DAMIEN MEYER/AFP or licensors
FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura, the first woman and first non-European to become the world football body’s No. 2 in 2016, will be stepping down at the end of the year to devote “more time to (her) family”, the organization announced on Wednesday.
After a career at the United Nations, the 60-year-old Senegalese was appointed in May 2016 in the wake of the election of Italian-Swiss Gianni Infantino as president of the organization, and helped “restore its credibility” after a cascade of scandals, FIFA said in a statement.
“Women’s football will have reached new heights under her leadership”, the body continued, while the successful staging of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand (20 July-20 August) is the leader’s last major objective.
Fatma Samoura chose to cut short “speculation about (her) position” by anticipating the announcement of her resignation, which she planned to make official “next week” to the FIFA Council, explaining that she wanted to devote herself to her family next year.
FIFA has given no indication as to her succession, although for seven years No. 2 has appeared as consensual and discreet as Gianni Infantino has been thunderous and divisive, making numerous proposals for reform, some of which have not been achieved, such as the move to a biennial World Cup, and controversial statements.
“Joining FIFA was the best decision I ever made in my life. I’m happy to have led such a diverse team,” commented the Senegalese, who was appointed with no experience of sport or TV rights, but with a long career as a diplomat.
Quadrilingual, a major asset in a body with 211 member federations Fatma Samoura had previously spent most of her career with the United Nations, as a humanitarian coordinator, notably in Djibouti, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Madagascar and Nigeria.
She succeeded Frenchman Jérôme Valcke, who was swept away by a series of corruption scandals that also claimed the life of former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, to embody the “new FIFA” wanted by Gianni Infantino.
“Today, our body is better managed, more open, more reliable and more transparent”, Fatma Samoura assured FIFA on Wednesday.
Egyptian champions Al Ahly win first leg of CAF Champions League final
By Africanews
The first leg of the CAF Champions League final took place on Sunday in Cairo between Egypt’s Al Ahly and Wydad from Morocco..
Egyptian champions, Al Ahly, won 2-1 finding themselves in danger with a week to go before the return leg in Morocco.
South African international Percy Tau headed Al Ahly into the lead on the stroke of halftime and Mahmoud Kahraba doubled the score in the 59th minute.
But Wydad substitute Saifeddine Bouhra pulled one back in the 86th minute.
Al Ahly did not get a clear penalty that would have changed everything
Here are some reactions from Al Ahly supporters:
“The referee was so bad and the next match is also going to be bad”;
“How on earth can a player touch a ball with his hand and only get a yellow card?”.
Wydad supporters are delighted with the late away goal which is keeping alive their chances of winning a 4th African Cup.
“At first, Al Widad was not so good, but in the second half they started to play well, the luck was not in their favour but hopefully in the next match, we will beat Al Ahly 3-1”, said a Wydad supporter.
Rhe return game at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca on next Sunday.
Boxer Claressa Shields extends record wins, calls for equal pay
YURI CORTEZ/AFP or licensors
Claressa Shields is perhaps in the prime of her career, establishing a big enough name as a two-time Olympic gold medalist and world champion in three weight classes to headline the first boxing card in the six-year history of Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.
The undisputed middleweight champion became the first woman to earn a seven-figure payday in her last two fights and made another $1 million on Saturday night when she beat top-ranked contender Maricela Cornejo at the home of the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons.
Shields grew up poor in Flint, Michigan, and has earned enough money to become rich at 28. Still, she laments the gender inequities in boxing.
“We don’t get the equal TV time, the equal promotion, equal pay. And that’s what I’ve been trying to do with my platform and make sure that I get all of that,” Shields said earlier this week in an interview with The Associated Press.
Shields is boxing in a marquee event in part because sports-streaming service DAZN stepped up enough financially to facilitate the fight.
Women in boxing have shown they can sell out big arenas, as Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano did 13 months ago at New York’s Madison Square Garden, but they’re not compensated as well as men in the same sport.
“It’s like any other profession where the women still haven’t caught up,” said Jackie Kallen, a 77-year-old former boxing publicist and manager who was commissioner of the International Female Boxing Association. “They take a beating just like the men. They bleed just like the men, but they don’t get paid just like the men.”
