Sunday, February 19, 2012
SOCCER AFRICA: SOCCER AFRICA : CURRENT AND PAST EVENTS
SOCCER AFRICA: SOCCER AFRICA : CURRENT AND PAST EVENTS: International matches return to Libya 19 Feb 2012: © Reuters International soccer will return to Libya on Monday when local clubs Al Na...
SOCCER AFRICA : CURRENT AND PAST EVENTS
International matches return to Libya
19 Feb 2012:
© Reuters
© Reuters
International soccer will return to Libya on Monday when local clubs Al Nasr Benghazi and Al Ahli Tripoli meet CSKA Sofia in matches that will mark the first anniversary of the revolution, the Libyan embassy in Bulgaria said.
The 31-times Bulgarian champions, who will also face the two teams on Wednesday, will become the first foreign team to play in the African country after the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi's rule erupted on Feb. 17 last year.
"We are very grateful to the Bulgarian team, who agreed to participate in this historic event for Libya," the embassy told Reuters by email on Sunday.
The Libyan league has been suspended since last February but clubs have continued to play in continental competitions, by forfeiting their right to play at home in knockout ties, which were reduced to a single match at their opponent's ground.
The national team used Mali and Egypt as their home grounds in the Nations Cup qualifiers but still managed to reach the finals, which were co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
CSKA visit Libya for a first time since the 1960s when the team took part in an international tournament.
The matches will take place at the "The Heroes of February 17th" stadium in the eastern town of Benghazi, which is about 1,000 kms east of the capital Tripoli with capacity crowds expected for all games.
The host stadium has been renamed after previously being named after Hugo Chaves, Venezuela's President, who was one of Gadaffi's closest friends.
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| Zambia hero Sunzu dreaming of Chelsea move |   |
© Reuters
 Stoppila Sunzu |
"I played for (French club) Chateauroux in the 2008-09 season and I would love to come back to Europe," said Sunzu who is now with the Democratic Republic of Congo team TP Mazembe.
"I have a dream to play in England as I prefer Chelsea and Bolton Wanderers," the defender told Romanian media on Thursday.
Zambia beat the Elephants 8-7 in a drama-filled penalty shootout in Libreville, following a 0-0 draw, to win the Nations Cup for the first time.
After the under-20 World Cup in Canada in 2007, Sunzu impressed in trials with English side Reading but he was denied a work permit.
The 22-year-old enhanced his growing reputation by keeping Ivory Coast and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba quiet for much of Sunday's final.
"Drogba was almost invisible, it was very easy for me," said Sunzu. "I have no secret, I'm not afraid of any player or team regardless of names.
"I was very confident throughout the match. I was focused and it helped me to convert the last penalty."
Frenchman Herve Renard coached Zambia at the Nations Cup but Sunzu also credited predecessor Dario Bonetti of Italy who was sacked in October, two days after the team had qualified for the finals.
"He (Bonetti) is a great coach, he did a very good job," said the defender. "He contributed greatly to winning the cup although he wasn't with us during the tournament."
Sunzu said the players were given a unique reception in Zambia after the final.
"It was unbelievable," he said. "Such a thing has never happened before in our country.
"People marched through the streets of Lusaka to celebrate with us and we were received like heroes."
| African champions Zambia shoot up rankings | |
© Reuters
Zambia have shot up 28 places in the FIFA rankings, breaking into the top 50 for the first time in eleven years after winning the African Nations Cup on Sunday.
The Chipolopolo (The Copper Bullets) moved into 43rd spot, their highest position since February 2001, after beating Ivory Coast on penalties following a goalless final in Libreville.
Despite losing the decider, Ivory Coast climbed three places to 15th and are the continent's highest-placed team. The Elephants did not concede a goal in the tournament.
Mali, who finished third, moved up 25 places to 44th, one ahead of co-hosts Gabon, who leapt 46 places after reaching the quarter-finals with wins over Niger and Morocco.
Fellow co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, a team made up largely of Spanish lower league players, leapt from 151st to 110th after surpassing all expectations by reaching the quarter-finals.
Spain stayed top of the rankings while Germany moved up to second and Netherlands dropped to third even though neither side played a game in the last month.
