Category: African News

Our African football page passionately on all continental topics of all National and International football news, Identifying football heroes on our continent.

Ivorian Wilfred Zaha makes Olympique Lyonnais debut in win at Toulouse
by Football Sierra Leone

Ivorian Wilfred Zaha makes Lyon debut in win at Toulouse

Wilfried Zaha, the former Crystal Palace and Manchester United winger, made his debut for Lyon in their 2-1 victory over Toulouse on Sunday. In August, the Ivorian international joined the French club on a season-long loan from Galatasaray.

Lyon took the lead with a goal from Yann Gboho in the 14th minute, but an own goal from Lyon’s Rasmus Schmidt Nicolaisen leveled the scoreline. At halftime, the score was 1-1.

The match was still open, and Lyon appeared to strengthen as time passed. In the end, Belgian Malick Martin Fofana secured the win for the visitors with a last-minute goal.

Zaha, 31, had left Palace for Galatasaray last summer and made 42 appearances for the Turkish club. However, he was mainly a substitute towards the end of the season and did not play in any of Galatasaray’s four league or Champions League games this season.

Lyon secured their first win of the season with a 4-3 victory against Strasbourg on Friday.

Key Moments

Toulouse Municpal Stadium

L1 (MD6): Toulouse FC – Olympique Lyonnais

Referee: Gaël Angoula

Yellow cards: Veretout (11′); Caleta-Car (48′) to OL. Dønnum (58′), Casseres (88′) to Toulouse

Goals: Gboho (14′) for Toulouse. Nicolaisen (csc) (28′), Fofana (90+6) for OL.

Toulouse FC: Rest – Sidibé, Nicolaisen, McKenzie – Kamanzi, Sierro (Cap.) (Genreau 90+3′), Casseres, Dönnum (Suazo 67′) – Babicka (Aboukhlal 64′), Magri (King 64′), Gboho (Zajc 90+2′). Coach: Carles Martinez Novell

OL: Perri – Kumbedi, Mata (Maitland-Niles 88′), Caleta-Car, Abner – Veretout (Cherki 54′), Tessmann (Tolisso 67′), Caqueret (Cap.) – Zaha (Fofana 54′), Mikautadze (Lacazette 67′), Benrahma. Coach: Pierre Sage

FIFA Disciplinary Committee Sanctions FECAFOOT boss Samuel Eto’o
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

FIFA Disciplinary Committee Sanctions FECAFOOT boss Samuel Eto’o

Cameroonian football icon Samuel Eto’o has been banned for six months by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).

Eto’o, who is the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT), has been sanctioned for breaching two articles of FIFA’s disciplinary code. The ban is related to the 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup last-16 match between Cameroon and Brazil on 11 September. Brazil won the game 3-1 after extra time.

The former FC Barcelona, Chelsea, and Inter Milan striker is now prohibited from attending any national team games due to misconduct, as stated in the FIFA statement.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed a six-month ban on Samuel Eto’o from attending matches of Cameroon’s representative teams for violations of articles 13 (Offensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play) and 14 (Misconduct of players and officials) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

The ban prevents Mr. Eto’o from attending men’s and women’s matches involving FECAFOOT teams of all categories and age groups. Eto’o was notified on Monday and the ban comes into force immediately.

CAF Media & TV rights agreements for CAF Interclub season revealed
by Football Sierra Leone

Media & TV rights agreements for CAF Interclub season revealed

The Confederation African Football (“CAF”) has announced new media rights and TV agreements for the 2024/25 CAF Interclub Competitions in Sub-Saharan Africa following successful bidding for pay-TV and Free to Air rights.

The media rights encompass African football’s prestigious Club competitions: TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2024/25, TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup 2024/25, CAF Women’s Champions League 2024, and TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup 2025.

CAF has reached agreements with SuperSport International for the PayTV rights (in English) South African Broadcasting Corporation (“SABC”) and Azam Media for the Free to Air (“FTA”) rights.

In a statement, CAF President, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, remarked: “The remarkable growth and heightened global competitiveness of football in Africa has garnered substantial interest from major African and international broadcasters in African Football. SuperSport, SABC, and Azam Media have all been active participants in the CAF Media Rights bids.

CAF welcomes all partners to ensure the quality of its competitions and broadcast products. During the 2023/24 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, TV audiences grew over 25% in North Africa, and over 40% in East and Southern Africa for both TV and digital engagement.

Zamalek win the CAF Super Cup after penalty shootout in Riyard
by FSL News

Zamalek win CAF Super Cup after penalty shootout in Riyard

On Friday night, Zamalek won the 2024 TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup in a thrilling penalty shootout against their rivals Al Ahly. The match ended in a 1-1 draw at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Zamalek clinched the victory by winning 4-3 in the penalty shootout, securing their fifth Super Cup title. The win is a significant achievement for Zamalek, as it marks their fifth CAF Super Cup title.

The game started with Al Ahly taking the lead in the 44th minute through Wessam Abou Ali’s penalty. This was confirmed after a VAR review identified a foul on Akram Tawfik by Zamalek’s Hamza Mathlouthi.

Zamalek responded in the second half, with substitute Naser Mansy scoring the equalizer in the 77th minute from a well-delivered cross by Omar Gaber.

The match remained intense, with both teams seeking a winning goal, but ultimately went to a penalty shootout.

In the shootout, Al Ahly’s Yahia Attiyat Allah missed a crucial penalty, and Wessam Abou Ali’s shot hit the post, giving Zamalek the advantage.

Zamalek capitalized on this advantage, converting four of their five attempts, with Hossam Abdelmaguid securing the victory with a well-placed shot into the bottom left corner.

Senegal's U20 crowned WAFU A champions after defeating Sierra Leone
by Football Sierra Leone

Senegal’s U20 crowned WAFU A champions after defeating Sierra Leone

In the 2024 WAFU A’ U-20 tournament, Senegal emerged as champions after defeating Sierra Leone 2-0 in the finals. Despite the loss, Sierra Leone’s performance throughout the tournament was remarkable.

Senegal took the lead in the 13th minute with a goal from Cheikh Tidiane Thiam and then doubled their advantage ten minutes later with a stunning long-range goal from Ibrahima Dieng.

Nonetheless, Sierra Leone qualified for the U20 Africa Cup of Nations U-20 tournament for the first time in the country’s history – a significant achievement for Shooting Stars.

This historic milestone is a source of pride for both the team and the nation, as they will be joining champions Senegal in representing WAFU A’ in the 2025 U-20 continental tournament.

Sierra Leone’s skipper Momoh I. Kamara played a pivotal role in their success. He was named player of the tournament – the 19-year-old’s exceptional performance throughout the tournament earned him the joint top scorer award, having scored three goals in four matches.

His outstanding skills and leadership on the field also led to him being decorated as the best player of the tournament.