Sports

10 Players To Watch In Africa’s World Cup Qualifying Playoffs

Published

4 years ago

March 24, 2022

The final round of Africa’s qualifying matches for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar got underway this week with 10 thrilling clashes.

The final playoff games will see 10 countries vying for the continent’s five slots at the World Cup to be played in Qatar later this year.

The continent’s heavyweights come up against each other in two-legged matches to decide which sides qualify for the global competition.

The highlight of the matches will be between Africa Cup of Nations finalists Senegal and Egypt as well as the clash between long-standing arch-rivals Ghana and Nigeria.

Nigeria take on Ghana in the 20,000 –capacity Cape Coast Sports Stadium from 7.30pm on Friday, March 25, with the reverse leg set for the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Tuesday, March 29, from 6pm.

The winner over two legs will earn one of Africa’s five tickets to the 22nd FIFA World Cup finals, scheduled for November 14 to December 18 this year in Qatar.

Cameroon will take on Algeria in another fiery encounter, Mali play Tunisia in a tricky tie while DR Congo clash with Morocco.

The matches are expected to be fiery thanks to the presence of some of the world’s best footballers in all the sides that will play in the final round of qualifiers.

Here are 10 players expected to shine on the path to Qatar 2022, according to cafonline. com.

Riyad Mahrez
Algeria – Riyad Mahrez

The Desert Foxes will be relying on the Manchester City winger Mahrez to weave the magic against their tough opponents Cameroon to qualify for Qatar. Algeria, who were winners of the 2019 TotalEnergies, were unimpressive when defending their title last month and were eliminated at the group stage. They are hoping to appease their fans and with Mahrez in the squad the Foxes are confident he would replicate the form that has seen him score 22 goals in all competitions for the English giants so far this season. The winger, who can also play in attack, was instrumental when Leicester City won the English Premier League title for the first time in the 2018/2019 season. He has since moved to Manchester City where has also bagged several titles.

Vincent Aboubakar of Cameroon
Cameroon – Vincent Aboubakar

The Indomitable Lions will be counting on the ingenuity of the Saudi Arabia-based striker who has led the side with aplomb in recent games. The attacker, who has so far scored eight times for Al Nassr in 22 outings, was instrumental in when Cameroon finished third at the country’s recent hosting of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations. With eight goals in seven matches, Aboubakar was the top scorer of the AFCON and made the Team of the Tournament. He must be at his best for Cameroon to be able to defeat the wounded Algerians in their two-legged matches.

Theo Bongonda
DR Congo – Theo Bongonda

DR Congo are chasing their first World Cup appearance in 48 years with their first and only showing being in the 1974 competition when they were known as Zaire.

The Belgium-born player is widely seen as the man to steer the side to the World Cup against Morocco who have been impressive in their qualifiers.

Despite the presence of top players like Chancel Mbemba, Bongonda is the new favourite of the side having switched nationality from Belgium to play for the country of his father.

The speedy player, who has scored ten goals for Genk in the Belgian top-flight this season, will add to the already strong attacking force of the Congolese.

Bongonda, a former youth international for Belgium, applied to switch allegiance and his talent will come in handy to help the Central African nation to outwit the Atlas Lions.

Egypt – Mohamed Salah

The eagerly-awaited rematch between AFCON finalists Senegal and Egypt requires big name players and Salah is certainly among the best in the world.

The Liverpool superstar is seeking to appease the teeming fans of the Pharaohs who are still reeling from the pain of losing the final to this week’s opponent just last month.

Salah has been one of the best players for his country over the past few years and his 28 goals in 36 appearances for Liverpool this season has made him a feared striker.

With ten assists at club level this term, Egypt are confident he will come up when most needed to help them edge Senegal and qualify.

Thomas Teye Partey
Ghana – Thomas Partey

In the absence of suspended captain Andre Ayew, Partey replaced the Al Sadd playmaker as the most influential Black Stars players.

The Arsenal star has seen some revival in his fortunes with the English side who named their Player of the Month for February.

The former Atletico Madrid has scored ten goals in 27 appearances for the Black Stars demonstrating his importance for the four-time African champions.

Against their arch rivals Nigeria, the midfielder will have the freedom to join the attack which should be a headache for the Super Eagles.

Yves Bissouma
Mali – Yves Bissouma

The return of Yves Bissouma to the Mali national team has injected some confidence among the players that they can defeat Tunisia to make their first appearance at the World Cup.

The England-based midfielder returned to the Eagles squad after a three-year absence to help steer them to the knock-out stages of the recent Africa Cup of Nations.

His presence in the defensive midfield of Mali completely transformed the squad, helping them to reach the knock-out stages for the first time in nine years.

The Brighton player’s ability to effortlessly spot his attackers while effectively disrupting the attack of the opponent will be a headache for Tunisia.

With many young g talented players in the squad, Bissouma and his team-mates provide a real threat to Tunisia’s quest to return to the global tournament.

Man of the match Achraf Hakimi of Morocco during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Afcon Finals Last 16 match between Morocco and Malawi at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde
Morocco – Achraf Hakimi

The Paris St Germain defender has not only been one of the outstanding players for the French sides, he has also been phenomenal for Morocco in their recent successes.

The right-back was the key player for the Atlas Lions in their recent international assignment when they reached the quarter-finals of last month’s AFCON in Cameroon.

Indeed, Hakimi has been influential for Morocco since 2016 when he started playing in the national team, culminating in 36 caps and seven goals.

Having played for some of the biggest clubs in the world including Real Madrid, where he trained as a child, Dortmund and Inter Milan before switching to PSG, Hakimi is certainly one of the key players DR Congo must stop.

Victor Osimhen
Nigeria – Victor Osimhen

Moses Simon was the toast of the Super Eagles fans during the recent AFCON, but that place in the hearts of the fans will be taken by returning striker Osimhen.

The Italy-based attacker was absent when they reached the knock-out stage during the recent tournament in Cameroon, which gave the chance for Simon to demonstrate his capabilities to the admiration of the fans.

With the fit-again attacker part of the Super Eagles team to face Ghana, Osimhen will pose more problems for the Black Stars than the winger.

His 10 goals and six assists in his 19 matches show that the striker is the man to watch in the two-legged game against their arch-rivals.

Fifteen goals in all competitions for Napoli so far this season shows that his combination with Kelechi Iheanacho and Odion Ighlo in the Nigeria attack will be deadly.

Sadio Mane of Senegal celebrates
Senegal – Sadio Mane

Liverpool star Mane is living one of the best moments of his football career having played a key role for his country to win their first AFCON title just last month.

He is desperate to add another chapter to his international football record by steering the Teranga Lions to defeat Egypt – the team they defeated in the final in Cameroon.

The diminutive striker scored three goals, made two assists in the seven matches Senegal played in Africa’s flagship competition.

His winning penalty helped them to defeat Egypt to seal the title and was named Player of the Tournament.

This shows he will be influential in their rematch with the Pharaohs despite the presence of other top players like Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in the Senegal squad.

Tunisia – Youssef Msakni

Even though a lot of focus has been on striker Wahbi Khazri, the main man of Tunisia has been long-standing striker Msakni who plays for Qatari top-flight Al Arabi.

He scored the only goal that eliminated highly-fancied Nigeria at the Round of 16 at the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon demonstrating his importance to the team

His overall contribution makes him the feared player of the Carthage Eagles as his seven goals in 14 matches in Qatar show that he can also contribute goals to his midfield duties.

The 31-year-old, who is a left winger, is already the 19th highest scorer in the history of the AFCON and also on course to equal the record number of tournament appearances.

The record is held by Rigobert Song and Ahmed Hassan of Cameroon and Egypt respectively, after eight appearances from 1996 to 2010.

With seven appearances and at 31, he is likely to catch the record but first he will be keen on helping his country to defeat Mali and qualify for the World Cup.

With additional material from cafonline.com

PUNCH.

Sports

JUST IN: Dembélé Named FIFA Best Men’s Player, Bonmatí Wins Women’s Award

Published

11 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Editor

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé has been awarded the FIFA Best Men’s Player for 2025, following a season in which he contributed significantly to both his club and the France national team.

Dembélé, known for his pace, creativity, and goal-scoring ability, played a central role in Paris Saint-Germain’s campaigns across domestic and European competitions. His performances for the national team also helped France secure notable results in international fixtures.

Speaking on the recognition, Dembélé said, “It is a great honour to receive this award. I could not have achieved this without my teammates at PSG and in the national team, whose support has been invaluable.”

