Day: January 29, 2024

Rui Vitoria Head Coach of Egypt is sad his side failed to advance to the quarter-finals stage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote’ Ivoire.

‘It wasn’t what we expected. We came up against a tough opponent. Each team have its strong and weak moments. 

  ‘We’re very sad. We worked hard to go far in the competition,’ he lamented.

  He continued that, ‘there was the penalty shoot-out and that wasn’t our day. In football, there are good times and bad times’. 

  According to the coach he would take part of the responsibility for the defeat and vowed to keep working with his team to succeed on conditions that he remains with them.

On his part Sébastien Desabre, DR Congo Coach said coach, he was proud with the output of his players.

  ‘I’m very proud of my players. We had a strategy in place to contain this team, but we played too low in the first half. I changed it afterwards and we played better. We suffered, but I think Egypt did too. 

  ‘My knowledge of Egyptian football probably helped us. T
hey’re a good team but we were better today. Mentally, I think we were very strong. 

  ‘Now we’ll try to recover well and then we’ll take it match after match, starting with Guinea, our next opponent,’ he added. 

  DR Congo defeated Egypt on penalties to advance to the quarter finals of the competition.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Cape Verde have made a historic entry into the quarter finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after a lone goal victory over Mauritania in the Roung of 16 game at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

The two sides were deadlocked at 0-0 as the game entered the closing stages.

Cape Verde had dominated possession and chances, with Jovane Cabral having a goal disallowed for offside in the opening minutes. But Mauritania’s defence held firm.

Cape Verde had more pressing, while Mauritania posed threats on the counter attack with the passionate fans roaring on their teams.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 87th minute when Mauritania keeper Babacar Niasse brought down Gilson Tavares in the box.

Captain Ryan Mendes step up to smash home the penalty to take the lead which eventually became the match winner.

With the Mourabitounes now forced to chase the game, Cape Verde stood firm to see out a famous victory and advance to the quarter-finals for the second time, where they would face either Mo
rocco or South Africa on Saturday.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Cape Verde have made a historic entry into the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after a lone goal victory over Mauritania in the Round of 16 games at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

The two sides were deadlocked at 0-0 as the game entered the closing stages.

Cape Verde had dominated possession and chances, with Jovane Cabral having a goal disallowed for offside in the opening minutes. But Mauritania’s defence held firm.

Cape Verde had more pressing, while Mauritania posed threats on the counterattack with the passionate fans roaring on their teams.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 87th minute when Mauritania keeper Babacar Niasse brought down Gilson Tavares in the box.

Captain Ryan Mendes stepped up to smash home the penalty to take the lead which eventually became the match-winner.

With the Mourabitounes now forced to chase the game, Cape Verde stood firm to see out a famous victory and advance to the quarter-finals for the second time, where they would face either
Morocco or South Africa on Saturday.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Walid Reragrui – Head Coach of the Morocco national team, has said they cannot afford any mistake at this level of the competition as they take on South Africa in the Round of 16 match on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media ahead of the match, the Moroccan said, ‘It’s a knockout match. It’s a change of competition. We can’t afford to make any mistakes.

‘We’ve done well so far, but we want to do better.  We have a lot of respect for South Africa. They were the last team to beat us on the continent.

‘We’re not in a favourable position, which is why I’m insisting on my group’s humility’ he noted.

Touching on the absence of Sofiane Boufal, the Coach he is out of the competition.

‘He has a muscular problem and, barring a surprise, we won’t be seeing him again.

‘Ziyech is also suffering from his ankle. The medical staff and I are doing everything we can to get him back on the pitch. If we have to take a risk with him, we’ll take it,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

By Muluh Alfred

Former Fecafoot 4th Vice President, Henry Njalla Quan Junior, has spoken out against the current leadership of the Cameroon Football Federation, following their AfCON 2023 exit at the knockout stage.

Cameroon was booted out by Nigeria in the round of 16, prompting Njalla Quan to criticize the leadership of the Cameroon football federation, Fecafoot.

On his social media handle, Quan accused Fecafoot president Samuel Eto’o of being a gambler who has appointed a fellow gambler, Rigobert Song as national team coach.

