2014 WORLD CUP - ARGENTINA - KEY PLAYER - ‪LIONEL MESSI - PROFILE

Lionel Andrés Messi; born 24 June 1987, is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He serves as the captain of his country's national football team.

By the age of 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year, in 2009, he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. 

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - USA - KEY PLAYER - ‪JERMAINE JONES - PROFILE

Jermaine Junior Jones, born 3 November 1981, is a German-American footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Turkish club Beşiktaş. He has previously played for Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, Blackburn Rovers and Schalke 04. He was born in Germany and represented them at U21 and senior level.

1 Jul 2014
NATIONAL TEAM - NIGERIA - COACH - STEPHEN KESHI RESIGNS AFTER EXIT

He becomes the sixth manager to leave his job during the World Cup, following the departures of Honduras's Luis Suarez, Iran's Carlos Queiroz, Japan's Alberto Zaccheroni, Italy's Cesare Prandelli and Ivory Coast's Sabri Lamouchi.

Keshi, who captained Nigeria at the 1994 World Cup finals, was previously in charge of Mali and Togo.

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - LAST SIXTEEN - FRANCE vs NIGERIA 2:0

LAST SIXTEEN
30th June 2014

France vs Nigeria 2:0

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - LAST SIXTEEN - GERMANY vs ALGERIA 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
30th June 2014

Germany vs Algeria 2:1

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - GERMANY - KEY PLAYER - THOMAS MUELLER‬ - PROFILE

Müller's role can be described as an attacking all-rounder, a player able to play in a variety of forward positions. He can play in any of the attacking midfield roles but usually plays in the center for Bayern Munich, and on the right for Germany.

He has been used as an out-and-out striker on occasion. Müller has been praised for his maturity, pace, technique, awareness and positioning.

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - FRANCE - KEY PLAYER - ‪KARIM BENZEMA - PROFILE

He has been named French Player of the Year twice for his performances in 2011 and 2012. Benzema is a former French youth international and has represented his nation from under-17 level onwards. 

Benzema has earned over 65 caps and represented France at three major international tournaments; the 2008 and 2012 editions of the UEFA European Football Championship and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

30 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 17 - LAST SIXTEEN - NETHERLANDS VS MEXICO 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
29th June 2014

Netherlands vs Mexico 2:1

Lucky dutchmen!

29 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 17 - LAST SIXTEEN - COSTA RICA VS GREECE 5:4 - win on penalties

LAST SIXTEEN
29th June 2014

Costa Rica vs Greece 5:4

Costa Rica through on penalties.

29 Jun 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - MEXICO - KEY PLAYER - ‪Giovani dos Santos‬ - PROFILE

Giovani dos Santos‬ was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Giovani joined FC Barcelona's academy of La Masia at the age of eleven and played for Barcelona's Juvenil A category where he helped his team to make a comeback in the league and win the regional title. 

This title allowed them to participate in the Youth Copa del Rey, where they faced other regional champions, among them their historic arch-rivals, Real Madrid. 

29 Jun 2014

2015 AFRICA CUP - CAF REVEALS SEEDING FOR DRAW

AFRICA CUP 2015 AFRICA CUP 2015 QUALIFIERS

The Confederation of African Football divided the 16 teams for the 17 January to 8 February finals into four pots.

Seedings were established by the teams' performances in the last three editions of the tournament and the qualifiers over the same period.

Also taken in to account were results in 2014 World Cup qualifying.

The draw, which will determine four groups made up of one team from each pot.

Ghana and Ivory Coast are the other top-ranked sides.

While 2013 runners-up Burkina Faso have been placed in the second group of teams.


CAF’S NATIONS CUP RANKINGS

Ghana go into the tournament as the top-ranked team on 48 points, while DR Congo have the lowest points tally on 18.

It means Burkina Faso could be placed in a group with Zambia, as they were in the last edition when the sides played out a 1:1 draw in their group meeting.

Algeria, who are the top-ranked side on Fifa's global list, have also been placed in pot two, so they, too, will face one of the top seeds.

Last time out the Desert Foxes finished bottom of a group that included Ivory Coast.

But they go into next year's tournament full of confidence after finishing top of their group in qualifying, continuing their form that earned their best result at a World Cup when they reached the last-16 in Brazil in the summer.

Equatorial Guinea stepped in as hosts of the finals after CAF rejected a request from original hosts Morocco to postpone the tournament because of the country's fears over the potential spread of Ebola.

As a result, Equatorial Guinea were reinstated in the competition, despite have been eliminated in qualifying after being penalised for fielding an ineligible player.


2015 AFRICA CUP SEEDINGS

Pot 1: 
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
GHANA
IVORY COAST
ZAMBIA

Pot 2: 
BURKINA FASO
MALI
TUNISIA
ALGERIA

Pot 3: 
CAPE VERDE
SOUTH AFRICA
CAMEROON
GABON

Pot 4: 
GUINEA
SENEGAL
DR CONGO
CONGO

 

 

2 Dec 2014
(BBC Sport UK)

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