars" series.

AJ Bell Great Birmingham Run brings city to a rousing Bank Holiday Weekend of fun

Around 16,000 people took to the city streets for the 2025 AJ Bell Great Birmingham Run on Sunday, 4 May as the Midlands’ biggest running event saw thousands set off to see the sights of Birmingham, in front of 50,000 cheering spectators.

Ajax taking a stand against social hate

Every month, players from Ajax Amsterdam's men's and women's teams receive more than 1,500 hate messages on social media.

Al Ahly coach Mosimane takes Leicester 2016 success as inspiration in Club World Cup

Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane has said he is taking inspiration from Leicester City's 2016 Premier League success as he leads the Egyptian side at the Fifa Club World Cup. The nine-time African champions face local Qatari champions Al Duhail today in Doha. The prize for the winners is a semi-final game against European champions Bayern Munich.

"The level is the highest that it could possibly be and it's very difficult to win, but what's important is to go there and play to the best of our abilities," the South African coach insisted. We want] everyone to see that we've done the best against the best teams in the world so there's nothing bigger for me and Al Ahly.

"Any coach that goes to any tournament believes that he can win it, but the reality is how do you beat Bayern Munich - who have just defeated the mighty Barcelona 8-2 on aggregate with Lionel Messi on the pitch? But anything is possible - Leicester City has showed you that anything is possible." The global coronavirus pandemic means stadiums at the delayed tournament in Qatar will only be at 30% capacity.

Al Ahly board member Khaled Mortagy says his side is missing out on what could have been fantastic support had fans been allowed to attend matches. "There are a lot of Egyptians living here, which was obvious from the way we were welcomed at the airport by our fans wearing the red jerseys and cheering our club," he said.

"It made our players look into how they make these people happy. I believe if it was in normal circumstances, the stadium would have been full with Al Ahly supporters, so it's a pity, but we have to comply with the regulations in this extraordinary time. The focus is to win the first game and then take it from there I don't think anyone is looking at anything else. We are playing against a very good team - they have got 5 or 6 international players - so we have to take it step-by-step." Al Duhail's squad includes two African stars in Kenya striker Michael Olunga and Morocco's Mehdi Benatia, who joined the Qatari club from Italian giants Juventus.

"It is a match that everyone is waiting for with lots of quality players," said Benatia. "I know Egyptian teams - they have high quality players and I know they will be a tough opponent with their combative style and it will be a match of high level. But we have good quality and are in a good form ourselves. We work well so I think we have the ability to cause them problems."

Mortagy says that Mosimane has settled in well at Al Ahly since taking over in September, when one of his first tasks was to win the African Champions League. A convincing 5-1 aggregate win over Morocco's Wydad Casablanca in the semi-finals was followed by a 2-1 victory over arch-rivals Zamalek in the final.

"He is a great coach and a world-class coach too, and he has adapted very well to our club," Mortagy explained. "The aim of bringing him - especially during the semi-final and final of the African Championship - was to have someone who has the experience and who knows the opposition player.

"He is beloved by the players, works very hard and at the same time he thinks with a long-term strategy and wants to make something for the future. He has the spirit of the club, he knows exactly the values of the club and at the same time, being Al Ahly coach is a great value for him - he wants to leave a legacy for himself at the club."

This will be Al Ahly's sixth appearance at the Club World Cup but their first since 2013, and they'll be looking to improve on their best finish in 2006 when they finished third. While today's winners face Bayern Munich, the losers will play in the fifth-place game. That play-off will be against the losers of the other quarter-final between North and Central American champions UANL of Mexico and Asian champions Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea.

Al Mouj Golf adds new Environment Award to its international achievements

Al Mouj Golf is celebrating having won the International Environmental Golf Club Award for 2023 at the Golf Environment Awards, a UK-based program that recognises excellence in environmentally sustainable practices within the sport.

Located at the ocean’s edge within premium lifestyle destination Al Mouj Muscat, Al Mouj Golf is a World 100 course and the awards, organised by the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA), reward outstanding clubs for how they protect and preserve their natural surroundings.

Albion unveil Regis inspired away kit

West Bromwich Albion will celebrate its Official Charity Partner for the 2022/23 season, ‘The Cyrille Regis Legacy Trust’, with a special away kit honouring the iconic centre forward.

Albion Women to play historic first fixture at The Hawthorns

West Bromwich Albion Women will make history in March when they play their first official match at The Hawthorns, the home of their male counterparts since 1900.

Albion Women, who regularly play their Women’s National League games at Sutton Coldfield Town’s Coles Lane ground, host high flying Derby County on Sunday, March 6, 2022 (ko 2pm).

Alcaraz cruses to retain Wimbledon title against legendary grass great… Djokovic

Spain got at least the first victory on a day of finals as Carlos Alcaraz powered to victory over Novak Djokovic to retain his men's singles title at Wimbledon.

Alexander Stadium celebrates the completion of Commonwealth Games-funded Legacy transformation project

Alexander Stadium, host venue to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, has marked a new chapter in its 48-year history following the completion of its Legacy Capital Redevelopment Programme.

Alexander Stadium contractor extends helping hand to allotments

As National Allotment Week passes, it has been announced that the Walsall Road Allotments in Birmingham will be receiving a much-needed upgrade.

The work being done is thanks to McLaughlin & Harvey, the lead contractor at the Alexander Stadium redevelopment in Perry Barr.

Over the course of the next week, the construction team will be upgrading one of the roads in the allotment used by The Open Doors Project, a non-profit organisation that provides outdoor activities for young people with disabilities or additional needs.

The upgrade will be delivered as part of McLaughlin & Harvey’s You Matter Communities, which provides support to local communities through volunteer time, small grants and the use of excess materials from the construction process.

Kate Millington, Director at The Open Doors Project CIC, said: “Our allotment is a much-loved space and gives the children we work with opportunities to explore nature and take part in a range of activities.

“We are excited about the re-paving of the road next to our plot as it will make access much easier for the young people who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids.”

The works to the road will go on over three to four days and involve the volunteer contributions of nine members of the Alexander Stadium redevelopment team.

McLaughlin & Harvey Operations Director for the Alexander Stadium, Martin Keys, said “You Matter Communities is about making a positive contribution to Birmingham’s communities.

“As a neighbour to the Walsall Road Allotments, we are happy to use our skills in this way and delighted that it will improve the access for the young people involved in The Open Doors Project long after we have completed the stadium project”.

Betty Farrugia, Site Manager, Walsall Road allotments, added: “We are really pleased that McLaughlin & Harvey have made this generous offer. The road upgrade will make it much safer for the young people who take part in the activities. We’ve also benefited from donations of picnic benches and some loads of topsoil from the site team which has benefitted many of the plot holders.”

Leader of Birmingham City Council, Councillor Ian Ward, said: “Our partners at McLaughlin & Harvey really impressed us with their vision for the Alexander Stadium project when they outlined their vision for becoming good neighbours and an active part of the local community.

“Through activity like this, they are making a positive difference for many people in Perry Barr and I look forward to seeing many other groups and projects benefit from their efforts in the months and years ahead.”