Algeria fans hoping to land hosting rights of 2013 CAN

Algeria is the latest country to officially declare interest in hosting the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

Officials of the  north African state have now joined South Africa in trying to host the event which was originally scheduled to take place in Libya.

“It might help in our bid to qualify for the next World Cup finals,” federation spokesman Abdelkader Berdja told reporters at a weekend press conference.

South Africa, which will host the 2017 tournament, has already announced its intention to offer itself as a substitute for the Libyans, should their civil conflict not end shortly.

The next Nations Cup finals are to be co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon next year after which they move from every even year to every odd, starting just 12 months later in Libya.

The 2015 finals are in Morocco and the 2017 tournament awarded to South Africa, who hosted last year’s World Cup.

South Africa in April stepped in to replace Libya as hosts of this year’s African Youth Championships.

Libyan league football has been suspended since mid-February but clubs continued to play in continental club competitions, by forfeiting their right to play their home leg in knockout ties, which were reduced to a single match at their opponent’s home ground.

Not surprisingly, no Libyan side got past the third round of the African Champions League and African Confederation Cup preliminaries.

Libya’s national team used Mali as their home ground in the Nations Cup qualifier in March and played in the Comoros Islands last month.

But Libya have withdrawn their team from the All-Africa Games qualifier this weekend, handing opponent Egypt a bye into the final tournament in Maputo in September.

A definite decision on the 2013 CAN host will be made in the next Caf executive meeting in September.

Landry N'Guemo

French club Bordeaux have completed the signing of midfielder Landry N’Guemo from Nancy.

The Cameroon international moves on a free transfer and was unveiled on Monday after signing a three-year deal.

Turkish side Buraspor had expressed interest in N’Guemo, but the player was persuaded to join Bordeaux by coach Francis Gillot.

“I had very positive discussions with the coach; he knew how to be persuasive and I liked his frankness,” he told French sports newspaper L’Equipe.

“I’ve come here to the next level and I’ll have to work hard to earn my place.”

N’Guemo had been with Nancy since 2004 and spent the 2009-2010 a season on loan at the Scottish side Celtic.

The midfielder was part of the Indomitable Lions squad for last year’s World Cup in South Africa and played just the final group game against Holland.

Austin Eguavoen

Austin Eguavoen has warned his players to stay focus ahead of Sunday’s 2011 All Africa Games qualifier against Ghana to be played in Kumasi.

The Dream Team V who has remained unruffled following the seeming non-availability of some key players has maintained that any Nigerian team can hold its own against any African side if it is determined and focused regardless of the players paraded.

“We have started this qualifying series on a great note and we are going to end it in style, I have observed that our national teams lose concentration when it post strings of good results and that should not be our story we must remain focused and finish this task in style,” Eguavoen told the players during Monday’s training session in Benin.

He warned that there was no room for complacency as victory remains the ultimate target in Kumasi.

“It does not matter where they are taking us to play; victory for us is the ultimate target and now is the time for us to show the winning spirit because this is the week were all our efforts since the beginning of this camp would be put to test”. ,

Nigeria takes a 3-1 first leg advantage to Kumasi in a winner takes all encounter for the 10th All Africa games in Maputo, Mozambique in September.

Ghana denied Nigeria’s male team an appearance in the last All Africa games.

Guinea FA logo

Guinea defeated Senegal 1-0 in an All Africa game qualifier in Conakry on Sunday.

After a scoreless first half, the hosts continued their domination, rounding it off with a last minute goal netted by Aly Badara Soumah via a deft assist from second half substitute Ousmane Barry.

Guinea will need to defend this slim lead in the return leg to be played in Dakar next week, which will decide the team to qualify for the African Games.

The Senegal team was handed a bye after Caf ruled in their against Guinea Bissau following a complaint over an over-age player.

The All Africa Games are scheduled for September in Maputo, Mozambique.

Pitroipa in action for Hamburg

Winger Jonathan Pitroipa is closing in on a move to Stade Renne following Hamburg’s acceptance of a €3.5m offer from the French club.

The bid according reports also includes various bonuses but the valuation is someway short of the €5m that had been mooted a few weeks ago.

Left out of Hamburg’s 5-1 friendly defeat at the hands of Wolfsburg yesterday, sporting director Frank Arnesen told reporters that Pitroipa had been given permission to pursue negotiations with the French club.

The former Chelsea supremo also made it clear that he is expecting a replacement to be found soon.

“I am very confident that we will sign an attacking midfielder in the coming week,” he told the club’s official website.

The Burkina Faso international has wanted to leave the Bundesliga side for some time as he was unable to genuinely establish himself as a first-choice player under Armin Veh and Michael Oenning in the 2010-11 campaign, and made it clear that France would be his preferred destination.

The 25-year-old, who scored twice and provided seven assists for his team-mates last season, would become Rennes’ third signing of the transfer window after the captures of Benoit Costil and Julien Ferret.

Seydou Keita returns to national team

Seydou Keita will play in Mali’s next friendly encounter against Tunisia next month, the Mali Football Federation has announced.

The Barcelona midfielder has not played for the Eagles since the end of the 2010 African Cup of Nations, where Mali crashed out in the group stage, which also prompted the retirement of compatriot Frederic Kanoute from international football.

Coach Alain Giresse’s efforts to persuade Keita to return had been fruitless until Mali sports minister Djiguiba Keita intervened last month, promising to bring the 31-year-old former Sevilla midfielder “back home”.

