U-20 Africa Cup 2017 - Hosts Zambia beat Senegal to win the tournament

Hosts Zambia turned on the style to lift the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.

12 Mar 2017
NATIONAL TEAM - RWANDA - COACH - Antoine Hey appointed head coach

German Antoine Hey has been appointed as the new head coach of Rwanda.

5 Mar 2017
STARS IN EUROPE - NIGERIA - CLUB - Victor Moses signs contract extension to stay at Chelsea until 2021

Moses' most recent goal was in November 2016

2 Mar 2017
NATIONAL TEAM - GHANA - COACH - Maxwell Konadu appointed interim coach

Konadu has been named Ghana caretaker coach for a second spell

1 Mar 2017
FIFA - Infantino says Africa is "a big priority"

Fifa President Infantino met the President of Uganda, Museveni.

27 Feb 2017
STARS IN EUROPE - ALGERIA - CLUB - Bentaleb agrees permanent Schalke move

Nabil Bentaleb has scored five times in 27 appearances for Schalke.

25 Feb 2017
STARS IN ASIA - NIGERIA - CLUB - Ideye moves to China

Brown Ideye has signed a three-year deal at Tianjin Teda.

21 Feb 2017
STARS IN ASIA - CAMEROON - CLUB - Nations Cup star Bassogog moves to China

Cameroon and Nations Cup 2017 star Bassogog moves to China.

20 Feb 2017
STARS IN EUROPE - GHANA - CLUB - Thomas Partey signs new Atletico deal

Thomas Partey has been at Atletico for six years.

17 Feb 2017

FIFA - CANDIDATE Luis Figo pulls out of election

Luís Figo

 

Ex-Portugal midfielder Figo, 42, pulled out on the same day as Van Pragg, 67, to leave Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan as Blatter's only rival.

Blatter is favourite to win a fifth term as president and Figo said: "This process is anything but an election.

"This process is a plebiscite for the delivery of absolute power to one man - something I refuse to go along with."

Each of Fifa's 209 member associations have a vote in the election and Van Praag, who is president of the Dutch football federation, says he will now support Prince Ali.

The English Football Association also intend to support Prince Ali, while the Scottish FA had previously said they would back Van Praag.

The Dutchman held a joint news conference with Prince Ali in Amsterdam on Thursday, urging his supporters to get behind the Jordanian to unseat Blatter.

"Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein convincingly demonstrated that at this moment in time he is the candidate who has the biggest chance to challenge Sepp Blatter," Van Praag said.

"It is impossible that Fifa moves on with its current presidency," he added.

Figo also highlighted the need for change in his withdrawal statement.

"I travelled and met extraordinary people who, though they recognized the value of much that had been done, also concurred with the need for change, one that cleans up Fifa's reputation as an obscure organization that is so often viewed as a place of corruption," he said.

"I have seen with my own eyes federation presidents who, after one day comparing Fifa leaders to the devil, then go on stage and compare those same people with Jesus Christ. 

Nobody told me about this. 

I saw it with my own eyes."

He also questioned an election process in which a main candidate - Blatter - had not produced a manifesto "so that federation presidents know what they're voting for".

Figo added: "There has not been a single public debate about each candidate's proposals."

The latest withdrawal comes after another presidential candidate, Frenchman Jerome Champagne, a former Fifa deputy general secretary, pulled out in February.

Former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder David Ginola, backed by a betting company, originally announced his intention to stand against Blatter in January, but withdrew two weeks later.

The vote will be held in Zurich at Fifa's annual congress and requires the winning candidate to secure a two-thirds majority in the first round of voting.

If subsequent rounds are required then a simple majority is all that is required for victory.

 

 

22 May 2015
(BBC Sport UK)

Related articles