AFCON
THE GOOD, THE BAD OF SPORTS IN 2019
BY UDOKA CHRISTIAN NJOKU, PLUS TV AFRICA
If there is one thing 2019 has delivered, its great moments in sports. Records have been set and broken, impossible feat have been achieved, hearts have been broken and overdue victories finally came to realization, in front of millions of fans, families, and friends around the world.
The year 2019 did not live short of its expectations, as some saw it as one of the biggest sporting year for them, while others thought it was the worst for them.
After enduring the loss of the UEFA champions league victory to Real Madrid in 2018, Liverpool proved once again that they are a force to be reckoned with as they went on in 2019 to beat first-timers; Tottenham Hotspur in the finals to clinch the UEFA trophy after fourteen years.
In the English premier league, Manchester city won the title by a point ahead of Liverpool who finished second. City also emerged as the winners of the league cup, and the FA Cup.
The year also saw three African Players emerge as joint-top scorers in the English Premier League. Egypt’s Mohammed Salah and Senegal ‘s Sadio Mane both playing for Liverpool and then Arsenal and Gabonese striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang won the Golden Boot after scoring 22 goals for their clubs.
In the Europa League final, Chelsea defeated Arsenal to lift the title and afterwards; Eden Hazard; Chelsea’s star, joined Spanish giants, Real Madrid.
In the transfer window, Manchester United’s striker Romelu Lukaku joined Inter Milan on a fee of seventy-five million pounds, with his fellow teammate, Alexis Sanchez joining him on loan.
Nigeria winger and midfielder, Alex Iwobi joined Everton on a record fee, making him the most expensive Nigerian player, another Nigerian player, Victor Osimhen completed his move from Belgian Club Sporting Charleroi to French side Lille for a fee reported to be around £12m.
Arsenal fired Unai Emery after 18 months in charge as a result of his winless run in the 2109/2020 campaign and appointed Freddie Ljungberg as interim manager, who was afterwards replaced by Mikel Arteta as the club’s new manager.
Tottenham Hotspur also let go of Maurizio Pochettino and appointed former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho. After a long search for a win in the EPL, Everton fired Marco Silva and appointed Carlo Ancelotti who was sacked by Napoli after qualifying the team for UEFA champions league round of 16.
In tennis, 15 year- old Coco Gauf made headlines at Wimbledon when she beat her idol, Venus Williams to become the youngest player to advance to the round of sixteen.
In the Rogers Cup, Rafael Nadal won the men’s singles title to reach his nineteenth gland slam singles titles.
And Bianca Andreescu won the women’s singles title, defeating Serena Williams in the final and becoming the first Canadian to win a grand slam singles title.
And in Golf, Tiger Woods secured his legacy in masters, and made one of the greatest comebacks in sports, with his win at the Masters tournament; claiming a major title and also ending an 11-year drought.
In basketball, Toronto Raptors became the first team-based and originated in Canada to win the NBA title.
Two great players in the NBA also retired from the game this year, Miami Heat veteran Dwayne Wade and Dallas Mavericks legend, Dirk Nowitzki retired from basketball after almost two decades in the game.
In gymnastics, Simone Biles made history with her triple-double, defying the laws of physics and gravity as she became the first woman in nearly 70 years to capture six U.S. senior women’s all-around gymnastics titles
In Athletics, Allyson Felix won her 12th gold medal at the world’s championship, 10 months after giving birth, surpassing a record she once held with Usain Bolt. She now has more medals than any other runner, male or female.
In Rugby, South Africa made history when they beat England to win the world cup in Japan and became the country to win the Rugby championship and Rugby world cup in the same year, surpassing New Zealand and Australia.
In Africa, Egypt hosted the nation’s cup and Algeria won their first title since 1990 after defeating Senegal to clinch the title. Nigeria won bronze after defeating Tunisia and Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo took home the golden boot, emerging the highest goal scorer.
In Europe’s most prestigious award, Argentina and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi won the Balon d’ or for the sixth time, surpassing Netherland and Liverpool’s defender Virgil Van Dijk and Portugal and Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo who has won it for a record five times.
In boxing, British boxer Anthony Joshua defeated Andy Ruiz Jr in a rematch in Qatar after losing his first match to Ruiz to reclaim the four belts WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO.
On the international scene, Olympic Eagles and Super Falcons of Nigeria failed to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and the Golden eaglets of Nigeria crashed out of the under 17 World Cup in Brazil.
On the domestic front, the Nigeria Professional Football League ended with Enyimba announced as champions after an abridged version of the league was run by the league management company.
In the Zenith Bank Women Basketball League, Air Warriors were crowned 2019 Champions after a hard earned 55-53pts victory over MFM Queens.
And in beach soccer, the Sand Eagles of Nigeria ended the year without a win in the beach soccer world cup hosted by Paraguay.
The year 2019 is indeed a year one will not forget easily and as we look forward to the year 2020, we expect more suspense, intrigues and record breaking moments. Have a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year. From Plus TV Africa
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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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
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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