Reports from Swaziland are suggesting that Swedish premier league clubs are eyeing a move for Sierra Leone international and Mbabane Highlanders defender, Baimba Kamara.  

 

According to the Swazi Observer, the Mbabane Highlanders defender is set to attend trials with an unnamed Swedish teams at the end of the Swaziland league’s season and that the player might leave the Highlanders if his European suitors are pleased with his performance.

 

A move could see the capital city giants negotiate for the player’s transfer fee as he has a running contract with them. The Swazi Observer reported that the player’s agent Dumezweni Dlamini neither confirmed nor denied the news. 


“We do have some Swedish premier league teams, who have shown interest in the player’s services but we obviously need to engage Highlanders as he has a running contract with them. We are waiting for the Swedish guys to call us anytime from now to give us a feedback and we anticipate that he will leave the country at the end of the season,” Dlamini was quoted by the Swazi Observer.

Sierra Leone’s football has again been hit with a match-fixing allegation as the national team Captain; Sheriff Suma revealed an attempted match-fixing request made by unrecognized officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DR Congo) Football Association.

Sierra Leone lost their final Group D clash against DR Congo 3-1 in Lubumbashi but the situation surrounding the team’s preparations and performance did not please the country’s Sports Minister, Paul Kamara who has called on the Sports council to conduct an investigation on the said match.

Prior to this major bombshell there were several allegations accusing some of the players of involvement in an attempt to fix the said match which prompted the Swedish based left-back Sheriff Suma-who captained the team against Ivory Coast in Abidjan and DR Congo to speak up.

The world’s football governing body, FIFA has refused to comments on the ongoing crisis between the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) and its stakeholders as the latter’s call for an extra-ordinary congress continue to gain momentum in the country. 

Over 38 football stakeholders recently met at the Siaka Steven Stadium in Freetown and took a decision to stage an extra-ordinary congress on December 20th this year after they unanimously resolved to invoke Article 28 of the SLFA’s Statutes.

However, with rumors from the SLFA that FIFA has frowned at the move by the stakeholders, a spokes person from the FIFA media department in an exclusive interview with Songhai Sports Network (formerly African Sports Media Network);  Africa Bureau Chief, refused to shed more light on the ongoing issue but talked on several other issues relating to the country’s football situation.

When asked if FIFA has frowned at a move by the stakeholders, the FIFA spokesperson person Olegs Sokols reacted: “We are in regular contact with the SLFA. For the time being we have no further comments to make on the specific matter with regards to your question.”

Zimbabwe has been fined for a Minimum Over Rate breach of the ICC Code of Conduct during the fourth One-Day International (ODI) against Bangladesh in Mirpur on Friday. 

Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fines after the side, led by Elton Chigumbura, was ruled to be one over 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.

 

As such, Chigumbura was fined 20 per cent of his match fee, while his players received 10 per cent fines. If Chigumbura is found guilty of one more minor over-rate offence in ODIs over the next 12 months, he will receive a one-match suspension as per the provisions of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.

South Africa has moved to second place in the ICC Women’s Championship after defeating India 2-1 in the second round clash, which concluded in Bangalore on Friday. The ICC Women’s Championship is a qualifying tournament for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 with the top four sides earning automatic qualification for the event to be staged in England.

 

South Africa claimed the first spoils in the three-ODI series when it defeated India by two wickets in a game, which saw Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp claim four wickets apiece to dismiss the hosts for 114 in 38.5 overs. Number-seven batter Chloe Tryon then scored 50 as South Africa recovered from 31 for five to achieve victory with two wickets and 8.5 overs to spare. Jhulan Goswami led India’s fight back with three for 22, while Harmanpreet Kaur and Shubhlakshmi Sharma equally shared four wickets between them.

 

India bounced back in the second ODI to level the series with a six-wicket victory. Tryon continued her fine run of form with the bat when she made 49 not out as South Africa scored 186 for eight in 50 overs. For India, Shikha Pandey (three for 19) and left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht (three for 28) shared wickets. In turn, Pandey (59), Poonam Raut (47) and Kaur (42 not out) guided their side home with 32 balls and six wickets remaining.

