Other Leagues
Match-fixing scandal hits Rwanda
In the week of a World Cup qualifying match with Nigeria, Rwanda, the Group C leaders are embroiled in a match-fixing scandal in their domestic league.
A tape surfaced this Monday in which an assistant coach of one of the premier league clubs, Muhazi United who is hoping to cross at the close of the season to go the Kiyovu next season as the head coach.
But the club, the assistant coach, Jean Baptiste Mugiraneza, hopes to join, is struggling in relegation waters. He therefore opted to find means to avoid the club from dropping so he could coach the side in the lead league.
His current club, Muhazi United have commenced investigations. According to local reports,
Mugiraneza was an assistant coach at Musanze FC when they finished third in the 2023/24 Rwanda Premier League season before he left for Muhazi United as assistant coach to Emmanuel Ruremesha.
In a leaked recording that surfaced on Monday, the coach is heard saying that he has agreed a deal to coach Kiyovu next season.
With Kiyovu struggling for relegation, Mugiraneza is heard in the recording asking Musanze FC defender Shafiq Bakaki ‘for a favour’ to let Kiyovu beat his team when the two teams met over the weekend.
The win would have got the Green Baggies out of the relegation zone. In return, Miggy promised to take the player with him to the club in return.
However, the player turned down the offer, explaining that it was against his Islamic principles at this time of Ramadan and he was observing “Swaum”.
Musanze went on to win 3-0 with Bakaki scoring the second goal of the game.
The match fixing scandal comes two months after Bakaki was suspended by the club in January over “unprofessional” behaviour during their shattering 3-0 defeat to Vision in Rwanda Premier League.
In an interview with Times Sport, Musanze FC president Placide Tuyishime emphasized that the whole team had known Mugiraneza’s unfortunate plan because he was with the player during the phone call and his plot failed as a result.
“We were with the player when he (Mugiraneza) called him. So we knew about this even before the game took place,” Tuyishime told Times Sport.
While match-fixing results in hefty penalties including a lengthy ban from football activities once found guilty, Tuyishime said it is in hands of the local football governing body (Ferwafa) to decide what to do about the matter.
“I have nothing to say about him, all we had to do is to tell the media what he was trying to do. The FA can follow up on the case if they wish but it isn’t doing any good to the image of our league. It’s so unprofessional,” Tuyishime stated.
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Paul Onuachu is back where the goals flowed after the Nigerian striker completed a 5.6 million euros ($6.60 million) move to Trabzonspor from Southampton on Friday, turning a successful loan spell into a permanent stay on Turkey’s Black Sea coast.
Nicknamed “Tall Paul” by Saints fans, the 2.01-metre forward never found his stride in the Premier League, scoring just four goals as Southampton dropped out of the top flight.
But in Turkey, he looked like his old self — hitting 15 goals in 21 league games while on loan last season and quickly winning over the fans and board alike.
Once prolific at Genk, with 73 goals in 103 league games, 31-year-old Onuachu’s return to Trabzonspor feels more like a reset than a gamble.
The new Super Lig season kicks off on August 8, with champions Galatasaray defending their crown. Trabzonspor, who finished seventh last term, will hope their returning striker picks up right where he left off.
-Reuters
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A celebration turned tragic on Saturday, June 22, 2025, when three spectators lost their lives and more than 70 others sustained injuries following a fence collapse at the July 5 Stadium in Algiers. The incident occurred after MC Alger clinched the Algerian top-flight football title for the second consecutive season.
According to a statement released on Facebook by the Algerian Ministry of Health, the collapse took place in the stadium’s south bend upper stand. Emergency services responded swiftly, with 38 injured fans taken to Beni Messous University Hospital, 27 to Ben Aknoun Hospital, and 16 to Bab El Oued Hospital.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed condolences to the victims’ families and extended wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured.
MC Alger also mourned the loss of one of their fans. “It is with great sadness and sorrow that we received the news of our supporter Younes Amguzzi, who passed away after falling from the upper stands,” the club said in a statement posted on Instagram.
The club has not yet issued a formal comment on the additional reported fatalities.
Local media attributed the tragedy to a structural failure, reporting that part of the upper-tier fencing gave way, causing fans to fall into the lower stands. A video posted by El Heddaf TV showed the damaged railing and the chaotic aftermath.
The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, while MC Alger players, staff, and club officials visited to donate blood in support of the victims. The trophy presentation ceremony was postponed out of respect for the incident.
Authorities are expected to launch an investigation into the cause of the collapse and the safety standards at the stadium.
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Libyan football is once again under fire after a highly anticipated derby match between Al-Ahli Tripoli and Al-Ittihad spiralled into chaos on Wednesday evening, forcing an early end to the game and leaving a trail of violence and destruction in its wake.
What was meant to be a showcase of local rivalry quickly turned into a disaster.
The match, part of Libya’s national championship, took a dark turn in the 38th minute when Moroccan midfielder Nawfel Zerhouni curled in a beautiful free-kick to give Al-Ittihad the lead. But the celebrations were short-lived. Tensions flared, players clashed, and a full-blown melee broke out on the pitch.
Things only got worse from there.
Despite being officially designated a behind-closed-doors fixture, fans from both clubs found their way into the stadium and took over the stands. Fights erupted, and the terraces turned into battlegrounds. The referee had no choice but to abandon the match.
The violence didn’t stop at the stadium gates.
Reports suggest that live ammunition was fired at Al-Ahli supporters, and the Al-Ittihad team bus was set ablaze in the aftermath. Shocking scenes like these are a grim reminder of how unchecked football passion can spiral into outright mayhem.
Both clubs reacted swiftly with official statements condemning the violence. Al-Ahli Tripoli and Al-Ittihad called for calm and restraint, stressing the importance of upholding the values of sport. They also urged authorities to launch a full investigation to uncover those behind the violence and ensure accountability.
This disturbing episode comes on the heels of previous controversies involving Libya’s football scene, including the troubled AFCON qualifier against Nigeria and riots during the Libya–Benin Republic match. It raises fresh concerns over the safety and stability of football in the country.
Libyan football is at a crossroads. Whether this serves as a wake-up call or just another chapter in a worrying trend remains to be seen.
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