AFCON

AND GHANA ALSO PAYS THE PENALTY!

Published

6 years ago

July 9, 2019

Ghana has become the third team after Morocco and Guinea to pay the ultimate price of not paying attention to penalty kicks, which are the ultimate tiebreakers in the knockout stage of football contest.

The five-times African champions were lucky to have been given a lifeline in the form of an own goal by a Tunisian defender, Rami Bedoui at the dot of 90 minutes. But that was where there luck ended.

They failed in the lottery of penalty shootout after extra time failed to break the 1-1 tie.

Tunisia’s Ferjani Sassi scored the winning penalty in sublime fashion as Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles flew over Ghana’s Black Stars to progress to the quarterfinals with a 5-4 penalties victory.

Tunisia will now face off with tournament surprise package Madagascar in Thursday’s quarter final in Al Salaam.

Substitute keeper Farouk Ben Mustapha proved a gamble by head coach Alaine Giresse to bring him on for the penalties to be right as he saved one of Ghana’s kicks from Caleb Ekuban.

Tunisia all scored their penalties with Naim Sliti, Wahbi Khazri, Yassine Meriah and Dylan Bronn all scoring before Sassi sealed the tie.

Ghana’s kicks were scored through Mubarak Wakaso, Jordan Ayew, Lumor Agbenyenu and Thomas Partey.

Substitute Rami Bedoui’s own goal at the stroke of full time sent the game to extra time after he dipped a header beyond his keeper

Hassen Mouez as he tried to defend a Mubarak Wakaso freekick.

Bedoui had just been brought on to try and safeguard Tunisia’s 1-0 lead in the final minutes of the game, but his change was counter-productive.

Tunisia had gone ahead in the 72nd minute courtesy of a Taha Khenissi goal, but, as though fate would have it, the man who replaced him after 90 minutes undid the work he had done just 18 minutes earlier.

While it was Khenissi who scored Tunisia’s goal in the regular 90 minutes, it was the experience of Wahbi Khazri off the bench that turned the game into Tunisia’s favor.

Khazri came on in the 67th minute for Anice Badri and immediately, Tunisia’s game in the final third changed. Within two minutes of his presence, Tunisia came close when he ct back a cross from the left for Khenissi to shoot home, but the effort was blocked by Nuhu Kasim.

In the 70th minute, Khazri swung in a corner from the right met by Khenissi again, this time the striker’s effort being denied by the crossbar.

But two minutes later, his industry paid off when he won the ball on the right before playing Wajdi Kechrida through with the right back’s low cross into the box being turned home beyond Richard Ofori by Khenissi.

Before Khazri’s arrival, it was Ghana who had the best scoring chances and they felt as though they should have gone to the break a goal up but had a late first half goal disallowed.

Skipper Andre Ayew back-heeled the ball into the net off his brother Jordan’s cross, but the goal was disallowed for a handball in the build-up.

Ghana had another close chance quarter of an hour into the game when Kasim’s header from a Wakaso corner struck the upright while Andre Ayew had his effort from the rebound saved by the keeper.

With Tunisia’s late own goal, the game was forced into extra time and even then, it was a full contest despite the tired legs.

Khazri forced a great save off Ofori with a strong shot from the edge of the area while Jordan Ayew fluffed Ghana’s best chance of the extra 30.

Asamoah Gyan who was a late second half substitute brushed a header his way, but his technique on the colley was awry, the ball going wide.

AFCON

Royal Air Maroc named official partner for AFCON 2025, WAFCON 2024

Published

7 days ago

April 19, 2025

Kunle Solaja

The African Football Confederation (CAF) and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) have sealed a historic strategic partnership that grants Morocco’s national airline the status of “Official Global Partner” for upcoming major African football competitions.

The agreement was signed Saturday morning in Casablanca, in the presence of Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President Fouzi Lekjaâ.

This partnership encompasses several prestigious tournaments, including the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (AFCON) 2025 (December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026) and CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAFCON) 2024 (July 5-26, 2025).

The agreement also covers CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF Champions League 2024/2025 Finals, CAF Confederation Cup 2024/2025 Finals, and the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe voiced enthusiasm about the collaboration.

“We are excited about the partnership between CAF and Royal Air Maroc, a world-class airline that will provide comfort and fly NationalTeams participating in the CAF competitions,” he said.

“We are confident that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be the most successful AFCON in the history of this competition.”

The agreement strengthens RAM’s footprint across Africa and globally, solidifying its role as a strategic gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. It also aligns with Morocco’s emergence as an international sports hub, with the country preparing to host AFCON 2025 and co-host the FIFA World Cup 2030.

RAM’s Chairman and CEO Hamid Addou stated: “This historic partnership with CAF aligns fully with our strategic vision as an airline deeply rooted in Africa and committed to its development.”

“Royal Air Maroc doesn’t just connect destinations; it builds bridges between cultures and passions. By supporting the continent’s biggest football competitions, we reaffirm our role as a facilitator of human and sporting exchanges,” he continued.

