Sports

25, March 2025

Football: Blatter and Platini acquitted again in second FIFA financial trial ⁰

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini won again in court Tuesday and now lead 2-0 in trial verdicts against Swiss federal prosecutors.

The former football officials were acquitted for a second time on charges of fraud, forgery, mismanagement and misappropriation of more than $2 million of FIFA money in 2011.

Blatter, now 89 years old, gave little reaction listening to the verdict of three cantonal (state) judges acting as a federal criminal appeals court. Sitting in the row in front of Platini, Blatter alternately tapped his fingers and held his left hand over his mouth.

Platini sat with his arms folded or rubbing his hands as he listened to a translator sitting beside him relating the court’s verdict in German into his native French.

The attorney general’s office in Switzerland had challenged a first acquittal in July 2022 and asked for sentences of 20 months, suspended for two years.

Blatter and Platini have consistently denied wrongdoing in a decade-long case that swung on their claims of a verbal agreement to one day settle the money in question.

Blatter approved FIFA paying 2 million Swiss francs (now $2.21 million) to France soccer great Platini in February 2011 for supplementary and non-contracted salary working as a presidential advisor from 1998-2002.

The latest win for Blatter and 69-year-old Platini came exactly 9.5 years after the Swiss federal investigation was revealed and kicked off events that ended the careers of soccer’s most powerful men.

That September 2015 day in Zurich, police came to interrogate them at FIFA after an executive committee meeting when Platini was a strong favorite to succeed his one-time mentor in an upcoming election.

Though federal court trials have twice cleared their names, Blatter’s reputation likely always will be tied to leading FIFA during corruption crises that took down a swath of senior soccer officials worldwide.

Platini, one of soccer’s greatest players and later Blatter’s protégé in soccer politics, never did get the FIFA presidency he often called his destiny.

Source: AP

25, March 2025

Yaoundé: Indomitable Lions hosting Libya in must-win World Cup Qualifier ⁰

Cameroon is set to host Libya in Yaoundé today as part of the sixth round of qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Following a scoreless draw against Eswatini in their previous match, the Indomitable Lions have fallen from the top spot in Group D, which is now held by Cape Verde. Another setback could significantly jeopardize their chances of qualification, especially if Cape Verde manages a victory in Angola.

During the pre-match press conference on the evening of March 24, goalkeeper André Onana acknowledged the team’s challenging situation, even describing it as a “crisis.” Nevertheless, the Manchester United shot-stopper emphasized that the squad’s morale remains high just hours before the clash with Libya. “The team is doing well, we’re calm,” Onana stated. “We’re going into this match with a lot of composure.”

Head coach Marc Brys echoed this sentiment. “It’s a good team,” the Belgian said concisely, referring to his players. While he admitted that the draw against Eswatini—considered the group’s underdog—was a “catastrophic” result, Brys remains optimistic. He noted that, unlike their last outing, the team has had more time for training and recovery. Onana and Brys also commended the integration of newcomers Danny Namaso and Nathan Ngoumou Minpole into the squad.

“For us, it’s important to win,” Brys conceded. He stopped short of labeling it a difficult match, but the standings suggest otherwise: this is a crucial moment for the Lions. According to the qualification rules, only the winner of each of the nine groups will automatically secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Cameroon, currently trailing Cape Verde by a single point, must overcome the deficit and surpass both Libya and Angola to maintain their World Cup aspirations.

Source: Business in Cameroon

25, March 2025

Tiger Woods confirms relationship with Trump’s ex daughter-in-law ⁰

Golfer Tiger Woods has announced he is dating Vanessa Trump, the former daughter-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

Vanessa, 47, was married to Donald Trump Jr for 13 years. The pair, who have five children, divorced in 2018.

On Sunday, Woods, 49, posted pictures of Vanessa and himself on social media saying: “Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side! We look forward to our journey through life together.”

“At this time we would appreciate privacy for all those close to our hearts.”

It is unclear what prompted the public announcement, but rumours of their relationship had been reported in gossip magazines in recent weeks.

Woods, who has won 15 major championships, is known for being guarded about his personal life after exposure of his marital infidelities and sex scandals damaged his public standing in the 2000s and affected his playing career.

He admitted himself into a sex addiction rehab clinic, and went through an acrimonious split from his first wife Elin Nordegren months later after six years of marriage. The couple have two children together.

US media outlets report that Tiger Woods’ children attend the same school as Vanessa Trump’s.

As the former wife of Donald Trump’s eldest son, Vanessa had been a regular attendee at official events involving Trump’s extended family during his first term in office.