‘What should we expect from a leader who promotes gambling, and who decides to recruit a fellow gambler and ambassador of the same betting firm which he represents as Head Coach?’ Quan asked.

Quan went further saying ‘Do you think he will be sacked? Never! If it depended only on our ‘messiah’ because their business is moving as planned!’

‘Keep your emotions aside and think with your brains! You will realize that we are being scammed by someone who is taking advantage of the genu
ine love people have for him!’

Quan’s comments came at a time of increasing scrutiny on the leadership of Fecafoot, which has been accused of corruption and mismanagement in recent years. The association was even banned by FIFA in 2013 for alleged government interference in its affairs.

Henry Njalla Quan Junior who was the representative of the English-speaking regions in Fecafoot resigned after his team Njalla Quan FC was victim of what he referred to as ‘ the worst referring ever’ during the Southwest regional league in the 2023 football season.

Following Njalla Quan’s resignation, Mbigha Felix former Fecafoot Northwest president was appointed Fecafoot 4th Vice president in replacement of Njalla Quan.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

By Muluh Alfred

Former Fecafoot 4th Vice President, Henry Njalla Quan Junior, has spoken out against the current leadership of the Cameroon Football Federation, following their AfCON 2023 exit at the knockout stage.

Cameroon was booted out by Nigeria in the round of 16, prompting Njalla Quan to criticize the leadership of the Cameroon football federation, Fecafoot.

On his social media handle, Quan accused Fecafoot president Samuel Eto’o of being a gambler who has appointed a fellow gambler, Rigobert Song as national team coach.

‘What should we expect from a leader who promotes gambling, and who decides to recruit a fellow gambler and ambassador of the same betting firm which he represents as Head Coach?’ Quan asked.

Quan went further saying ‘Do you think he will be sacked? Never! If it depended only on our ‘messiah’ because their business is moving as planned!’

‘Keep your emotions aside and think with your brains! You will realize that we are being scammed by someone who is taking advantage of the genu
ine love people have for him!’

Quan’s comments came at a time of increasing scrutiny on the leadership of Fecafoot, which has been accused of corruption and mismanagement in recent years. The association was even banned by FIFA in 2013 for alleged government interference in its affairs.

Henry Njalla Quan Junior who was the representative of the English-speaking regions in Fecafoot resigned after his team Njalla Quan FC was victim of what he referred to as ‘ the worst referring ever’ during the Southwest regional league in the 2023 football season.

Following Njalla Quan’s resignation, Mbigha Felix former Fecafoot Northwest president was appointed Fecafoot 4th Vice president in replacement of Njalla Quan.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Over 100 professional and amateur golfers set out to challenge for the ultimate seventh Captain One Invitational Charity Golf Championship trophy at the Royal Golf Club in Kumasi. 

With former champions including Vincent Torgah, Prince Amponsah, James Akwaboah and defending champion Craig Tandoh on the greens, the battle line for the three-day event has been drawn as several other golfers were determined to clinch the ultimate trophy on day one. 

The Championship, which commenced on Friday, January 26 saw golfers test their strength and endurance with some impressive performances as they journey to clinch the coveted trophy. 

The event would honour distinguished players with trophies, cash vouchers, medals and other attractive prizes.

Speaking ahead of the official tee-off, Mr Pius Ayeh Appiah, President of the Captain One Golf Society expressed appreciation to the golfers for coming out in their numbers to participate in the event. 

He said, this year’s edition was beyond the regular competition for ho
nours but a contribution towards supporting the needy in society.

‘Your presence here today is commendable as you would not only be playing for personal honours but assist the society giving to the needy,’ he stated.

He reiterated that proceeds from the championship would also be used to support some orphanages within the region and beyond.

‘At Captain One, we are committed to supporting the needy by bringing golf to their doorsteps and happy to have everyone on board,’ he stated.

He urged golfers to go all out as they compete for glory, promising an exciting weekend of golf which started with the Captain One Kids Tournament on Friday.

He also thanked sponsors for their commitment towards the tournament over the past seven years, while calling on others to come on board to develop the sport in the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency