NATIONAL TEAM - SWITZERLAND - 2014 WORLD CUP - Goodbye, Ottmar Hitzfeld. All the best and take care.

Hitzfeld has made a positive impression wherever he has been stationed and his name is still regularly chanted in the stands at Bayern Munich.

“He put together a really good team that will last for many years to come,” Granit Xhaka told FIFA.com, before Josip Drmic added: “He’s done a great job.” 

2 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 19 - LAST SIXTEEN - ARGENTINA VS SWITZERLAND 1:0

LAST SIXTEEN
1st July 2014

Argentina vs Switzerland 1:0

1 Jul 2014
2014 WORLD CUP - DAY 19 - LAST SIXTEEN - BELGIUM VS USA 2:1

LAST SIXTEEN
1st July 2014

Belgium vs USA 2:1

1 Jul 2014
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

African Confederation Cup 2018 - draw held - 1st + 2nd round - preview

DR Congo's TP Mazembe are the Confederation Cup holders but will play in the African Champions League next year

First Round:

Petro Luanda (Angola) vs Masters Security (Malawi) -:-
Young Buffaloes (Swaziland) vs Cape Town City (South Africa) -:-
Costa do Sol (Mozambique) vs Jwaneng Galaxy (Botswana) -:-
Benin Representative vs Hafia (Guinea) -:-
APR (Rwanda) vs Anse Reunion (Seychelles) -:-
Onze Createurs (Mali) vs Elwa Utd (Liberia) -:-
Leopards (Kenya) vs Fosa Juniors (Madagascar) -:-
Ngazi (Comoros) vs Port Louis (Mauritius) -:-
Mangasport (Gabon) vs Maniema Union (DR Congo) -:-
Olympique Star (Burundi) vs Etoile Filante (Burkina Faso) -:-
New Star (Cameroon) vs Deportivo Niefang (Equatorial Guinea) -:-
Tanda (Ivory Coast) vs La Mancha (Congo) -:-
Akwa Utd (Nigeria) vs Hawks (The Gambia) -:-
Al Ittihad (Libya) vs Sahel (Niger) -:-
Ben Guerdane (Tunisia) vs Al Hilal (South Sudan) -:-
Asante Kotoko (Ghana) vs CARA (Congo) -:-
Djoliba (Mali) vs Belouizdad (Algeria) -:-
Al Masry (Egypt) vs Green Buffaloes (Zambia) -:-
Simba (Tanzania) vs Gendarmerie Nationale (Djibouti) -:-
Berkane (Morocco) vs Mbour Petite-Cote (Senegal) -:-
Africa Sports (Ivory Coast) vs Nouadhibou (Mauritania) -:-
Zimamoto (Zanzibar) vs Welayta Dicha (Ethiopia) -:-

 

Second round (teams in bold given a bye):

Petro Luanda or Masters Security vs SuperSport Utd (South Africa) -:-
Costa do Sol or Jwaneng Galaxy vs Young Buffaloes or Cape Town City -:-
Benin Representative or Hafia vs Enyimba (Nigeria) -:-
Onze Createurs or Elwa Utd vs APR or Anse Reunion -:-
Ngazi or Port Louis v Leopards vs Fosa Juniors -:-
Mangasport or Maniema Union vs USM Alger (Algeria) -:-
▪ Olympique Star or Etoile Filante vs Al Hilal Obied (Sudan) -:-
DC Motema Pembe (DR Congo) vs New Star or Deportivo Niefang -:-
Tanda or La Mancha vs Al Ahly Shendy (Sudan) -:-
Al Ittihad or Sahel vs Akwa Utd or Hawks -:-
Asante Kotoko or CARA vs Ben Guerdane v Al Hilal -:-
Djoliba or Belouizdad vs Nkana (Zambia) -:-
Simba or Gendarmerie Nationale vs Al Masry or Green Buffaloes -:-
Berkane or Mbour Petite-Cote vs Club Africain (Tunisia) -:-
Raja Casablanca (Morocco) vs Africa Sports or Nouadhibou -:-
Zimamoto or Welayta Dicha vs Zamalek (Egypt) -:-


The 2017 Confederation Cup runners-up SuperSport United face a trip to either Angola or Malawi in the second round of next year's competition.

The South African side were given a bye into the second round of Africa's second-tier club tournament where they will play either Petro Luanda from Angola or Malawi's Masters Security.

The 2017 Confederation Cup was won by DR Congo's TP Mazembe, who will play in next year's African Champions League.

Masters Security, who could be playing in the second division in Malawi next season, must win their final two matches of the season to avoid relegation.

The first round of the Confederation Cup will take place in February with the aggregate winners progressing to March's second round.

Seven other clubs were also given byes, including three former African champions - Egypt's Zamalek, Enyimba of Nigeria and Club Africain of Tunisia.

Algerian club USM Alger, runners-up in 2015, Zambia's Nkana, Raja Casablanca of Morocco, DC Motema Pembe from DR Congo as well as Sudanese duo Al Hilal Obeid and Al Ahly Shendy all skip playing in the first round.

The 16 winners of the second round ties will play the teams who lose at the same stage of the Champions League to decide who will advance to the group stage of the tournament.

A change in the calendar for the Confederation of African Football means that the next Confederation Cup campaign will begin in December 2018 and run through to May 2019.

After the 2019 final, the competition will be held from August or September through to May of the next year.

 

16 Dec 2017
(BBC Sport UK)

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