South Africa sped to a 2-0 victory over Côte d'Ivoire in the Nelson Mandela Challenge international friendly match at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

Hyper-active Bafana Bafana (The Boys) shrugged off having a 78-second goal disallowed for offside to convincingly win a clash of teams missing club-tied Europe-based stars. Bongani Zungu broke the deadlock on 31 minutes with a close-range shot and opportunist David Zulu doubled the lead after 53 minutes in the north-east city.

"South Africa were far too fast for us," admitted Côte d'Ivoire coach Herve Renard, the Frenchman who guided Zambia to a shock 2012 CAF Africa Cup of Nations title. "They were better in every area of the pitch and I counted only two scoring chances that we created. We were given a lesson and I hope my players learn from it as we prepare for the 2015 Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea."

Success before a 15,000 crowd maintained the unbeaten record of Ephraim Mashaba since being appointed Bafana coach last August. He has overseen victories against Sudan (two), Congo and Côte d'Ivoire, as well as draws with Nigeria (two) and Congo.

Sewe edged Al Ahly 2-1 in the first leg of the CAF African Confederation Cup final Saturday in a match played at the home side's compact Robert Champroux stadium. The Côte d'Ivoire team were in front thanks to Christian Kouame Koffi's 23rd-minute penalty which was awarded when Roger Assale was fouled by goalkeeper Ahmed Aly.

Hassan Mahmoud pulled the Egyptian giants level just before the hour mark, tucking away a cross from the left hand side. But Assale hit the winner for Sewe eight minutes from full time to give the Ivorians a slight edge for the second leg in Cairo next Saturday.

After decades of football success at national team and club levels, this year has largely been a tale of failures for Egyptian sides. The national team created unwanted history by failing for a record third consecutive time to reach the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, a competition they have won an unrivalled seven times.

Ahly had hopes of a record third straight CAF Champions League title dashed by Libyan namesakes Al-Ahly Benghazi in the final qualifying round for the group phase. Fellow Cairo club Zamalek did make the mini-league stage only to fare disastrously, winning just one game out of six and finishing bottom of the table.

Juventus midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah has been ruled out for three months with a knee injury meaning the Ghana international will also miss the upcoming CAF Africa Cup of Nations.

"It will take about three months for Asamoah to recover," Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri announced ahead of the Turin derby against Torino on Sunday. "I regret that I cannot use him but there is still (Patrice) Evra, (Simone) Padoin and (Federico) Mattiello," added the coach who has guided Juventus to a three-point lead at the top of Serie A.

The 25-year-old Asamoah has been a key player for Ghana but the four-time African champions will have do do without him for the tournament, which is set to take place in Equatorial Guinea from 17 January to 8 February.

The Black Stars won the last of their continental titles in 1982 but came closest to adding a fifth in 2010 when they lost the final 1-0 against Egypt in Angola. Asamoah will undergo surgery on a cartilage problem in his left knee in the upcoming days. 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has offered its condolences to the family and friends of Israel umpire and former captain Hillel Awasker, who passed away on Saturday following an injury he suffered while officiating in a domestic match in Ashod, a city south of Tel Aviv.

 

Born in India, Hillel represented Israel in six editions of the ICC Trophy (the precursor to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier) – in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1997 and 2001 – and captained his side during the 1982 and 1997 tournaments.  He played 39 ICC Trophy matches, the third-highest amount in ICC Cricket World Cup qualifying tournament history, and scored 355 runs, claimed 21 wickets and took 10 catches.

 

Hillel most recently represented Israel in European Championship Division 2 in 2006, and was still playing domestic cricket when he qualified to become an umpire.

 

Hillel was a central figure in Israel cricket for many years, and was well-liked and well-respected throughout the local cricket community.  