In the women’s category, Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí was named FIFA Best Women’s Player for 2025. Bonmatí was influential in Barcelona’s domestic and European campaigns, providing leadership, vision, and creativity in midfield. She also played a key role in Spain’s international successes.

“This award reflects the hard work of my teammates and coaches,” Bonmatí said. “I am grateful for their guidance and support throughout the season.”

The announcements reaffirm FIFA’s recognition of individual excellence in football while highlighting the contributions of players to both club and country.

Sports

Court Fixes Date To Hear Sala Compensation Dispute

Published

1 week ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

A commercial court examining the long-running dispute between Cardiff City and French club Nantes over compensation for the death of Emiliano Sala in a plane crash said Monday it would give its decision on March 30 next year.

Sala, a 28-year-old Argentine striker, died when the light aircraft taking him to the Welsh capital came down in the English Channel on January 21, 2019, two days after he had signed for the then-Premier League side. He and pilot David Ibbotson were killed.

The Welsh club took the case to the Nantes commercial court in 2023 to claim compensation for loss of income and other damages suffered by the club as a result of the player’s death.

Following an analysis conducted by an expert appointed by Cardiff City, the club estimated their losses at over 120 million euros ($139.5 million). Lawyers for both clubs made their cases at Monday’s hearing.

The Welsh club argue that Nantes, through their intermediary, agent Willie McKay, were the organisers of the private flight on which the footballer was travelling and that, if the transfer was effective at the time of the accident according to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), it is the organisation of this flight that is at issue.

Cardiff City’s lawyer, Olivier Loizon, told the court Monday, Willie McKay “could not have been unaware of the illegality of the flight”, and argued that the agent had acted with “negligence”.

“Whatever the ultimate cause of the accident, (Sala) should not have been on the flight,” he added.

Nantes’ lawyer, Jerome Marsaudon, insisted Monday the only agent authorised by the club in connection with the transfer was Mark McKay, the son of Willie McKay.

The elder McKay “was simply helping his son, given his extensive experience”, the lawyer said.

“It is sad to see that Cardiff have exploited this tragedy and turned it into a genuine legal farce,” he added. “Nothing in this case justifies holding FC Nantes liable.”

Prior to the start of the hearing, a Nantes representative said the club “have no doubt that Cardiff’s claims will be rejected outright, just like all the others”.

In another case related to the dispute between the two clubs, CAS ruled in 2022 that Sala’s transfer had definitely been finalised at the time of his death.

In 2023, world football’s governing body FIFA ordered Cardiff to pay Nantes the balance of Sala’s transfer fee, which at the time amounted to just over 11 million euros out of a total of 17 million euros.

Sports

Salah A ‘Disgrace’ For Liverpool Outburst – Carragher

Published

1 week ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher labelled Mohamed Salah “a disgrace” on Monday after the Egypt star’s stunning outburst at Reds boss Arne Slot.

Salah said he had been “thrown under a bus” and had no relationship with Slot after he was left on the bench for last Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds.

It was the third successive game that Salah had been kept out of the starting line-up by Slot amid the forward’s loss of form this season.

In response to Salah’s astonishing rant to reporters, Liverpool axed the 33-year-old from the squad for Tuesday’s Champions League clash at Inter Milan.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher, a 2005 Champions League winner with Liverpool, said: “I thought it was a disgrace what he did after the game.

“Some people have painted it as an emotional outburst. I don’t think it was. I think whenever Mo Salah stops in a mixed zone, which he has done four times in eight years at Liverpool, it’s choreographed with his agent to cause maximum damage and strengthen his own position.

“He’s chosen this weekend to do this now, and he’s waited I think for a bad result… everyone involved with the club (feeling) like they’re in the gutter, and he’s chosen that time to go for the manager and maybe try to get him sacked.”

Salah is a two-time Premier League champion with Liverpool and has also won the Champions League during his iconic eight-year spell at Anfield.

But, although he only signed a new contract in April, Salah hinted he might have played his last game for Liverpool as he prepares to jet off to the African Cup of Nations after their Premier League clash with Brighton at Anfield on Saturday.

Salah has been linked with a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League and and Carragher added: “What he’s done off the pitch, I think the club have made the right decision in terms of him not going abroad. Whether he will play for Liverpool again, I don’t know.

“I hope he does, because he’s one of the greatest players we’ve ever had, but if you continue like that, and statements like that, if he doesn’t play, who knows.”