Uganda grants asylum to Eritreans who played and stayed
February 20 – Fifteen Eritrean footballers who disappeared whilst playing in a regional tournament in December have been granted asylum in Uganda.
Africa
Nigerian league set for March kick off, with government support
February 19 – In the wake of Nigeria’s stunning success at the African Cup of Nations, the country’s top flight domestic league, the newly renamed the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), is to receive government help to sort out its financial difficulties and kick off next month.
Keshi: He wins, he quits, but now he’s back … we think
By Andrew Warshaw
February 14 – Just days after announcing he was resigning having led Nigeria to African Nations Cup glory, Stephen Keshi has performed a u-turn after an apparent meeting with high-ranking political officials.
Former South African assistant coach jailed for match fixing
February 14 – Despite successfully hosting the African Nations Cup, South African football continues to make negative headlines off the field in terms of its on-going involvement in match fixing.
Super Eagle Keshi wins AFCON cup and quits
By Andrew Warshaw
February 12 – The price of success appears to be resignation for Nigeria’s successful African Nations Cup coach Stephen Keshi (pictured).
Hayatou to step down as CAF President…after his next term
By Mark Baber
February 11 – Confederation of African Football President Issa Hayatou says if he is re-elected in March it will be his last term as president.
Africa’s COSAFA Castle Cup to return in July
By Mark Baber
February 11 – The Cosafa Cup, suspended since 2010, will return this year with the re-launched tournament being held in Zambia in July, and Castle remaining on board as the main sponsor.
Tickets still on sale for Sunday’s AFCON final
By Mark Baber
February 8 – There are still 10,000 unsold tickets for Sunday’s AFCON final between Burkina Faso and Nigeria, according to Confederation of African Football (CAF) general secretary Hicham El Amrani.
Burundi: Football offers hope to street children
February 7 – FIFA has partnered with Terre des Hommes (TdH) and its local partner Giriyuja to establish a centre for street kids in Burundi’s capital Bujumbara.
Egypt’s Premier League kicks off behind closed doors
February 4 – A year and a day after Egypt’s Premier League was suspended following violence at the Port Said stadium where 74 fans died, the league restarted this weekend with two matches on Saturday and two on Sunday.
Guinness Nigeria gets big and shirty with the Super Eagles
As Nigeria made their way through the group stages at the Africa Cup of Nations, the official Super Eagles sponsors Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, made it a double celebration when it recorded a world record with the unveiling the world’s largest football jersey.
Egyptians still planning to kick off Premier League this weekend
January 30 – The Egyptian Premier League, which hasn’t seen a ball kicked in competitive action since February 2012, may still start this weekend (February 2) despite on-going street violence and instability within the country. Games will be played behind closed doors.
Former FIFA vice-president Warner backs Bin Hammam
By Andrew Warshaw
December 17 – Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner insists Mohamed Bin Hammam would have had a “great chance” of beating Sepp Blatter in last year’s FIFA Presidential race had bribery allegations not derailed his campaign.
FIFA close Mohamed Bin Hammam bribery case
By Andrew Warshaw
December 14 – The FIFA-appointed corruption buster looking into the conduct of Mohamed Bin Hammam, the man who tried to challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA Presidency, has admitted no new charges will be brought to support the claim that Bin Hammam bribed Caribbean officials during his doomed election campaign.
Exclusive: North African football emerges from the Arab Spring, badly bloodied but robust
December 13 – Speaking at the International Football Arena (IFA) conference in Japan, Khaled Mortagy, a board director of Egyptian champions Al-Ahly and the African qualifiers for the FIFA Club World Cup, gave a brutally honest presentation outlining the journey the game was taking away from the dark days of football corruption, Government interference and the scenes of shocking violence.