​Springbok captain Jean de Villiers has been ruled out of the remainder of the Rugby World Cup after suffering a fracture to his jaw in the pool match against Samoa in Birmingham on Saturday.
 
Heyneke Meyer, coach of the Springboks, described this latest injury to De Villiers as a massive set-back. Jan Serfontein has been called up and will join the squad in Newcastle on Monday. An announcement on the captaincy for the match against Scotland will be made on Wednesday.
 
"Jean is not only our captain and one of the most experienced players in the squad, but he is also the glue of this team and to lose him is very sad," said Meyer.

​The Zimbabwe Rugby Sevens team the Cheetahs got a timely boost ahead of their tour of Namibia when they received a sponsorship deal worth about $15 000 from a local telecommunications company Powertel yesterday.
 
The Cheetahs will take part in the Safland Windhoek Sevens tomorrow and Saturday; and according to reports from Namibia, nine teams, namely Zimbabwe, Poland, Northern All Stars, Bulls, South Africa, Kenya, Botswana and the hosts Namibia, have already confirmed their participation in this competition.
 
From Namibia, the Cheetahs will return home for a few days before they head off to Kenya for the Safaricom Safari Sevens set for the beginning of October.

​Mamelodi Sundowns winger Kudakwashe Mahachi is reportedly on the verge of joining Golden Arrows. 

The Zimbabwean joined the Brazilians at the beginning of last season, but battled to break into the team and has not been registered for 2015/16. While away on national duty, Mahachi told the Zimbabwean media that he was temporarily quitting football to focus on his studies. 

But it is being reported that Sundowns are working hard behind the scenes to secure the player a move to Arrows outside the transfer window. 

It is said that a good coach needs to understand his players, and former teacher and psychology graduate Molefi Ntseki certainly fits that bill. FIFA.com spoke to the coach who will be in charge of the South African team at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile later this month.

When asked what playing and coaching experience he has, Molefi Ntseki rattles off dates, clubs and places as if he was reading them from his CV. But he is not. He simply knows them off by heart. It is an indication of his coaching philosophy: Everything is done with meticulous planning. “It comes from my teaching background. That is how I obtained my teaching diploma. The methodology and the way to present to players comes from a teaching background and from what I learnt when I was doing my coaching courses.” 

​Anele Ngcongca endured defeat on his Troyes debut, Tefu Mashamaite suffered his first loss in Sweden, while Ayanda Patosi and Lebohang Phiri scored for their clubs in Europe on the weekend.
DAYLON CLAASEN - Claasen played the first 80 minutes as 1860 Munich drew 1-1 at home to Kaiserslautern in the German Bundesliga II.
KAGISHO DIKGACOI - ‘KG’ played for Cardiff City in their 2-1 loss at Rotherham United in the Championship.

​NWU Soccer Institute playerSoccer Institute defender Kyle Amon has been awarded a two-year soccer scholarship at the University of New Hampshire in the United States of America starting January 2016.
 
Kyle, who is originally from Cape Town, completed his Bachelor Degree in Public Administration at North-West University, Mafikeng Campus. He will be studying for a Master’s Degree in Community Development, Policy and Practice at the University of New Hampshire.
 
He was first scouted during the 2014 Varsity Football Tournament. A variety of universities in the United States showed interest in him, but he decided on the University of New Hampshire because of its good ranking and strong research focus.

​Martin Johnson gives ahead of England's biggest match of Rugby World Cup 2015 to date, England v Autralia.
 
Rugby World Cup 2015 is on course to become the best attended, most viewed and most socially engaged Tournament ever. Having watched England's last match at Twickenham Stadium along with a capacity crowd, the Land Rover Ambassador knows England have a big challenge ahead of them.

Cameroon v Mali, 2015 Afrobasket Women, Yaoundé (Cameroon), Group Phase, 25 September 2015

YAOUNDE (AfroBasket Women 2015) - Three former winners as well as reigning champions Angola head a group of eight teams that will do battle on Thursday to reach the AfroBasket Women 2015 Semi-Finals in Yaounde, Cameroon.
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Against the odds, Egypt - who received a wild card invitation to participate in the tournament - have suddenly become the team to watch out as they will take on tournament hosts Cameroon.

 Listen 
The 2018 FIFA World Cup™ first-leg qualifier match between the Central African Republic and Madagascar which was due to be played in Bangui will now take place on 10 October 2015 in Antananarivo where the return match will be played as well on 13 October 2015.
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The decision was taken by the Bureau 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia following an assessment of the security situation in Bangui and in agreement with both member associations. 