Woods, the former world number one, is also known to have played golf with President Trump on several occasions, including last month. Trump loves golf and owns more than a dozen courses.

In February, Woods attended a meeting with Trump and Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) heads at the White House about the future of the sport’s tournaments and current division with the Saudi Arabia-LIV league.

Woods wore his Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was bestowed on him by Trump in 2019 during the president’s first term.

Woods announced an achilles tendon injury earlier this month that has sidelined him from professional competition. He has not suggested a timeline for when he might return to the courses.

He has not competed in a PGA Tour event this season, following the death of his mother, Kultida, in February.

The new couple both have children who are junior golfers.

Kai Trump, 17, has announced her commitment to playing collegiate golf at the University of Miami in 2026.

She and Charlie Woods both played at a junior invite-only tournament in South Carolina last week.

Woods has previously announced relationships with World Cup champion ski racer Lindsey Vonn and Erica Herman, his former restaurant manager.

That relationship ended badly – Herman filed law suits against Woods and his trust in 2023, which she later withdrew.

Source: BBC

22, March 2025

Heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman dies, aged 76 ⁰

Former heavyweight champion George Foreman, who lost to Muhammad Ali in boxing’s iconic 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” before reclaiming the title two decades later, died Friday aged 76, his family said.

Fondly known as Big George, Foreman dropped out of school as a teenager and went on to become an Olympic champion and later a legend of boxing.

He fought 81 times as a professional, winning 76, 68 of those by knockout.

As well as boxing he put his name to the “George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine,” appearing smiling and friendly in the TV ads, becoming a celebrity outside the sport.

“With profound sorrow we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr, who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones,” Foreman’s family said in a statement on Instagram.

“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers, and kindly ask for privacy as we honor the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own.”

Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum saluted Foreman as “one of the biggest punchers and personalities the sport has ever seen.”

Born in Texas on January 10, 1949, Foreman grew up in Houston.

The man who raised him was frequently absent and often drunk. Foreman only found out that J. D. Foreman was not his biological father after he won the world heavyweight title when his real father, a decorated World War II veteran, got in touch.

As an adolescent, Foreman flirted with crime and left school at 16.

“At 13-years-old, George was about 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and the terrorist in the neighborhood,” his younger brother Roy told the BBC in 2024. “And when you’re bigger and stronger and think you’re better than everyone else, you take things.”

Foreman took up boxing.

“I tried boxing just to show my friends that I wasn’t afraid,” Foreman said later. “Well, 25 fights and one year later, I was an Olympic gold medalist.”

At the Mexico Games in 1968, the 19-year-old Foreman bludgeoned his way to the super-heavyweight gold.

As he celebrated his final victory, 10 days after fellow African Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos had made a black power salute following the 200m track final, Foreman waved an American flag in the ring.

Bigger, stronger

At 6-foot-4 (1.93m), “Big George” was larger and stronger than the other leading heavyweights of the time. He was light on his feet, but slugged his way through the professional ranks to earn a heavyweight title shot against champion Joe Frazier, demolishing the champion in two rounds.

By the time he fought his third title defence over 15 rounds against Ali in October 1974 in Kinshasa, Foreman was unbeaten in 40 professional bouts.

He had won all but three inside the distance and had not needed to develop stamina.

Ali’s “rope-a-dope” tactics exhausted the big man, who lost in eight rounds.

The defeat punctured Foreman’s intimidating aura, not least in his own mind.

“I just couldn’t believe I’d lost the world title,” he said later. “It was the most embarrassing moment of my life. It went from pride to pity. That’s devastating.”

His campaign for another title shot ended when he lost on points to another contender, Jimmy Young, in March 1977 on a hot night in Puerto Rico.

Foreman fell ill after the fight and said he sensed God telling him to change his life.

He retired aged 28 and became an ordained minister.

When he announced his comeback 10 years later, bald where he had once sported an Afro and flabby instead of chiseled, it seemed like a boxing gimmick. He wrote later that he needed money for his youth center.

Knockout

Over the next three years he fought 21 times, mostly against mediocre opponents, winning every bout, 20 of them inside the distance.

A big name in a weakened and fragmented division, he earned a title shot against Evander Holyfield in 1991 and then against Tommy Morrison two years later, losing both on points.

In November 1994 he faced Michael Moorer, who had dethroned Holyfield. In the same shorts he had worn 20 years and six days earlier against Ali, Foreman was trailing badly when he caught Moorer on the chin in the 10th for a knockout.

At 45 years and 299 days old he was the oldest heavyweight world champion.

He was stripped of first his WBA title and then his IBF crown for refusing to fight nominated opponents but won three more fights and was still “lineal” world champion when he lost on points to Shannon Briggs in 1997, aged 48, and retired again.

