NEWS
A selection of FirstTouch's best football writing, brought to you by emerging journalists, collaborators, and fans.
Abroad: Latest instalment of the Salah show, a dozen club accolades
"I always try to score to help the team to get the points"
Man of the hour, perhaps the days, months, years and lifetimes is not showing any signs of losing his blistering form. The Egyptian forward struck again on Tuesday night in Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League victory against Manchester City to book a semi-final date with AS Roma on the 22nd of April. Football commentators now believe he has some ice in his veins because of his ever-increasing ice-cold finishes that have always proven decisive to Liverpool’s cause in this campaign. The club, Liverpool FC have awarded him a sixth Player of the Month award for March 2018. Moh Salah scored six goals in five matches in the month including the four he bagged against Watford. In similar fashion, the Premier League also merited him a third Player of the Month Award for March, becoming the first person to win a hat-trick of such awards.
Salah is the leading goal scorer in the Premier League with 29, five goals ahead of closest chaser, Harry Kane. He is on 39 goals for the season and one more goal will make him the first player to reach 40 goals for Liverpool since Ian Rush in 1986-87. Speaking at Melwood after receiving the club award, he is what the Egyptian King had to say.
“Thank you. I’m very happy to win it again, but as I said many times the most important thing is to win the games and to get the points. I always try to score to help the team to get the points.”
His Manager, Jurgen Klopp, also had something to say on his Premier League Player of the Month hat-trick.
“It’s deserved — it’s not that you think; Wow, how did that happen?. He is an outstanding player and we played a really good season, but he is in all the decisions — in decisive moments, he is involved.”
Do you think Salah can lead Liverpool to UCL glory, an outstanding World cup campaign for Egypt and possibly win the Ballon D’or?
PSL Big Match Preview: Boys with Style welcome the Clever Boys
The match will kick-off at 4pm GMT, live on SuperSport.
Mamelodi Sundowns could increase the gap between themselves and second-placed Orlando Pirates to six points this Saturday, if they overcome a tricky Bidvest Wits side. With five games left to play, and three points gained will surely move Bafana baStyle closer to a third PSL title in five years. However as the Sundowns gaffer has previously described this period as a “squeaky bum time,” he is not oblivious to the challenge of the reigning champions, the Clever boys. Gavin Hunt’s spent most of the season anchored to the bottom of the log but have since found hit top form; they have lost only one of their last nine PSL matches. Currently occupying tenth position and three points behind Cape Town City in sixth, the Students would be relishing the prospect of finishing in a respectable position.
Both teams are expected to be firing on all cylinders given there are no significant injury concerns heading into the match. In their last time out, Bidvest Wits suffered a 2-0 defeat at home and would be eager to at least get one over the Brazilians and bow out as champions with some pride.
Managers’ Comments
“You know Wits will never allow us to win, let’s be honest. They have their pride, they have integrity. They want to show they can beat us. And Hunty [Wits coach Gavin Hunt] will never want to lose to us.”
“We want to finish as high as we can - everyone will have that same thinking. We are not thinking about anything else. The Ajax loss was our first in I’m not sure how many [nine league games]. But after such a bad first round, we have to go like hell still with five games left. We have to try to gett two points a game.”
Zimbabwe: Mighty Warriors’ salaries in limbo
Pay our Warriors, it's as simple as that.
Zimbabwe Senior women’s soccer team have another battle to fight just after burying the Brave Gladiators of Namibia, 4-0 on aggregate to book a date with neighbors Zambia in the final round of qualifications for the 2018 Ghana Women’s AFCON. The Mighty Warriors are reported to be sitting in at the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) village in Harare, demanding their allowances and winning bonuses. We understand that the players received (USD) $5 each as transport allowance and remaining dues dating back to those accrued in the COSAFA Championships held last year are to be paid in due course. The women have refused to leave the ZIFA Village’s premises until their debt has been settled.
The salaries phenomenon has become a popular but boring melody in the Mighty Warriors’ continental and global exploits. In fact, prior to the Namibia match, the Zimbabwean coach, Kwinji 15, came out to plead for financial support. Catching up with the ZIFA competition and communications manager, Xolisani Gwesela, this is what he had to say pertaining the matter:
“I would like to clarify the issue of $5, it was not their allowances for playing. It transports reimbursements. Across ZIFA we have rates which we use, which even councilors, employees and players are paid, so $5 is the local allowance for Harare-based players.
And, it depends, if you are staying outside Harare (it’s) $15 or more. So $5 is not allowances for their participation in the first round of the Africa Women Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Yes, we owe them outstanding allowances. Our accounts department is seized with this matter and these amounts will be paid, not in cash, because we all know what is obtaining in our economy, we don’t have cash.
It is going to be directly channeled into their accounts.”
PSL South Africa: Pirates hit a roadblock in pursuit of Sundowns
Pirates are now three points behind Sundowns with four games to play
On Wednesday night, the Buccaneers face the challenge of the relegation troubled, SuperSport United, with the match ending in an agonizingly 0-0 draw. It was a chance for the Orlando Pirates to close in on league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who were four points above the Soweto boys at the start of the match. As would be expected, the Trendsetters otherwise known as Matsatsantsha were never going to be pushovers. The match started off brightly for the boys in black and white as Zambian forward, Justin Shonga had his effort going narrowingly wide, moments just after he has struck the woodwork from a free kick.
Still, in the opening half, Mpho Makolo was next in line to try and open the scoring, shooting from 25 yards only for the woodwork to deny him as well. The second half had a different complexion, with no consistent rhythm. The best chance of the half fell to Pirates’ Luvuyo Memela who forced a nice save off goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, tipping the ball just above the post for a corner kick. The 0-0 result means that Pirates are now three points behind Sundowns with four games to play until the end of the season while the Bafana BaStyle has got five.
In other fixtures, Ajax Cape Town boosted their survival chances by overcoming Champions, Bidvest Wits, 1-0.
World Cup Rush: Egyptian fan cycles to Russia
Do you know any friends who are as crazy about the World Cup as Nufal and ourselves?
No one is better prepared for the World Cup than a Pharaohs fan who goes by the name Nufal. If anything, Russia 2018 might not actually be ready for the Egyptian. He set up his bike with all the necessary kit including items such as spare parts, extra phones, camping gear and batteries and is already en route to the European country. Nufal’s journey is expected to take 65 days, passing through Jordan, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. He will fly over Syria for security reasons, in light of the ongoing civil war.
Nufal began his journey on Saturday from Tahrir Square and was sent off by friends as well his mother. He hopes that along the way, he will meet hospitable homes who will be happy to have him.
“It’s about the road more than the arrival. If it were just about the World Cup, I would take a plane. It is a great chance for me to see new things.”
Do you know any friends who are as crazy about the world cup as Nufal and ourselves?
Mamelodi Sundowns - The Sky Is The Limit
Mamelodi Sundowns are on the come up
Sundowns' Brief History
The Sundowns were birthed in 1960 by youngsters in and around Marabastad in Pretoria, South Africa. They joined the Federation of Professional League Soccer in 1967, reaching the finals of the Coca-Cola cup in their debut year which they lost to Berea United. Sundowns were relegated to the lower soccer division in 1980 before Mr. Cool, Zola Mahobe, bought and rescued the club in 1985. The ensuing years were the lavish years when the controversial Mr. Cool invested heavily in the club, seeing them win a few major titles. When Zola was arrested, Standard Bank seized the club which was later acquired by the Krok brothers who steered the club to seven league titles in the post-independence era (1994). Billionaire, Patrice Motsepe bought into the club in 2003 before increasing his stake from 51-100% in 2004, renaming the club to Mamelodi Sundowns as “a nod to its heritage in Atteridgeville, Eersterus and Laudium and the club’s home in Mamelodi.” His goal became continental glory for the club and appointed Pitso Mosimane as head coach, to steer the boys to success.
Locally, the Mamelodi boys are also known as the Brazilians because of their uniform colors, Ka Bo Yellow (with yellowness), Masandawana or Bafana BaStyle.
Championships and Records
Masandawana are the most successful South African club in the Premier Soccer League era dating back to 1996, having won a record of seven league titles, four Nedbank cups - an equivalent of the English FA Cup, National Football League Championships thrice and most recently, the continental crown (CAF Champions League trophy) and the 2016 CAF Club of The Year Award. Downs are infamous for annihilating Powerlines FC, 24 - 0, yes they won by 24 goals to nothing! It was a Nedbank cup tie in 2012 in which their long-range sniper, Hlompo Kekana found the back of the net seven times together with Zimbabwean striker, Nyasha Mushekwi getting half a dozen of goals as well. They are the only team from South Africa to ever participate in the FIFA Club World Cup though they finished winless in that particular tournament.
“Bafana ba Style”
The club is increasingly cementing their place in the fans’ hearts as the most attractive to watch in the PSL. They were dubbed, Bafana ba Style which literally means, boys with style. Their game is ever becoming more technical, full of flair, precision, and quick short passes - some locals call it ‘shoe shine and piano.’ In other parts of the world, this would be tiki-taka as is/was the case with the Catalans, Barcelona. Some would highlight that what sets them apart from the rest is their style mixed with purpose, unlike some PSL teams who showboat once in a while but have limited results to show for it. Their thrashing of Powerlines FC may act as evidence to suggest their ruthlessness even in winning positions.
Ubuthu-Botho - Living the Dream
You would be perfectly justified if you say that Ubuthu-Botho is perhaps their mantra. It is an African world-view which literally means humanness or personhood embodying socio-moral significance. The phrase is inscribed on their yellow and blue uniforms and more importantly - they seem to be intentional about living the inscription. Sundowns now have over 300 registered branches of supporters associations in Zambia, Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe and even abroad
in the Cincinnati, USA. One of the supporters associations in Atteridgeville, South Africa contributed some money to buy materials and built a shack house for one of their own, on her birthday. They expressed their interest in helping a fellow Masandawana achieve her dreams. A shack house might not necessarily be a big deal some eyes but it was good enough to let tears free flow from the lady’s eyes. That’s how much it meant to her. From time to time, the fans also gather in small communities to enjoy some time together, grilling meat and drinking beverages. Social initiatives by the club include the Miss Mamelodi Sundowns beauty pageant, birthed in 2010 to empower women throughout the country. The coveted beauty pageant has the largest prize in South Africa and prides itself in paralleling with other prestigious awards such as Miss South Africa. They also participate in the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup tournament, the biggest schools football tournament with a prize money of over (USD) $250 000. This tournament acts as an avenue for football aspirants to showcase themselves and at times get scouted by professional teams.
The Sky is the Limit
Backed by a strong sense of community, competitive spirit and a billionaire in the form of Patrice Motsepe, there is no telling how far they can go. We have recently seen them establish a football philosophy, acquire foreign players to camp in South Africa, not just fellow Africans but from as far as New Zealand, Uruguay and quite interestingly having the football aspirant/Olympics Champion, Usain Bolt join their ranks for training - I would guess that global conquest is in their sights and may possibly play a major role in taking African football to the world or bringing the world to Africa. The sky is indeed the limit.
Algeria: Feghouli and M’bohli may return to international football
Algeria coach Ighil offers olive branch to Feghouli and Mbolie
The Algerian assistant coach, Meziane Ighil, has revealed that the experienced duo of Sofiane Feghouli and Rais M’bohli have the opportunity to return to the national team squad even though they have been sidelined during Rabah Madjer’s era as the head coach.
The pair had previously been an integral part of the Desert Foxes charges until the arrival of Madjer during the 2018 World Cup qualifying rounds when Algeria drew 1-1 with Nigeria. They were not even included in the squad for the recent friendlies, where the beat Tanzania 4-1 and lost to world cup bound Iran, by two goals to one. The 31-year-old goalkeeper, M’bohli joined Saudi Arabia side, Al-Ettifaq in January and has enjoyed a strong start to life in Saudi, winning five, drawing three and losing only once in his last nine matches for the club.
Feghouli who now plies his trade at Galatasaray had been at EPL side, West Ham United where he failed to make a mark, more so because he fell out of favor with the then manager, Slaven Bilic. The 28-year-old is slowly picking up form in Turkey having scored six goals and contributed seven assists in 28 appearances for the Lions.
“M’Bolhi is making his comeback at a very high level. Feghouli too is with Galatasaray. The doors of the national side are open to any players who are capable of adding something to the national team.”
World Cup Rush: El Said joins Finnish side to increase world cup appearance chances
El Said has is eyes on a World Cup roster spot
Another Pharaohs striker has joined a Finnish in bid to get some time so they could be available for selection into Hector Cuper’s World Cup squad. Al Ahly forward, Abdallah El-Said has joined Kuopion Palloseura on a two-month loan before his permanent move to Saudi club Al Ahly Jeddah on a two-year deal, come next season.
A Red Devils official, Adly Al Qaie confirmed that the 32-year-old has been allowed to go so as to prove his fitness for World Cup finals commencing on the 14th of June this year. El-Said joins Al Ahly teammate Amr Gamal who recently left the South African side, Bidvest Wits to complete his loan spell at Helsinki in Finland with the bid to impress for a spot in the Pharaohs World Cup squad.
“Abdallah is a big name and very high-level player, we are happy to have him here. We wish Abdallah good luck and wait for him on the field and believe he will be a key player at the World Cup.”
World Cup Rush: Barcelona forward keen represent Morocco
Internationals: Barcelona forward keen represent Morocco
Barcelona forward, Munir El Haddadi, who is currently on loan at Deportivo Alaves has challenged FIFA Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) decision to reject his application to switch nationalities. Munir was a substitute in Spain’s European Championship Qualifier in September 2014 but has now opted to play for The Lions of the Atlas, his parents’ country of origin.
The Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has backed Munir’s appeal and will get a ruling by mid-May "in order for the player's sporting nationality to be decided prior to the commencement of the 2018 World Cup".
"Following the hearing, the panel will deliberate and issue a decision in the form of an arbitral award.” - FIFA Cas
The 22-year-old has appeared 32 times for Alaves this season scoring eleven goals and registering six assists in all competitions. He will undoubtedly be a welcome addition to the Moroccan squad who have to battle Spain, Portugal, and Iran in their group B encounters.
Klopp hopeful of Salah return
Liverpool need Salah to be fit for their match against City
Liverpool are still not sure if their man of the moment is fit to play against Manchester City in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals. The player helped his squad in the 3-0 win at Anfield as he scored one and provided for fellow African player, Sadio Mane to score. Jurgen Klopp admits that he is not as sure as everyone else about whether Salah will make it to the match and that they will find out only a couple of hours before the kickoff. The player has been training with the athletic coach of Liverpool on Monday and is still yet to have a session with the whole squad after picking up a groin injury in the first leg of this clash which has kept him out ever since. This injury is probably distracting the tactics of the German coach who is planning on shutting down the attack of City as they keep a high intensity that will allow them to dispossess Pep Guardiola’s squad. Salah, as well as two Liverpool, left backs, Alberto Moreno and Andrew Robertson were not available for the derby on Saturday and there is hope that they will return fit for the decider on Tuesday night. Will Liverpool have enough to finish the job and knock out Manchester City from the UEFA Champions League?
2018 Prix Marc-Vivien Foe Award: Celebrating African players in Ligue 1
2018's Shortlist for the Prix Marc-Vivien Foe Award is stacked with talent
Since 2009, Radio France International and France 24 compile a list of the top performing African footballers in the Ligue 1 which will be subjected to a voting process to decide the ultimate winner at the end of every season. This year's 13-man shortlist has been announced and Burkina Faso’s Bertrand Traore, Togo’ Mathieu Dossevi and Cape Verde’s Julio Tavares are the early favorites to walk away with the award.