 

Lausanne, 30 November 2014 – Foshan, Novosibirsk, Buenos Aires and Baku hosted the APB Pre-Ranking Round 2 matches of the Light Fly, Bantam, Light Welter and Welter categories with the following results:

 

LIGHT FLY 49 KG - SATURDAY, 29 NOVEMBER (19:30 GMT+8)
Location: Foshan – Venue: Lingnan Pearl


Match results:

1. 19:30: David AYRAPETYAN (RUS) W.P. (60:54/ 60:54/ 59:55) vs Leandro BLANC (ARG)

 

1. 20:00: Patrick LOURENCO (BRA) vs Birzhan ZHAKYPOV (KAZ) W.P. (55:59/ 54:60/ 54:60)

 

1. 20:30: Carlos QUIPO (ECU) W.P. (59:55/ 59:55/ 59:55) vs Mark Anthony BARRIGA (PHIL)

 

1. 21:00: Zhonglin WU (CHN) vs Bin Lyu (CHN) W.P. (55:59/ 55:59/ 55:59)

 

Highlights:

- Bin Lyu, AIBA Youth World Boxing Champion 2012, defeated Zhonglin Wu, the current China National Champion, on points.

Lausanne, 30 November 2014 – The Sarhadchi Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan, hosted the four APB Pre-Ranking matches of Round 2 in the Super Heavyweight category with the following results:

 

SUPER HEAVY 91+KG - SUNDAY, 30 NOVEMBER (19:30 GMT+4)
Location: Baku  - Venue: Sarhadchi Complex

Match results:

1. 19:30: Mihai NISTOR (ROM) vs  Mohammed ARJAOUI (MAR) W.P. (56:58/ 56:58/ 55:59)

 

1. 20:00: Magomed OMAROV (RUS) W.P. (60:54/ 60:53/ 60:54) vs Ahmed SAMIR (EGY)

 

1. 20:30: Tony YOKA (FRA) vs Erik PFEIFER (GER) W.P. (57:57/ 56:58/ 56:58)

 

1. 21:00: Magomedrasul MEDZHIDOV (AZE) T.K.O. (R2 2.47) vs Sergiy VERVEYKO (UKR)
    

 

Highlights:

Magomedrasul Medzhidov, AIBA World Boxing Champion 2013 and 2011, defeated Sergiy Verveyko, TKO in Round 2, in his debut in APB.

-with Larissa Marolt,  Oliver Pocher, Mika Häkkinen, Mark Webber uvm.

After a One year break "Snow Mobile" is back! This spectacular event takes places December 5-8 for the seventh time. Beside the "Grand Prix of Hinterglemm" there are Top.Concerts, Parties, Celebrities and great Side-Events.

At Saturday, "voXXclub" will rock the Krone-Stage, at Sunday the famous singer Adel Tawil will be on the Ö3-stage . Also on site will be the celebrities Larissa Marolt,Oliver Pocher, Mika Häkkinen, Mark Webber, Fernanda Brandao, Luca Hänni, Adrian Sutil.



Here is the celebreties-list!

The eagerly anticipated announcement of the nominees for the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2014 will be presented on FIFA.com, www.francefootball.fr and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/fifatv) at 17.00 CET by Kate Abdo of Sky Sports News. She will be joined by Christian Karembeu (World Cup winner with France in 1998) and Hope Powell (former England international player and former coach of the England national women’s football team) to discuss and analyse the nominees for the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2014 and all of the other awards.  

27 November 2014 - Bafana Bafana continued their impressive run on the FIFA World Rankings released on Thursday moving up six places up the ladder.

The move was triggered by an impressive run in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers where Bafana Bafana finished the campaign unbeaten. The latest move sees the SA national team move from 57th to 51st in the world. They now lie 11th on the continent.

Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba said the Rankings were important in highlighting the team’s progress. Mashaba took over as new national coach in August and has since turned the national team into a force to be reckoned with.

“I am very impressed by this progress but I believe we still have a long way to go. Gradually we will get to where we want to take this team to. There is a lot of talent and will; and those two are catalysts for sustainable success,” said Mashaba.

Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Code following an incident during the 5th over in the third One Day International between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe at Mirpur on Wednesday.

 

Tamim admitted the charge and accepted the sanction imposed by Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees without the need to convene a disciplinary hearing.

 

Through his admission, Tamim was found to have breached Level 1 Article 2.1.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which states that it is an offence to use: “… language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an International match.”