Shields is 13-0 with two knockouts. She turned pro in 2016 after becoming the first U.S. boxer of any gender to win consecutive Olympic gold medals and is averaging two fights a year.
Shields also is on a mission to be recognized as the “Greatest Woman Of All Time,” or the “GWOAT,” now and in the future.
“People that say that women’s boxing don’t have fans, well, they’re going to be mad Saturday,” she said.
The Ugandan baseballer pitching for the big league
cleared
The baseball pitch is shared with grazing cows, but the rustic conditions are no distraction for Ugandan major league hopeful Dennis Kasumba.
The 18-year-old is off to play in a top-flight amateur baseball league in America this summer, the chance of a lifetime for an orphan raised in a slum who dreams of going pro.
“I am very, very happy. I can’t explain my feelings, I feel blessed,” said Kasumba, who comes from Gayaza, a town about 12 kilometres (seven miles) from the capital Kampala, where he was raised in grinding poverty.
Spotted online after videos his exploits went viral, Kasumba received an invitation to the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft League, which starts on June 1 in the United States.
“Today I’m starting my Journey,” Kasumba wrote on Twitter on May 28 alongside a video of family, friends and supporters waving him off at the airport.
Determined to impress the scouts and do his coach and teammates proud, Kasumba has been fine-tuning his pitch and swing ahead of the MLB fixture where prospective stars are put through their paces.
Ahead of his departure, Kasumba trained day and night at Gayaza, running drills with a worn catcher’s mitt and bat held together with tape at the local diamond.
Off the field, he keeps fit any way he can, using everything and anything at his disposal.
Puffing away in the equatorial sun, Kasumba runs through squats using barbells made of concrete and discarded car tyres, with water-filled plastic bottles taped to his legs for resistance.
Friends and relatives have filmed his sessions and posted them on social media, and Kasumba has attracted thousands of followers inspired by his grit and cheer.
– Hard beginnings –
Raised in Gayaza by his grandmother, Kasumba never knew his parents.
His mother abandoned him as an infant along with two siblings after their father, a soldier, died fighting anti-government rebels.
By the age of eight, he had dropped out of school to work for his meals, slaughtering animals in an abattoir until meeting volunteer coach John Bosco Sempa, who invited him to the local baseball pitch.
As his natural talent and determination became clear, Sempa encouraged his protege to promote his skills on social media, where the rising star found another source of motivation and support.
“It started like a joke, but now I am going to US for MLB,” Kasumba told AFP. It has not all been smooth sailing.
Kasumba was twice rejected for a visa to travel to the US before his application was at last granted in May. “I am so excited,” he said.
The quest to become a pro is a tall order in a country that has never produced a major league player, and where interest in baseball is dwarfed by that for football and athletics.
“We want Kasumba to play in the highest league in the world, that’s our hope,” said coach Sempa.
“If he plays (his) best, just as his heart says, he can get a chance.”
But his remarkable journey represents a bigger win for the wider community, where Kasumba has become something of a local celebrity and an inspiration.
Many of the other kids scrambling about the dirt diamond in Gayaza are also orphans raised in desperate poverty, Sempa said.
“As a coach I’d love all our players to be successful. Kasumba’s news is not only for himself but for our country,” he added.
Table Tennis World Championship ends in South Africa
cleared
By Africanews
After an absence of more than 80 years, South Africa hosted the World Table Tennis Championships that ended this Sunday in Durban.
According to the head of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), this event marks an opportunity to raise awareness for the sport and inspire a new generation.
“As it was 84 years since the last time in Africa and first time ever in South Africa. By bringing the event here, we create some awareness of our beautiful sport, as well as making it visible for the young kids and new generations to come. So we really hope that this event will create newborn table tennis stars in South Africa for the future to come”, said Petra Sorling, president of the International Table Tennis Federation.
According to the official, this event is also a way to encourage local talent.
“Well, we already see now that we have a local African table tennis player Omar Assar in the quarter final. So yes, this is definitely a step for our sport to show it’s a truly global sport”, added the ITTF president.
