The Pharaohs of Egypt beat Libya 4-0 in the opening fixture of Group B in the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF Futsal AFCON in Rabat, Morocco.
The winners of the first three editions of the quadrennial competition showed their dominance against the Mediterranean Knights at the Salle Prince Moulay Abdellah on Friday evening.
Mohamed Abdelrazek Koki scored twice and a goal each for Alaa Eissa and Mohamed Mohamed Careca handed Egypt the perfect start to the tournament.
The three-time champions started brightly at the Prince Moulay Abdellah with Essam Ramadan and Khaled Abdelhalim pulling the strings for Gehad Arafa’s side.
Ramadan who plys his trade in the Saudi championship with El Nasr warmed the hands of the Ziyad Azeez in the Libyan goal with a fierce toe-poked effort inside sixty seconds of the highly charged first half.
Khaled Abdelhalim hit the side netting of Ziyad Azeez’s goal with a first time smart effort as the Pharaohs dominated possession and the chances.
The Mediterranean Knights weathered the early Egyptian storm and came close to breaking the deadlock through Mohamed Said.
The 29-year-old latched on to a through pass in the heart of the Egypt defence rounding the onrushing keeper before seeing his composed effort cleared off the line by Alaa Eissa.
Mohamed Mohamed was denied a goal by the Libyan keeper Ziyad with eight minutes on the clock. The confident Ziyad Azeez made himself big in front of Mohamed who fired straight at him.
The competition’s most successful side broke the deadlock midway through the first period courtesy of Mohamed Abdelrazek Koki’s close range effort. The Eleelameen ace made no mistake from just outside the area with a poachers toe-poke goal to give Gehad Arafa’s charges the lead.
Abdulhakim Rashid should have drawn Libya level after 15 minutes when a slick interchange of passes in the Pharaohs half set him free but he failed to hit the target.
Koki doubled his tally on the stroke of half time with a cool finish to beat the helpless Azeez and tightened Egypt’s grip on the game.
The second half saw a more spirited Libyan side who tried to find a way back into the game but couldn’t beat Gamal Badawy in goal for Arafa’s team.
Mohamed Said Careca made it 3-0 on 29 minutes from Essam Ramadan’s assist. Ramadan won possession in the Libyan half before playing in Careca who stylishly side-footed his effort into the far corner.
Alaa Eissa completed the rout with an audacious chip from his half to beat Ziyad who was off his line.
Eliud Kipchoge said he had “fulfilled” his legacy after retaining his Olympic title in Tokyo three years ago
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge is confident he can win a historic third successive Olympic marathon gold medal in Paris this year.
The 39-year-old, who was victorious in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and at the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021, finished 10th in this year’s Tokyo Marathon in March.
Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila (1964) and East Germany’s Waldemar Cierpinski (1980) are the only other men to defend an Olympic marathon title.
“My huge expectation actually is to win the Olympics for the third time,” said Kipchoge.
Last week Kipchoge was named alongside two-time Boston Marathon champion Benson Kipruto, Timothy Kiplagat, Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich and newcomer Alexander Mutiso on Kenya’s marathon shortlist for the Paris Games, which begin on 26 July and end on 11 August.
Kipruto won this year’s Tokyo Marathon in a time of two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds, with Kiplagat and Ngetich completing the podium.
Kipchoge finished over four and a half minutes adrift of Kipruto in Japan, but that result has not made him concerned about his chances in Paris on 10 August.
“I think I just got tired,” he explained.
“I don’t know what happened but it’s life, it’s sport. It’s the beauty of sport.”
On retirement and Olympic prize money
Kipchoge will turn 40 in November and he would not be drawn when asked if he could race at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“In Kenya we say you don’t chase two rabbits at a time, you will miss all of them. You chase one,” he said.
“So the rabbit of the Olympic Games is what I’m chasing now. After that I go back to the drawing board, see what’s in my bucket list and start again to chase the next.”
In the meantime, as questions persist over when he plans to retire, he has reiterated his commitment to inspire people of all levels to be active.
“If you can convince me that the moment I will be crossing the finishing line the whole world has become a running world then I will retire,” he added.
Kipchoge was in the French capital on Thursday as part of Kenya’s kit launch for the Games, and he will also receive a financial reward should he defend his marathon title.
Kipchoge believes the development will boost the sport in the long term.
“I don’t run because of money but I run because I want to perform,” Kipchoge said.
“It was a great idea for Seb Coe and World Athletics. For the young generations I think it’s a good idea to develop – it makes sport more interesting.”
