Sports

S’ Africa Becomes First Host To Fail In First Round

Published

16 years ago

June 22, 2010

South Africa seemed on course for miraculous progress to the knockout stages of the World Cup but ultimately missed out after a 2-1 victory over France.

Bongani Khumalo gave Bafana Bafana the lead against the run of play, and when Yoann Gourcuff was harshly dismissed midway through the first period the hosts smelled history.

The impressive Katlego Mphela struck before the break, but chances were missed and when Florent Malouda pulled a goal back for their guests, South Africa’s dream was effectively ended.

France started the match not cutting the kind of shape that one might expect of a team in disarray, though they were hardly playing with the fizz that might be anticipated of such a star-studded unit.

A clever pass from Gourcuff, one of six new faces in les Bleus’ starting XI, created an early chance for another newcomer, Andre-Pierre Gignac, though the Toulouse striker finished tamely when well placed in the box after just three minutes.

The Europeans continued to push on, but the best they could manage in their early spell was a headed flick from Djibril Cisse from the edge of the penalty box.

With the passing of the 15 minute mark, Bafana started to push away from their penalty box and offer some threat of their own.

Having not truly threatened in the early stages, the World Cup hosts grabbed the advantage when Hugo Lloris got nowhere near a corner kick, allowing Khumalo to out-jump Abou Diaby to head home.

Although Gignac quickly offered a shot over the bar as a reply from the French, South Africa looked at ease with their lead and were then given a big helping hand by Colombian referee Oscar Ruiz.

Gourcuff leapt for a high ball in the South Africa penalty box and innocuously hit MacBeth Sibaya in the face. Though there was undoubtedly contact, it seemed clear that there was no intent in the midfielder’s action.

Given the circumstances, it was little surprise France grew a little ragged against a fantastically hungry home side. With the crowd right behind their favourites, South Africa found a second goal before the break.

Siphiwe Tshabalala worked his way in down the left impressively, and when he fired into a dangerous area, Mphela scrambled the ball over the line.

Bernard Parker soon had the ball in Lloris’ net once again, but he was correctly ruled offside.

A Franck Ribery free kick at the other end of the field forced Moeneeb Josephs to turn the bouncing ball over his crossbar, though William Gallas might have struck had he made contact with the accurate centre.

Bafana were dominating, and they nearly had a precious third goal when Mphela’s angled drive was touched wide for a corner kick.

Needing goals, it was little surprise to see South Africa bright and breezy after the half-time interval. Bernard Parker shot into the midriff of Lloris before a terrific pass from Siphiwe Tshabalala released Mphela.

With his first touch, the Mamelodi Sundowns striker swept the ball over Lloris but against the outside of the post.

Just before the hour mark, Mphela tried his luck from range, but Lions dived to his right to make a commendable save.

France were not totally impotent. Ribery shot over when he should have instead passed to substitute Thierry Henry, who replaced Cisse, who himself had a snapshot go narrowly over just after the interval.

Such forays were rare, whereas the sight of Mphela running purposefully at the French defence was not.

The striker snuck in down the right channel next, but Lloris made the block when the angle was very much against the Bafana attacker.

Against the run of play, Malouda stuck a dagger in South Africa’s challenge, silencing even the vuvuzelas.

Sports

Fury, Joshua Fight Sealed

Published

18 hours ago

August 24, 2026

The Tide

Fury, (left) and Joshua

The proposed blockbuster fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua has been signed and will go ahead, according to Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn.

Fury had suggested on Friday that the long-awaited all-British showdown was unlikely to happen, but Hearn insisted the fight is contractually agreed.

“We’ve signed the contract, we’re waiting for a date,” Hearn told Tidesports source yesterday.

Hearn said neither fighter could simply withdraw from the agreement.

“The fight’s signed. No-one can pull out of the fight. You can’t just pull out of a contract,” he said.

The main issue still to be resolved is where the fight will take place.

The bout had been expected to happen in the United Kingdom in November, but Saudi organisers Sela are pushing for it to be staged in the United States.

Joshua and Fury have separate contracts with Sela, with New York’s Madison Square Garden reportedly among the preferred venues.

The fight is also expected to be broadcast on Netflix.

