International Football
Africa’s Road to South Korea 2017 Begins
From Eric Asomugha, Lusaka, Zambia.
As battle for places at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea gets under way on Sunday, Zambia will take on Guinea in the opener of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in an encounter that recalls past rivalries of the duo.
Since the introduction of a final tournament by CAF in 1991, which is played by eight teams, Zambia and Guinea have only met twice.
Sunday’s encounter will therefore be their third clash in the age-graded tournament.
In 1995 tournament hosted by Nigeria, Zambia and Guinea played a 2-2 draw. And both teams failed to qualify from their group, finishing third and fourth respectively.
Four years later in the finals staged in Ghana, Zambia thrashed Guinea 6-2 in their second ever meet. Zambia did qualify from the group but lost 3-1 to host Ghana in the semi-finals.
But this time around, Zambia as the hosts will hope to avenge that defeat and use it as spring board for a perfect outing.
Matches of the tournament are double-header in nature. Hence, Egypt and Mali take to the stage after the opening match.
It will be the sixth encounter in the tournament’s history. Both met twice in 1989 before the introduction of a final tournament with Egypt losing 0-2 to Mali in the first leg in Bamako before retaliating in the second leg in Cairo to qualify to the next stage.
In 2003 tournament hosted by Burkina Faso, Egypt defeated Mali 1-0 in the semi-finals. In 2011, Mali beat Egypt 1-0 in the group stage. Egyptians took revenge to upset Mali 1-0 in the semi-finals of that tournament hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa.
International Football
Two Moroccan football players lost at sea, says club official
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Abdellatif-Akhrif.png)
Two Moroccan players from top-flight soccer side Ittihad Tanger have been missing at sea since Saturday after strong currents drifted their small yacht, a club official said on Sunday.
They were in a group of five players from the club who went cruising off the northern city of Tangier when strong currents and heavy winds drifted their yacht away as they were swimming in deep waters, club deputy president Anass Mrabet told Reuters.
“Three players have already been rescued on Saturday, while research is still ongoing for the missing Salman Harraq and Abdellatif Akhrif,” he said.
The players did not have buoys on them when they jumped from the small yacht to swim, he said citing recounts by rescued players.
While Akhrif, 24, is already a full member of the squad, Harraq, 18, was about to move up to the senior team this year, Mrabet added.
Ittihad Tanger have been in the Moroccan top flight since 2015 and won the league title for the first and only time in their history in the 2017-18 season. However, they have struggled in the lower half of the standings in recent years.
-Reuters
International Football
FIFA launches ‘Football Manager’ World Cup with $100,000 in prize money
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/arsene-wenger.jpg)
FIFA will host its first ever FIFAe World Cup of Football Manager this year to crown the best virtual manager on the highly-popular video game, world soccer’s governing body said on Thursday.
FIFA is partnering with Sports Interactive, the developers of the game that has sold millions of copies and has also been used by several football clubs to scout players and opponents thanks to its extensive database.
Players will compete for $100,000 in prize money in the final event from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.
“This competition requires participants to demonstrate a profound understanding of football strategy and tactics,” said former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who is the ambassador for the esports event.
“Success demands not only mastery of game mechanics but also in-depth football knowledge, making this format a fascinating blend.”
FIFA said in the inaugural year of the event, selected member associations will be invited to be represented at the final event.
Member associations from all six confederations are expected to be invited while players can sign up on FIFA’s website.
-Reuters
International Football
Former Italy international Roberto Baggio robbed at gunpoint
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/baggio.jpg)
Former Italy international Roberto Baggio was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint at his home in northern Italy while watching his country’s match against Spain in the Euro 2024 tournament on Thursday, local police said.
Burglars broke into Baggio’s house near Vicenza, hit him on the head with a gun butt and locked him and his family in a room while they stole jewellery, watches and cash, daily Il Corriere della Sera reported. It said he suffered a deep wound.
“Luckily, the violence I suffered only resulted in a few stitches, bruises and a lot of fear. Now it is to overcome the fear,” Baggio was quoted as saying by Italian news agency ANSA.
Baggio, 57, played for clubs including Juventus (JUVE.MI), opens new tab, AC Milan and Inter Milan. He also played 56 times for Italy, scoring 27 goals, and is widely seen as one of his country’s all-time greats.
After the robbery, Baggio, widely known as the “divine ponytail”, was treated at a local hospital where he received stitches for the head wound, Italian media reported.
Italy lost to Spain 1-0 on Thursday and now must avoid defeat by Croatia to guarantee progression in the tournament.
-Reuters
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