PREVIEW: WSB Regular Season Week 3 (30 January)

After defeats in their opening two World Series of Boxing (WSB) matches, Morocco Atlas Lions will be hoping to move up the Group A table when they host British Lionhearts.

The Lionhearts won their first WSB match against China Dragons, but lost against Ukraine Otamans in week two, and are looking to resume their winning ways away in Africa.

A marvelous venue hosts the action, and the watching fans at the Hyatt Regency, Casablanca will enjoy five fights of terrific action.

On Friday 30th January, fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 22:00 GMT at AIBABoxingTV.com.

West Indies has been fined for a minimum over-rate breach of the ICC Code of Conduct during the fifth and final One-Day International (ODI) against South Africa in Centurion on Wednesday. 

Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fines after the side, led by Jason Holder, was ruled to be two overs short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration.

In accordance with Article 2.5.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.

Andrew Birch of the Chevrolet Warriors has bagged the Sunfoil Series Sizzler award for the first half of this season's Sunfoil Series competition.

The Sunfoil Sizzler award is worth R15 000.

Birch has been instrumental in the turnaround of his franchise's fortunes in the four-day competition. After being well beaten in their first two matches they drew the next and then achieved back-to-back victories to put themselves back into contention for honours. They are now third on the log and less than two points behind the second-placed The Unlimited Titans.

Other players who came strongly into contention for award were the Titans duo of Roelof van der Merwe and Farhaan Behardien and the Knights duo of Rudi Second and Quinton Friend.

In what was a great exhibition of attacking play the Investec South Africa women’s hockey team beat Belgium 3-2 after leading 2-1 at half-time in the third Test at Hartleyvale in Cape Town Wednesday night.

SA lead the six-Test series 1-0 after the first Test was drawn 1-1 and the second Test 2-2. The fourth Test is at 6.30pm Thursday.

Belgium, who led at half-time in both of the previous Tests, scored first through a well-worked penalty corner variation finished off by Manon Simons in the 22nd minute. Three minutes later (25th) SA were on level terms when Dirkie Chamberlain’s perfectly placed backhand blast crashed into the backboard (1-1).

SA were on song and striker Sulette Damons raced down the right channel, the former SA junior sprinter leaving her marker for dead, before Chamberlain effected the perfect one-two and Damons tapped the ball home for 2-1 in the 28th minute.

Netball South Africa has set its sights on a top five finish at the Netball World Cup – one of a number of ambitious targets for 2015.

Announcing a bumper netball programme for the upcoming year on Wednesday, Netball South Africa President Mimi Mthethwa said that a strong showing by the SPAR Proteas at the Netball World Cup in Australia in July and the staging of the second edition of the Brutal Fruit Netball Cup would be two of the highlights on their calendar for 2015.

“The SPAR Proteas are our pride and joy and we invest a great deal of time, effort and financial resources into the team. Our goal is to improve our current world ranking of 6th at the tournament and obviously we would like to win a medal,” said Mthethwa.

The Confederation of African Football today revealed the final 8 and drawings of who will play who in the quarter finals of the ongoing 30th edition of the African Cup of Nations being held in Equatorial Guinea. After the drawings today the following matchups were revealed:

·        Ghana Vs Guinea

·        Congo Vs DR Congo

·        Cote D’Ivoire Vs Algeria

·         Tunisia Vs Equatorial Guinea

The die has been cast, so let the battle begin to see who emerges as champion of the African continent.

Cameroon great Samuel Eto'o said he is committed to seeing Sampdoria upset predictions in crisis-hit Italian Serie A and qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League.

Eto'o, who helped Inter Milan to an historic treble of league, Cup and Champions League in 2010, was unveiled on Thursday after arriving from Everton on a three-and-a-half-year deal with Sinisa Mihajlovic's Serie A high-flyers.

Sampdoria are currently fifth in Italy's top flight but only two points behind Napoli who occupy the third and last Champions League qualifying place. A former three-time African Player of the Year, Eto'o has won three Champions League titles so his arrival at Sampdoria, beaten by Barcelona in the Wembley final of the 1992 European Cup final, has caused quite a stir.

Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini has expressed an interest in signing Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure this summer.

Mancini, who managed Toure at City, is a big admirer of the Côte d'Ivoire international and believes the 31-year-old would be a great addition to his squad.

"Yaya is one of the strongest players in the world," Mancini told Italian newspaper Il Giornale. "He still is.

He has been in leagues in Belgium, Russia, Spain and England. Italy is the one missing.

Roberto Mancini on Yaya Toure 

Guinea have won a place in the CAF African Nations Cup quarter-finals at the expense of Mali after the drawing of lots. The teams fought out a 1-1 draw in Mongomo on Wednesday and, with both having also played out 1-1 draws in their previous Group D matches, lots were required to decide who finished second in the pool and advanced to face Ghana in the last eight.

There were two balls in a pot labelled position two (2) and position three (3), with a representative from each team told to pick a ball - and the Confederation of African Football confirmed on its website on Thursday afternoon that Guinea had come out on top.

