Sports
2017 AFCON: Cranes Need To Make Ugandans Happy …As Defending Champions, Ivory Coast Crash Out
Uganda Cranes coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic has said they need to make Uganda happy by winning the last Group D game against Mali today.
“We want to give our best and make Ugandans happy,” said the coach who also made it clear that he still has a contract with Uganda to 2018.
The Serbian born coach has been linked to the South African coaching job that is vacant.
He, however, said he is happy with the way the Uganda FA is handling his contract and added that he is now looking ahead to the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers where Uganda is in the group stage.
Sredojevic said although they lost narrowly 1-0 to Ghana and by the same margin to Egypt – he is glad that his team has learnt a lot and will never be the same again after playing in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Team captain Geoffrey Massa also pointed out that the team is hungry to come out of the tournament with a win.
“Expect big performances from the players,” added the South African based professional.
Interestingly the Ugandan team is staying 75km away from the Stadium in the town of Oyem that will host the game.
Meanwhile, Mali midfielder Mamoutou N’Diaye has explained that his team will do everything to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Eagles take on Uganda in their final Group D match on Wednesday night, knowing that they need to win and hope that Ghana defeat Egypt in the other match.
“All matches are important but this one will be special because we play for our qualification, God willing,” N’Diaye declared.
“We will do everything to win as we have no choice but victory or else we will have to get into calculations for goal-difference.”
Similarly, the defending champions, Ivory Coast yesterday crashed out of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Gabon, after losing their last Group C game by a lone goal to Morocco.
Morocco beat Ivory Coast 1-0 to reach the AFCON quarter-finals and knock out the champions.
Rachid Alioui scored with a terrific shot from 24 yards to earn the win for Morocco and their coach Herve Renard, who led the Ivorians to the 2014 title.
Ivory Coast needed a win to go through but gave a listless performance, creating only two notable chances.
Wilfried Zaha shot weakly from 12 yards, while Salomon Kalou’s header from a tight angle clipped a post.
The Elephants lacked urgency in their play and will now go home after appearing not to put up a fight.
Even after going behind, they were unable to cause the organised and disciplined Moroccan defence any problems.
Morocco went into the game knowing that a draw was very likely to be enough to qualify from Group C and their game plan from the start was to stay compact and hit on the counter-attack.
It served to frustrate their opponents, who opted for the long-ball approach but failed to find any penetration.
Morocco could have added a second goal on the counter-attack but 19-year-old full-back Hamza Mendyl shot into the side netting after running half the length of the pitch.
They will play the winner of Group D in the last eight on Sunday.
Our correspondent also reports that DR Congo reached the AFCON last eight as Group C winners with a victory that eliminated Togo.
Tournament top scorer Junior Kabananga converted Chancel Mbemba’s pass for the opener, his third goal in three games.
Kabananga hit the post with a flicked header before Ndombe Mubele doubled the lead after the break, looping the ball over the keeper amid static defending.
Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba’s tidy finish gave Togo hope, but Paul-Jose M’Poku’s free-kick secured a deserved DR Congo win.
DR Congo will go on to play the Group D runners-up in the quarter-finals, which will be either Mali, Ghana or Egypt.
Sports
Qatar, Morocco To Host U-17 W,Cups For Five Years
The world’s Football Federation (FIFA) has awarded Qatar and Morocco the rights to host the FIFA U-17 men’s and women’s World Cup, respectively, for the next five years from 2025.
FIFA has declared that the Men’s and Women’s Under-17 World Cups will now be held annually, starting from 2025. Both the tournaments have been expanded as 48 teams will participate in the men’s edition whereas, there will be 24 teams vying for glory in the women’s category.
This move marks a departure from the previous biennial schedule as it aims to provide greater opportunities for youth players to showcase their skills on the global stage by ensuring that maximum players get to perform on the biggest stage at the formative stage of their career.
FIFA released a statement that read: “Qatar will host the next five editions from 2025, with Morocco the venue for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the same period. The FIFA Council has confirmed that the FIFA U-17 World Cup will be expanded to 48 teams and be held annually rather than biennially, as part of the governing body’s steadfast commitment to youth football. It was also confirmed that the next five editions of the competition, starting in 2025, will take place in Qatar.
