2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - GABON - 5TH MATCHES - PREVIEW

Gabon's Aubameyang to miss qualifier.

14 Nov 2014
2014 AFRICAN FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR - SHORTLIST REVEALED

The five-man shortlist for the BBC African Footballer of the Year 2014 has been revealed.

13 Nov 2014
NATIONAL TEAM - GHANA - COACH - AVRAM GRANT IN NEGOTIATIONS

The Black Stars have been without a coach since Appiah left the job after the opening two 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and was replaced by Maxwell Konadu on a temporary basis.

13 Nov 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - IVORY COAST - 5TH MATCHES - PREVIEW

Ivory Coast coach Herve Renard has recalled veterans Kolo Toure and Didier Zokora to his squad for the final 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Neither defender has featured for the Elephants in the 2015 qualifiers so far.

11 Nov 2014
2014 African Footballer of the Year - BBC list to be named

On the morning of 10 November, the BBC will unveil the five names in the running for the 2014 prize. The public will then be able to vote online via the BBC Sport pages and via text.

9 Nov 2014
AFRICAN FUTURE FOOTBALL STARS - RISING STARS

On monday the shortlist for the BBC African Footballer of the year 2014 will be revealed. While those five names will be established superstars from the continent, there are also a number of excellent young players coming through the ranks - emerging talent who themselves may soon compete for the title.

9 Nov 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP - MOROCCO FAILS TO MEET DEADLINE

Morocco have failed to meet the deadline to confirm it will host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in January.

8 Nov 2014

AFRICAN CONFEDERATION CUP 2014 - SEMI FINALS - 2ND LEG - PREVIEW

AFRICAN CONFEDERATION CUP 2014

Semi-finals second legs
• 27.09.2014: AC Leopards vs Sewe Sports -:- (Agg: 0:1) 
• 28.09.2014: Al Ahly vs Coton -:- (Agg: 1:0)

The Cairo 'Red Devils' have home advantage and a 1:0 lead over Cameroonians Coton Sport going into the second leg of their semi-final this weekend.

A goal by diminutive midfielder Walid Soliman put Ahly in a powerful position against opponents they have constantly had the edge over.

Ahly defeated Coton 4:2 on aggregate in the 2008 Champions League final and on penalties last year in a semi-final of the same competition.

While Egypt are the dominant African club force with 31 titles - including a record 18 won by Ahly - the furthest they have gone in the Confederation Cup is the semi-finals.

Unfashionable Cairo outfit ENPPI reached the last four in 2009 before losing 6:4 overall to eventual title winners Malians Stade Malien.

Ahly, demoted to the second-tier Confederation Cup after losing a Champions League final-round qualifier, have made steady rather than spectacular progress to the semi-finals.

A win and a defeat against Zambians Nkana, a win and a draw against Ivorians Sewe Sport and two draws with Tunisians Etoile Sahel earned top spot in Group B.

Lack of goals has been the chief headache for Spanish coach Juan Carlos Garrido with only eight in nine games and no marksman managing more than two.

Some comfort for Coton is an unbeaten away Cup record this season with a win at Ivorians Asec Mimosas and draws with Angolans Petro Atletico, Congolese AC Leopards and Malians Real Bamako.

They also boast a consistent scorer in five-goal Niger star Daouda Kamilou, a survivor of the losing 2008 final team.

The other second leg is harder to call after first-time semi-finalists Sewe Sport established a slender 1:0 home lead over 2012 Confederation Cup winners AC Leopards.

Christian Kouame scored after a goalmouth scramble 12 minutes into the second half at the palm tree-lined Stade Robert Champroux in Abidjan.

It is a slight advantage, but Sewe have won two and drawn one of four away games en route to the semi-finals and conceded just two goals in 360 minutes.

Behind a solid defence Sewe have Sylvain Gbohouo, one of the three Ivory Coast goalkeepers at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Leopards have been erratic lately, hammering four goals past Coton and past ASEC and then firing a blank against Sewe.

The biggest Congolese threats are likely to be teenager Kader Bidimbou and Cesaire Gandze, who have bagged 11 Confederation Cup goals between them.

Whichever sides advance to the final will have a long wait with the first leg scheduled only for the last weekend in November due to fixture congestion.

 

26 Sep 2014
(BBC Sport UK)

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