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Uganda Cranes management is hoping that first choice goalkeeper Denis Onyango will be fully fit for their Afcon 2017 opener against Ghana on January 17 at Stade de Port Gentil. The Mamelodi Sundowns custodian [below] went down with a groin injury to his left upper thigh in the 38th minute during their friendly match against Ivory Coast on Wednesday. However, ...

Lionel Messi’s third goal from a free-kick in as many games this year secured Barcelona’s place in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey as the holders beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 to edge through 4-3 on aggregate on Wednesday. Luis Suarez’s 100th Barca goal and Neymar’s penalty cancelled out Athletic’s 2-1 first leg lead, but Enric Saborit’s header six minutes ...

Fifa’s ruling council on Tuesday unanimously approved an expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams in 2026, with a format of 16 groups of three nations. “The Fifa Council unanimously decided on a 48-team #WorldCup as of 2026: 16 groups of 3 teams,” a tweet from Fifa’s official account said. The decision marks a major coup for the body’s ...

Benjamin Moukandjo insists he feels no pressure taking over the Cameroon captaincy as the forward prepares to lead a diminished squad into the Africa Cup of Nations this weekend. The 28-year-old striker with French Ligue 1 strugglers Lorient was handed the armband by the Indomitable Lions’ coach Hugo Broos and has since seen established stars such as Liverpool defender Joel ...

Debutants Guinea-Bissau achieved one of the most remarkable qualifications in the 60-year-old Africa Cup of Nations by reaching the 2017 finals, and are plotting more shocks. The Djurtus (wild dogs) topped a group, ahead of former champions Congo Brazzaville and Zambia and Kenya, that they were considered certainties to prop up. Like Botswana, Cape Verde and Niger earlier this decade, ...

Key midfielder Sofiane Boufal pulled out of Morocco’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday because of injury, joining influential playmaker Younes Belhanda on the sidelines. Southampton star Boufal, 23, had been at a training camp in the United Arab Emirates, where Morocco were preparing for a friendly on Monday against Finland. “Sofiane Boufal left the camp in ...

Mario Balotelli was handed a two-match ban on Thursday after being sent off for an off-the-ball incident in last month’s 0-0 draw at Bordeaux, his club Nice said. The Italian striker and team-mate Younes Belhanda — who was given a one-match ban — were dismissed in the dying seconds as Bordeaux frustrated the Ligue 1 leaders before the winter break. ...

Cameroon coach Hugo Broos on Thursday unveiled a 23-man squad for this month’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament without several key players. Seven players including Liverpool defender Joël Matip and Schalke 04 striker Eric Choupo-Moting had already declined to take part in the tournament. Defender Aurélien Chedjou, who plays for Turkish club Galatasary, and was not selected for the squad ...

Sharethis page Jonathan Mensah (right) won the 2009 Fifa U-20 World Cup and the 2009 African Youth Championship Ghana international defender Jonathan Mensah has signed for Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew SC. The 26-year-old, who is in the provisional Black Stars squad for the 2017 African Cup of Nations, joins from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. He has signed a ...

Relegation strugglers Hull City sacked manager Mike Phelan on Tuesday with the club bottom of the table and without a win in nine Premier League games. “The club can announce this evening that it has parted company with Head Coach Mike Phelan,” Hull said in a statement. “The search for a replacement has begun and an announcement will be made ...