JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Leading South African football club Kaizer Chiefs named little known Serb Vladimir Vermezovic as coach on Monday.
A terse Chiefs statement said the club had discussed the position vacated by Turk Muhsin Ertugral last week with several coaches and appointed Vermezovic, but gave no contract details.
The selection of a foreigner was expected after club chairman and former national star Kaizer Motaung said only two South African coaches were capable of fulfilling the role and neither was available.
Vermezovic has coached Spartak Trnava of Slovakia and Partizan of Serbia after a playing career involving clubs in his homeland, Spain, Greece and Germany.
He faces a huge task in South Africa as the most popular club in the country have underachived for several years, finishing third behind SuperSport United and arch rivals Orlando Pirates in the 2008-20009 Premiership.
Finishing third entitles Chiefs to play next year in the African Confederation Cup, a competition for national cup winners and selected third placed league teams that South African sides have shown little interest in.
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JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Democratic Republic of Congo striker Mabi Mputu was named Monday the best player of the maiden African Nations Championship in Ivory Coast.
Prolific scorer Mputu claimed just one of the seven DR Congo goals scored en route to victory in the competition for home-based stars, but created several others to top an African Football Confederation poll.
Mputu was among four Congolese included in the team of the tournament while runners-up Ghana supplied three and bronze medalists Zambia and fourth-placed Senegal two each.
Team of the tournament
Mamadou Ba (SEN); Samuel Inkoom (GHA), Ofusu Appiah (GHA), Gladys Bokese (COD), Harrison Afful (GHA); Jonas Sakuwaha (ZAM), Kazembe Mihayo (COD), Bongeli Lofo (COD), Moustapha Diallo (SEN); Given Singuluma (ZAM), Mabi Mputu (COD)
Substitutes
Samir Aboud (LBA), Ovidy Karuru (ZIM), Mussa Mgosi (TAN), Ibrahim Ayew (GHA), Mamadou Traore (SEN), Charles Taylor (GHA)
Final ranking
1. Democratic Republic of Congo
2. Ghana
3. Zambia
4. Senegal
5. Tanzania
6. Zimbabwe
7. Libya
8. Ivory Coast
Player of the tournament
Mabi Mputu (COD)
Leading scorer
Given Singuluma (ZAM), 5 goals
Fair play award
DR Congo
Yellow cards
9 - Senegal and Zambia
8 - Ghana
7 - DR Congo
5 - Tanzania and Zimbabwe
4 - Ivory Coast and Libya
Red cards
1 - Ivory Coast, Ghana and Senegal
Written by: AFP
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JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Hosts Ivory Coast slumped to a shock 3-0 defeat to Zambia in Abidjan on Sunday as the first African Nations Championship got off to a dramatic start.
The striker who destroyed Ivorian dreams of a winning start in Group A before a packed 35,000 crowd at Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium almost missed the competition for African footballers playing in their land of birth.
Hat-trick hero Given Singuluma only returned to Zambia in midweek from Finland where he had successful trials with FC Haka who he is set to join after the two-week African tournament.
The Finnish offer of a three-year contract comes after Singuluma was forced to rejoin Zambian club Zanaco having been freed by South African Premiership strugglers Bay United.
Singuluma put Zambia ahead after 35 minutes in the Ivorian commercial capital, added a crucial second early in the second half and completed the rout four minutes from full-time.
Had the Zambians not squandered several clearcut chances the winning margin would have been even wider before a crowd that included heads of state from Ivory Coast, Benin, Burkina Faso and Togo.
Defeat was a stunning early blow for Ivory Coast - joint top seeds with Group B favourites Ghana - whose coach Georges Kouadio boasted that home support would steer them all the way to the title.
Now he must speedily revive his squad for a Wednesday clash with Senegal or face a humiliating first round exit from the first major football event staged by Ivory Coast since the 1984 African Nations Cup.
France-born Zambia coach Herve Renard ignored the pre-tournament war of words as he cursed his luck at having to face Ivory Coast without captain and defensive rock Elijah Tana.
The oldest member of the Zambian squad turns 34 next Saturday and instead of flying to west Africa with the national team, went to Angola and signed for a club there.
