Other Leagues

Ghanaian footballer Okyere recounts earthquake escape

Published

2 years ago

February 10, 2023

Ghana midfielder Priscilla Okyere is terrified of going to sleep, afraid that another earthquake might happen when she is in bed. The 27-year-old plays for Hatayspor in southern Turkey, and is a survivor of the devastating quake that struck there on Monday.

The earthquake is already considered the worst worldwide in a decade. So far it is known to have killed over 20,000 people in Turkey and Syria – a toll that will certainly rise.

Hatayspor is the club whose men’s team Okyere’s compatriot Christian Atsu plays for. Atsu, along with the club’s sporting director Taner Savut, remains missing.

“I have not been sleeping for four days – I’m so scared to go to sleep,” Okyere told BBC Sport Africa.

“Even today, we had a safe place to sleep. I haven’t closed my eyes from 5am til now.

“When someone bangs the door, I wake up because I’m scared. I don’t want to close my eyes and realise this thing is happening again.”

Okyere is now in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, after her coach arranged for her and her seven roommates to leave Hatay after the earthquake.

But the ordeal left her scarred.

“I was terrified. I cried for days,” she explained.

“I can’t imagine how lucky we were to get out from that situation, because most people couldn’t get out. But we were able to.”

Okyere joined Hatayspor six months ago from Israeli club Tel-Aviv Beersheva.

Like most people who live in southern Turkey, the club’s players had felt tremors before. So when the earthquake struck in the early hours of Monday, she believed it was normal.

“We were coming from a game in Istanbul and we weren’t home until around 2am,” she said.

“We had to shower and then get some sleep. At first, I thought I was dreaming because since we came to Hatay, I experienced (tremors) it two times. Sometimes the building would just shake within 30 seconds and it stops.

“When it happened, I thought it was a normal thing but I realised this was much more intense than the previous ones.”

She went to check on her team-mates, and then hurried outside as all around her began to crumble

“When I got down, the buildings were just collapsing, and everybody was crying, trying to find shelter,” she said.

“It was raining heavily outside, and everyone was cold. We were not wearing any jackets – nothing. We had gone outside barefoot.

“We weren’t even thinking about how cold we were at that moment. What we wanted to think about was how to get our passports.

“We had to find a shelter in someone’s car for almost five hours before the whole thing calmed down, and then we were able to go back to the house.”

Though badly damaged, the building Okyere and her teammates lived in had not collapsed. But they had to leave the area, and with all public transport suspended, they wandered the streets looking for food.

They were immediately concerned that there was no way to get in contact with their families back home, even as news began to filter out to the wider world of the quake.

“The first thing that came into my mind was my mother, because she’s always worried about where I am always want to know what is going on,” Okyere said.

“But we couldn’t communicate directly to our family because all the networks were not working.

“But you could call within Turkey, So I spoke to my agent, and I gave him my mother’s number so he could to talk with her and make sure that everything is okay.”

Eventually, Okyere and her teammates were able to leave Hatay.

While she and her teammates are safe, she said concern remains for other members of the wider Hatayspor club, including the men’s team and officials.

“We don’t know anything about the men’s team because they live far from us, even though we live in the same city,” she explained.

“But our brother (Christian) Atsu, we always talk to him on phone. He texts us all the time.

“Since the incident happened, nobody knows his whereabouts. We don’t even know what is happening.”

Okyere said she is trying to remain positive in the face of all the devastation, and her biggest wish right now is to go home to Ghana to spend some time with her family.

“For Hatayspor our season is over because the city is destroyed,” she said.

“For management, we don’t know anything about their whereabouts. So for us we know that for the men and the women the season is over,.

“We will try to look for another club because I think that most clubs are also interested in some players from Hatayspor. I think hopefully maybe we will get something.

“For me, only thing that is in my mind right now is I just want to go back to Ghana. At least have one week or two weeks rest with the family.”

-BBC

Other Leagues

Ahly awarded 2-0 derby win; Zamalek handed 3-point deduction

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Cairo giants Ahly were granted a 2-0 victory over arch-rivals Zamalek after the latter refused to participate in the Cairo derby on Tuesday, according to an Egyptian Pro League (EPL) announcement.

In addition, Zamalek were hit with a three-point deduction and a fine as a penalty.

The Red Devils were scheduled to host Zamalek on Tuesday as part of the 27th matchday of the Egyptian Premier League.

However, following their 2-1 home defeat to Masry last week, Zamalek filed a complaint with the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) citing refereeing injustices.

Zamalek outlined four demands that needed to be met to continue the Egyptian Premier League.

One of the demands was to postpone all remaining league matches until all competing teams complete their first-leg fixtures, pointing out that Ahly had played only 18 games so far, two fewer than Zamalek.