It is a remarkable set of circumstances and one not seen at the African Nations Cup since 1988, when the drawing of lots sent Algeria through to the knockout stage with the Côte d'Ivoire missing out. The draw was made at a meeting of the Confederation of African Football officials on Thursday.

Kenya and Nepal will take their places in the ICC World Cricket League Championship

 

The ICC Board on Wednesday approved that Afghanistan and Ireland will join the 10 Full Members in the rankings-based qualification system for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

The top eight-ranked sides on the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings as at 30 September 2017 will qualify automatically to the 2019 event, while the bottom four will play in the 10-team ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 that will determine the final two teams in the line-up.

African countries will vote overwhelmingly for Sepp Blatter in this year’s Fifa elections, senior officials said.

“Africa is solidly behind Blatter. You will find he is very popular on the continent,” said Kwesi Nyantakyi, the president of the Ghana Football Association and a Confederation of African Football executive committee member.

Blatter faces four challengers in his bid for re-election on May 29, when he seeks a fifth term as president that will take him past his 80th birthday.

Dutch football association president Michael van Praag announced his intention yesterday to run following similar moves by former Fifa deputy secretary-general Jerome Champagne and Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein of Jordan.

28 January 2015 – Bafana Bafana captain Dean Furman says South Africa only has itself to blame for crushing out of the CAF Orange Africa Cup of Nations Equatorial Guinea 2015 tournament.

South Africa lost 2-1 to Ghana in the final Group C match on Tuesday, 23 January. The match took place at Stade de Mongomo.

At the end Bafana Bafana finished bottom of the group with just one point and three goals. They suffered two defeats and played on draw. South Africa lost 1-3 to Algeria and played to a 1-all draw with Senegal.

SAFA Media spoke to captain Dean Furman after the match.

The Local Organising Committee of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Guiyang 2015 have published the 1st Official Bulletin concerning the forthcoming championships, which will be held on 28 March.

“The 41st edition of the championships will mark the first time this event has taken place in China,” commented IAAF President Lamine Diack.

"I therefore eagerly look forward to the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang, which will provide a memorable start to an exciting year of IAAF competitions which will climax next August in the Chinese capital at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015," he added.

Ice Cross Downhill World Championship - Second Stop - Red Bull Crashed Ice

Anticipation is off the charts as the 15th Ice Cross Downhill season moves to Austria and Finland after two historic races in the USA. With a former World Champion and hot rising stars snatching the american podiums from the frontrunners, this year’s battle for the title is shaping up to be the most competitive ever.

HELSINKI, Finland – The Ice Cross Downhill season is moving almost as fast as the racers themselves. After a thrilling all-time record crowd of 140,000 in Saint Paul, USA on January 24, the fastest sport on skates is rushing into Europe this week, with the second contest of the new Riders Cup series charging the slopes of Wagrain-Kleinarl, Austria on January 31. Then it’s north to Finland when Red Bull Crashed Ice returns to Helsinki on February 7.

SLFA President…Isha Johansen

 

The long awaited Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) annual congress would finally be staged on April 16th -17th 2015 following Wednesday’s meeting with the Country’s President, Ernest Bai Koroma and the SLFA rival faction.

It could be recalled that both factions failed to agree on a congress date in similar meeting at State House on Monday and President Koroma-in his capacity as President of the National Sports Council (NSC) again summoned both parties yesterday to reveal the April 16-17 date. 

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA -- The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced today that International Tennis Hall of Famer and namesake of the WTA Finals doubles trophy, Martina Navratilova, will return as an Official Legend Ambassador for the 2015 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore, presented by SC Global.  The WTA Finals features a record $7 million purse and includes an expanded format featuring eight days of competition taking place from October 23-November 1. The event will be hosted in Singapore through 2018. 

 

Once again, Navratilova will compete in the WTA Legends Classic in Singapore and will support and promote the “Road to Singapore”, a season-long campaign which will follow the WTA stars and WTA Rising Stars on their quest to qualify and compete in the season finale.

In pursuant to Article 74 of the regulations of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, a random draw will be conducted to determine the second place team in Group B, between Mali and Guinea.

The draw will take place during the meeting of the Organising Committee of the Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday, 29 January 2015 at 16H00 local time at the Hilton Malabo.

There will be two balls with position two (2) and position three (3), and the representative of the two teams will pick a ball from the pot. The one who picks position two (2) qualifies for the quarter final

Côte d'Ivoire coach Herve Renard said the real CAF Africa Cup of Nations started now for his team after a 1-0 win against Cameroon on Wednesday took them into the quarter-finals.

The Elephants can look forward to a last-eight showdown with Algeria after Max-Alain Gradel's first-half strike secured a 1-0 win against the Indomitable Lions and clinched first place in Group D.

"For a team like this the Africa Cup of Nations begins in the quarter-finals because to go out before is a failure," said the Frenchman.

"If you don't get through with a team like Cameroon or the Ivory Coast or Senegal you get the finger pointed at you.

