stars in Europe - Uche not angry at Nigeria World Cup snub

The Villarreal striker was not picked by Keshi, despite scoring 12 goals in the Spanish top flight this season. Uche has not played for his country since they won the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa last year. The 30-year-old insists, however, that he holds no grudges against Keshi. "Of course as a professional footballer you'd love to represent your country, but I have never had bad words towards the national coach," Uche is widely regarded as one of Nigeria's most reliable strikers at international level and is one of his nation's all-time top scorers, with 18 goals in 45 appearances, behind Rashidi Yekini, Segun Odegbami and Yakubu Aiyegbeni. 

10 May 2014
2014 World Cup - squad - Shola Ameobi in provisional Nigeria squad

Stoke striker Peter Odemwingie and Newcastle forward Shola Ameobi are in Nigeria's provisional 30-man World Cup squad for Brazil 2014.

7 May 2014
stars in Europe - Wilfried Bony - Ivory Coast striker happy at Swansea City

The Ivorian has scored 24 goals in all competitions since joining the Swans from Vitesse Arnhem for a club-record fee of £12m last summer. Bony, 25, has been the bright spot in a disappointing Premier League season. 

4 May 2014
NATIONAL TEAM - MOROCCO - COACH - former player Badou Zaki confirmed as new coach

Zaki takes charge of the Atlas Lions for the second time in his career.

3 May 2014
club - coaches - Youssef resigns as Al Ahly coach

Al Ahly has accepted the resignation of coach Mohamed Youssef on Thursday. Youssef had been in charge of Al Ahly since May last year following the resignation Hossam El Badry.

2 May 2014
African Champions League 2014 - DR Congo rivals drawn together

TP Mazemebe, runners-up in last year's Confederation Cup, and AS Vita Club are fierce rivals

30 Apr 2014
African Confederation Cup 2014: play offs - 2nd leg - fixtures & results

Fixtures and results for the 2014 Confed Cup.
2013 champions: CS Sfaxien (Tunisia)

Winners advance to group stage

29 Apr 2014

2014 World Cup - warm up - Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Ivory Coast 2:1

Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure has contracted malaria and missed the 2:1 defeat by Bosnia-Herzegovina in a world Cup Warm-up on Saturday.

Toure, 33, was taken ill on a flight to the United States on Wednesday, but is expected to be fit for the finals. "He did not participate in the match against Bosnia but will return early next week," said professor Cyrille Dah, head of the team's medical staff.

Yaya Toure also missed the friendly in St Louis with a muscle problem. Kolo Toure contracted the illness in the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan before meeting up with his national squad at their training camp in Dallas.

Dah added that the Liverpool defender had undergone treatment which ended on Friday. Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure, 31, has been undergoing treatment in Doha and is expected to join the Elephants' squad in America on Saturday. The pair's absence was felt by the Elephants, who fell to a double strike by Edin Dzeko.

The Manchester City striker scored once in each half to give Bosnia a 2:0 lead before Didier Drogba scored a late consolation goal for Ivory Coast. 

Dzeko, Bosnia's all-time leading international scorer, gave the eastern Europeans the lead after just 17 minutes when he rifled a shot into the back of the net from just inside the box. 

He scored again in the 53rd minute, controlling Miralem Pjanic's cross with his first touch and volleying the ball into the net with his second.

Ivory Coast created some good opportunities and were finally rewarded with a goal in the last minute when Drogba, playing in his 100th international, was brought down by Anel Hadzic.

Already his country's most prolific scorer, Drogba chalked up his 64th international goal when he scored from a free-kick. Both teams will participate at the tournament in Brazil.

Bosnia play Mexico in a friendly in Chicago on Tuesday before flying to Brazil to finish off their preparations for the World Cup, where they are drawn in Group F with Argentina, Iran and Nigeria.

Ivory Coast's next warm-up match is against El Salvador in Dallas next Wednesday. The Africans are in Group C, along with Colombia, Greece and Japan.

 

31 May 2014
(BBC Sport UK)

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