Sports
Africa Best Xi Of The Year 2020
Many African players thrived across the world in 2020 and African Football.com created the best team made of footballers from the continent.
Andrea Onana – Goalkeeper
The Cameroon interna-tional has established himself as one of the best upcoming goalkeepers in world football and he remains a reliable first-choice goalkeeper at the biggest club in the Netherlands, Ajax Amsterdam.
Achraf Hakimi – Right-Back
The flying Moroccan right-back is one of the brightest young pros-pects in football and the 22-year-old has quickly become as one of the key defenders for Inter Milan after joining the Italian giants from Spanish champions Real Madrid.
Ramy Bensebaini – Left-Back
The Algerian defender, who can also operate as a centre-back, has slowly established himself as one of the best African left-backs and he is a key member of the defence for ambitious German side Borussia Monchengladbach.
Kalidou Koulibaly – Centre Back
The Senegal captain is undoubtedly one of the best defenders in world football at present and he has been very influential at Italian giants SSC Napoli, where he is the third captain.
Joel Matip – Centre Back
The former Cameroon international had a successful 2020 as he established himself as one of the top centre-backs in the English Premier League which he won with his club, Liverpool FC.
Thomas Partey – Defensive Midfielder
The Ghana vice-captain is widely considered to be one of the most accomplished defensive midfielders around in world football and he secured a big-money move from Spain’s Atletico Madrid to English giants Arsenal in October 2020.
Hakim Ziyech – Central Attacking Midfielder
The Algerian genius has been one of the most exciting attacking mid-fielders in the world for the past couple of years and he hit the ground running in England after joining Chelsea from Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam.
Riyad Mahrez – Central Attacking Midfielder
The Algeria captain remains one of the best wingers in the English Premier League where he has sparkled for Man-chester City and his versatility enables him to operate in several attack-ing positions including as an attacking midfielder.
Sadio Mane – Left Forward
The Senegalese winger, who is the reigning CAF African Footballer of the Year, is one of the most dangerous wide for-wards in world football and he is one of the reasons why Liverpool FC won the 2019/20 English Premier League title.
Mohamed Salah – Right Forward
The Egyptian super-star is one of the most potent wingers in the world at present and he was an integral part of the Liverpool FC side which clinched the 2019/20 English Premier League title and has broken a number of records in 2020.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Centre Forward
The Gabon captain remains one of the most lethal centre forwards in the world and he played an instrumental role in helping English giants Arsenal clinch the 2020 FA Cup as the team captain.
Sports
I Joined Saudi League To Win Titles – Senegal Keeper
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has said that criticism that he and other players chased money by moving to Saudi Arabia is wide of the mark.
The 33-year-old left Chelsea for Al-Ahli in a £16m ($21.4m) deal in 2023, and in May the Africa Cup of Nations winner helped his Saudi club win the Asian Champions League, making him one of the few players to win both that competition and its European equivalent.
But, like many others, Mendy has been criticised for playing for money rather than prestige in the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
When asked about such criticism, Mendy told a Tidesports source, “Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
He added: “Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything , which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”
The Blues have since won the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition, under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
But it comes after the regime’s trophyless first two years, a period which has frustrated some supporters after the success enjoyed under Roman Abramovich’s stewardship in the previous 19 years.
Mendy has also been celebrating what he describes as a historical win with Senegal against England at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, but days earlier he had been in Dakar delivering a different kind of win.
He is the sponsor of Yakaar, a school in Keur Massar, which seeks to improve funding and access to digital learning tools for local children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Famously, as Mendy grew up in France, he was unemployed, aged 22, while struggling to find a club, with members of his family still living on the outskirts of Dakar.
That is why Yakaar, a word meaning “hope”, was chosen, a word Mendy has carried with him in his career.
“Hope is what kept me going. When I was without a club, it was the hope of getting that first professional contract.
“Then the hope of playing for the national team. The hope of making my family proud by doing the job I had always dreamed of.
“Indeed, hope is the best word to describe my career.”
Mendy was also asked whether the responsibility of being an African goalkeeper had weighed heavily on him.
“Of course. When I was in England, there weren’t many African goalkeepers in top clubs,” he admitted.
“Whether nationally or internationally, I had that responsibility. It’s the same for other African goalkeepers like Andre Onana [Manchester United] or Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal).”
Sports
Spanish Football Fires Entire Refereeing Committee
The entire refereeing committee has been fired by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with structural reforms soon set to follow.
According to sources, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has dismissed the entire refereeing committee in response to mounting pressure from clubs demanding structural reform. A major shake-up aimed at modernising Spanish refereeing from top to bottom has now been set in motion.
Head of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo and Head of VAR, Carlos Clos Gomez, have been removed from their positions. They are joined by several senior officials, including Antonio Rubinos Perez and three vice presidents, who are also stepping down. A new leadership model will be introduced, led by a CEO and a sporting director, aiming to overhaul how refereeing is managed covering assessments, promotions, and daily operations. While the leadership changes are sweeping, the current pool of referees in La Liga and the second tier will remain, ensuring continuity on the field during the transition.
Sports
Ronaldo Renews Stay With Saudi Pro League
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that means he will stay with the Saudi Pro League club until beyond his 42nd birthday.
The Portugal captain, 40, joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances, having criticised the club and said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr deal had been due to expire at the end of June and there was speculation he could leave, but that has now been quashed.
In a post on X, Ronaldo wrote: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.”
Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo’s time at the club, they have benefited from a flood of goals from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo scored 35 times in 41 matches across all competitions last term and was the league’s top scorer for a second consecutive season.
He has managed 99 goals in appearances overall for Al-Nassr and is well on his way to reaching 1,000 senior goals in his career, with a current tally of 938 for club and country.
Having helped Portugal win the Uefa Nations League a little over two weeks ago, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Sporting and Juventus forward will almost certainly now be targeting a sixth World Cup appearance next summer.
Only a month ago, Ronaldo posted on social media to say “the chapter is over”.
That came after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al-Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.
The comment fuelled rumours that Ronaldo was ready to leave the league where he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m when he joined.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.
Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but had turned them down.
The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.