Lausanne, 31 December 2015 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued its decision in the appeal filed by Musa Hassan Bility against the FIFA Ad hoc Electoral Committee’s decision of 12 November 2015 (the FIFA AEC Decision) in which his candidacy for the upcoming FIFA presidential election was refused. The CAS has dismissed the appeal and upheld the FIFA AEC Decision.
 
The FIFA Ad hoc Electoral Committee noted that Mr Bility had failed to pass the integrity checks carried out by the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee, and for this reason, could not be admitted as a candidate for the election for the office of FIFA President to be held on 26 February 2016.

Once again we welcome a new year here at African Sports Media Network; parent company of African Sports TV our daily news site and African Sports Monthly; Africa’s only comprehensive sports magazine as we leave another year filed with great performances and excitement behind us as we look forward to what the new one brings.

We are pleased to serve you; our daily and occasional readers and promise to work on improving our service to you as we strive to bring you closer to the action and the inside stories of the athletes and events that shape the African and Global sports landscape.

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It is now an established tradition that the footballing year kicks off in January with the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala.

Almost 12 months ago, the cream of world football gathered at Zurich’s Kongresshaus to find out who had been chosen as the standout player of 2014. Finally, when all was said and done and the votes counted, Germany’s Nadine Kessler and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo stood proudly atop the main stage as the Women and Men’s World Player of the Year respectively. There were also triumphs for the coaches of Germany’s men and women’s teams, Joachim Low and Ralf Kellerman, as well as Colombia’s James Rodriguez, who received the FIFA Puskás Award for the goal of the year. 

Some of Africa's emerging national federations were honoured at the CAVB Congress
 
Cairo, Egypt, December 31, 2015 - The recognition of some of Africa’s emerging national federations during the 2015 CAVB Congress was one of the highlights of the year for the continent.
 
During the Congress CAVB President Dr Amr Elwani honoured the presidents of 17 national federations with the CAVB alongside FIVB President Dr Ary Graca who expressed his happiness at the valuable contribution these new countries are making to volleyball.

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“I think the bad times are important, too. That’s what makes you stronger and better able to aim high. Obviously, it’s great to have the good times but I also think you learn more during the bad.” This was USA captain Carli Lloyd after she had just won the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™, scoring a hat-trick in the final – including an outrageous effort from the halfway line – and ending up with the adidas Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.

The quote, given in an exclusive interview with FIFA.com in the bowels of BC Place in Vancouver immediately after the Stars and Stripes had beaten Japan in the Final, must surely go down as one of the most memorable of our one-on-one interviews in 2015. There were a few more unforgettable moments in 2015 that are worthy of mention, however…

• Elite umpire reflects with pride as he gets ready to join Bucknor and Koertzen 
• Geoff Allardice: “Aleem has been one of the best and most respected umpires in world cricket for many years”

Aleem Dar will become only the third member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires to reach the 100-Test mark when he takes to the field to officiate in the second Test between South Africa and England on Saturday at Newlands.

• Ashwin: “Finishing the year as the number-one bowler is like an icing on the cake that I have managed to build over the past last 12 months” 
• Ashwin also ends up as top-ranked Test all-rounder

 
Australia captain Steve Smith and Ravichandran Ashwin of India have finished 2015 as the number-one ranked batsman and bowler respectively in the ICC Test Player Rankings, which were released today following the conclusion of the Boxing Day Tests in Durban and Melbourne.

Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh has not yet confirmed that U-23 stars Oghenekaro Etebo and goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel will form part of the 2016 CHAN squad.
 
Daniel shone in goal while Etebo netted five goals as the Nigerian U23 side won the U23 African Cup of Nations in Senegal, booking their place at next year’s Rio Olympics.
 
While there have been calls for the two to be included in the squad that will do duty at the 2016 CHAN tournament in Rwanda next month, Oliseh has not indicated if he will include the pair.

Photo Courtesy:  Newsmada.com
African and national Kick Boxing Champion Severin Mamonjisoa defeated Russian World Champion Zurab Faroyan in the 60 kg category this past weekend in Sochi Russia to become the country’s first ever world champion in that event.

Mamonjisoa who came to the event was already African and Indian Ocean Champion as well as national champion faced formidable odds as he locked horns with multiple world championship winner in Faroyan. But that would not deter the Malagasy Champion who would go on to win the title.

Kaizer Chiefs winger George Lebese believes his team can make it third-time lucky in cup finals after losing the MTN8 and Telkom Knockout finals.
 
Lesebe remains optimistic that Amakhosi can capture the two remaining trophies on offer; the Nedbank Cup and Premiership.
 
Chiefs stumbled at the last hurdle in the MTN8 against Ajax Cape Town and in the TKO final against rivals Mamelodi Sundowns.

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All but one of the 54 CAF members took at least the first step on the road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, with the first 13 advancing and eliminated in turn after home-and-away ties in mid-October. The lucky 13 were then joined by 27 seeded teams for 20 more two-legged ties, which took place in November.

After those two rounds, Africa was left with 20 nations standing, which will be drawn into five groups of four teams with the round-robin matches to be played between October 2016 and November 2017. The five group winners qualify for the 21st World Cup in Russia.

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As 2015 draws to a close, FIFA.com looks over some of the year’s most eye-catching football stats.

2 different continental titles were won by the same men's team for the first time when Australia lifted the AFC Asian Cup in February. The Socceroos had previously lifted the OFC Nations Cup, and beating Korea Republic also enabled Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano - the two survivors of Australia's most recent triumph in Oceania in 2004 - to become the first male players to pick up winner's medals from two different continental championships.