Last year’s winner, Jean Michael Seri is also on the list, looking to emulate his countryman, Gervinho who won the award in two consecutive years (2010-11). Lyon’s marksman, Bertrand Traore has enjoyed his maiden season in France, scoring on nine occasions and registering two assists. Tavares has eleven goals to his name while Dossevi has the fifth highest joint assists tally, sitting at eight.
Here is the full list of the 13 finalists:
Keita BALDÉ DIAO (AS MONACO / SENEGAL / Forward / 23 years old)
Matthieu DOSSEVI (FC METZ / TOGO / Midfielder / 30 years old)
Max-Alain GRADEL (TOULOUSE FC / CÔTE D'IVOIRE / Forward / 30 years old)
Gaël KAKUTA (AMIENS SC / DR CONGO / Midfielder / 26 years old)
Wahbi KHAZRI ( RENNAIS STAGE / TUNISIA / Forward / 27 years old)
Moussa KONATÉ (AMIENS SC / SENEGAL / Forward / 25 years old)
Nicolas PÉPÉ (LOSC LILLE / COTE D'IVOIRE / Forward/ 22 years old)
Jean Michaël SÉRI (OGC NICE / COTE D'IVOIRE / Midfielder / 26 years old)
Julio TAVARES (DIJON FCO / CAPE VERDE / Forward / 29 years old)
Karl TOKO EKAMBI (SCO ANGERS / CAMEROON / Forward / 25 years old)
Bertrand TRAORE (OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS / BURKINA FASO / Forward / 22 years old)
Hamari TRAORÉ (RENNAIS STAGE / MALI / Defender / 26 years old)
André-Frank ZAMBO ANGUISSA (OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE / CAMEROON / Midfielder / 22 years old)
The winner will be announced on the 14th of May.
Previous winners of the award include Marouane Chamakh, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Vincent Enyeama, Gervinho, Andre Ayew, Younes Belhanda and Jean Michael Seri.
This award was named the Prix Marc-Vivien Foe award in 2011, in honor of the Cameroon International, Foe, who passed away on 26 June 2003 on the lawn of the Gerland Stadium in Lyon whilst representing the Indomitable Lions in the Confederations Cup tournament.
PSL South Africa: ‘Love letter’ on the pitch as Sundowns edge closer to title
Mamelodi Sundowns zero in on the PSL Title
Mamelodi Sundowns are close to winning their 3rd PSL title in five years after coming from behind to beat Baroka FC by 2-1 on Sunday. After a slow start which saw former Masandawana man, Lucky Nguzana open the scoring, Sundowns center back, Wayne Arendse equalized at the stroke of half-time after he was left unmarked at the far post. A more comfortable second-half performance saw Sibusiso Vilakazi and PSL player of the year favorite, Percy Tau combine flowery passes with the latter, tucking away the ball into the back of the net for Masandawana’s second goal of the day. Tau is now tied with Rodney Ramagelela on the top scoring charts, both sitting on 11 for the season.
However, as you would expect from the Absa PSL, something else stole the headlines for the match. A note from the Sundowns coaching staff with player instructions in the 72nd minute seemed to circulate among three other players before eventually finding its way to the skipper, Denis Onyango who terminated the transition by chewing the note. Only them know what was written in that letter. I wonder who was sending love, or could it be the Brazilians’ winning formula who are now 13 unbeaten in the league.
The Sundowns gaffer, Pitso Mosimane is not leaving anything to chance in the title race as he borrowed a leaf from Sir Alex Ferguson as he described this stage of the campaign as a “squeaky bum time,” nerves begin to jangle.
Sundowns’ closest rival to the title is Orlando Pirates who play a tricky Super Sport United on Wednesday.