FIFA said the change was "due to the devaluation of matches from previous years."
Similarly, Brazil dropped to seventh and Portugal moved up to sixth while Argentina dropped out of the top ten, losing their place to Denmark.
Rankings (last month's positions in brackets)
1. (1) Spain
2. (3) Germany
3. (2) Netherlands
4. (4) Uruguay
5. (5) England
6. (7) Portugal
7. (6) Brazil
8. (9) Italy
9. (8) Croatia
10.(11) Denmark
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| Celebrations instead of snow for Zambia's Mayuka | |
© Reuters
 Zambia's Emmanuel Mayuka runs with Zambia flag |
FIFA regulations say players should return to their clubs 48 hours after ending their participation with their national team, but Young Boys said they were happy to be flexible even though they face league leaders FC Basel on Thursday.
The second-placed club said they were also worried about subjecting the 21-year-old to sub-zero temperatures days after he played in the heat and humidity of tropical Gabon.
"In view of the historic triumph, the club has decided to allow Mayuka to take part this week in the celebrations in his homeland," said Young Boys on their website (www.bscyb.ch).
"The match against Basel will take place in completely different conditions to the ones in Africa," it added.
Mayuka scored three goals in the tournament and is the only player of the Zambian squad based with a first-division European club.
Unrated Zambia beat Ivory Coast on penalties after a 0-0 draw in Sunday's final in Libreville to win the cup for the first time, playing a few kilometres from the scene of an air crash which killed 18 of their national team players in 1993.
Unlike some European clubs, who complain at having to release players, Young Boys have backed Mayuka throughout, describing the player at one point last week as "the best advertisement for the club".
Young Boys signed Mayuka from Maccabi Tel Aviv 18 months ago, on the recommendation of club scout and former Swiss striker Stephane Chapusiat, for some 1.3 million Swiss francs ($1.41 million).
Swiss media have speculated that the player's current value is around 13 million francs although the club are not in a rush to sell.
"We need to take it step by step," said club president Ilja Kaenzig.
| Nations Cup future brighter after Zambia's poignant win | |
© Reuters
Zambia's poignant and heart-warming triumph at the Nations Cup capped a tournament which was strong on emotion, easy on the ears and may be on the rise again after hitting a low point in Angola two years ago.
Lying 71st in the world rankings, with a squad based on little-known, African-based players and playing only a few kilometres from the scene of an air crash which wiped out their team in 1993, Zambian's win left even their own coach Herve Renard lost for words.
"They found the strength, I don't know where," he said after they beat the Ivory Coast's team of European-based players 8-7 on penalties on Sunday following a goalless draw.
"There is something written somewhere," added Renard, who himself abandoned a playing career after realising he was not good enough and spent 10 years running a cleaning company.
"It just felt right but it was not because of me, I don't know where it came from."
After winning, the Zambian team held up banners remembering their side who died in an air crash following a stopover in Gabon on the way to a World Cup qualifier in Senegal in 1993.
It was the sort of fairytale which simply could not happen in the big-money world of European club football and may help the Nations Cup to gain new appeal.
The tournament was once regarded as an exotic sideshow associated with the old cliches about colourful fans, tactically naive teams and voodoo on the pitch.
Around 10 years ago, with the influx of African players to Europe, it suddenly found itself being taken seriously, so much so that European club coaches complained at having to release their players.
As European interest grew, a new reality struck. The football was often dull and defensive and, although the fans were colourful, there were not many of them with most games played in empty stadiums.
Chaotic organisation and controversial refereeing, particularly in Egypt in 2006, further lowered the outside world's perception.
It reached a possible low point two years ago in Angola when Togo pulled out of the tournament after two members of their delegation were killed in an ambush on the team bus in the province of Cabinda.
Although the tournament went on, the football was poor and attendances dismal while the outrageous prices, chaotic transport and visa restrictions which barred many would-be visitors all left a sour taste in the mouth.
SMOOTH TOURNAMENT
For 2012, oil-rich co-hosts Gabon and Equatorial Guinea produced impressive infrastructure, although nagging worries over visas and hotels persisted until the last minute for many visitors.
However, once the tournament started, things ran impressively smoothly with a notable absence of heavy-handed security.
