Yasser Ibrahim’s superb header and Mohamed Salah’s breakaway strike earned record seven-time champions Egypt a hard-fought 3-1 extra-time victory over Benin in the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 on Monday.

Egypt led after 69 minutes through a brilliant 25-metre strike from Marwan Attia, but Benin forced the game into an additional 30 minutes when they equalised late on through Jodel Dossou.

Defender Ibrahim scored his first international goal on 97 minutes when he met Attia’s cross with a header from 15 yards that looped into the top corner of the net, and Salah raced clear to add the third with the last kick of the game.

“It was a very difficult match, Benin are a tough opponent,” Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said. “We are mentally prepared to play for 90 minutes or extra time. I have confidence in my team and my staff, especially the medical team, for a proper recovery of the players before the next match.”

Benin’s energy and never-say-die spirit stood up well to Egypt’s more composed artistry.

Omar Marmoush was put through one-on-one with Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou but delayed his shot too long and the gloveman was able to make the save at his feet.

Egypt went closer when Marmoush poked the loose ball goalwards but defender Yohan Roche cleared the ball off the line.

ATTIA ON TARGET

Egypt finally broke the deadlock when the ball came to Attia outside the box and he curled his shot into the top corner.

Benin equalised with eight minutes remaining in normal time though and there was a touch of good fortune about it.

Junior Olaitan’s cross from the right took a wicked deflection off Ahmed Fatouh and although Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy made a superb save, Dossou bundled the ball over the line from close range.

After Ibrahim had restored Egypt’s advantage, Salah raced clear in the 124th minute and produced a typically composed finish as he beat the back-pedalling keeper from 25 metres.

“When you take the individual talents of the Egyptians, it’s not the same (as Benin),” Benin coach Gernot Rohr said. “Especially since our best striker (Steve Mounie) was missing. In a match like this, he would have helped us a lot.”

Egypt left back Mohamed Hamdi was substituted at halftime, and his coach Hassan said he may have suffered a serious knee injury.

Egypt will face defending champions Cote d’Ivoire or Burkina Faso in the quarter-finals in Agadir on Saturday.

-Reuters

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In March 2024, retired Argentine soccer star Carlos Tevez published a tweet, opens new tab hinting at something suspicious going on in a Buenos Aires suburb. The treasurer of the Argentine Football Association, Tevez claimed, was making many trips to Pilar, where he implied the soccer official had buried bags of money and kept a collection of antique cars.

Coalicion Civica, a progressive political party, began investigating after Tevez’s post and filed a criminal complaint centered on a mystery villa in Pilar.

As the World Cup approaches, allegations that the villa may have been used for money-laundering have become one of a series of scandals gripping the soccer association that is in charge of the game in Argentina, the current world champions.

In early December, police raided the AFA headquarters and more than a dozen soccer clubs as part of a money-laundering probe that looked at transfers of money tied to clubs and a financial services company.

Three days later, authorities raided the Pilar villa, finding a heliport, stables and 54 vehicles, including luxury cars and collectible cars. In its criminal complaint, Coalicion Civica alleges the property is a front for a money-laundering scheme connected to Chiqui Tapia, the president of the AFA, and its treasurer, Pablo Toviggino.

Last week, in another case, a prosecutor charged Tapia, Toviggino and other AFA leaders for unlawful retention of taxes totaling $13 million following a complaint from Argentina’s tax agency, according to news outlet La Nacion.

The AFA did not respond to an inquiry from Reuters requesting an interview with both Tapia and Toviggino and for comment on the various judicial investigations that have been opened.

In a public statement, the association has said it is being attacked by the government of President Javier Milei, referring to how Milei has pushed for Argentina’s soccer clubs, which have long functioned as nonprofit entities run by their members, to become for-profit companies under private owners.

“We are on the right path,” the AFA said, listing competitions Argentina has won since Tapia became president in 2017, including the World Cup itself in 2022.

A representative for Tevez did not respond to an interview request. Toviggino did not respond to a request for comment.

CRISIS DESPITE SUCCESS

Despite plaudits for Argentina’s performance on the field, the AFA is going through its biggest crisis in years.

“There are two AFAs,” said Nestor Centra, an Argentine sports journalist, referring to its international success and the instability at home.

Several months after Tevez’s tweet, Matias Yofe, president of Coalicion Civica’s branch in Pilar, told Reuters that he and his colleagues talked to about 10 employees who had worked at the Pilar property and presumed that Toviggino or Tapia were the owners.

One person, Yofe said, described Tapia once arriving by helicopter and then gifting employees soccer jerseys.

“What they described was they moved as owners of the place, they got in the pool, used the facilities,” Yofe said. “Everyone indicated that this belongs to people of the AFA.”

Coalicion Civica’s complaint alleged that the property had been purchased in 2024 by a company owned by Ana Lucia Conte and Luciano Nicolas Pantano, a mother and son that it claimed could not afford the purchase. An attorney who has represented Pantano did not respond to a request for comment.