Coincidence has a way of rearing its head in football. For Lauren, the 2000 Men’s Olympic Football Tournament was full of chance occurrences and twists of fate. A redemptive semi-final spot-kick, a final against the country where he was raised, which ended in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw – all moments packed with personal significance.
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Combined, they saw Lauren and his team-mates become the first Cameroonians to win Olympic gold, in any discipline, the importance of which was not lost on him. “It was not only for me as an individual, but also for the country,” Lauren said in an exclusive interview with FIFA.com. “The people were suffering a lot. The happiness it brought the population made me proud.” 

​Kaizer Chiefs head coach Steve Komphela was pleased with his side's performance against Ajax Cape Town on Saturday, even though they were unable to secure a win.

AmaKhosi dominated for large periods at the Cape Town Stadium but were unable to execute the killing blow and allowed the Mother City side to escape with a point after Nathan Paulse cancelled out Edward Maqele's opener.

Komphela, though, was happy enough to take a point, saying: "I must compliment the players for their response. The energy was right and the intensity was right. It would have been very nice if we did not concede, but again it happened and there is nothing you can do about it, we just have to deal with it.

From left to right: Sihua Yang, Vice President of AOTO Electronics; Frank Leenders, Director General of FIBA Media and Marketing Services; John Wu, Director General of subsidiary of AOTO Electronics.
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MIES, Switzerland/SHENZEN, China (2015 FIBA Asia Championship/2015 FIBA Asia Women's Championship) - FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, and AOTO Electronics, a world leading LED (light-emitting diode) display complete solution provider have called their first partnership a huge success. This comes on the occasion of the 2015 FIBA Asia Championships for Men and Women.

​South Africa’s Nations Cup-winning national coach, Clive Barker has confirmed the possibility of returning to the Absa Premiership as head coach of Maritzburg United.
 
Barker is currently engaged with Mpumalanga Black Aces as a scout, having previously been head coach, but Maritzburg see him as a replacement for Mandla Ncikazi, who was fired last week.
 
Speaking in an interview with KickOff.com, Barker confirmed that he is talking to a “few PSL teams”, including Maritzburg, with the intention of returning to top-flight football this season. “I am talking to a few teams, that is the only thing can say for now,” Barker says.
 
In the interim, Maritzburg have installed Fadlu Davids as stand-in coach.

Kigali, Rwanda, 30 September: Rwanda national soccer team has successfully secured a friendly international match against West Africa soccer side Burkina Faso to be staged during a two-week  training camp scheduled for October 4-17 in Morocco.
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Vincent Mzwamita Rwanda FA President confirmed development in an online media report published Wednesday but disclosed that the two sides have not agreed on probable dates the game would be played.

“We have negotiated with our Burkina Faso counterparts about playing a friendly but we have yet set dates. The dates will be decided once the team is in Morocco,” said Mzwamita.

A new champion will be crowned on Wednesday when the Philadelphia Union hosts Sporting Kansas City in the 102nd edition of the U.S. Open Cup at PPL Park at 7 p.m. (ESPN2, WatchESPN, UDN). Not only is the Dewar Cup at stake, but the U.S. Open Cup victor will also receive an automatic 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League berth.


Philadelphia, hosting their second consecutive final after falling to last year’s champions Seattle Sounders FC 3-1, will be seeking their first ever major trophy. SKC, on the other hand, will be looking to add a third U.S. Open Cup to their trophy case after having won titles in 2004 and 2012. The Union booked their place in the final with a goal from Sebastian Le Toux in their 1-0 win over four-time champions Chicago Fire on August 12 at PPL Park, while Sporting KC advanced to the final behind goals from Soni Mustivar, Benny Feilhaber and Krisztian Nemeth in their 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on August 12. 

​Coach Molefi Ntseki named his 21 men squad for the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup today after the farewell match against Chile which was played at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town.

The Burger King sponsored junior national team Amajimbos will travel to South America on Tuesday 29 September 2015, to continue their preparations for the world showpiece. The team will begin their South American camp in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where they will play a friendly match against Selecao (the Brazilian u17 National Squad) on 4 October 2015. They will then make their way to the host nation’s capital city Santiago to play the away leg friendly match against Chile on 7 October 2015, on 12 October 2015 Molefi Ntseki’s charges will take on New Zealand in their last international practice match before heading to Concepcion, which is the base camp for group E during the World Cup on 13 October 2015.

​The South African u20 Women’s National Team, Basetsana, and their counterparts from Zambia played to a goalless draw in a 2016 Papua New Guinea u20 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifier.

The first leg took place at the Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka on Sunday, 27 September.

The match was watched by among others the President of the Football Association of Zambia, the legendary Kalusha Bwalya.

