2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 1ST MATCHES - PREVIEW - Saturday's matches

Champions Nigeria begin the defence of their Africa Cup of Nations title by hosting Congo-Brazzaville in Calabar in one of 11 qualifiers on Saturday.

5 Sep 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 1ST MATCHES - PREVIEW - the qualifying begins

The group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers begins on Friday as 28 countries chase 15 places at January's finals, hoping to join hosts Morocco.

4 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - GAMBIA - Swansea City sign striker Modou Barrow from Ostersunds

Gambian-born Barrow moved to Sweden as a youngster and scored 10 goals in 19 appearances for Ostersunds last season.

2 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - MOROCCO - Aston Villa's El Ahmadi joins Feyenoord

Transfer deadline dayThe 29-year-old played for the Dutch club between 2008-2012, spending the first half of 2011 on loan at United Arab Emirates side Al Ahli.

2 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - IVORY COAST - WEST HAM SIGN BARCA'S SONG ON LOAN

Alex Song on a season-long loan. - "It was a very hard decision when you have options of a lot of clubs who are playing in the Champions League, but at the end of the day I chose West Ham because I wanted to come to the Premier League."

2 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - GHANA - Waris join Trabzonspor

The Ghana international, who played at the World Cup in Brazil, spent the second half of last season on loan at French side Valenciennes, where he scored nine goals in 16 games.

2 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - IVORY COAST - Ex-Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou joins Hertha Berlin

Kalou, scored 23 goals in 67 appearances for Ivory Coast - He has proved his class in the Premier League, Champions League and with his national team. 

1 Sep 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 Sep 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - Sierra Leone - 1ST MATCHES - PREVIEW

Sierra Leone move tie with DR Congo to Lubumbashi - because of the ebola outbreak.

31 Aug 2014

STARS IN EUROPE - BURKINA FASO - CLUB - TRANSFER - Bakary Kone joins Strasbourg on loan

RC Strasbourg Bakary KoneEmbed from Getty Images

 

Burkina Faso defender Bakary Kone previously played in France for Guingamp and Lyon.

Burkina Faso international defender Bakary Kone has joined newly-promoted French club Strasbourg on a season-long loan from Spanish side Malaga.

The 29-year-old is making a swift return to France after a season in Spain, where he only made seven appearances for Malaga.

A French Cup winner in 2009 with Guingamp and 2012 with Lyon, Kone played 89 matches in Ligue 1 and scored six goals with Lyon between 2011 and 2016.

"It feels good to return to France and I'm ready to give everything to defend the colours of Strasbourg," Kone told the club's official twitter account.

Strasbourg manager Thierry Laurey is delighted with the 2017 French Ligue 2 champions' signing of the Stallion.

"We've been searching for an experienced and dynamic defender like this for a while, so I'm pleased with Kone's arrival," Laurey said.

Kone is expected to join his new club after Burkina Faso's back-to-back 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Senegal next month.

Born in Ouagadougou, Kone began his career at Étoile Filante before moving to France to join Guingamp in 2006.

He has made 62 appearances for his country - scoring twice, and his last game for the Stallions was the third place play-off against Ghana at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.

Kone has played in five consecutive Nations Cups in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017.

 

27 Aug 2017
(BBC Sport by Oluwashina Okeleji)

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