NATIONAL TEAM - ZAMBIA - COACH - Beaumelle steps down

He looks set to join up once again with Herve Renard, who was appointed coach of Ivory Coast last week.

6 Aug 2014
NATIONAL TEAM - KENYA - COACH - Williamson appointed as new coach

Williamson replaces Adel Amrouche, who departed after Kenya's shock elimination from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The Harambee Stars were knocked out 1:0 on aggregate by Lesotho on Sunday.

6 Aug 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERs - 2ND ROUND- 2ND LEG - ALL RESULTS

• Malawi vs Benin 1:0 (0:1)
• Rwanda vs Congo 2:0 (0:2)
• Guinea-Bissau vs Botswana 1:1 (0:2)
Sunday:
• Mozambique vs Tanzania 2:1 (2:2)
• Kenya vs Lesotho 0:0 (0:1)
• Mauritania vs Uganda 0:1 (0:2)

4 Aug 2014
NATIONAL TEAM - NIGERIA - COACH - Stephen Keshi close to new deal

The 52-year-old led Nigeria to their third African title in 2013 and the last 16 at the World Cup in Brazil but his deal was allowed to expire.

4 Aug 2014
COACHES - IVORY COAST - Herve Renard appointed Ivory Coast boss

Frenchman Herve Renard has been appointed coach of Ivory Coast. The 45-year-old had two spells as Zambia coach and led them to the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2012.

3 Aug 2014
TRANSFER - Nigeria - Striker Imoh Ezekiel joins Qatari side Al-Arabi SC

"Being with Standard has filled me with good memories and I cannot thank the club enough," Ezekiel said in an emotional video message to Standard TV.

3 Aug 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIER - 2ND ROUND- 2ND LEG - RESULTS SO FAR

Saturday
Malawi vs Benin 1:0 (Agg: 1:1)
Rwanda vs Congo 2:0 (Agg 2:2)
Guinea-Bissau vs Botswana 1:1 (Agg: 1:3)

2 Aug 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIER - 2ND ROUND- 2ND LEG - PREVIEW

Saturday:
• Malawi vs Benin -:- (0:1)
• Rwanda vs Congo -:- (0:2)
• Guinea-Bissau vs Botswana -:- (0:2)
• Mauritania vs Uganda -:- (0:2)
Sunday:
• Mozambique vs Tanzania -:- (2:2)
• Kenya vs Lesotho -:- (0:1)

1 Aug 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - TOGO - 1ST MATCHES - PREVIEW - Emmanuel Adebayor

The Tottenham Hotspur striker, 30, refused call-ups for World Cup qualifiers last year following a spat with then coach Didier Six after the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

1 Aug 2014
TRANSFER - ALGERIA - GOALKEEPER Rais Mbolhi joins Philadelphia Union

The French-born 28-year-old impressed during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where Algeria reached the last 16.

The African side were beaten 2:1 by Germany after extra-time but Mbolhi was named man of the match following a series of fine saves.

31 Jul 2014

2015 AFRICA CUP - EQUATORIAL GUINEA - PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY

AFRICA CUP 2015

Mongomo, the hometown of Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang, along with Ebebeyin, Bata and Malabo are set to host the finals.

Equatorial Guinea agreed to organise the tournament last month at the request of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

CAF took the finals away from Morocco, who had demanded a delay due to their fears over Ebola.

The stadiums in Malabo and Bata were both used as venues when Equatorial Guinea co-hosted the 2012 Nations Cup with Gabon.

However work needs to be done on the grounds in both Ebebeyin and Mongomo.

"The turf for Mongomo and Ebebeyin stadiums is going to be brought by plane from Europe," one of the supervisors told the BBC.

Work also needs to be done on the stadium structure and other facilities, but all those involved in the preparations are confident the work will be completed in time.

"Time is a big challenge but the good thing is that it's not new for us to work against time," said Francisca Obiang Jimenez, the president of the Office of National Projects, who was there supervising the works.

"We have built almost an entire city, Sipopo, in about two years and we've also built a highway.

"Everybody was expecting that that would finish four years from now but we finished it on time, so I don't think there will be much problem with the stadiums."

The new highway means you can travel from Bata, on the coast, to Mongomo, located near the eastern border with Gabon, in around two hours.

While the stadiums look set to be ready in time, having enough accommodation could be a challenge for the organisers in both Mongomo and Ebebeyin.

Ebebeyin has only one large hotel of international standards.

"We have hotels and we have also some social houses that we've finished building and have not given to anybody yet," Ms Obiang Jimenez told us.

"So we are furnishing them in case we find ourselves with not enough rooms but, according to what the CAF said, we have more than enough."

The government and organisers are also taking measures against the possibility of the deadly Ebola virus getting into the country.

All passengers arriving at Malabo airport from abroad are having their temperature checked.

There was also an Ebola screening exercise at Bata stadium, before a match of the CEMAC (Economic Community of Central African States) Cup, which is currently being staged in Equatorial Guinea.

"During the Cup of Nations, there will be other controls and this kind of protection will be happening further away from the stadium," a local fan, Juan Esono, told us.

A Cameroonian working at the Mongomo stadium told BBC Sport: "I've been checked many times for Ebola when crossing the border near Ebebeyin. 

So I don't think there will be a problem with the virus here."

 

11 Dec 2014
(BBC Africa by Manuel Toledo)

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