December 19 – When FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura (pictured right) visited Sierra Leone last month on a working trip that was partly to mediate in the ongoing dispute between the national association and the government over the way football there is run, she somewhat surprisingly suggested that the country bid for the under-17 women’s World Cup.
November 24 – Will CONCACAF have to fight off an African bid to stage the 2026 World Cup? Although the confederation of north and central America is widely considered a shoo-in to stage the event – whether in the United States, Mexico or Canada, or a combination of all three – the head of African football says his body will support Morocco, which has tried and failed four times, should it launch a counter-bid.
November 23 – Sierra Leone has officially been given the thumbs up by FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura to bid for the right to host the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in the near future.
November 23 – Two referees and one linesman have been suspended for three months and publicly criticised by African football’s ruling body while another has been warned following their performances in recent World Cup qualifiers.
November 10 – FIFA has ordered the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) to withdraw an injunction filed against Football Kenya Federation (FKF) in the latest twist to a bitter domestic between the two bodies over the management and control of the domestic game.
By Andrew Warshaw
November 7 – Zambia’s FA is endorsing its former president Kalusha Bwalya (pictured) to run for a FIFA Council position next spring even though he is alleged to have accepted bribes from disgraced former FIFA vice-president Mohammed Bin Hammam.
November 7 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is to investigate claims that Congo committed age fraud. Congo-Brazzaville secured a place at next year’s under-17 African Nations Cup in Madagascar after eliminating Tanzania in the final qualifying round.
November 4 – The Confederation of East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) is once again looking for a new host for this year’s Senior Challenge Cup after Kenya backed out, officials said Thursday.
November 4 – The 19-year-old goalkeeper of Gambia’s national women’s football team has tragically drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe amidst the horror of the ongoing migrant crisis.
November 3 – Forever cash-strapped Nigerian football could have a solution to its problems if rumours that a group of UK investors are ready to invest $1.5 billion into the Nigeria Professional Football League are true.
October 31 – Gabon, hosts of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, has been threatened by its players who say they are prepared to go on strike in a row over non-payment of salaries. Chief among four main demands is the back payment of salaries dating from present day back to 2013.
By Samindra Kunti
October 31 – It has been a busy week for Belgian George Leekens (pictured) who is returning to Algeria as national team coach just days after being sacked by his club Lokeren.
October 27 – South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns were crowned the African champions after overcoming Egypt’s Zamalek to win the 2016 CAF Champions League. In December they will represent Africa at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, the first South African side to do so.
By Samindra Kunti
October 20 – The hosts Gabon have been handed a favorable draw for the 2017 African Cup of Nations alongside Cameroon, Burkina Faso and the debutants Guinea-Bissau in Group A. Group B has been dubbed the group of death, comprising Algeria and Senegal, two of Africa’s strongest teams.
October 20 – History was been made in Djibouti this week with the first official football final being played outside the capital. The 35th edition of the Djiboutian Super Cup was hosted at the sports complex in the Ali Sabeih region.