The table tennis championship kicked off in Durban’s Olive Convention Centre on May 20 and ends this Sunday.
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge wins Spain’s 2023 Asturias award for sports
Christoph Soeder/Copyright 2022 The AP
By Rédaction Africanews and AP
Kenyan marathon specialist Eliud Kipchoge has won the Princess of Asturias Award for sports for 2023 the Spanish foundation that organizes the prizes announced.
Kipchoge, 38, who took Olympic gold medals in the marathon in 2016 and 2020 and was world 5,000 meters champion in 2003 “is considered a legend in world athletics and the best marathon runner of all time,” the foundation’s panel of judges said in a statement Thursday (May 18).
The foundation highlighted that he is known as “the philosopher” for his strategy and concentration in running. Kipchoge has won in 10 editions of four of the major marathons, including London and Berlin four times each.
He is the current Olympic marathon champion and holds the world record for the discipline, with a time of 2 hours, 1 minute, 9 seconds set in Berlin last year. That timing lowered by 30 seconds the record he himself had set in 2018.
In a statement from Kipchoge forwarded by the foundation after the announcement, he said it was an “absolute honor” to receive the award.
“It motivates me in my goal to leave a legacy in this world through running, since a running world is a more peaceful world, a happier world and a more healthy world,” he said.
Kipchoge is the only athlete in history who has run a marathon in less than two hours, although the timing of 1:59:40 set in Vienna in 2019 isn’t recognized officially as the race was organized so outside aid could be used to help him.
The 50,000-euro award ($54,000) is one of eight prizes awarded for outstanding work in areas such as the arts, communication, scientific research and literature. They are handed out annually by the foundation.
The Olympic Refugee Foundation and the refugee Olympics team won the sports award in 2022.
The prizes are among the most important in the Spanish-speaking world. The award ceremony is held each fall in the northern Spanish city of Oviedo.
Kenyan world record holder Kipruto provisionally suspended
Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Rédaction Africanews with Agencies
Kenyan athlete and 10-km road race world record holder Rhonex Kipruto has been provisionally suspended for an anti-doping violation, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Wednesday.
Kipruto, who also won a 10,000m bronze medal in the 2019 world championships, broke the 10-km road race world record in 2020.
The AIU said on Twitter that Kipruto had been suspended “for the use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (ABP)”.
ABP refers to the Athlete’s Biological Passport, which shows discrepancies that can reveal the effects of doping.
The AIU added that a notice of the charge has been issued to the 23-year-old runner.
Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala sets 100 metre world lead for the year
TONY KARUMBA/AFP or licensors
Kenyan runner, Ferdinand Omanyala, stormed to victory in the 100 metres at the Kip Keino Classic, an international meeting held in Nairobi on Saturday.
Although he failed to top his African record, he beat off rivals in a time of 9.84 seconds, the best in the world this season.
“I’m happy that I got a very good race and the time is nice because it’s a world lead, so we’re just hoping that we break it down as we go on through the season,” he said.
“The main aim is to win the World Championships in Budapest this year and the Diamond League trophy back in Oregon, where I did not have a good competition there.”
He said his target for the season is to cut his African record of 9.77 seconds, set at the same event in 2021, to under 9.70.
US Olympic and world 200m silver medallist, Kenny Bednarek, was second in 9.98 and world 100m silver medallist Marvin Bracy-Williams was third in 10.03.
Meanwhile, US star sprinter, Sha’Carri Richardson, took an easy win in the 200 metres signalling her return to form.
Already the fastest woman in the world this year in the 100m, the American obliterated the field to win in a new meet time of 22.07 seconds.
“I’m glad to hear from you guys (the media, ed) and from the fans that I’m a fan favourite because I wasn’t treated like that coming into this meet. So I’m just grateful that I had a good race nevertheless of the circumstances,” she said.
But it was local sensation Omanyala, who thrilled the home crowd. He has remained unbeaten this season.