2018 Women’s AFCON Qualifiers: Mighty Warriors bury Brave Gladiators
2018 African Women's Cup Nations are quickly approaching
Zimbabwe Women’s senior national soccer team is one win away from booking a post at this year’s African Cup of Nations to held in Ghana from November to December. The Mighty Warriors put in a fine second half show in front of their home crowd at Rufaro Stadium, Harare to eliminate the Brave Gladiators of Namibia who had already fallen two goals shot in the reverse fixture in Namibia. Second half goals from Emmaculate Msipa and Mavis “Madam Chair” Chirandu ensured the hosts would cruise to a 4-0 aggregate victory.
Brave Gladiators’ coach, Brian Isaacs did not have a lot to complain about given the challenges they had to contend with to reach this stage.
"Overall my team has performed well in Namibia there is no women's league, so they are not playing in a women's league so it was difficult for me to prepare the team. But overall our performance was excellent, it's just that we failed to convert our chances. So good luck to Zimbabwe." - Brian Isaacs, Namibian Women’s Team Coach
Zimbabwe will play She- polopolo (Zambia) in the final round of the qualifications in June, with the winner over two legs, guaranteed a place at the finals in November. Four other matches are still yet to be decided today but here is what the final round fixtures will look like:
Final Round Fixtures: 4 - 12 June 2018
Congo v Cameroon
Kenya v Equatorial Guinea
Zambia v Zimbabwe
Senegal/Algeria v Libya/Ethiopia
Morocco/Ivory Coast v Mali
Burkina Faso/Gambia v Nigeria
Lesotho/Swaziland v South Africa
International Women’s Friendlies: Nigeria loses big to Les Bleues
The Falcons punished 8-0 by Les Bleus
Prior to the match held in Le Mans, the Super Falcons had vowed to put up a fight against the team which is 33 places above them in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings on the 5th spot. The match result, however, seems to suggest that they might have done the exact opposite or maybe perhaps fortune departed them yesterday. What’s true is that the match was a horror show to Nigerian eyes as they fell 8-0 at the hands of the merciless French team. Eugenie Le Sommer opened the scoring 20 minutes into the match followed by Montpellier’s Valerie Gauvin who then took the match ball home after completing her hat-trick in the 78th minute. Diallo, Thiney, and Leger were also on the score sheet together with Faith Ikidi who capped off the horrendous evening by putting the ball in her own net.
The Super Falcons have now equaled their worst defeat in football history, 8-0 against Norway in 1995 and 8-0 against Germany, 15 years later. Swede Coach Thomas Dennerby’s first day on the job will be one he will be anxious to put past him after he had to field an experimental squad due to the absence of key players, in particular, the African Women’s player of the year, Asisat Oshoala who was facing alleged disciplinary issues with her Chinese club.
Nigeria will play the winner of the match between Gambia and Burkina Faso to book a spot at this year’s Women Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Ghana from November 17 to the 3rd of December.
Abroad: Lacina Traore speaks out on false identity allegations
"The law will speak. And the truth will win out."
The Monaco forward, on loan at Amiens, has been involved in a spat with the president of Etoile Sportive d'Abobo (ES Abobo) over claims that he had changed his name and reduced his age in order to jump ship into Europe. Kone claimed that Lacina was called Traore Menene when his Ivorian club signed him in 2005 and that his real age is 29, not 27 as the records say. He also added that ES Abobo should receive cuts of the transfer fees he has accumulated whenever he switched clubs.
The Ivorian forward nicknamed the “Big Tree” for his 203cm body frame has hit out at the outspoken Kone, denying coaching relations with the “prosecutor” though recognizing his relevance in the West African nation football world. Traore also added that his family back in Ivory Coast would visit the ES Abobo boss though his solution to fix the situation is to have his lawyers deal with this in court once the season is over. He remains level headed and hopes for a strong Ligue 1 finish for Amiens.