Keita has made 55 appearances for the Eagles since 2000, scoring 16 goals.

Mali (6 points) are hot on the heels of Group A leaders Cape Verde (7 points) in the qualifiers for the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

Mali, who face Cape Verde in their next qualifier, produced a lacklustre display last time out in June when they lost 2-1 to Zimbabwe.

Kwarasey in training

Norwegian-born Adam Kwarasey will make his Ghana debut in an international friendly against Nigeria on August 9 according to GHANAsoccernet.com.

The 23-year-old shot-stopper was cleared by Fifa to play for Ghana last month with the intervention of FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi after three years of delayed paper works.

He is now set to play his first game for the Black Stars when they meet rivals Nigeria at the Vicarage Stadium in Watford, London.

With ace Richard Kingson under-fire to make-way for new faces, the technical team is expected to hand Kwarasey some playing time.

“Now Fifa has cleared him to play for Ghana and we are hoping he will play his first game for the team against Nigeria in August,” Ghana FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi told GHANAsoccernet.com

The Strømsgodset first choice turned down invitations to play for Norway’s under-21 side in 2008 with the hope of playing for Ghana.

Danny Jordaan awarded for successful hosting of 2010 World Cup

The 2010 Fifa World Cup hosted in South Africa has been adjudged the best ever at least in terms of revenue, Danny Jordaan, CEO of the South Africa 2010 World Cup has disclosed.

The World Cup raked a whopping $4.2 billion in proceeds to FIFA, which was 53 per cent higher than the preceding World Cup held in Germany and which accumulated $2.6 billion to FIFA.

Jordaan made the revelation at the 36th Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Awards Night held in Accra on Saturday.

The huge success of the 2010 World Cup, he said, has demystified the erroneous impression about the African continent – impressions which denied the continent the right to host the tournament – for hundred years.

He said since 1904 when FIFA came into being, the African continent was denied the opportunity to host the World Cup largely because of perceptions that “there cannot be a viable and profitable World Cup in Africa.”

To consider Africa an option, there were arguments that FIFA must accumulate “enough reserves because it will go bankrupt” after an African host.

Some were expecting buses to be late, others were expecting flood lights to go off intermittently during games, Jordaan narrated, and yet after South Africa 2010, the chorus has been deafening –“2010 was the best ever World Cup.”

“We will never have another World Cup like that,” he said, adding, “There will not be a World Cup where the host nation supports all teams even after it is eliminated from the group stage.”

“We will never have another World Cup where Desmond Tutu will be dancing at the opening ceremony and Nelson Mandela making an appearance at the stadium.

“There will not be another World Cup with the Octopus Paul supporting one team or the other,” he intimated.

Quoting from ex-South Africa President Thabo Mbeki, Mr Danny Jordaan said “the 2010 World Cup gave Africa its second liberation” and “made the world understand that we are equal.”

He was rapturous in appreciation of the sterling performance of the Black Stars and for making Africa proud.

“No wonder when the Bafana Bafana was eliminated the whole of South Africa became “Baghana Baghana,” he noted.

He said Africa must assert itself in its endeavor and charged African leaders to take decisions and be ready to take responsibility for those decisions.

Gyan grabs Ghana sports personality gong

Striker Asamoah Gyan was named the sports personality of the year in the 36th edition of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana Awards held in Accra on Saturday.

The Sunderland ace fend off competition from international teammate Richard Kingson and IBF bantamweight boxer Joseph Agbeko to emerge winner of the grand prize in a colourful ceremony held at the Banquet Hall of the State House.

Gyan also picked up the award of Footballer of the Year beating competition from Richard Kingson and Andre Ayew.

The 25-year-old gained international recognition in the year under review(2010) when his three goals helped the Black Stars to an unprecedented 2010 Fifa World Cup quarter finals berth – equaling the African record in the tournament in the the process.

His exploits at the mundial earned him a £13m move to English side Sunderland where he became an instant hit with the fans at Wearside.

Gyan, affectionately called Baby Jet, led Ghana’s attack and sent them to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola in February but lost out on the trophy to Egypt.

The ex Liberty Professionals player came second to Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o in the 2010 Caf Footballer of the year award.

His popularity became profound when his was featured by hiplife artiste Castro to produce the famous African Girls hit track.

Adebayor celebrates scoring for Madrid

Striker Emmanuel Adebayor insists he is ready to bide his time in favour of a permanent deal to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

The Togolese joined Madrid on loan from Manchester City in January and has made no secret of his desire to become a permanent part of Jose Mourinho’s squad.

No deal has yet been forthcoming, with Madrid heavily linked with South American strikers Sergio Aguero and Neymar, but Adebayor is happy to wait on Madrid if it means he can seal a move to the Bernabeu.

When asked about his future, he told Marca: “We have to wait. I have (made) it clear that I want to play for Madrid and I will wait until the last day.

“I’m not going to sign for any team until August 31. I will wait for them until the last day at 11 at night.”

He added: “If then Madrid have decided not to buy me, I will search for another team.”

The 27-year-old is positive about his chances of returning to Madrid, for whom he scored eight goals during his loan spell, he added: “I think that I’m an option.

“I honestly think that I left a good impression there. I arrived for six months and I did everything I could for the shirt.

“I settled in quickly, I played and scored goals. I did my job, although I can give more.

“Mourinho told me that he would do everything he could for me to return to Madrid. We had a good relationship, I think that he was happy with me.

“For me, Madrid are everything. I love the club.”