Ghana international Mohammed Kudus has named former Nigeria superstar Augustine “Jay-Jay” Okocha as the greatest African to have played football.
Okocha won the hearts of many during his playing days with his style and flair. The ex-Super Eagles star also chalked many successes including winning back-to-back BBC African Footballer of the Year in 2004 and 2005.
The 50-year-old won the Nigerian Footballer of the Year on seven occasions and though he never won the CAF African Player of the Year award, he was part of the top three thrice (1998, 2003 and 2004).
In an interview with Sky Sports, Kudus spoke highly of Okocha, highlighting the long-term influence of his creative talent and ability to entertain audiences.
“I will say [Jay-Jay] Okocha,” the West Ham United midfielder said when quizzed about who he thinks is the greatest African player ever.
“I will say explaining from my lens how I see creative players and trying to entertain the game. That can never be washed away. The fans can never forget the experience and the entertainment you give them on the pitch.
“I know now goals and assists are important but I like creative players and players that like to entertain the fans. I like to do something that is different from what everyone is doing.”
Kudus has become a fan favourite at the London Stadium despite only arriving last summer from Ajax.
The Ghanaian has racked up 12 goals and 4 assists across all competitions for the Hammers.
University of South Florida sprinter Saminu Abdul Rasheed has set his sights on Olympic qualification after recording a season-leading time in Division I NCAA.
On Friday, April 5, 2024, Abdul Rasheed ran a program record of 9.95 seconds in the men’s 100m dash at the South Florida Invitational in Tampa.
Forty-five minutes later, Saminu recorded a time of 20.34 seconds, the fifth-fastest Division I NCAA time in the 200m this season.
Saminu who represented Ghana at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England said he was looking forward to qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
‘‘It means a lot. It is going to be like a dream come true. I will be happy to represent my country. The village is looking up to me and I am looking forward to it too.’’
Despite his time, he is yet to qualify for the Olympic Games since his performance was wind-aided (+3.6). The Olympic Games threshold for wind-assisted performances is +2.0.
Before the Olympics however, Abdul Rasheed’s focus is on the four regular season meets, AAC Outdoor Championships, and NCAA Regionals.
‘‘There is no doubt that we have a good team coming on this season. So everybody is trying to get ready for our team. The boys are not playing (around) this season so…’’ he concluded.
World Athletics has announced it will become the first international federation to award prize money at the Olympic Games.
The global governing body said a total prize pot of $2.4m (£1.9m) has been made available for this summer’s Olympics in Paris, with gold medallists receiving $50,000 (£39,400).
This will be extended to silver and bronze medallists at Los Angeles 2028.
World Athletics president Lord Coe called the decision a “pivotal moment”.
He told BBC Sport the organisation wanted to create a “stable financial landscape” for athletes.
There will be 48 athletics events in Paris, with relay gold medallists to share their prize money among the team.
The prize money will not apply at the Paralympics, which takes place from 28 August to 8 September, as Para-athletics is governed by World Para Athletics.
“The introduction of prize money for Olympic gold medallists is a pivotal moment for World Athletics and the sport of athletics as a whole, underscoring our commitment to empowering the athletes and recognising the critical role they play in the success of any Olympic Games,” Coe said.
“While it is impossible to put a marketable value on winning an Olympic medal, or on the commitment and focus it takes to even represent your country at an Olympic Games, I think it is important we start somewhere and make sure some of the revenues generated by our athletes at the Olympic Games are directly returned to those who make the Games the global spectacle that it is.”
Greg Rutherford, who won gold in the long jump at London 2012, said: “This is a brilliant step in the right direction and I take my hat off to Seb Coe and the rest of the World Athletics staff for initiating this improvement.”
The former British athlete said the view that Olympic sports are still amateur “couldn’t be further from the truth”.
Asked if prize money went against the Olympic spirit, Coe replied: “I don’t see that making life a little easier for the athletes, allowing them maybe to stay on in the sport a little bit longer, to give them the financial independence to train, and maybe in a more sophisticated way is anything other than sitting behind good firm Olympic principles.”
World Athletics said the format and structure of prize money for the 2028 Games will be announced nearer the time.
It added that the payment of prize money will depend on athletes “undergoing and clearing the usual anti-doping procedures”.
Given the Olympics’ origins as an amateur sports event, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not award prize money but distributes funding through international federations (IF) and national Olympic committees (NOC).
Some national Olympic committees offer financial rewards to their medallists, though the British Olympic Association does not.