500,000 supporters expected

Beyond its partnership role, RAM will implement an exceptional operational system to meet increased demand during CAF competitions. The airline plans to welcome over 500,000 supporters for AFCON 2025.

“We believe we will surpass this figure by far,” revealed Addou. “We will be ready to accommodate these supporters across Royal Air Maroc’s entire network.”

The airline intends to double seat capacity from qualified countries already served by RAM, such as Dakar, Abidjan, Cairo, Tunis, Bamako, Lagos, and Douala.

RAM will also intensify flight frequencies from European cities with large African communities, including Paris, Brussels, Milan, London, Marseille, Lyon, Madrid, and Barcelona.

Additionally, the airline will establish a dedicated program for domestic air transport of national teams, shuttling them between their base camps and host cities.

This positioning establishes RAM as the primary connector between Africa and Europe through its Casablanca hub. FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaâ noted that the contract “reinforces Royal Air Maroc’s first-rate leadership role in Africa.”

“Royal Air Maroc is no stranger to football,” Lekjaâ added. “It has always supported generations of our athletes and footballers here in Morocco.”

“With this expertise and experience, they will contribute significantly to making AFCON 2025 Morocco exceptional, a historic turning point in African football, cultural coexistence and African cultural exchange,” he concluded.

Addou stressed RAM’s commitment to African unity: “We are all extremely proud to be African, and in every corner of this vast and magnificent continent, we share the same ambition—to actively contribute to Africa’s development and influence.”

The RAM CEO concluded by inviting everyone to upcoming CAF calendar events: “We’ll see you very soon for the great moments ahead in the CAF calendar, particularly the Women’s AFCON starting in July and, of course, the men’s AFCON, which kicks off on December 25.”

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AFCON

Morocco speeds up stadium upgrades ahead of AFCON 2025

Published

1 week ago

April 18, 2025

Kunle Solaja

The presidents of the regional councils concerned by the hosting of the matches of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025) unanimously affirmed that the implementation of infrastructure projects in anticipation of this continental event “is progressing at a sustained pace”, declaring themselves “fully mobilized” to crown with success the major sporting events scheduled in the Kingdom.

They specified, in statements to the press in Rabat following a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior devoted to the assessment of the progress of the construction and rehabilitation works of the stadiums, that major sports infrastructure projects are underway in the six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech and Agadir.

The President of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, Abdellatif Maâzouz, announced that the projects planned for upcoming international sporting events, in particular the 2025 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, “are proceeding under good conditions.”

The projects related to the organisation of the AFCON will be ready by next July at the latest, he assured, specifying that there is a clear vision regarding the preparations underway for the AFCON and the 2030 World Cup, both in terms of equipment and organisational arrangements related to human resources and animation.

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AFCON

‘Land of Football’ is ‘Kingdom of Light’ as Moroccan Tourism Office and Football Federation Strike Accord

Published

2 weeks ago

April 14, 2025

Kunle Solaja

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Morocco’s football federation and tourism office have signed a groundbreaking agreement to establish the country as a major football and tourism destination leading to the milestone 2030 World Cup when the global football tournament clocks a century.

The Moroccan football body and the Tourism Office are building on the national team’s recent international success.

Though with just one success in the Africa Cup of Nations, Moroccan football soars higher than the rest in Africa and the Arab world at the World Cup.

Apart from being the only African and Arab country to have reached the World Cup semi-final stage, Morocco in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico became the first African team not to be defeated in a World Cup match when they forced Bulgaria to a 1-1 draw on 11 June.

Again, in Mexico, this time at the 1986 World Cup, Morocco became the first African team to top a group and cross the group stage.

They were just two minutes away from a major upset of West Germany in the round of 16 before Lothar Matthäus’ back-breaking goal.

The success of the football team and the tourism potential of Morocco have found a harmonious chord.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and the National Moroccan Tourism Office (ONMT) will work together under the banner “Morocco, Land of Football,” placing the sport at the heart of the country’s tourism strategy.

“More than an institutional partnership, this convention is a shared vision: that of a Morocco that shines through football and makes it a lever for promotion, pride and tourist attractiveness,” ONMT said in a statement released after the signing.

The timing of this collaboration is strategic, coming ahead of two major sporting events: the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.

The initiative builds on widespread public enthusiasm following the Atlas Lions’ historic World Cup performance in 2022.

Under the agreement, both organizations will implement an integrated communication strategy combining visibility campaigns, influence marketing, and joint promotional activities.

The initiative will mobilize iconic figures from Moroccan football to bring this vision to life, to showcase the country’s world-class sporting facilities, rich cultural heritage, and diverse tourist attractions.

ONMT has launched a major offensive at making Morocco, the ultimate tourism and business destination as the clock ticks down to the 35th Africa Cup of Nations holding in December.

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