Despite the absence of big guns Nigeria, Cameroon and Egypt, the competition threw up the drama which had been palpably missing from previous editions.
There was the astonishing progress of Equatorial Guinea, ranked 151st in the world, to the quarter-finals, thanks to a stunning injury-time win over Senegal with a goal from Spanish fourth-division amateur David Alvarez.
Gabon also surpassed expectations, reaching the last eight even more dramatically by beating Morocco 3-2 with a 95th-minute free kick.
They produced arguably the player of the tournament in striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, although the Mohican-haired player's tournament ended in tears when he missed the decisive penalty in the quarter-final shootout defeat against Mali.
That produced more moving scenes as the inconsolable, 23-year-old was comforted by his father, himself a former Gabon player.
Didier Drogba's two missed penalties for Ivory Coast, one in the final and one in the quarter-finals, and a first-round exit for a heavily-fancied Senegal team added to the overall drama.
The big disappointment was the failure to fill stadiums, with many games played in half-empty arenas.
Fortunately, the organised supporters groups who did turn up banged drums and played trumpets, rather than blowing vuvuzelas proving that the dreaded plastic horns, which provided the monotonous backdrop for South Africa in 2010, have failed to catch on elsewhere in the continent.
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Sunday, 19 February 2012
- 00:40The 28-year-old is unsure about his future with his country and says defeat at the Africa Cup of Nations has made him even more determined to win the Premier League
Saturday, 18 February 2012
- 23:45The Ivory Coast international has struck back after the Manchester United striker poked fun at the 28-year-old following his country's Africa Cup of Nations final defeat to Zambia
- 16:07The Al Ain forward claims that it is due to pressure from having missed another crucial penalty for the Black Stars at the 2012 Afcon
Friday, 17 February 2012
- 22:15The administration-hit club's attempt to re-sign the striker has been blocked by the league, after an amendment to his contract stalled the completion of the deal
- 13:13The beleaguered Portuguese boss also spoke of the much talked about clear-the-air meeting he held earlier in the week with his players
Thursday, 16 February 2012
- 23:51Coach Eric Gerets is said to have lost his patience with the winger and his lack of professionalism, with the QPR player set for an exile from international football
- 23:32The Al Ain star has apologised for missing a penalty at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations that hindered the Black Stars’ progress in the competition
- 16:43The former outcasts will make a return to Stephen Keshi’s squad in his first competitive game in charge of the team as the Wigan forward is expected to earn his debut
- 00:30The African country's top division could soon get underway but clubs will have to play their matches in empty stadiums at first as a precaution
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
- 13:04The World Cup winners continue to lead the way as Joachim Low's side dislodge the Dutch from second despite a month of inactivity and Zambia climb 28 places
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
- 21:27The midfielder has been accused of picking a quarrel with some senior players by local media, but he has denied it outright
- 21:22The west African body hails the region's teams that gave a good account of themselves at the recently concluded competition in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea
- 15:41The Chipolopolo were given a fantastic welcome on return to their country at the beginning of the week, as well as €45,058 each
- 13:38The continental showpiece has been entertaining throughout, with a number of beautiful goals scored by stars of the African game
 | Organisers of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations must choose which of the country's many sporting facilities will be used for the tournament. |
Fixtures and results for this year's tournament.
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Drogba's pain at Nations Cup loss Ivorian captain on Zambia defeat
Magic moments BBC Sport's reporters give their 2012 Nations Cup highlights
Zambia shoot up Fifa rankings African champions back in global top 50
Hunting Zebras Botswana have 'no national team', says coach Tshosane
Didier Drogba admits 'hardest season' for Chelsea
The Ivorian striker believes the current campaign has been his toughest during his time at Stamford Bridge and has defended boss Andre Villas-Boas
Getty Images
The Blues sit 5th in the Premier League, 17 points from top spot, and have been largely disappointing under new boss Andre Villas-Boas, despite remaining in both the FA Cup and Champions League"It is the hardest season I've known here," Drogba told reporters.
"The players and fans are used to being in the first two or three but this is different."
"You know how it is when you come with a lot of ambition and it doesn't go the way you want, it's difficult.”