Records viewed by Reuters indicate that the property, several city blocks long, was bought for $1.8 million, although experts suspect it’s worth much more. The complaint points to Pantano’s connections with the soccer world, such as serving as the head of the Argentine Civil Association of Futsal and Beach Soccer.

According to court documents, officials during the raid found a black imitation leather bag branded with the AFA logo and Toviggino’s name, several books on soccer and a plaque honoring Toviggino. The 54 vehicles included a Ferrari and several Porsches, registered under the company the complaint attributed to Pantano and Conte.

An official with knowledge of the case said that Toviggino’s relatives had authorization to drive at least several of the cars, confirming a report by local television station TN. Authorities have requested information on the pilots who used the heliport in the hopes of learning about the passengers.

The justice ministry has demanded that the AFA and the Superliga, an association that handles transmission rights of matches, give explanations for accounting entries of nearly half a billion dollars going back to 2017. Daniel Vitolo, the head of the ministry’s Inspector General’s office, told Reuters that those amounts fall into categories on balance reports with generic names such as “others.” The Superliga declined a request from Reuters for comment.

“If the AFA really has its papers in order, why doesn’t it explain something that’s very easy to explain?” he said.

‘THESE THINGS HAPPEN’

Experts said it’s unlikely that the judicial cases will affect Argentina’s participation in the World Cup.

“No one can pay the political cost of doing that,” said Alan Wilder, a sports law attorney in Buenos Aires. “No one would approve of the mere idea of taking (Lionel) Messi out of the World Cup, with this possibly being his last World Cup. He’s the sacred cow.”

Soccer worldwide is no stranger to financial scandals, and in recent years top FIFA officials have been charged with corruption. Tapia’s predecessor resigned amid an investigation into irregularities involving management of match broadcasting funds. Those charged in the case were absolved this month.

Prior to the current scandals, AFA had already faced criticism by fans for favoritism. Many were angered when the AFA recently awarded Rosario Central, home team of national star player Angel Di Maria, a new and controversial trophy.

“I think the lid has been blown off the pot,” said Enzo Gutierrez, 30, a Buenos Aires resident who roots for the team San Martin from his native province of San Juan. “It has grabbed my attention a lot but if you’re a soccer fan you live knowing that these things happen in Argentine soccer.”

-Reuters

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The Francis and Fidelia Ibhawoh Foundation, in partnership with the Community Sports and Educational Development (CSED) Initiative, has rewarded the hockey players of St. Maria Goretti Girls’ Grammar School, Benin City, with cash gifts following their impressive outing at the 2025 National Youth Games in Asaba.

The school’s hockey team won a silver medal for Edo State at the Games held in July 2025, further reinforcing the institution’s long-standing reputation as a powerhouse for hockey development at the secondary school level.

The presentation ceremony took place at the school’s hockey ground and attracted key stakeholders in sports and education.

In attendance were the Executive Director of the Edo State Sports Commission, Sabina Chikere, and Dr Celestina Aletor, who represented the school’s Old Girls’ Association. School authorities present included the Principal of the Senior School, Mrs Abieyuwa Abu-Osagie, alongside Edosa Osaigbovo, Earnest Iyare and the school’s hockey coach, Sylvester Aigbo.

St. Maria Goretti Girls’ Grammar School remains unique in Nigeria as the only secondary school with a hockey Astro Turf pitch. Its hockey tradition dates back to the early 1970s, when the school was under the management of the Catholic Mission in Benin City.

Addressing the students, Chikere urged them to remain committed to both their academic work and sporting careers, noting that excellence in sports can open doors to wider opportunities.

She cited Dr Aletor as a shining example, recalling that the former school hockey player earned a Federal Government university scholarship due to her outstanding performance.

Chikere also highlighted Aletor’s contributions as a former principal of the school and her continued role in advancing the interests of the Old Girls’ Association.

In her remarks, Dr Aletor outlined several developmental interventions undertaken by the association, including the establishment of a state-of-the-art IT laboratory, the acquisition of over 30 sewing machines, head-dressing equipment and a fully equipped Home Economics laboratory.

According to her, the aim is to provide students with access to vocational and life skills while still in school or immediately after completing their WAEC or NECO examinations. She also disclosed that the association recently donated a brand-new school bus to further support the school’s operations.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of cash gifts to 14 former hockey players who graduated in July 2025, as well as 22 current students of the school.

 Some members of the current hockey squad are junior secondary school students identified through the school’s talent development programme.

To further strengthen the team, the two NGOs announced plans to supply the school with 25 pre-loved hockey sticks.

They are also exploring opportunities for the players to participate in the “Sporting Coders” programme, an initiative that combines sports participation with coding and digital skills training.

The Sporting Coders programme was successfully piloted in April 2024 in Bayelsa State by the netball team of Tare Pet School, where 12 of the 21 participating students later secured admission into universities across Nigeria.

The organisers stressed that the initiative demonstrates how Nigerian secondary school students can successfully balance academics and sports with the right support from parents, school authorities and coaches.

They also called on the Ministry of Education to complement these efforts by providing qualified vocational education teachers to ensure that existing equipment in the school is effectively utilised.

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