Puma extends Elephants deal through to 2015
By Mark Baber
November 7 – German sportswear company Puma has extended its contract with the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) for a further four years from January 2015.
Africa
SAFA call on fans to hand in illegal guns for Meyiwa tribute
November 5 – South African football authorities have called on fans to surrender their illegal guns following the recent fatal shooting of national captain Senzo Meyiwa that shocked the entire nation.
Nigeria: FIFA lift ban threat but crisis continues
By Mark Baber
November 4 – FIFA have lifted the threat to suspend Nigeria after the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan persuaded the two warring factions in the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to seek a compromise. As part of the deal, the Chris Giwa faction withdrew their court case which had led to a ruling that the election of the FIFA-backed faction had been invalid.
CAF says Ebola is not an issue and gives new deadline to Morocco to rethink hosting
By Andrew Warshaw
November 4 – Amid an intensifying impasse, Morocco has been given a fresh deadline of Saturday to decide whether they will host January’s showpiece Africa Cup of Nations – with a final decision to be taken three days later by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
CAF in urgent Moroccan talks over AFCON 2015 staging
By Andrew Warshaw
November 3 – A decision over when and whether to stage next year’s African Cup of Nations is imminent following urgent talks between African Football Confederation (CAF) officials and the Moroccan organisers who have asked for the tournament to be delayed or postponed because of the Ebola crisis that has claimed more than 5,000 lives.
Exclusive: Sierra Leone’s Johansen says focus is now only on surviving Ebola
By Andrew Warshaw. chief correspondent
October 31 – The head of Sierra Leone football has painted a grim picture of the devastating effect the Ebola crisis is having on the sport back home, with a fanatical football nation in lockdown domestically and forced to play internationals overseas.
NFF crisis: Giwa faction withdraws case from court
By Mark Baber
October 31 – The day before the expiry of a FIFA deadline for his court case to be withdrawn, and following intervention from Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, Chris Giwa’s faction has withdrawn its case against Amaju Pinnick and his newly elected board, forestalling a possible FIFA ban for government interference.
FIFA orders Nigeria to withdraw court case or face seven-month ban
By Mark Baber
October 28 – Secretary General of FIFA, Jerome Valcke, has written to Amaju Pinnick, one of the two men claiming to be head of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), to say that unless a court case seeking to annul the disputed September 30 NFF elections is withdrawn Nigeria will be suspended.
Morocco continue Club World Cup planning, but AFCON still in limbo
By Andrew Warshaw
October 29 – Preparations for the Club World Cup in Morocco in December are continuing “as planned” even though the country has asked to be replaced as host for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) the following month due to fears over the spread of the Ebola epidemic.
South Africa mourns death of Meyiwa
By Andrew Warshaw
October 28 – Tributes continue to pour in following the murder of South African captain Senzo Meyiwa, with teammates speaking of their “utter devastation” and the country increasingly outraged at the shooting during what appeared to be a botched robbery.
Nigerian women triumph but Hayatou says country on threshold of global ban
By Mark Baber
October 27 – President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Issa Hayatou spoke out over the weekend on Nigeria’s football administration crisis, saying he had managed to delay a ban until after the African Women Championship final between Nigeria and Cameroon, which the country won 2-0, but that a ban was likely to be imposed on Monday.
South African captain shot dead by intruders at home
By Andrew Warshaw
October 27 – South African football has been plunged into mourning after national team captain Senzo Meyiwa was shot dead by intruders at his girlfriend’s home.
Court overturns Nigerian elections, Giwa is back, FIFA ban looms
By Mark Baber
October 24 – The Nigerian High Court sitting in Jos on Thursday held that the disputed September 30 elections for the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Board, in which Amaju Pinnick was elected President, were invalid, upholding the disputed August 26 election in which Chris Giwa was elected President.
AFCON 2015 hits hosting block as South Africa rejects white knight role
By Andrew Warshaw
October 20 – The troubled African Cup of Nations has received a further blow with the news that South Africa, which has already stepped in twice to rescue the tournament in recent years, may not be willing to do so again.
CAF hit by ebola crisis as Morocco set to pull out of AFCON 2015 hosting
By Andrew Warshaw
October 17 – Once again a new venue looks like being needed for the African Cup of Nations after next year’s hosts Morocco reportedly pulled out because of fears over the Ebola virus.