Renard also had to do without the youngest footballer among the 23 he chose, 15-year-old defender Emmanuel Mbola, who was finalising a deal with Armenian club Pyunik Yerevan.
Senegal face Tanzania later on Sunday at the same venue in the second half of a double-header and on Monday Ghana play Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo meet Libya in the central city Bouake.
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LUANDA (AFP) - Oil-rich Angola is pouring millions of dollars into new stadiums, hotels and airports to get ready for the 2010 African Nations Cup, which officials say will kick off on schedule in less than 12 months.
The decision to award Nations Cup - known as CAN - to Angola surprised some who did not believe the former Portuguese colony could get itself ready in time, having only ended a 27-year civil war in 2002.
But according to the organising committee, stadium construction is running to schedule and preparations are well underway.
"In relation to the construction of stadiums, the schedule will be met," CAN’s marketing director Manuel Mariano told journalists after a meeting with top government officials last week.
Four new stadiums in Benguela, Lubango, Cabinda and the capital Luanda, where the final will be held, are being built by Chinese construction companies.
While no figures have been released about the costs of organising the three-week tournament or building the stadiums, the national airport company says it’s spending more than 270 million dollars refitting and rebuilding airports in Luanda, Benguela and Lubango.
A major priority for organisers after the stadiums is making sure there is enough accommodation. Currently hotel rooms in Angola are few and far between, costing as much as 300 dollars a night and booked up months in advance.
According to the organising committee, 30 hotels are being built, 16 of them in Luanda, and ordinary Angolans will rent rooms to visitors.
Another key concern is the potential cost to visitors because Luanda, according to London-based human resources consultant ECA International, is the most expensive city in the world with a litre of milk costing three dollars and a pizza and beer as much as 50 dollars.
The committee has also pledged to make sure the notoriously difficult visa application process would be looked at to prevent delays for spectators coming to Angola.
But, perhaps used to the daily challenges of bad roads, high prices and lack of services, most Angolans are confident the competition will be a success.
Silvio Capuepue, an Angolan sports journalist, believes the Nations Cup is a catalyst for development.
"Hosting the 2010 Nations Cup is without a doubt speeding up the reconstruction of the country after the war, especially in the host cities," he said.
"Angolans are happy and are conscious of the magnitude of the event. People are starting to see an impact in their normal lives, those that had no jobs for such a long time are now having jobs and are being able to bring money home.
"And in terms of the football, hosting the tournament motivates and grooms the growing talents that are coming up in the country."
He said he was confident the stadiums would be ready on time and that the organisation would run smoothly.
"We have hosted three African basketball tournaments and two handball tournaments so I believe we have the experience. In 2007 people did not think we would be ready in time for Afrobasket, but we were. With the same strength, the same capacity and the same willing, we will make sure we are ready."
Angola’s national team - known as Palancas Negras after the country’s extremely rare sable antelope - have had a tough time on the pitch and failed to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
A coaching reshuffle saw Mabi de Almeida take over from Luis Oliveira Goncalves and he has pledged to do his best for the home crowd during the 2010 tournament.
Angola’s Prime Minister Paulo Kassoma said last week that hosting the tournament would boost the country’s self esteem and appealed to Angolans to support their national team.
"It’s our responsibility to win the 2010 Nations Cup and prove we are Angolan. We want to show the capacity of Angolans to organise high-level competitions."
The tournament is played every two years and was won by Egypt for a record sixth time in Ghana last year.
This will be the first Nations Cup hosted by a Portuguese-speaking country.
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NAIROBI (AFP) - Kenya’s international friendly match against African Champions Egypt will still go ahead as planned later this week despite the sacking of head coach Francis Kimanzi, football officials said on Monday.
Kimanzi, who was fired on Sunday after being accused of insubordination was replaced by a former international defender John Bobby Ogolla who will be in charge for the match in Cairo on January 23.
"Kenya cannot afford to ignore this important fixture," Football Kenya Limited (FKL) vice chairman Titus Kasuve said.
"We are fortunate to be playing against a Maghreb state before we face Tunisia in the opening round of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, and this match, which was postponed from last November, also serves a charity to raise money for the people in Gaza".