28 January 2015 – Here is an edited version of Minister Fikile Mbalula’s address to the media following Bafana Bafana’s exit from the CAF Orange Africa Cup of Nations Equatorial Guinea 2015 tournament.

South Africa lost 2-1 to Ghana in the final Group C match on Tuesday, 27 January. The match took place at Stade de Mongomo.

This is what Minister Mbalulala said…

We would like to thank Equatorial Guinea for a great tournament and hospitality. I think AFCON 2015 lived up to great expectations of the great African tournament. It was a warm tournament to us South Africans who have been here. Secondly we would like to convey our word of appreciation and concede defeat to Ghana for a job well done. Congratulations to them and good luck for the future. Now we reinstate BaGhana BaGhana, and with that we hope they will go on and win the tournament.

DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has announced a powerful line-up for Friday night's friendly clash against the Cheetahs at DHL Newlands.

As expected, Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth will start in his first match of 2015, his first appearance in a DHL Stormers jersey since 2013, whilst talented youngster Huw Jones gets a run at inside centre - his first start for the DHL Stormers - after Damian de Allende was ruled out with a slight quadriceps tear.

"It's a slight tear, so we could've pushed Damian if, say, we were playing in a final," said Coetzee on the www.iamastormer.com website. "It's not serious, but we didn't want to risk him at this stage of our pre-season preparations."

Demetri Catrakilis, after missing last weekend's trip to George with a stomach ailment, will start at flyhalf, whilst Absa Currie Cup-winning lock Jean Kleyn has been named amongst the replacements after recovering from a knee (meniscus) injury which delayed his start to his team's pre-season programme.

The ICC, in partnership with Reliance Communications, today launches the official ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 app - now available for free download from the App Store and Google Play. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, the 11th edition of cricket's flagship event, gets underway on 14th February and will see 14 of the best teams in the world compete for cricket’s top prize.

The 2015 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup promises to be the biggest and best in the event's history. Whether fans are on the ground in Australia and New Zealand or anywhere around the world, anybody can get closer than ever before to the event by downloading the new ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 App for free direct to their smartphone or tablet.

Andre Ayew's late diving header secured Ghana a 2-1 win over South Africa and qualification to the CAF Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals as Group C winners.

Mandla Masango gave South Africa the lead in the 17th minute, when he smashed home past Ghana goalkeeper Razak Braimah from outside the box. The Black Stars drew level in the 73rd minute through defender John Boye, whose drilled shot screamed under a diving goalkeeper Nhlanhla Khuzwayo. Ayew then grabbed the winner in the 83rd minute through a diving header off a cross by Abdul Rahman Baba.

That left Ghana as Group C winners on six points with Algeria finishing second, also on six points after they beat Senegal 2-0 in the other game being played simultaneously in Malabo. This was Ghana's first win at the Nations Cup against Bafana Bafana after two defeats and a draw.

Valentina Diouf prepares to serve

Rome, Italy, January 27, 2015 - Valentina Diouf and Italy's team at the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship Italy 2014 are among the nominees for the 2015 Italian Sportrait Awards. The award gives sports fans across the country an opportunity to vote for the athletes which have inspired them the most over the last twelve months.

Diouf has been nominated in the 'Revelation of the Year' category, while Italy's women's team will hope to claim a special young peoples' award after finishing fourth at the the 17th edition of the Women's World Championship, which has held in six Italian cities from September 23 through to October 12.

Italy came into the tournament with high expectations, hoping to match their 2002 counterparts by taking gold. They were also aiming to become the first hosts to win a World Championship since Japan in 1967 and began well, winning their first four matches before being stunned by the Dominican Republic. 

The Senegal and Gambia teams in both categories move on to the second phase of the CAVB Continental Cup

Dakar, Senegal, January 27, 2015 - Hosts Senegal and Gambia's up-and-coming men's and women's teams progress to the second phase of the CAVB Continental Cup after the two countries took the top two places at a Zone 2 Pool 2 competition held in Dakar, Senegal this weekend.

The Zone 2 sub-zonal pool 2 continental qualifications for the beach volleyball tournament at the Rio Olympics in 2016 came to an end as the Gambian teams booked tickets to the zonal qualification competition. Gambia topped the women's ranking after beating Senegal, gaining 12 points from 4 games and leaving the hosts with 0 points. Mauritania and Cape Verde did not present women's teams, handing Gambia the lead in the women's standings.

Algeria coach Christian Gourcuff admitted that Tuesday's 2-0 win against Senegal that took his side through to the CAF Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals had taken its toll on his players.

"It was an excessively difficult game physically. The ball was almost always in the air, which is not an advantage for us," said the Frenchman.

"We needed lots of discipline tactically and our technique and speed on the break helped us win," added Gourcuff, whose side won in Malabo thanks to a goal in each half from English-based duo Riyad Mahrez and Nabil Bentaleb.

"We are two completely different teams in terms of our approach. We have lots of small technical players and Senegal are more direct and physical. But our technical quality shone through on the counter-attack in particular."