Sports
CAFCC Final : Okpara, Ndah Storm Uyo With Pirates
Ahead of tomorrow’s final of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup 2021/2022, former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Willy Okpara and defender, Olisa Ndah arrived late last night with their South African team Orlando Pirates to Nigeria.
The Soweto-based side who will face Morocco’s RS Berkane at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo for Africa’s second club football prize, touched down in Port Harcourt about 11:45pm last night before arriving Uyo.
In their third appearance in the Confederation Cup, Pirates are playing the final for the second time, and first since 2015 when they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia.
Okpara made his debut for the Nigeria national team in 1996 and was selected for the 1998 FIFA World Cup squad. He was capped five times and after he retired, became a goalkeeping coach for Orlando Pirates.
Meanwhile, RS Berkane breezed into Uyo earlier yesterday aboard a chartered Air Maroc flight.
Our correspondent gathered from aviation sources yesterday that on board the Moroccan national carrier were six crew members along with 96 strong RS Berkane ‘s contingent including players, officials and fans ahead of tomorrow’s final.
The flight that departed the Oujda Angads Airport in the Oriental region in Morocco landed in the Akwa Ibom State capital by 3:55 pm Nigerian time for their decisive tie against Orlando Pirates..
The Orange Boys as the Moroccan side are called, were Confederation Cup runners-up (to Zamalek of Egypt) in 2019 and emerged winners in 2020 after beating Egyptian side, Pyramids Egypt courtesy of a solitary goal by Burkinabe defender , Issoufou Dayo at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
In a related development, Umbro, the CAF technical sponsors, yesterday revealed the official match ball , FIFA Quality Pro, for the eagerly awaited fixture .
Based on Umbro’s renowned Neo Pro ball model, the official match ball is “FIFA Quality Pro” certified for use at the highest levels of the professional game and utilises the latest in structural and fabrication technology with a unique graphic that draws on the structural elements of the tournament’s trophy.
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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