Before his sacking, Kimanzi had criticised the scheduling of the match, claiming the short time to train after returning from the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup where his side lost 1-0 to arch-rivals Uganda in the final on January 13 in Kampala.
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LAGOS (AFP) - The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) has named Togo international Emmanuel Adebayor and Michael Essien of Ghana in a final short list for the 2008 CAF African Player of the Year Award.
Egypt’s Mohamed Aboutrika, who won the Africa Cup of Nations and the CAF Champions League last year, is the other nominee.
The awards ceremony will take place in Lagos on February 10.
In other categories Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria are in the running for the National Team Award while Al Ahly of Egypt will jostle for the Club of the Year along with Tunisia’s Club Sportive Sfaxien and Cotonsport of Cameroon.
Chelsea’s Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou, Cameroon’s Stephane Mbia of Rennes and Nigeria’s Victor Nsofor, who plays for Inter Milan, will contest for the Young Player award.
Nominees for Coach of the Year are Hassan Shehata (Egypt), Jose Manuel (Al Ahly) and Alain Ouembledon (Cotonsport).
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JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - A new name will be engraved on the African Footballer of the Year trophy next month after three stars were shortlisted on Wednesday for the 2008 award.
Arsenal and Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor is favoured to top a poll among Africa-based national coaches with midfielders Michael Essien of Chelsea and Ghana and Mohamed Aboutraika of Al-Ahly and Egypt the other contenders.
Long-term injury casualty Essien finished second and third in the previous two editions of the African Football Confederation-organised competition while Adebayor and Aboutraika have never featured among the top three.
The omission from the original list of struggling Chelsea striker Didier Drogba came as no surprise and saved the organisers potential embarrassment as the Ivorian said he had no interest in the award.
His decision stemmed from being denied the title last year after refusing to leave the African Nations Cup tournament in Ghana to attend the Footballer of the Year ceremony in neighbouring Togo.
France-born Mali striker Frederic Kanoute received the trophy instead and became the first footballer born outside Africa to win a competition started in 1970 and taken over by CAF 16 years ago.
Egypt striker Amr Zaki, who has made a big impression on loan to Wigan this season scoring 10 English Premiership goals, was a surprise exclusion given that Essien has not played since being injured in Libya last June.
Adebayor has struck seven Premiership goals for Arsenal and hit four in a World Cup qualifier against Swaziland last October to keep alive Togolese hopes of a second consective appearance when South Africa play hosts next year.
Aboutraika, a pivotal figure last year in the Nations Cup success of Egypt and the African Champions League triumph of Al-Ahly, seems the leading candidate for the new Africa Footballer of the Year award.
This is restricted to stars playing in Africa and two other Ahly stalwarts, veteran midfielder Ahmed Hassan and Angola-born striker Flavio Amado, are among the challengers.
Stephen Worgu, the young Nigerian who scored 13 Champions League goals for semi-finalists Enyimba, and another striker, Mputu Mabi from Democratic Republic of Congo club Tout Puissant Mazembe, complete the list.
Egypt appear set to win the National team of the Year title having captured the Nations Cup a record sixth time in Accra courtesy of an Aboutraika goal against Cameroon.
‘Pharaohs’ coach Hassan Shehata, also the architect of the 2006 Nations Cup triumph, is in contention for Coach of the Year with his strongest competition likely to come from Portugoal-born Al-Ahly boss Manuel Jose.
The awards ceremony will be staged on February 10 in Lagos with hopes of a Nigerian success resting with Worgu, Young Footballer of the Year candidate Victor Nsofor and the ‘Super Eagles’ in the national team category.
