2015 AFRICA CUP - CAF - EBOLA AND NATIONS CUP - SOUTH AFRICA RULE OUT BEING 2015 HOSTS

South African sports minister Fikile Mbalula has stated the country will not step in as hosts for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations if Morocco withdraws.

20 Oct 2014
NIGERIA - COACH - ENYEAMA 'SHOCKED' BY TIMING OF KESHI'S REMOVAL

Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama expressed his surprise that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) decided to replace coach Stephen Keshi barely a month before the side's final two African Nations Cup qualifiers.

18 Oct 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 4TH MATCHES - ALGERIA AND CAPE VERDE QUALIFY

Algeria and Cape Verde became the first teams to qualify for January's Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.

18 Oct 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP - CAF - SOUNDS OUT ALTERNATIVE HOST OPTIONS

The Confederation of African Football has approached Ghana and South Africa about hosting the 2015 Nations Cup.

17 Oct 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 4TH MATCHES - ALL RESULTS

Cameroon on verge of qualification - Cameroon took a huge step towards qualification with a 2:0 victory over Sierra Leone on Wednesday.

16 Oct 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 4TH MATCHES - PREVIEW

Algeria will qualify, if they beat Malawi today, while wins for Cameroon and South Africa will put them within touching distance.

15 Oct 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - ZAMBIA - GROUP STAGE - 4TH MATCHES - KATONGO THROWN OUT OF SQUAD

The former BBC African Footballer of the Year was captain in 2012 when Zambia caused an upset to win the Nations Cup in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

14 Oct 2014

AFRICAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2014 - GROUP STAGE - 6TH MATCHES - PREVIEW

AFRICAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2014

GROUP A
• Al Hilal vs Zamalek -:- 
• AS Vita Club vs TP Mazembe -:-
GROUP B
 CS Sfaxien vs Entente Setif -:-
• Esperance vs Al Ahli -:-

 

Congolese club TP Mazembe and Tunisians CS Sfaxien need one point each this weekend to top the Champions League groups and avoid each other in the semi-finals.

Each side has 10 points and a plus-three goal difference from five mini-league outings and both tackle their nearest rivals and fellow last-four qualifiers during the final round of group matches.

TP Mazembe are away to fellow Congolese side AS Vita Club in Kinshasa having won the first meeting 1:0 through a goal from Tanzanian Mbwana Samata in Lubumbashi.

Security will be a major concern ahead of the derby as 15 spectators were crushed to death three months ago when the clubs last met in the capital city.

Sfaxien hold a one-point advantage over Algerian visitors Entente Setif, the only unbeaten team left this season in the premier African club competition.

The Tunisians will be particularly wary of Setif marksman El-Hedi Belameiri, the joint leading Champions League scorer this year with six goals.

One of those goals came when the clubs clashed in May with Ali Maaloul levelling for Sfaxien in first-half stoppage time to force a 1:1 stalemate.

Draws will suffice four-time African champions Mazembe and 2006 Champions League runners-up Sfaxien for different reasons.

Mazembe would finish level on 11 points with Vita, but stay top on head-to-head records having won narrowly at home.

Sfaxien would finish one point above Setif, who have won five qualifying and group games and drawn the other four.

Another similarity between Mazembe and Sfaxien is that they are guided by coaches hoping to become the second from France to win the African Champions League.

Bertrand Marchand succeeded with Etoile Sahel seven seasons ago, guiding the Tunisians to a stunning 3:1 away triumph over hotly-fancied Egyptians Al Ahly after a goalless first leg.

Philippe Troussier, popularly known in Africa as the 'white witchdoctor', succeeded out-of-contract Hamadi Daou at Sfaxien after the third round of matches and delivered instant success.

A Mohamed Ali Moncer goal brought victory over fellow Tunisians Esperance and Ferjani Sassi was the match-winner against Libyans Al Ahli Benghazi in another solitary-goal success.

Mazembe are coached by Patrice Carteron, who joined the southern Congolese club after taking Mali to third place at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

He came tantalisingly close to African club glory last year with Mazembe as Sfaxien scored in the final minute of the second leg to win the second-tier Confederation Cup.

Only pride is at stake in the other two weekend fixtures between Sudanese Al Hilal and Egyptians Zamalek in Omdurman and Esperance and Benghazi in Tunis.

Khaled Ben Yahia will become the third coach in six group games for Esperance with two losses each costing Dutchman Ruud Krol and Frenchman Sebastien Desabre their jobs.

23 Aug 2014
(BBC Sport UK)

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