NEW YORK (Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014) – Major League Soccer has announced it will again partner with the Caribbean Football Union to host the second Caribbean Player Combine on January 2 – 5, 2015, in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. The event will feature players age 18-21 from around the Caribbean who will compete in front of League scouts for the opportunity to earn an invitation to the 2015 adidas MLS Player Combine in Fort Lauderdale, FL, days later.

Twenty-four players from the region took part in the inaugural Caribbean Player Combine in 2014 held in Antigua, and two moved on to feature in the MLS Player Combine. This year, the four-day event will take place at Bayamón Football Club facilities, and will include training session and games against local clubs.

“We’re excited to be returning to the Caribbean with the prospect of identifying some of the area’s top young talent,” said MLS Executive Vice President, Todd Durbin. “Our league currently features more than 25 players from the Caribbean Islands, including Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has today announced the details of the annual Pepsi ICC Development Programme Awards for 2014, with the nominations period to open on Wednesday, 26 November 2014 at 1200 (Dubai time).

The Awards, which have been running since 2002, form part of the ICC’s commitment to promoting excellence in cricket development in the ICC’s Associate and Affiliate Members. The Awards recognise innovation and exceptional service to the game.

Speaking on the Pepsi ICC Development Programme Awards 2014, ICC Head of Global Development Tim Anderson said: “The Pepsi ICC Development Programme is dedicated to the growth of cricket around the world.  This past year has seen some remarkable success and excitement on the field for many Associate and Affiliate countries, and these performances so often reflect strong off-field support.

 

Kampala, November 27: The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has opened a probe into allegations of match fixing against the country’s national soccer team Uganda Cranes.

The probe follows persistent allegations by a section of the country’s soccer fraternity that   the recent 2015Africa Cup of Nations group qualifier against Guinea which Uganda lost 0-2 and booted out was purposely thrown away by some team members.

FUFA President, Moses Magogo confirmed the development Wednesday in an interview with the country’s online sports tabloid Kawowo.com that his organisation has therefore resolved to probe the matter.

He said his organisation has since engaged the country’s police to carry out preliminary   investigations into the matter.

“Some people believe that the results from the Guinea versus Uganda match might have been influenced. We shall not leave anything to chance, as the federation [we have] engaged the police to make preliminary inquiries,” he explained.

28 November 2014 – All Bafana Bafana players have reported for national team duty for the 20th Edition of the Annual Nelson Mandela Challenge that will take place on Sunday, 30 November 2014 at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. The match kicks off at 15h00.

Bafana Bafana head coach Shakes Mashaba had to bring in some replacements following withdrawals of certain players.

Those brought in are: Brandon Petersen, Abbubakar Mobara (Ajax Cape Town); Chris Komane and Thami Sangweni (both Chippa United), Phumlani Ntshangase (Bidvest Wits), Motjeka Madisha (Mamelodi Sundowns) and Siphelele Luthuli (University of Pretoria).

Bafana Bafana’s first stop in Mpumalanga will be at an SOS Children’s Village in KaMagugu.

The South Africans will have their training session at Mbombela Stadium in the afternoon (15h00).

27 November 2014 – Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba has made some few changes to the original Nelson Mandela Challenge squad he announced on Tuesday, 25 November to face Cote d’Ivoire in the 20th Edition of the event.

Bafana Bafana and Ivory Coast meet on Sunday, 30 November 2014 at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. The match kicks off at 15h00.

With the match not falling on a FIFA calendar, some clubs have refused to release players though most, for the sake of the late global icon’s legacy, have given coach Shakes Mashaba their unqualified support.

Kaizer Chiefs are the only club not to have released their players while Ayabulela Magqwaka (Ajax Cape Town) is facing disciplinary issues with his club and Orlando Pirates’ Oupa Manyisa has been excused in order to recuperate.

Mashaba has meanwhile brought in Brandon Petersen, Abbubakar Mobara and Thami Sangweni (all Ajax Cape Town), Chris Komane (Chippa United), Phumlani Ntshangase (Bidvest Wits), Motjeka Madisha (Mamelodi Sundowns) and Siphelele Luthuli (University of Pretoria).