CAF award nominees (in alphabetical order):
Footballer of the Year
Mohamed Aboutraika (Egypt and Al-Ahly)
Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo and Arsenal/ENG)
Michael Essien (Ghana and Chelsea/ENG)
Note: Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast and Chelsea/ENG) and Amr Zaki (Egypt and Wigan/ENG) dropped from original list
Africa Footballer of the Year
Mohamed Aboutraika (Egypt and Al-Ahly)
Flavio Amado (Angola and Al-Ahly/EGY)
Ahmed Hassan (Egypt and Al-Ahly)
Mputu Mabi (Democratic Republic of Congo and Tout Puissant Mazembe)
Stephen Worgu (Nigeria and Enyimba)
Young Footballer of the Year
Salomon Kalou (Ivory Coast and Chelsea/ENG)
Stephane Mbia (Cameroon and Rennes/FRA)
Victor Nsofor (Nigeria and Inter Milan/ITA)
Women’s Footballer of the Year
Genevova Anonma (Equatorial Guinea)
Ngo Marlyse (Cameroon)
Alice Matlou (South Africa)
Coach of the Year
Manuel Jose (Portugal and Al-Ahly/EGY)
Alain Ouembleon (Ivory Coast and Cotonsport Garoua/CMR)
Hassan Shehata (Egypt)
National team of the Year
Cameroon
Egypt
Nigeria
Club of the Year
Al-Ahly (EGY)
Cotonsport Garoua (CMR)
CS Sfaxien (TUN)
Written by: AFP
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JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - The latest episode in the fierce football rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana will be fought in Calabar Sunday with a place at the 2009 African Nations Championship on the line.
Ghana overcame a two-goal deficit to win a first-leg thriller 3-2 in the final regional qualifying round for the new competition to be hosted by the Ivory Coast over two weeks next February and March.
Restricted to footballers playing in their national league, the African Nations Championship will be staged biennially like its ‘big brother’, the African Nations Cup.
Nations Championship rules affect countries differently with Nigeria and Ghana among the hardest hit as their strongest national team consists almost exclusively of Europe-based stars.
But the absence of household names like Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari of Ghana and Joseph Yobo and Obafemi Martins of Nigeria will not lower the temperature between the bitter rivals.
"When Ghana play Nigeria there is no such thing as a big game or a small game and it does not matter whether the match is between men, women, boys or girls," Ghana assistant coach Kwesi Appiah told reporters.
"It is also wrong to dismiss the African Nations Championship as a second rate competition. This is a stepping stone toward the dream of every African footballer: to play professionally aboard.
"If we can overcome Nigeria and qualify for the finals in the Ivory Coast it will be fantastic for the players because many agents are going to be there and there is also international television exposure."
Appiah confirmed that the policy of previous national coach Claude le Roy from France restricting the Ghana Nations Championship squad to players under 25 had been abandoned by his Serb successor Milovan Rajevac.
"Age is no longer a factor when selecting the squad. The sole criteria is choosing those who will serve Ghana best on the football fields of Africa," stressed Appiah.
And Francis Coffie would fit that bill perfectly having scored twice to bring the ‘Black Stars’ back into contention after a couple of Musa Kabiru goals had put the ‘Super Eagles’ in control in Accra.
Samuel Inkoom was the unlikely Ghanaian hero, displaying dribbling skills not usually associated with a defender before unleashing a shot that left Nigeria goalkeeper Bassey Akpan helpless.
Nigeria have reacted to the loss by giving coach Okey Emordi two additional assistants and inviting 11 more players, including Enyimba striker Ezenwa Otorogu, who is on the wanted list of top Tunisian team Club Africain.
There are six other fixtures Saturday and Sunday with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe well positioned to advance after building first leg advantages away from their supporters.
DR Congo host Cameroon in the southern city of Lubumbashi holding a 2-0 lead while Zambia tackle Angola in Kitwe and Zimbabwe confront South Africa in Harare having won 1-0 when the countries first met two weeks ago.
Morocco and Tanzania travel to Libya and Sudan repectively with 3-1 leads while Guinea defend a 1-0 advantage over west African neighbours Senegal in Dakar.
The stakes are particularly high for the Tanzanian ‘Taifa Stars’ as they seek a place at the finals of an African senior national team tournanment for the first time in 28 years.
Abidjan will host the African Nations Championship draw on December 26, dividing the eight teams into two groups with the winners and runners-up advancing to the semi-finals.
Written by: AFP
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CAIRO (AFP) - African champions Al-Ahly of Egypt have set their sights on finishing third in the FIFA Club World Cup that kicks off on Thursday in Japan.