Foreman, who hosted a 1996 TV programme “Bad Dads,” married four times, fathering 10 children and adopting two.

He named all his five sons George Edward, explaining that he wanted them to know, “‘If one of us goes up, then we all go up together, and if one goes down, we all go down together!'”

Source: AFP

19, March 2025

Indomitable Lions stumble in 0-0 draw with Eswatini in World Cup qualifier ⁰

Cameroon endured a frustrating evening as they were held to a goalless draw by Eswatini in their World Cup qualifier on Wednesday, despite fielding Premier League stars Andre Onana and Bryan Mbeumo.

The result extended the Indomitable Lions’ lead at the top of Group D to two points, but Cape Verde or Libya could leapfrog them with victories on Thursday.

Manchester United goalkeeper Onana had little to do in Mbombela, South Africa, where Eswatini play their home matches due to a lack of a FIFA-approved stadium.

Meanwhile, Brentford’s Mbeumo was lively, setting up Cameroon’s best chance when his cross led to Vincent Aboubakar’s header being brilliantly saved by Mlamuli Makhanya.

Cameroon Stumble in 0-0 Draw with Eswatini in World Cup Qualifier

Ranked 110 places above their opponents, Cameroon failed to break down Eswatini’s resilient defence as they aim for their ninth World Cup appearance in 2026.

Meanwhile, Eswatini, who sit at the bottom of the six-team group, secured their first point of the campaign after four straight defeats.

Elsewhere, Tunisia strengthened their grip on Group H with a 1-0 victory over Liberia, thanks to Hazem Mastouri’s early goal. The Carthage Eagles now have 13 points, five clear of second-placed Namibia.

In Group I, Madagascar stormed to a 4-1 win over the Central African Republic in Casablanca after coming from behind. Rayan Raveloson struck twice before halftime, with Arnaud Randrianantenaina and Lalaina Rafanomezantsoa adding to the tally. Madagascar now top the group with 10 points, ahead of Ghana and the Comoros on nine.

With nine qualifiers scheduled for Thursday, attention turns to Kenya’s match against The Gambia, where former Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy will make his debut in charge.

Source: News Central

18, March 2025

Indomitable Lions fly out to South Africa ⁰

The Indomitable Lions will fly out of Yaoundé on Tuesday (today) on a chartered flight to South Africa, following Wednesday night’s FIFA World Cup qualifying tie against the Eswatini.

Marc Brys’s side are making the trip after the Belgian opted to sideline his Cameroonian assistant Joachim Mununga, marking a significant shift from a Cameroon football tradition.

Brys reportedly described his deputy as incompetent and announced that he was no longer interested in working with Mununga.

The Indomitable Lions situation is worsening and prompting calls for change in the Cameroon Football Federation and government officials attached to the team.

By Rita Akana

18, March 2025

FECAFOOT unveils new Indomitable Lions kits ⁰

The Cameroonian Football Federation (Fecafoot) revealed the national team’s new jerseys on its Facebook page Monday, March 17, 2025, ahead of World Cup qualifying matches.

Designed in partnership with new Swiss equipment supplier Fourteen, the kits include white models for the Indomitable Lions’ official training sessions, and navy blue jerseys for technical staff training. Both designs feature the Fecafoot logo, adorned with five stars representing Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) titles. The chest also displays the Fourteen logo, replacing former supplier One All Sports, and the iconic Indomitable Lions emblem.

A key design element is the inclusion of three horizontal stripes – green, red, and yellow – representing the Cameroonian flag across the front. The word “Cameroun” is emblazoned in capital letters on the back, with the Fourteen brand name positioned separately below the national flag stripes.

Fecafoot and Fourteen will officially present the Indomitable Lions’ match jerseys at a ceremony in Yaoundé today March 18, revealing the home, away, and third kits. Fecafoot said the kits are designed to embody Cameroon’s heritage, pride, and passion. “Cameroon’s colors unite the country and are embedded in the new jerseys that the Indomitable Lions and Lionesses will wear to represent their nation!” the federation said.

The Indomitable Lions are expected to debut the new jerseys in matches against Eswatini and Libya, scheduled for March 19 and 25, respectively, as part of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Currently leading Group D of the African qualifiers with eight points, Cameroon aims to solidify its position with victories against both opponents. Securing maximum points would significantly advance the Indomitable Lions’ qualification for the World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

Fecafoot announced its partnership with Fourteen on February 4, 2025, naming the Swiss brand the official equipment supplier for all of Cameroon’s national football teams. The announcement followed the termination of its contract with U.S. supplier One All Sports nearly six months prior, due to the latter’s failure to meet contractual obligations. Fecafoot cited Fourteen’s “credibility” and “remarkable track record” as reasons for the new partnership.