Frank Lampard finds form as New York City FC continues push for playoffs vs. D.C. United


New York City FC (10-14-7, 37 points, East #8) continues its late-season bid for a playoff berth when it visits D.C. United (13-12-6, 45 points, East #4) at RFK Stadium for the first time ever on Viernes de Futbol (7 p.m. ET, UniMás). On the heels of Saturday’s stunning win in Vancouver—which featured a 95th minute game-winning goal from David Villa—NYCFC remains alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race but needs either Montreal or Toronto to fall short down the stretch. All the expansion club can do in the meantime is continue its winning ways and with Frank Lampard finally settling in with two goals and one assist in NYCFC’s last three games (including this one on Saturday), an undefeated run to close the season doesn’t look so farfetched.  D.C. United sits seven points above the red line on the Eastern Conference table despite its current six-game winless streak. The reigning Eastern Conference regular season champs were a model of consistency throughout this season and the veteran-laden roster figures to right the ship sooner rather than later. United can clinch a playoff spot with a win or a tie and a Montreal Impact win versus Orlando City SC.

​New Track - New Athletes - New Tricks

Santorini is ready to host the world´s best athletes for the ultimate freerunning competition on the beautiful Greek island.
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The iconic Cycladic island will celebrate its 5th Red Bull Art of Motion on an all new natural track on October 3. The event will relocate from Caldera, where it has established itself as the annual freerunning location, and move to Oia, a location with brand new challenges for the competitors! The brand new natural track is now just a backflip away from the picturesque island sunset.

Orlando City SC forward Cyle Larin needed only one goal to set a new MLS record for most goals scored by a rookie in a single season. The first overall pick in the 2015 SuperDraft not only scored the goal but went ahead and notched a hat trick in Orlando’s 5-2 win over Eastern Conference leading New York Red Bulls last Friday night (watch Larin make history HERE). The Canadian international now has 14 goals scored on the season and still has Orlando City SC in playoff contention. The previous rookie scoring record was set in 2003 by Chicago Fire’s Damani Ralph with 11 goals.

Miesha Blackshear (CMR) - Cameroon v Mozambique, 2015 Afrobasket Women, Yaoundé (Cameroon), Group Phase

YAOUNDE (AfroBasket Women 2015) - Miesha Blackshear may not sound a traditional Cameroonian name, but the US-born has embraced the team's fight spirit at AfroBasket Women 2015.
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And competitiveness has become highly significant for Alain Zedong's team.

It’s easy to see why Real Salt Lake’s signing of Juan Manuel ‘El Burrito’ Martinez flew well below the radar.




While the arrivals Andrea Pirlo, Didier Drogba, and Giovani dos Santos stole this summer’s spotlight, Martinez quietly inked a Designated Player deal with RSL. But the forward’s resume, which includes a successful stint with Brazilian giant Corinthians, 58 appearances with Argentine powerhouse Boca Juniors, and four caps with Argentina’s National Team—where he played alongside Lionel Messi in 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying—stacks up with his fellow mid-summer signees.  

In a speech to the United Nations in New York on Saturday, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach praised the inclusion of sport in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), calling it a historic moment that recognises the important role that sport plays in promoting healthy lifestyles, education, peace and social inclusion.

“Sport is natural partner when it comes to realising the ambitious agenda that will guide global development over the next 15 years,” President Bach said of the post-2015 Development Agenda that was adopted by the UN Member States on 25 September. 

Team Nigeria (NGR) - Nigeria v Egypt, 2015 Afrobasket Women, Yaoundé (Cameroon), Group Phase

YAOUNDE (AfroBasket Women 2015) - Ten years on since Nigeria last won an AfroBasket Women title, they aim at returning to the top step of the podium again at AfroBasket Women 2015 in Yaounde, Cameroon.
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And coach Scott Nnaji has selected his best players to following in the footsteps of legendary Mfon Udoka, who has ignited Nigeria to two consecutive titles (2003 and 2005).

Eliud Kipchoge Photo credit: www.photorun.net

A Kenyan double in a major marathon is hardly unusual but there was a majestic quality about the manner of victory for both Eliud Kipchoge and Gladys Cherono on the streets of Berlin in the 42nd edition of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. The 30-year-old Kipchoge defied footwear problems to run a 2:04:00 personal best by five seconds in ideal weather conditions. He achieved this while both his insoles were flapping about, half out of his shoes, from kilometre 16, although the runner himself admitted he had been aware of a problem within the first kilometre. His fellow Kenyan Eliud Kiptanui achieved a big lifetime best for second place with 2:05:22 ahead of the Ethiopian Feyisa Lelisa, who clocked 2:06:57. 
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