AFRICA CUP 2017 QUALIFIERS - this weekend

Seeded sides set for winning starts.

13 Jun 2015
STARS IN EUROPE - MOROCCO - CLUB - Taarabt leaves QPR for Benfica

Adel Taarabt has left Queens Park Rangers and signed for Portuguese side Benfica .

13 Jun 2015
RISING STARS - CONGO DR - Lukoki set for emotional return to birthplace

Jody Lukoki was just 12 months old when his family left Congo DR.

13 Jun 2015
U-20 WORLD CUP 2015 - Nigeria knocked out of tournament

Nigeria exit the Fifa Under-20 World Cup at the Round of 16 stage.

12 Jun 2015
U-20 WORLD CUP 2015 - Mali and Senegal reach quarter-finals

Mali stunned Ghana, while Senegal beat Ukraine on penalties.

11 Jun 2015
STARS IN EUROPE - GHANA - CLUB - Swansea sign Andre Ayew

Swansea City sign Ghana forward on four-year deal.

11 Jun 2015
NATIONAL TEAM - LIBERIA - George Weah junior gets call-up for 2017 qualifier

George Weah's son has been named in Liberia's squad.

10 Jun 2015
NATIONAL TEAM - NIGERIA - STARS IN EUROPE - Enyeama

Nigeria captain Vincent Enyeama hopes to bow out on a high.

9 Jun 2015

PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2016 - Riyad Mahrez is named Africa's best player

Riyad Mahrez

 

Leicester forward Riyad Mahrez has won the Confederation of African Football's player of the year award.

The 25-year-old Algerian, who helped Leicester to the Premier League title, is also the PFA Player of the Year and BBC African Footballer of the Year.

Borussia Dortmund's Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was second and Senegal and Liverpool striker Sadio Mane came third.

"It's never easy to win a big award like that," Mahrez said.

"I'm very happy to win because obviously it was against two big players.

"What happened last season was amazing, we knew it wasn't going to happen again - and it won't happen again I think, for a small team like Leicester," added the first Algerian and North African to win the prestigious individual honour since its inception by Caf in 1992.

Arsenal and Nigeria forward Alex Iwobi, 20, won the young player award.

Countryman and Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho, 20, won the most promising talent award.

South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango, 31, was named Africa-based player of the year.

Nigeria forward Asisat Oshoala, 22, was named female player of the year.

It was Oshoala's second title after winning in 2014 in Lagos. 

And it was double delight for her as the Super Falcons were adjudged Women's National Team of the Year following their record-extending eighth title at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon in December 2016.

Two more awards came the way of Sundowns, who were named club of the year with Pitso Mosimane winning coach of the year.

Uganda's qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations after a 39-year wait was recognised with the national Team of the year award.

Gambian official Bakary Papa Gassama was named referee of the year for the third time in a row.

Manuel Lopes Nascimento, president of Guinea Bissau Football Federation was named football leader of the year - his country qualified for their first major continental championship by reaching the Nations Cup in Gabon.

Ivorian striker Laurent Pokou, who died in November, was post-humously recognised with the African Legend award, together with Cameroonian Emilienne Mbango, one of the pioneers of women's football on the continent.

The Platinium Award went to President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari.

 

 

9 Jan 2017
(BBC Sport UK)

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