Source: Sbbc

16, March 2025

Football: Newcastle wins Carabao Cup ⁰

Newcastle United secured their first domestic trophy for 70 years – and ended a wait for a major prize stretching back to 1969 – with a deserved Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool at Wembley.

The Toon Army were sent into ecstasy as goals either side of half-time by Dan Burn and Alexander Isak put them on course for a triumph that will lead to legendary status on Tyneside for manager Eddie Howe and his players.

Burn celebrated his first England call-up by meeting Kieran Trippier’s corner with a towering header in first-half stoppage time, before Isak pounced to finish clinically from Jacob Murphy’s knockdown after 52 minutes.

Liverpool, who were knocked out of the Champions League on penalties by Paris St-Germain in midweek, pulled a goal back through substitute Federico Chiesa in injury time.

Newcastle, however, survived a tense finish to clinch their first major silverware since the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969 and first domestic success since the 1955 FA Cup.

Source: BBC

1, March 2025

Yaoundé: Nchindo Jean Bosco crowned Ballon d’Or ⁰

In an emotionally charged evening at the Palais des Congrès, young prodigy Nchindo Jean Bosco made headlines by winning the prestigious Cameroonian Ballon d’Or. This crowning achievement signifies the emergence of a new generation of talent that could transform the landscape of national football.

Previously unknown to the general public just a few months ago, Nchindo Jean Bosco has quickly established himself as the standout revelation of the season. The young striker from Young Sports Academy (YOSA) has dazzled experts and fans alike with his silky technique, keen game vision, and impressive goal-scoring capabilities. Competing in the shadow of the major clubs in the capital, he has nonetheless captured the attention of scouts with his exceptional performances in the MTN league.

The Ballon d’Or ceremony will also be remembered for the surprising reconciliation between Samuel Eto’o, president of the FECAFOOT, and the Minister of Sports, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi. “I would also like to address my minister who is here tonight… It is true that we have seen certain situations from opposing angles. Your Excellency, Minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, the president of one of your federations that I am part of, thanks you,” stated the former FC striker.

In this atmosphere of reconciliation, Nchindo Jean Bosco received his award, symbolizing a Cameroonian football that seeks renewal and aims to reclaim its place on the continental stage. The young forward outperformed several favorites, demonstrating that talent can sometimes overshadow fame.

This accolade comes at a crucial time for Cameroonian football. As the national team navigates a challenging transitional period, the rise of young talents like Nchindo Jean Bosco provides a breath of fresh air.

The trajectory of this young striker echoes the paths of greats who have brought glory to Cameroonian football. From Samuel Eto’o to Roger Milla, the country has consistently produced exceptional talents capable of shining on the international scene. Nchindo Jean Bosco appears ready to bear the weight of this rich legacy.

Beyond his individual talent, this recognition also highlights the training efforts of Young Sports Academy. This club, less publicized than the major teams in Yaoundé or Douala, demonstrates that with a clear vision and dedicated work, it is possible to nurture exceptional talents, even away from the limelight.

The new Cameroonian Ballon d’Or now embodies the hope of an entire nation eager to reclaim its place at the top of African football.

Source: Footboom

27, February 2025

Football: the rise and rise of Etienne Eto’o’ in La Liga ⁰

Carrying the weight of his father’s legendary name, Etienne Eto’o is carving out his own path at Rayo Vallecano. The 22-year-old striker, son of Cameroonian icon Samuel Eto’o, has experienced a turbulent early career with stints at Mallorca, Oviedo, Vitoria Guimarães U23, and lower-division clubs Poblense and Unión Collado.

However, his move to Rayo Vallecano’s reserve team last summer has brought stability and success. After netting 15 goals in the Spanish fifth division last season, he continues to shine, leading his team’s push for promotion while earning opportunities with the senior squad.

With Sergio Camello injured, Eto’o was called up for Rayo Vallecano’s La Liga match against Villarreal, making a brief but significant debut.

Already featuring in four La Liga matches and scoring in the Copa del Rey, he expressed his joy: “I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long. When I was called, I thought about all the sacrifices, my family, my mother, and everyone who supported me.”

His coach, Iñigo Pérez, sees great potential in him, hinting at more playing time. Meanwhile, Eto’o continues to dominate in the reserve team, scoring 21 goals in 23 matches, including six braces and a hat-trick this weekend. His journey is far from his father’s legendary career, but his steady rise in Spain is undeniable.

Source: en.africatopsports