The IOC said: “It is up to each IF and NOC to determine how to best serve their athletes and the global development of their sport.”
‘Athletics has not been a rich sport’
Dame Denise Lewis, won gold in the heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics for Great Britain, said the announcement is “really positive”, but added athletics “has not been a rich sport”.
“This is nothing to do with ‘the Olympics is supposed to be about valour, about honour and representation of your country’, this is absolutely a gesture from World Athletics to its athletes,” Lewis told BBC 5 Live Drive.
“The Olympics earns billions – as we know, for a lot of people, but the athletes don’t always get that in track and field.”
Lewis, who also took heptathlon bronze at the Atlanta Games in 1996, said prize money would not devalue the achievement of reaching an Olympics, rather it would offer athletes a possible incentive to continue competing.
“And to just give them a little bit of assistance going forward,” she added.
Rutherford, who was also an Olympic bronze medallist in Rio in 2016, said he hopes other sports can adopt the same approach as World Athletics.
“Athletes from around the world sacrifice so much to achieve the most difficult accolade in sport, becoming Olympic champion – standing at the top of the podium and hearing your national anthem is one of the greatest feelings you can have,” he said.
“But, the scrutiny that the athletes are constantly under – along with the comparisons to other sporting success stories – always fail to mention the lack of financial support given.”
The 2015 long jump world champion added: “I really hope the athletes across all sports will now finally be supported by the multi-billion dollar IOC and their efforts, not just by individual sports, for the long-term health of the Olympic movement.
“We do this for the love of the sport, but it is also our livelihood.”
Swedish Olympic pole vault champion Armand Duplantis said World Athletics’ move was a “step in the right direction”.
Meanwhile, Norwegian Olympic 400m hurdle champion Karsten Warholm said the prize money did not change his motivation to win an Olympic gold medal, but he agreed it was the “right direction” for building a professional sport.
However, Jonathan Edwards, GB gold medallist at Sydney 2000 and still the men’s triple jump world record holder, said the decision was “a little bit odd”.
“It’s not [World Athletics’] event, it’s the Olympics. It feels like a bit of an undercut to the IOC, who have been very strict around saying ‘we’re not going to have prize money'”, said the 57-year-old.
“Athletes who win at the Olympic Games already get rewards.”
Morocco coach Hicham Dguig says his team will be under positive pressure when they face Angola in Group A of the TotalEnergies CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations in Rabat.
The World Cup quarter-finalists will be playing behind an expectant home faithful when they open their account against Angola at the Salle Prince Moulay Abdellah on Thursady, 11 April, 2024 at 20:00 GMT.
Morocco have won the last two editions of the highly technical fast-paced indoor football competition.
“It’s a positive problem and a challenge which we have to face but when the matches are played here it helps us to improve,” Dguig said at his pre-match press conference.
“Angola is a strong team and the public have to know that, and they play without any pressure and they have a coach from Portugal who are one of the best, but we hope our strategies will help us win the match.”
The two-time African champions have enjoyed massive progress under the tutelage of experienced coach Hicham Dguig, they’re currently ranked eighth on the World Rankings.
“The preparations are going on very well and the objective is very well to defend our title and qualify for the World Cup for the fourth time in a row,” Dguig said.
“The pressure is very real and when we get into the competition we have only one objective which is to be in the top spot.
“We have a lot of players who are talented from the clubs in the championship but we need players with experience who have the habit of playing together. That’s why I selected these players” concluded the coach.
The Atlas Lions will be hoping the support from their home fans will be enough to secure them a record equaling third TotalEnergies CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations titles.
Nigeria and Zambia have booked their slots at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to be staged in France later this year.
The Super Falcons won 1-0 on aggregate against South Africa to secure their ticket for the competition. Nigeria recorded a 1-0 win in Abuja last week before holding out for a 0-0 draw in Pretoria.
Nigeria will compete in their fifth Olympics women’s football tournament and return to the stage after failing to qualify in 2012, 2016 and 2020.
The Super Falcons will compete in Group C at the Olympics against world champions Spain, as well as past world champions Japan and Brazil. On July 25, they will meet the South Americans in Bordeaux for the tournament opener.
Zambia, on the other hand, overturned a first-leg deficit to book a place ahead of Morocco.
The Copper Queens lost 2-1 at home against the Atlas Lionesses last weekend.
However, they sealed a 2-0 win in the second leg to achieve a 3-2 aggregate score.
Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda scored the opener for Zambia in the 38th minute and sealed her Olympic qualification with a penalty in the 105th minute.
Zambia will compete in a challenging Group B in France, with past champions the United States and Germany, as well as World Cup semi-finalists Australia. They will launch their campaign against the USWNT on July 25 in Nice.
The Chief Executive Officer of the All Regional Games, Tiana Addae, says there is a long-term plan to ensure the competition goes beyond this year.
The first edition of the initiative is set to place in November 2024 as revealed during the press launch on Tuesday, April.
The idea of the Games is to help in the identification and development of young talents from all parts of the country.
Concerns were raised about the sustainability of the competition if the maiden edition becomes a success. However, Addae has revealed the competition is here to stay.
“[All Regional Games] is a long-term plan that we will be doing,” said the CEO.
“It’s not just for this year. It is continuous.”
The much-anticipated competition will feature athletes competing in nine sports disciplines; football, athletics, volleyball, basketball, tennis, table tennis, boxing, eSports, and arm-wrestling.
Addae also emphasised they are open to working with other professionals who are willing available themselves to ensure the success of the Games.
“We are open to other athletes [at the] regional. Old athletes, current athletes or anyone that is in a discipline that has been professional and wants to join us, we are more than happy to bring them on board.”
The regional activities will be held between June 9 and 30 with the national festival expected to be staged in November.
Medeama Sporting Club handed Hearts of Oak their third defeat in the last three games in the Ghana Premier League.
The game, which was played at the Akoon Park on Wednesday afternoon, saw the Tarkwa-based side record a 2-0 win on matchday 25 of the league.
Kobina Amoah opened the scoring for the Yellow and Mauve side after 65 minutes as he blasted his free-kick into the net to give his side the lead.
Godfred Abban doubled the lead for Medeama with nine minutes away from full time with the midfielder sending his low strike past the Hearts goalkeeper.
The Accra-based side were second favourites in the entire period of the game and failed to recover from the two goals conceded.
The defeat now means the Phobians have lost the last three games they have played in the league after no defeat in the previous eight.
Abubakar Ouattara’s men now drop to 11th on the league table after 25 games played and face Karela United in their next game.
In other results, Samartex earned a point with their 1-1 draw with Legon Cities.
Ghana’s Sports Ministry has held talks with the governing body of the Commonwealth Games, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), over the possibility of hosting the 2026 Games.
According to Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif who spoke to GHOne TV, the preliminary discussions had been positive.
”In fact the president of Commonwealth Games was in Ghana. He has visited our facilities and held a meeting with my good self. I had the opportunity of even attending some of their meetings,”
”And their programs, they want African nation. They said it is time for Africa to host the Commonwealth Games, and Ghana, we have the facilities now.” he said.
The 2026 Games is currently without a host city after Malaysia rejected the CGF’s offer, which included £100 million ($126 million) in supporting funds.
In an official statement, Malaysia said its decision was due to time constraints, costs and an insufficient offer of funding.
The CGF had asked Malaysia to step in after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew, citing ballooning costs.
While Malaysia and the Australian City of Victoria consider the Games to be too expensive, Mustapha Ussif has said it will not cost a fortune to do it.
”It is not going to cost us as much as it cost us to organise the African Games if we decide as a country to go for Commonwealth Games,”
”The beauty of the Commonwealth Games is that they will even give you funding that will come from Commonwealth Games Secretariat, unlike the African Games.”
Countries are not lining up to host the Games due to the cost involved and legacy issues.
The cost involved is what drove away the Australian City of Victoria. In their case, the Games was going to cost an estimated $4.8 billion to host it.
Victoria Premier Dan Andrews said “Frankly A$6-A$7 billion for a 12-day sporting event, we’re not doing that.”
By his own admission, Victoria made the decision even before working out the cost of breaking its contract with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).
As it turns out, Dan Andrews would later confirm that the Victoria State had agreed to pay $243 million to Commonwealth Games organizers.
In 2019, the CGF revealed that the Birmingham 2022 games would cost an estimated £778million. The UK government agreed to a 75-25 cost-sharing formula with the Birmingham City Council.
A year after hosting the Games, the Birmingham City Council effectively declared bankruptcy to meet equal pay claims. In a statement, the Labour council of the largest local authority in Europe said the notice was a “necessary step as we seek to get our city back on a sound financial footing”.
It is not clear how much it will cost Ghana to host the Games and where the funding will come from.
Ghana recently spent over $289 million on facilities, operational cost and associated expenses to host the 2023 African Games.