“Meanwhile, the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which has been expanded to 24 teams and will be played annually as from 2025, will be hosted by Morocco until 2029. These decisions followed a global call for expressions of interest in hosting both competitions, with a focus on leveraging the use of existing footballing infrastructure in the interest of tournament efficiencies and sustainability.”
These decisions reflect the growing influence of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in global football governance. Qatar successfully hosted the men’s 2022 World Cup and Morocco are set to co-host the 2030 edition. It must be noted that both countries have elected representatives on the 37-member Fifa Council. Additionally, Saudi Arabia are expected to host the men’s World Cup in 2034.
The 2024 edition of the Women’s Under-17 World Cup will be hosted by the Dominican Republic, commencing on October 16. Whereas, the previous Men’s Under-17 edition in 2023 was hosted in Indonesia after the largest archipelago nation in the world declined to host the men’s Under-20 World Cup due to geopolitical reasons.
FIFA have announced that they have allotted a record $2.25 billion for the 2023-2026 cycle for investment in football development and has insisted that the institution is on track “to exceed its budgetary target of $11 billion for the 2023-2026 cycle”. Germany & Spain are the reigning champions of the Men’s and Women’s U-17 World Cups respectively.
Sports
KDB Not In Belgium Squad, White Unavailable For England
Manchester City midfielder, Kevin de Bruyne has not been included in the Belgium squad for friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and England this month because of a groin strain.
The 32-year-old has also been ruled out of City’s FA Cup quarter-final with Newcastle United tomorrow.
De Bruyne was substituted 69 minutes into the 1-1 Premier League draw with Liverpool last Sunday.
Belgium face the Republic on 23 March and England at Wembley on 26 March.
Manager Domenico Tedesco said De Bruyne has struggled with the injury for the last few matches.
“We can’t take a risk now and certainly not with Kevin,” he said.
“It is better to give him time to recover well at City and then have him ready for the European Championship.”
Following the international break, third-placed City host Premier League leaders Arsenal on 31 March.
De Bruyne missed the first five months of the season with a hamstring injury before returning in January.
“I don’t know if there is a connection to his hamstring injury,” said Tedesco.
“Yesterday(Wednesday) I spoke to the doctor and Kevin and we decided the risk is too great. It is our responsibility to take into account the player but also the player’s club.”
In another development, England manager Gareth Southgate has said he has no issue with Ben White after the Arsenal defender made himself unavailable for selection for this month’s upcoming friendlies.
Southgate said Arsenal sporting director Edu told him that White did not want to be considered.
The 26-year-old has not been selected for England since the 2022 World Cup.
Sports
Racism: Vinicius Jr Urges UEFA To Take Action
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr has urged UEFA to take action after again being the subject of alleged racist abuse.
The Brazil forward responded to a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, which appears to show Atletico Madrid fans chanting a racist slur before their Champions League game with Inter Milan.
La Liga said it will report the deplorable racist chants to Spain’s hate crimes prosecutor’s office.
“I hope you have already thought about their punishment UEFA,” said Vinicius.
“It’s a sad reality that [it] even happens in games where I’m not present!”
The 23-year-old included the accounts for European football’s governing body and the Champions League in his post, while in a statement, La Liga said it would report the incident regardless of the fact that the match was played in another competition and that the chants took place outside the stadium.
It added, “La Liga is wholeheartedly committed to making football a hate-free space and will continue to work relentlessly to crack down on racism, homophobia, violence and hatred… whatever the competition.”
Vinicius has been racially abused on numerous occasions across Spain over the last three years.
They include Real’s derby win away over Atletico in September 2022, when Atletico condemned unacceptable chants by a minority of fans towards Vinicius outside their stadium before the game.
Last June, four men were fined 60,001 euros (£51,700) and given a two-year stadium ban for hanging an effigy of Vinicius near Real’s training ground in January 2023.
On the same day, three other people were fined 5,000 euros (£4,300) and banned for one year for making racist gestures during Real’s game at Valencia last May.
This season, there have been reports of more racist abuse towards Vinicius as Real played at Sevilla in October, at Barcelona the following week and at Valencia earlier this month.
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