The Cairo ‘Red Devils’ face Pachuca of Mexico on Saturday in the quarter-finals with the winners qualifying for a showdown against South American champions LDU of Ecuador four days later.
European ‘kings’ Manchester United are favoured to make the final from the other half of the draw that includes Adelaide United of Australia, Gamba Osaka of Japan and Waitakere United of New Zealand.
"For an African club to finish third in this competition resembles winning the title," Portugal-born Ahly coach Manuel Jose told reporters before heading for Tokyo at the weekend.
"We will do our best to represent Africa and Egypt well, but our supporters must be aware there is a big gap between football in South America and Europe and football in Africa.
"Winning the Club World Cup is an impossible task for now. We need more time to achieve that goal," said the coach who guided Ahly to four of a record six African Champions League titles.
His latest African conquest came last month in the remote Cameroonian cotton town of Garoua where Ahly held Cotonsport 2-2 to clinch a third title in four years after building a 2-0 first-leg advantage at home.
Jose warned the multi-million support base of Ahly spanning Egypt, North Africa and the Middle East that unrealistic expectations could hinder his star-studded squad.
"When Ahly went to Japan for the first time three years ago, fans wanted us to win the title and we finished last. A year later we approached the tournament more realistically and came third.
"We have a lot of excellent players. Sometimes it is Mohamed Aboutraika or Mohamed Barakat who stands out, but in general we perform as one strong unit," the Portuguese said.
Long-serving defender Ahmed al-Sayed is more optimistic, believing his ‘Red Devils’ can master the ‘Red Devils’ of Europe and bring the club title to Africa for the first time.
"Ahly are capable of returning home with the gold medals. We are a very strong team who can always compete for international honours," he told an Egyptian television channel.
Goalkeeper Amir Abdulhamid was more cautious: "Participating in the Club World Cup is a reward for our Champions League victory so we must enjoy it. Our aim must be to play well and finish in a respectful position."
After overtaking bitter Cairo rivals Zamalek by winning the African title a sixth time, Ahly suffered a mini domestic slump against unfashionable rivals, losing 1-0 to Police Union and drawing 3-3 with ENPPI.
But they stopped the rot by edging Ghazi al-Mehalla 1-0 and assistant coach Hossam al-Badri believes arriving in Japan almost a week before their clash with Pachuca boosts hopes of making the semi-finals.
Ahly believe arriving late for the 2005 tournament meant players could not adapt to the seven-hour time difference between Cairo and Tokyo and they came last after losses to Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia and Sydney FC of Australia.
The most notable omission from a 23-strong squad is Tunisian midfielder Anis Boujelbene, who is reportedly considering returning home after failing to claim a regular first-team place.
Veteran defender Emad al-Nahas misses out after failing to recover from a long-term knee problem, but midfielder Ahmed Fathi has been included after recently recovering from a lengthy injury.
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One cannot fault Tunisian clubs for seeking perfection but you’d think a little more patience is needed if they are ever going to achieve their dream of continental dominance.
Take the case of Etoile Sahel. They have just fired their Swiss coach Michel Decastel for “indifferent results”.
Indifferent by their definition, is second place in the league and qualification for the final of the African Confederation Cup, the continent’s equivalent of the UEFA Cup.
Decastel took over in June. He has since taken Etoile through a tough group to the final of the Confederation Cup, where they come up against compatriots Club Africain over two legs next month.
In the league, Etoile are second and unbeaten! They have played six games, winning three but it is the three draws in the other encounters that have irritated the management and led to the firing.
Such is the intensity of the rivalry between Etoile, who are based in the coastal city of Sousse, and Esperance, from the capital Tunis, that a gap of three points between the two is too much for the club to stomach.
The two have still to meet in the campaign, their first clash of the season set for Dec. 21. Last year Etoile won the African Champions League, reaching a peak they had spent decades seeking to scale.
Six months later the architect of that success, Frenchman Bertrand Marchand, was shown the door after Etoile stumbled at the end of the season and ceded their league title in a dramatic finish to Club Africain.
Coaches quickly learn that in north Africa there is little margin for error.
Mark Gleeson covers African football for Reuters
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