The Olympic rings were installed in Rio’s Madureira Park in May, having been sent from the UK (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)
 
Venues built, test events staged, volunteers selected, torches unveiled, preconceptions challenged and much more... it’s been a busy 12 months for organisers of the Rio 2016 Games

Mamelodi Sundowns dribbling wizard Khama Billiat has remained coy about his future with his contract set to expire at the end of the current season.
 
Billiat is in the final year of his three-year deal with the Brazilians after joining from Ajax Cape Town in 2013.
 
Media reports have suggested that Sundowns have tabled a new deal, but the 25-year-old has yet to commit.

Professionalism in African football is gradually gaining the attention it deserves and in no long a time, it will be the talk on the lips of the stakeholders and followers of the globular leather.
 
This is largely due to the Club Licensing System, which seeks to raise the level of club football on and off the pitch, and represents a long term development tool for Confederations and Members Association as defined by FIFA.

After winning gold at the 2015 All Africa Games, Algeria will try earn a Rio 2016 berth in the African Olympic Qualification Tournament in Congo Brazzaville
 
Algier, Algeria, December 28, 2015 – The Algerian men’s volleyball team have intensified their training as they approach the final stages of their preparations for the African Men’s Olympic Qualification Tournament with a training camp, which includes some friendly matches in Poland until January 3, 2016.
 
The African Olympic Qualification Tournament, which is due to start on January 7 in Congo Brazzaville, will give the winner a berth to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, while the second and third ranked teams will be given another opportunity to qualify through the World Olympic Qualification Tournament.

Malawi’s most popular football club, Big Bullets beat Civo United 3-1 on Sunday, 27 December 2014 in Lilongwe to claim the national league championship for a record 13th time.
 
Bullets, formed in 1967, also achieved another milestone by amassing unprecedented 66 points in the 15-member league, opening a 16-point lead over second-place, Mafco (Malawi army club).

Coach Kadiri Ikhana says it came as no surprise when he was forced to leave Enyimba, despite guiding the team to the league title in 2015.
 
Under Ikhana, two-time CAF Champions League winners Enyimba clinched the Nigerian Premier League title in November with 70 points from 38 matches, beating second-placed Warri Wolves by four points.
 
Ikhana, who won the Champions League in a previous spell at the club in 2003, says that despite his success, he foresaw that his contract would not to be renewed.

• Test conducted on 13 November 2015 contained Prohibited Substance 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that Pakistan’s bowler Yasir Shah has been charged with an anti-doping rule violation under the ICC Anti-Doping Code.
 
The sample Yasir provided in an in-competition test, which was conducted on 13 November 2015, was found to contain the presence of chlortalidone, a Prohibited Substance which appears in Section 5 of the WADA Prohibited List (in the category of Specified Substances).  In accordance with the ICC Anti-Doping Code, pending the outcome of the disciplinary process, Yasir has been provisionally suspended.

Libero Mohamed Meawad will be a key player for Egypt in next month's Olympic qualifier in Congo Brazzaville

Cairo, Egypt, December 24, 2015 - The Egypt men's volleyball team will start the final stage of preparations for the 2016 Men's African Olympic qualifiers to be hosted by Congo Brazzaville from January 7 to 14 as they enter a training camp in Finland on Sunday.

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Following the Letters of Interest received from seven Member Federations which were announced on 9 December, the IAAF is pleased to confirm the final list of cities who have submitted official bids for the 2016 IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships and 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships.

Algerian striker Riyad Mahrez produced a brace of penalties for leaders Leicester City and Nigeria's Odion Ighalo helped Watford despatch Liverpool in the Premier League at the weekend.

ENGLAND
   
RIYAD MAHREZ (Leicester City)
Mahrez confirmed his current status as the Premier League's pre-eminent attacking player with a brace of penalties as Leicester won 3-2 at Everton to guarantee they will top the table on Christmas Day. He opened the scoring in the 27th minute at a rain-soaked Goodison Park, tucking the ball into the bottom-left corner after Ramiro Funes Mori had dragged Shinji Okazaki down, and restored the visitors' lead in the 65th minute, following Romelu Lukaku's equaliser, by finding the opposite bottom corner after Tim Howard had upended Jamie Vardy. The Algeria international has now scored 13 goals in the league this season.

Nine-man Horseed has won the 2015 Somali Super Cup, beating rivals Heegan 3-1 on penalties on Thursday (24 December 2015) in Mogadishu.
 
The military team edged their rivals on penalties after a barren stalemate in regulation time to claim their second major title in seven days, after the General Da’Ud Cup.

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In 1995 George Weah became the first – and to date only – African to win the highest individual award there is in world football: The Ballon d'Or. In an exclusive interview with FIFA.com, the Liberian icon looks back at his remarkable career.

Whenever football fans name the best players never to have played at the World Cup finals, Weah is one of the first to be mentioned. Although the big striker played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe (Monaco, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea), he had the 'misfortune' of being born in Liberia – a country without a strong footballing pedigree. Weah sees it very differently.

Invariably dressed in sports gear, with a whistle in her mouth and a group of footballers under her control, Selma Al Majidi is very much one of a kind, the first Arab and Sudanese woman to take charge of a men’s football team.

Al Majidi has dreamed of being a coach virtually all her life, having first made her first foray on to a football pitch to watch her little brother train at the age of 11. Paying close attention to the sessions, she made a mental note of the advice the coach gave her younger sibling.