Penny Dain has been appointed Head of Communications for The London Marathon Ltd. She will oversee communications across the full portfolio of running and cycling events and the London Marathon Charitable Trust. She takes up the position on 1 December 2014.

 

Penny Dain is a sports communications specialist who has directed communications and media operations for international sports federations and major events worldwide. During her career, she has worked on more than 200 major events including seven Olympic Games and currently leads on communications for Prudential RideLondon, the world’s greatest festival of cycling involving 90,000 riders in five events.

 

Nick Bitel, CEO of The London Marathon Ltd said: "We are delighted that Penny has joined The London Marathon Ltd. Her strategic experience, wealth of knowledge in both elite and mass participation events and her proven ability to lead a multi-stakeholder environment meant that she was the outstanding candidate."

28 November 2014 – Defending Sasol league national champions, Mamelodi Sundowns will battle it out with three times champions, Palace Super Falcons in a derby match to determine the Sasol league provincial winner for Gauteng.

The match is schedule to take place at Mohlareng stadium this Saturday, 29 November, at the Gauteng leg of the Sasol league road show.

Kick-off is at 15h00.

Palace Super Falcons are sitting first on the log table with 76 points from 28 matches, while Sundowns are second with 71 points from 26 matches, they are scheduled to catch-up with their outstanding two matches by the end of the week.

The match will determine which team will represent Gauteng at this year’s national championships scheduled for Port Elizabeth from 08 – 14 December at the Isaac Wolfson stadium, Kwazakhele.

PARIS (FRA) - 2014 brought an incredible year of more than 90 Cyphers held around the world. Winners battled at six qualifying Finals in the USA, Brazil, Algeria, Finland, Croatia and Taiwan. The six Finals winners will join ten Wild Cards to descend upon the global stage, going full force in knockout, one-on-one battles to determine who will be the world’s best B-Boy.

Thias Kem Lopez aka THESIS is a returning competitor at the Red Bull BC One. In 2009, he made it to the quarter finals, where he lost to champion Lilou. THESIS began B-Boying 10 years ago at the young age of 7. He reflects, “Hip Hop is the first thing I can remember. Introduced at a very young age, I saw it as a break from all the bullshit in life. Even then, I saw freedom in it and I took it because it just made sense to me. It made me feel complete.”

Victor Montalvo, from Orlando, Florida, was crowned the winner of the Red Bull BC One Orlando Cypher 2013 and the winner of the Red Bull BC One North America Final 2014. He describes his style as fun, free, and energetic. He combines what he calls “blow-ups” and “POW” moves to create a wow factor in his dances. Victor grew up around B-Boying, and looking up to his father who encouraged his pursuit of the art, he started dancing at the age of 11. He is inspired by the old and new generation of B-Boys.

Protecting athletes’ health and preventing injuries and illnesses in sport are top priorities for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its Medical Commission. Nine research centres from across the world have thus been named as IOC Research Centres for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health.

These centres are:

• Australian Centre for Research into Injury in Sport and its Prevention, Federation University Australia, Australia
• Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, University of Calgary, Canada
• Institute of Sports Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark
• Yonsei University, Republic of Korea (South Korea)
• Amsterdam Collaboration on Health & Safety in Sports, VU University and Academic Medical Centre, Netherlands
• Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Norway
• Aspetar, Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Qatar
• Clinical Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Group, University of Cape Town, South Africa
• London’s Institute for Sports, Exercise and Health (ISEH) and National Centre for Sports Exercise and Medicine (NCSEM), United Kingdom 

25 November 2014 – Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba has announced the squad to face Cote d’Ivoire in the 20th edition of the Nelson Mandela Challenge that will be staged at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.

The match will be played on Sunday, 30 November 2015.

Kickoff is at 15h00.

Mashaba has selected players that he hopes will give a good account of themselves. The match on a non-FIFA Calendar date, so the overseas-based players are available.

Players from Superport United and Platinum Stars have also been excluded as the two sides will be contesting the Telkom Knockout final a day befoe the match, on Saturday, 29 November at Orlando Stadium.