Category: Football Africa

Guniea named Serhou Guirassy to the AFCON 2023 25-man squad
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Guinea name Serhou Guirassy in AFCON 25-man squad

Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart striker Serhou Yadaly Guirassy was named in the Guinea Syli national squad for the African Cup of Nations.

Head coach Kaba Diawara on Saturday confirmed his 25-man squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire next month. 

Guinea set to battle for a place in the top two from Group C alongside Cameroon, reigning champions Senegal and the Gambia.

Guinea national team will open the 34th edition of the biennial African Association football tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football against five-time winners Cameroon on January 15. at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro.

  • Serhou Guirassy History

Serhou Guirassy was born on 12 March 1996 in Arles and plays for VfB Stuttgart. He played for J3 Sports Amilly from 2008-2009, for USM Montargis from 2009-2010, for J3 Sports Amilly from 2010-2011, for Stade Lavallois MFC from 2011-2015, for Lille OSC from 2015-2016, for AJ Auxerre from 2016-2016, for Lille OSC from 2016-2016, for 1. FC Köln from 2016-2019, for Amiens Sporting Club from 2019-2020, for Stade Rennais FC from 2020-2022 and has played for VfB Stuttgart since 2022.

  • CURRENT SEASON 2023/24

The 27-year-old has scored 17 goals and he is in second position on the league’s scorer list. With one assist, he currently has the 10th-most in his team along with Waldemar Anton, Jamie Leweling, Silas Katompa Mvumpa, Anthony Rouault and Josha Vagnoman. 

In total, Serhou Guirassy has taken 46 shots at goal and therefore, fought his way to fifth place in the league-wide statistics. Until now, he has been responsible for 25 passes to a shot as he earned himself second place within the statistics of his club.

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Al Ahly's Club World Cup dream ended by Fluminense
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Al Ahly’s Fifa Club World Cup dream ended by Fluminense

Egyptian giants Al Ahly’s hopes of lifting the Fifa Club World Cup were dashed as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Fluminens in the semi-final on Tuesday, CAF reports.

The African champions started brightly but were ultimately outdone by the Brazilian outfit, who advance to face either Urawa Reds or Manchester City in Friday’s showpiece finale.

Al Ahly talisman Percy Tau spurned an early opening when veteran defender Felipe Melo made a crucial last-ditch sliding tackle.

Ten minutes before half-time, Fabio made an excellent, one-handed save from a Kahraba header.

Tau was then involved in the game’s pivotal moment, bringing down Marcelo in the box with a clumsy foul. Jhon Arias converted the penalty to give Flu a 71st-minute lead.

The Red Devils almost responded instantly when Tau met a low cross but lacked power on his close-range effort.

Yet there was to be no dramatic Ahly comeback as substitute John Kennedy curled home Fluminense’s second goal late on to seal victory.

While Al Ahly’s decorated veterans failed to seize their opportunity on the global stage, Fluminense’s emerging talents punished them ruthlessly.

The newly-crowned South American champions now stand one win away from completing a fairytale story in Friday’s Club World Cup finale.

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Steven Caulker eyes Sierra Leone job after obtaining Uefa license
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Steven Caulker eyes Sierra Leone job after obtaining Uefa license

Sierra Leone defender and ex-England International Steven Caulker has secured his Uefa B coaching Badge with the English FA.

The former Liverpool and Tottenham defender, who was a pivotal player for Sierra Leone during the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon, says he will pursue Uefa A next year.

The one-time England defender, who is presently transforming his playing career to coaching, has admitted coaching is the way forward.

“In terms of my aspiration, my ambition is to be a manager. Maybe, one day, to be a Sierra Leone manager. I would love that. I would love the oppurtunity too bring in young Sierra Leaoneans in to play attractive style of football,” Caulker told Football Sierra Leone.

“Next year, I will start my Uefa A – this is something I am working towards. Right now, I kind of going into the transition from playing into management role.”