“He’s tarnishing the honor of my family. My parents call me all the time. They want to go and meet him, but that’s not the solution. The law will speak. And the truth will win out. I’ll never accept what he says. He can’t say I’m someone I’m not.”
It’s not uncommon to hear reports of African players reducing their ages to play more rewarding football abroad, but there’s no substantial evidence to validate or nullify the claims. What do you think of such reports? Join the conversation using the comment box below.
Libya: Ban on hosting matches could be lifted after FIFA’s visit
Libya: Fifa visits and the prospect of lifting the ban on hosting matches is on the cards
FIFA’s director of African and Caribbean member associations, Veron Mosengo-Omba is in Tripoli, Libya on a two-day visit to discuss and get first-hand experience of how football has developed in Libya since the 2011 ban. The civil war which constituted the death of President Muammar Gaddafi attributed to the unrest and since then the Libyan national team have played home international matches in countries such as Mali, Egypt, and Tunisia over the past five years. Club football was not an exception as the clubs had to use neutral venues for their matches.
The visit by Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has increased hopes that the visit by Mosengo-Omba will provide leeway for the North African to get approval to host international matches in their backyard once more.
“The delegation will check the security situation in Libya so it can report back positively to Fifa and help lift the stadium ban that has been imposed since 2013,” the statement continued.”
Earlier on, the FIFA director had not been shy to declare the intention of his visit:
“It is not me who will take the decision, but I will report because I’m the envy of the Fifa president. I will address the report of my visit to him, and then the competent body of Fifa will decide how and when to bring international matches in Libya”
Despite the not so ideal conditions, the Mediterranean Knights of Libya qualified for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations and won their first senior African title in the form of the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN). They finished fourth in 2018 CHAN finals in Morocco.
Abroad: Naby Keita earns new nickname at Die Rotten Bullen
The hype hasn't slowed for Naby Keita
The Guinean’s time at German side, Red Bull Leipzig is fast expiring while his popularity is fast growing. The Syli Nationale player was once again the star of the Die Rotten Bullen show as they dispatched Hannover 96 by 3-2 away from home. Naby Keita’s consistent performances have won him hearts and earned his nine-year-old team some money when they agreed a transfer deal understood to be in the region of £66 million with Liverpool in August 2017.
The story coming from German is that Bundesliga has given him a new nickname with the aid of autocorrect.
“Thanks to the magic of autocorrect, Naby Keita has earned the nickname ‘Baby Keith”
From now onwards, fans are expected to shout the 23-year-old’s nickname whenever he touches the ball, starting the UEFA Europa League first leg Quarter-Final match, where they beat Olympique Marseille by a goal to nothing.
Can you imagine how Liverpool will line up next year, with the African connection of Salah, Mane, and Keita in their ranks?
Absa PSL Awards: The “March Criminals” are all from Orlando
Orlando dominates March's ABSA PSL Awards
The South African Premier Soccer League awards for the month of March have been decided and the boys in black and white are looking good. The former Ugandan national team coach who now calls the Orlando part of Soweto, home, walked away with the manager of the season award for the second time this season. Coach Micho has revitalized Orlando Pirates’ goalscoring form in a “water into wine” fashion after a slow start to the 2017/18 campaign. The Buccaneers have now scored five times and registered two wins out two in the month of March. His team. Pirates have won their last five PSL matches and currently occupy the second spot on the log, a point behind Mamelodi Sundowns, though they have played one more game.
Coach Micho’s boys are not only following his instructions on the pitch but also to the podium. The 30-year-old Musa Nyatama won the player of the month award, recognized for his Kevin De Bruyne-esque performances, playing defense-splitting passes, giving assists and nonchalance defending. The guys command the midfield like no man or woman’s business. His Zambian teammate, Justin Shonga grabbed the goal of the month award for his stoppage time thunderbolt against Chippa United. Shonga’s goal will be in contention to win the Absal-lutely goal with the season together with the best goals of other months.
The player and coach of the month awards were decided by a panel of judges made up of the broadcast media and football analysts while the goal was voted for by the fans.