The White Knights also insisted on appointing an independent committee outside the EFA and the EPL to oversee and reschedule the remaining league matches, ensuring complete impartiality.

They set last week’s Pharco game as the deadline to receive a comprehensive schedule of all remaining matches until the season ends, along with fulfilling their previous demands.

As the EFA and the EPL did not meet Zamalek’s demands, the club publicly announced their decision not to participate in the Cairo derby on Tuesday, which led to the EFA awarding Ahly the victory.

This incident marks the second time in five seasons that Zamalek has forfeited a Cairo derby, following a similar incident in the 2019/20 season.

The awarded win of Tuesday’s game granted Ahly the three points, maintaining their second-place position with 45 points, trailing leaders Pyramids FC by 17 points.

However, Ahly still hold a significant advantage with six games in hand.

On the other hand, Zamalek dropped down to the 10th position in the league table with 34 points.

-Ahram

Other Leagues

Zamalek threaten boycott of Egyptian League matches

Published

3 months ago

June 24, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Zamalek have issued a warning, stating that they may not participate in the remaining Egyptian Premier League games.

Their decision comes in light of their 2-1 defeat against Masry on Monday and their dissatisfaction with the refereeing decisions made during the match.

In an official statement released after the game, the Cairo giants expressed their disappointment with the lack of equal opportunity in the league and raised concerns about the specific refereeing decisions that impacted their loss to Masry.

During the match, Zamalek experienced frustration when winger Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed missed a penalty kick in the 73rd minute.

Despite their appeals, a VAR review confirmed that the ball did not cross the goal-line, further adding to Zamalek’s grievances.

Zamalek’s statement called upon the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) to investigate the referee’s performance and demanded to be informed of the results of the investigation.

They also declared their refusal to continue participating in the Egyptian League until their opponents have played their postponed games from the first round, emphasizing the importance of fairness and equal treatment for all teams.

Zamalek further insisted on the appointment of a neutral committee, separate from the EFA and the Egyptian Premier League (EPL), to oversee the reorganization of the remaining league matches.

The statement also mentioned that Zamalek’s upcoming fixture against Pharco FC on Friday will be their final game until they receive a comprehensive schedule for the remaining matches in the tournament.

Zamalek find themselves in the 11th position in the league standings with 31 points from 19 games, still having four games in hand.

-Ahram

Other Leagues

Exciting photo-finish in some of Africa’s top leagues

Published

3 months ago

June 21, 2024

Kunle Solaja

The curtains have officially closed across most African domestic championships, with a few gradually approaching the business end of their football calendars.

With a place in next season’s CAF Inter-club competitions on the cards for the best finishers and national cup winners, CAFOnline takes a look at some of Africa’s top leagues, with some having concluded and a few nearing the finish line in what will be a photo-finish to their respective seasons.

Algeria – Ligue 1

MC Alger are the new champions of Algerian football after dethroning former champions, CR Belouizdad.

Alger clinched their 8th title in what was one of their best performances in the championship. The newly crowned champions finished 12 points ahead of Belouizdad with an impressive 65 points that sees them secure a place in next season’s TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Ghana – Ghana Premier League

History was made in the Ghana Premier League this season after Samartex, who were in their second season in top-flight football were crowned champions of Ghana.

The club sent shockwaves across Ghana with an impressive 61-point finish that saw them clinch the first ever title with an impressive 10-point gap between them and Accra Lions.

Medeama, who won the title last season finished a disappointing 8th place with 49 points.

Morocco – Botola Pro

It was an exciting photo-finish to the Botola Pro in Morocco which was decided on the very last day of the season.

Raja Casablanca dethroned AS Far as Moroccan champions after clinching the title in style with a commanding 3-0 win over MCO Oujda on the very last day of the championship.

The two-horse race between Raja and FAR Rabat who were edged by the champions by a mere point, despite their 2-0 win over FUS Rabat.

Tanzania – Tanzania Premier League

Young Africans will be back in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League next season after their successful title defence of the Tanzanian Premier League title.

Yanga, as the Tanzanian giants are affectionately known cruised to a record-extending 31st league title, finishing with a healthy 11-point gap over second placed Azam FC who finished the season on 69 points alongside Simba SC.

South Africa – Premier Soccer League

Mamelodi Sundowns rubber-stamped their authority as the most successful club in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League after clinching an impressive seventh successive league title, making them the most successful club in the league with 17 league titles in total.

Sundowns’ rivals and former African champions, Orlando Pirates will make a return to the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League after finishing second behind Sundowns.

Meanwhile, the race for the title continues in Tunisia and Egypt with Esperance leading the pack in Tunisia’s Ligue 1, while Pyramids occupy the driver’s seat in the Egyptian Premier League

-CAF