On his present playing career

“The option in January is a player-manager role. I want to solicit playing football, maybe, for another year or two. I feel my passion is in coaching – player-manager. I’m finding the right path, the right setup and the right ambition.”

The UEFA B Licence is to help coaches understand the demands of the game and how to meet the needs of players as they build a deeper understanding of their various roles and responsibilities within the team.

This course has replaced The FA Level 3 in Coaching Football.

Caulker joined EFL Championship side Wigan Athletic in January on a contract until the end of the season.

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Victor Osimhen named Africa Player of the Year Award
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Victor Osimhen named Africa’s Player of the Year

Napoli and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen has been named as the CAF Men’s Player of the Year for 2023.

Osimhen scored 26 Serie A goals and was crowned the Italian Footballers’ Association Player of the Year for his Napoli performances last season.

The Nigerian International fought off competition from Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi to the title on Monday night. 

He becomes the first Nigerian player to win the award since Arsenal’s Nwankwo Kanu in 1999 and is also the first active Serie A player to be crowned Africa’s Player of the Year since Samuel Eto’o when he was at Inter in 2010. 

Meanwhile, Nigerian Asisat Oshoala extended her record sixth CAF African Women’s Player of the Year Award.

  • Full List of Award Winners:

Player of the Year (Men): Victor Osimhen (Nigeria, Napoli)

Player of the Year (Women): Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria, Barcelona)

Interclub Player of the Year (Men): Percy Tau (South Africa, Al Ahly)

Interclub Player of the Year (Women): Fatima Tagnaout (Morocco, AS FAR)

Coach of the Year (Men): Walid Regragui (Morocco)

Coach of the Year (Women): Desiree Ellis (South Africa)

Goalkeeper of the Year (Men): Yassine Bounou (Morocco, Al Hilal)

Goalkeeper of the Year (Women): Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria, Paris FC)

Young Player of the Year (Men): Lamine Camara (Senegal, Metz)

Young Player of the Year (Women): Nesryne El Chad (Morocco, Lille)

National Team of the Year (Men): Morocco

National Team of the Year (Women): Nigeria

Club of the Year (Men): Al Ahly (Egypt)

Club of the Year (Women): Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

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Nigeria’s Oshoala and Osimhen win African footballer of the year awards
Nigeria’s Oshoala and Osimhen win African footballer of the year awards
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Osimhen, Salah, Hakimi named in final three for CAF Award

Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah, and Moroccan International Achraf Hakimi are the final three for the CAF 2023 Player of the Year Award. The current holder is Senegal’s Sadio Mane.

The Confederation of African Football has unveiled the final three players for the CAF Men’s Player of the Year Award.

After he scored 26 Serie A goals, Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen has been crowned the Italian Footballers’ Association Player of the Year for his Napoli performances last season.

He was presented with the award on Monday night after helping his side win their first league title in 33 years.

Osimhen scored 26 Serie A goals in 2022-23, breaking former World Best George Weah’s record as the highest-scoring African in the Italian top flight in the process.

Mohamed Salah leads the way for top Premier League African goal scorer with 149 goals, 243 matches and 65 assists since joining Liverpool in 2017.

He won the African Award back to back in 2017 and 2018 and was runners-up in 2019 and 2022 behind former team mates Sado Mane. 

Achraf Hakimi made headlines after he was named to Morocco’s 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

His winning penalty with a panenka-style shot in a shoot-out against Spain in the round of 16 helped secure a place for his country in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Yassine Bounou is one of the finalists for the Best Goalkeeper category, alongside Cameroon’s Andre Onana and Egypt’s Mohamed El Shenawy.

On Monday, 11 December 2023, the award ceremony will be held at the Palais des Congrès, Movenpick, Marrakech, Morocco, 19H00 local time (18H00 GMT).

The ultimate winner of each category is decided following votes from a panel consisting of the CAF Technical Committee, media professionals from Member Associations, Head Coaches and captains of Member Associations and clubs involved in the group stages of the Interclub competitions.

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