The pressure has been mounting on the Chelsea boss, who arrived from Porto in the summer, but Drogba was quick to support his manager.
"It's not easy for him [Villas-Boas] but he's not the only one who is responsible, we all are."
Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Birmingham on Saturday means they face a replay at St Andrew's and their next fixture sees them up against Napoli in the Champions League.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
SOCCER AFRICA: Herve Renard side win the 2012 Africa Cup of Natio...
SOCCER AFRICA: Herve Renard side win the 2012 Africa Cup of Natio...: Drogba ghosts return as Zambia win shootout 12 Feb 2012: Ivory Coast's captain Didier Drogba with Yaya Toure Didier Drogba's ...
Herve Renard side win the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in dramatic penalty shoot-out
| Drogba ghosts return as Zambia win shootout | |
 Ivory Coast's captain Didier Drogba with Yaya Toure |
Stoppila Sunzu converted the winning penalty after three successive efforts had been missed in a long and nervy shootout that totalled 18 kicks.
But the goalless match might not have had to go to the shootout had Drogba not ballooned a 70th-minute penalty well wide to deny his team victory inside 90 minutes, repeating his miss in the 2006 final which the Ivorians lost to Egypt.
The loss was another near miss for the Ivorian's golden generation, who had been expected to win African football's top prize at the last four editions but failed every time.
Two of their English Premier League players - Kolo Toure and Gervinho - missed kicks in the shootout.
Zambia, who had gone into the game as underdogs, won over the 40,000 crowd in the Friendship Stadium in the Gabon capital with their positive play against a surprisingly timid Ivorian side who failed to take the initiative in the game.
After winning, the Zambian team held up banners remembering their side that diedin a air crash not far from the stadium in 1993 and whose memory they had honoured on the eve of the game.
At times, Zambia showed complete disdain for their star-studded opponents, with showy tricks on the ball and some clever routines although they also lived dangerously in defence.
Yaya Toure and substitute Max Gradel both went narrowly wide for the Ivorians but it was Drogba who could have been the hero after Isaac Chansa had pushed down Gervinho in the penalty area in the 70th minute and the Senegal referee Badara Diatta bravely awarded a penalty.
But Drogba hit his shot well over and then seemed to sink into a sulk for the rest of the game.
He was brave enough, however, to take the fifth penalty for the Ivorians in the shootout. The first 14 kicks were successfully converted before a reluctant Kolo Toure had his shot saved at 7-7 but Rainford Kalaba then missed for Zambia.
Gervinho, who also did not want to take a kick, then missed before Sunzu won the cup for Zambia, who had suffered two previous defeats in the 1974 and 1994 finals.
It was the seventh Nations Cup final to be decided on penalties.
 Zambia's players celebrate their victory |
Zambia's head coach Herve Renard
 | | Zambia win their first Africa Cup of Nations title by beating tournament favourites Ivory Coast in a dramatic penalty shoot-out. |
Sunday, 12 February 2012
- 23:23Goal.com rates the players on show as Herve Renard side win the 2012 Africa Cup on Nations in dramatic penalty shoot-out
- 22:49The Copper Bullets have honoured the memory of their fallen 1993 team in the best way possible by winning their first ever continental title
- 15:09The 51-year-old believes the opportune time has come for an Ivorian 'golden generation' which has failed several times to make amends by winning the continental prize
- 14:12The Chipolopolo shot-stopper is not fazed by his impending showdown with one of Africa's best attackers as he prepares for the tournament's showpiece event on Sunday
- As the final two left standing in the Cup of Nations get ready to face each other in Libreville on Sunday night, Goal.com looks at the battles that might help determine the victor
A pictorial journey through the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
Zambia captain Christopher Katongo promoted in the army due to his Afcon performances
'Greatest moment' Zambia captain hails side's path to Sunday's Nations Cup final
Charitable move Caf will give $150,000 to the families of the Port Said tragedy
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12:43
Everton's Phil Neville praises Steven Pienaar and Denis Stracqualursi after both net against Chelsea
Toffees' captain has praised the returning South African and the Argentine striker, both of whom bagged a goal in an impressive 2-0 victory over Andre Villas-Boas' side
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