Hearn said the Joshua camp would prefer the fight to remain in Britain but could consider a move to the United States under the right terms.

“We know everybody and his dog involved in the fight wants to do the fight in America. We don’t,” Hearn said.

The promoter added that discussions with Sela were continuing, but stressed that there was no indication the fight itself was in danger of falling apart.

“We’ve told Sela and the team, ‘If you want to do it in America, these are the terms that we can move forward with. But we’d rather not please,’” he said.

Fury and Joshua have been expected to meet in one of the biggest fights in British boxing history, with the venue and date now the major outstanding details.

Sports

Arsenal Want Osimhen To Take Pay Cut

Published

1 day ago

August 24, 2026

The Tide

Arsenal want Galatasaray striker, Victor Osimhen, to accept a reduction in his wage demands as a condition for completing a move to the Emirates before the summer transfer window closes.

The Gunners remain hopeful of landing the Nigeria international, with manager Mikel Arteta keen to strengthen his attacking options after failing to convince Atletico Madrid to sell Julian Alvarez, who is said to prefer a move to Barcelona over a return to the Premier League.

According to sources, Arsenal have held direct talks over a deal for Osimhen but are unwilling to make an excessive contract offer, leaving any potential agreement dependent on the striker’s willingness to compromise on his salary.

The 27-year-old currently earns in excess of €20 million (£17.1m) annually at Galatasaray, a figure Arsenal are said to be unwilling to match. Negotiating a fee could prove another obstacle, with Galatasaray president, Dursun Ozbek, insisting the striker is not for sale, a stance underlined by the club’s rejection of a €130 million (£111m) offer from Saudi Pro League side, Al-Hilal, earlier this month.

Having missed out on Osimhen, Al-Hilal reportedly turned their attention to Aston Villa striker, Ollie Watkins, only for their latest £45 million approach to also be rejected, further highlighting the difficulty clubs are facing in prising top forwards away from their current sides this summer.

Despite the ongoing speculation over his future, Osimhen has enjoyed a strong start to the season in Turkey.

He scored twice and provided an assist in Galatasaray’s 4-0 away win over Erzurumspor on Friday, having also netted twice in a 2-2 draw with Corum FK. The forward is expected to continue leading the line for the Turkish champions as Arsenal await his decision on a possible switch to the Premier League.

Arsenal began their Premier League title defence with a convincing victory against newly promoted Coventry City at Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta ended the club’s 22-year wait for a league title last season – and with a faultless display against Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues in their opener, his team reminded the rest of the league why they are favourites to retain the crown.

First-half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka put the reigning champions firmly in control, and captain Martin Odegaard added a third soon after the restart to seal a comfortable win on the opening day of the campaign.

Arsenal began their Premier League title defence with a convincing victory against newly promoted Coventry City at Emirates Stadium.

Sports

PH TO HOST NPBL PLAYOFFS

Published

2 days ago

August 24, 2026

The Tide

Port Harcourt has been confirmed as the host city for the 2026 Nigeria Premier Basketball League (NPBL) Playoffs for a fourth straight year, following a slight schedule adjustment by the League Management Committee of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).

Originally slated for Aug. 22–29, the Playoffs (Phase 3) will now run from 29 August to 6 September at the Basketball Stadium, 59 Niger Street, Port Harcourt Township, Rivers State.

In a communiqué issued on 21 August 2026 by NBBF Vice-President and League Chairman Babatunde Ogunade alongside Secretary-General Amina Amanchi, the federation commended the qualifying teams for their professionalism and performance thus far.

Per the updated schedule, participating teams are expected to arrive on 29 August for pre-tournament technical meetings, with competitive action running from 30 August through 5 September, while team departures take place a day later.

The eight-team, round-robin tournament features four qualifiers from the Atlantic Conference—Rivers Hoopers, Maktown Flyers, Hoops & Read, and Lagos Raptors—alongside Savannah Conference representatives Aso Sky Hawks, 313 Warriors, Gboko City Chiefs, and Kano Pillars.

The selection of Port Harcourt re-establishes Rivers State as a central venue for elite domestic basketball in Nigeria and once again brings the action closer to the teeming fans, following a successful staging of the playoffs and Final Four at the same venue last year.