Sports
How Are the African Teams Faring in World Cup 2022?
Now that the first round of group game matches at World Cup 2022 have all taken place, we’re starting to see which teams have come racing out the traps under the Qatari sun, and which are looking like they might wilt in the heat. Obviously we all know how sad us Nigerians are over the Super Eagles absence at this tournament, but there’s still plenty of exciting football for us to feast upon in the coming weeks.
So, let’s take a quick look at how the five African nations that did qualify this time round have done after the first round of matches and see if they’re doing the continent proud over in the Middle East.
Senegal
As they’re in Group A, the AFCON champions were up first, with a tough fixture against European powerhouses, the Netherlands. Unfortunately, Senegal lost their star-man, Sadio Mane, to injury in the lead-up to the tournament, and with him out of the side, pundits worried that they would struggle to fill the gap left from his momentous presence up-front.
That seemed to be the case in their 0-2 loss to the Dutch, where they battled valiantly for 84 minutes, but were just not able to finish any chances, and then were hit by two sucker-punch goals.
Tunisia
Next up, in Group D, were Tunisia, who had to face-off against many people’s ‘dark horse’ for this World Cup, Denmark. The Carthage Eagles clearly weren’t feeling overwhelmed though, as they took the fight to the Scandinavians, earning a 0-0 draw. They even forced a couple of great saves by the Danish keeper, Kasper Schmeichel, which could’ve tipped the tie in their favour.
They’ve even shown they have luck on their side, as they survived a late VAR scare, which saw the referee actually overturn a Danish penalty decision for handball.
Morocco
When it comes to disorderly build-ups to a World Cup, Morocco’s has to be right up there. They fired their previous coach just three months before the tournament kicked-off, but the replacement, Walid Regragui, seems to have installed some tactical nous in that short amount of time.
This is because they played the 2018’s World Cup finalists Croatia in their first match in Group F and impressively looked their equal, with the result ending all square in a 0-0 draw. This result will have many experts scratching their heads, as they expected the European side to blow away Morocco.
That’s the beauty of football, though, and why it’s such a popular sport for bettors in many countries, as there are always many upsets. This is true for India, where the best football betting sites in India are served up over on Asia Bet. These carefully selected online bookmakers allow you to bet on everything to do with the beautiful game, from local Indian leagues all the way to the biggest matches at this World Cup. Plus, there’s a clear rundown of Indian betting laws, so users can easily navigate gambling in the country.
Cameroon
The Indomitable Lions have a proud World Cup history, with this being their eighth appearance on the biggest stage in world football. Cameroon is in Group G this time round, and it looks like being a tricky task for them to make it out, as they lost their first game to Switzerland.
It was a narrow defeat, with them only losing by a single goal, and the player that got the winner was actually born in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde. The attacking-midfielder Breel Embolo, moved to Switzerland when he was young, though, and gained his Swiss citizenship eight years ago. You could tell it was an emotional moment, scoring against his birth nation, and he refused to celebrate.
Ghana
You might have noticed that no African side has managed to score yet in the first round of fixtures at World Cup 2022. It was up to the last to play, Ghana then, to make sure the continent didn’t go completely goalless, and the good news is that the Black Stars were up to the task. Captain Andre Ayew tapped home a lovely low cross, and then substitute Osman Bukari managed to power a brilliant header into the net.
The bad news is that they were up against a talented Portugal side in their opening Group H game, who managed to score three times and take the victory. Nevertheless, Ghana should be emboldened by their stirring performance going forward and look like the strongest African side so far.
Photo Credit- History Of Soccer
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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