Zegama trail: Moroccan El Azzaoui comes second
Icarus Sport
After an unusually hot, dry early May, it was the rain and cold that swept through Sunday (May 14) in the Spanish Basque country for the first race of the Golden Trail World Series season.
Gusts of wind hitting 50km/h and minus temperatures at the summit prompted the organisers to skirt around the summit ridge, directing the runners onto a path slightly lower down.
This did no deter the public from gathering on both sides of the Sancti Spiritu hill, the most crowded hill of the race, nor stop Manuel Merillas.
The Spaniard won the Zegama-Aizkorri a 42 km race, in 3h42min1s.
Moroccan EL Houssine El Azzaoui came 2nd.
“The race was really tough early on, I was freezing cold, it was very technical terrain, and raining a lot but I just tried to hang on until the end. I kept saying, there’s no way I’m not going to be on the podium,” he explained.
“It’s experience that pays off: 5 years on the Golden have taught me a lot and enabled me to get this result.”
Elazzoui snapped at Merillas’ heels for a long time, but the Spaniard took the upper hand in the final downhill before the finish line.
British Jonathan Albon came third. Kenyan Robert Pkemboi Matayango ended 5th just as last year.
Top 5 women: Daniela Oemus (GER) won in 4 h31 min54 sec. She is followed by Caitlin Fielder (NZL), Theres Leboeuf (SUI), Sylvia Nordskar (NOR) and Blandine L’Hirondel (FRA).
The GTWS is now heading for Chamonix and the Marathon du Mont-Blanc.
Additional sources • Trails – EBU
Lionel Messi’s father denies move to Saudi Arabia’s side Al Hilal
FRANCK FIFE/AFP or licensors
Jorge Messi denied any agreement has been reached with Al Hilal over the future of his son.
Lionel Messi’s next stop could mark his return to Barcelona. Or he could make a hugely profitable move to Saudi Arabia. Staying at Paris Saint-Germain is the most unlikely of outcomes.
Increasingly fevered speculation continued to build Tuesday into where the World Cup winner from Argentina will play next season. Inter Miami in Major League Soccer is also chasing the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
French media have reported that Messi has a verbal deal with an unnamed Saudi club, a move that would put him back into the same league as Cristiano Ronaldo. But one soccer transfer gossip specialist, Fabrizio Romano, was quick to update his 14.6 million followers on Twitter that there will be no decision until after the season.
Both Barcelona and Al Hilal clearly want Messi, who turns 36 next month and also wants to keep playing for Argentina. South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup starts in September, with Argentina at home against Ecuador.
Messi’s trip last week to Saudi Arabia — and subsequent suspension by PSG for the unauthorized absence — has re-ignited talk he will play in the Middle Eastern country if he leaves the French capital as expected. One French media report claimed Messi has agreed to a massive deal with an unnamed Saudi club worth at least 500 million euros ($548 million).
PSG declined to comment when asked by The Associated Press if there is an agreement in place for Messi to leave the club.
Messi was linked with a move to Riyadh-based Saudi club Al Hilal last month, the same city where Ronaldo’s team, Al Nassr, is located.
Messi played against Ronaldo in January in an exhibition game in Riyadh, with the Qatari-owned PSG facing a combined team from Al Nassr and Al Hilal. Ronaldo’s arrival has already boosted Saudi Arabia’s soccer profile in the Middle East in a regional rivalry fueled by Qatar hosting last year’s World Cup.
Having Messi playing against Ronaldo would do even more for the country as Saudi Arabia prepares to stage the Club World Cup for the first time in December.
Messi returned to training with PSG this week after the club lifted his suspension following the promotional trip to Saudi Arabia. He missed practice last Monday, the day after PSG’s 3-1 loss to Lorient. The club announced his suspension last Tuesday.
Messi subsequently apologized to the club and his teammates for traveling without PSG’s permission.
Messi joined PSG on a two-year deal after tearfully leaving financially stricken Barcelona against his will in 2021, with an option for an extra year if both parties agreed. His contract runs until the end of June, but talks about extending reportedly broke down, making Messi’s exit seem inevitable.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez, who is poised to lead his team to the Spanish league title this season, has openly said he wants his former teammate to come back.
Barcelona is the club closest to the heart of Messi and his family. They moved to Spain in 2001 and Messi scored 672 goals — including an extraordinary 50-goal league season in 2012 — and won four Champions League trophies with Barcelona among a glittering array of silverware.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta is also eager to bring Messi back, but must overcome the club’s severe debts and restrictions imposed by the Spanish league.
Barcelona’s return to the Champions League could also be affected by an ongoing UEFA investigation into payments of millions of dollars over more than a decade to a company linked to a Spanish refereeing official. No evidence of suspected match-fixing has yet emerged.
Playing in Saudi Arabia would lessen the wear and tear on Messi’s body while also offering lower-quality games ahead of World Cup qualifying and the 2024 Copa America in the United States, with Argentina the defending champion.
Jorge Messi denied any agreement has been reached with Al Hilal over the future of his son.
Lionel Messi’s next stop could mark his return to Barcelona. Or he could make a hugely profitable move to Saudi Arabia. Staying at Paris Saint-Germain is the most unlikely of outcomes.
Increasingly fevered speculation continued to build Tuesday into where the World Cup winner from Argentina will play next season. Inter Miami in Major League Soccer is also chasing the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
French media have reported that Messi has a verbal deal with an unnamed Saudi club, a move that would put him back into the same league as Cristiano Ronaldo. But one soccer transfer gossip specialist, Fabrizio Romano, was quick to update his 14.6 million followers on Twitter that there will be no decision until after the season.
Both Barcelona and Al Hilal clearly want Messi, who turns 36 next month and also wants to keep playing for Argentina. South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup starts in September, with Argentina at home against Ecuador.
Messi’s trip last week to Saudi Arabia — and subsequent suspension by PSG for the unauthorized absence — has re-ignited talk he will play in the Middle Eastern country if he leaves the French capital as expected. One French media report claimed Messi has agreed to a massive deal with an unnamed Saudi club worth at least 500 million euros ($548 million).
PSG declined to comment when asked by The Associated Press if there is an agreement in place for Messi to leave the club.
Messi was linked with a move to Riyadh-based Saudi club Al Hilal last month, the same city where Ronaldo’s team, Al Nassr, is located.
Messi played against Ronaldo in January in an exhibition game in Riyadh, with the Qatari-owned PSG facing a combined team from Al Nassr and Al Hilal. Ronaldo’s arrival has already boosted Saudi Arabia’s soccer profile in the Middle East in a regional rivalry fueled by Qatar hosting last year’s World Cup.
Having Messi playing against Ronaldo would do even more for the country as Saudi Arabia prepares to stage the Club World Cup for the first time in December.
Messi returned to training with PSG this week after the club lifted his suspension following the promotional trip to Saudi Arabia. He missed practice last Monday, the day after PSG’s 3-1 loss to Lorient. The club announced his suspension last Tuesday.
Messi subsequently apologized to the club and his teammates for traveling without PSG’s permission.
Messi joined PSG on a two-year deal after tearfully leaving financially stricken Barcelona against his will in 2021, with an option for an extra year if both parties agreed. His contract runs until the end of June, but talks about extending reportedly broke down, making Messi’s exit seem inevitable.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez, who is poised to lead his team to the Spanish league title this season, has openly said he wants his former teammate to come back.
Barcelona is the club closest to the heart of Messi and his family. They moved to Spain in 2001 and Messi scored 672 goals — including an extraordinary 50-goal league season in 2012 — and won four Champions League trophies with Barcelona among a glittering array of silverware.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta is also eager to bring Messi back, but must overcome the club’s severe debts and restrictions imposed by the Spanish league.
Barcelona’s return to the Champions League could also be affected by an ongoing UEFA investigation into payments of millions of dollars over more than a decade to a company linked to a Spanish refereeing official. No evidence of suspected match-fixing has yet emerged.
Playing in Saudi Arabia would lessen the wear and tear on Messi’s body while also offering lower-quality games ahead of World Cup qualifying and the 2024 Copa America in the United States, with Argentina the defending champion.