Very interesting revelations from Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic on the main reason why the Black Stars failed to win the AFCON are emerging. According to Stevanovic, the heavy use of 'juju' greatly affected the team during the tournament.

Ghana along with the Ivory Coast and Senegal was one of the favourites who were hotly tipped to win the AFCON, however, a shock quarter final defeat to Zambia ended their hopes of winning a fifth title and first since 1982.

Arsene Wenger has hinted that the Ivory Coast international Gervinho will be playing for Arsenal against Sunderland today, and thinks that game-time is the only thing that could help the mis-firing striker get over the disappointment of missing the crucial penalty that gifted the AFCON trophy to Zambia.

Ep.25 Big Mick R.I.P. by Off The Post on Mixcloud While the rest of the world is still whipped up into a frenzy about all things Liverpool, the OTP Pod tip-toes around the big issues and asks some truly pertinent questions: how can we replace the controversy-causing handshakes at the start of Premier League matches?

Zambia vs Ivory Coast 2012 AFCON Final Highlights 8-7 Penalty Shootout Video CAN Cote d'Ivoire is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Zambia vs Ivory Coast 2012 AFCON Final Highlights 8-7 Penalty Shootout Video CAN Cote d'Ivoire is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Zambia vs Ivory Coast 2012 ( Zambia Cote d'Ivoire video below) Final score and result:- Zambia vs Ivory Coast 0-0 ( Zambia win 8-7 on penalties) Stade de Angondje, [.

Ghana vs Mali African Cup of Nations 2012 Highlights 0-2 Video Goals Diabate Vorsah Red Card is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Ghana vs Mali African Cup of Nations 2012 Highlights 0-2 Video Goals Diabate Vorsah Red Card is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Ghana vs Mali 2012 ( Ghana Mali AFCON Video below) Final score and result:- Ghana vs Mali 0-2 ( Diabate*2) Nuevo Estadio de Malabo- 11 February, 2012- Africa [.

The finalists for the 28th edition of the AFCON are now known after thrilling semi-final fixtures last night. The Ivory Coast will now face Zambia who made it to the final after causing one of the biggest upsets of the entire tournament by knocking out Ghana. The Black Stars however have no one to blame but themselves for their exist after failing to make a host of chances they had count including a missed penalty by Asamoah Gyan.

The finalists for the 28th edition of the AFCON are now known after thrilling semi-final fixtures last night. The Ivory Coast will now face Zambia who made it to the final after causing one of the biggest upsets of the entire tournament by knocking out Ghana. The Black Stars however have no one to blame but themselves for their exist after failing to make a host of chances they had count including a missed penalty by Asamoah Gyan.

A week after deadly clashes at the end of an Egyptian league match between Ahl-Masry and Al-Ahli turned tragic when Al-Ahli fans were attacked and killed by Masry supporters, football's world governing body FIFA has responded by donating over $250,000 to families of those affected by the violence.

The accolades keep coming for Pep Guardiola's Barcelona as they were yesterday named the Laureus team of the year. Here is what Barcelona President Sandro Rosell had to say after the award ceremony:

"The nominations of Abidal, Messi and the club are an honour, and it will help us keep on working and thinking about how to keep up this level in the future.

Gabon vs Mali 2012 AFCON Highlights Goals Video Mouloungui Diabate Penalty Shootout is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Gabon vs Mali 2012 AFCON Highlights Goals Video Mouloungui Diabate Penalty Shootout is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Gabon vs Mali 2012 ( Gabon Mali video below) Final score and result:- Gabon vs Mali 1-1 ( Mouloungui/ Diabate) Mali win 5-4 on penalties Libreville, Gabon- AFCON 2012 quarterfinals Mali progress [.

Two goals from Didier Drogba and a fine free kick from Yaya Toure gave Ivory Coast a comfortable 3-0 win over Co-host Equatorial Guinea to send the Elephants through to the Semi final where they will face either Gabon or Mali.

In the day's earlier match Zambia beat 10 man Sudan with a scoreline to make it through to the semis for the first time since 1996.

Zambia vs Sudan AFCON 2012 Highlights 3-0 Goals Video Katongo Chamanga Chipolopolo is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Zambia vs Sudan AFCON 2012 Highlights 3-0 Goals Video Katongo Chamanga Chipolopolo is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Zambia vs Sudan 2012 ( Zambia Sudan AFCON Video Below) Final score and result:- Zambia vs Sudan 3-0 ( Sunzu, Katongo, Chamanga) 4 February, 2012- Sat- Africa Cup of Nations 2012 QF [.

Botswana vs Mali 1-2 Africa Cup of Nations 2012 Highlights Goals Ngele Dembele Keita Video AFCON is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Botswana vs Mali 1-2 Africa Cup of Nations 2012 Highlights Goals Ngele Dembele Keita Video AFCON is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Botswana vs Mali 2012 ( Botswana Mali Video Below) Final score and result:- Botswana vs Mali 1-2 ( Ngele/ Dembele, Keita) 1st February, 2012- Africa Cup of Nations [.

Tunisia The team to beat at Africa Cup of Nations 2012? is a post from: Just Football

My latest African football column for FourFourTwo looks at Tunisia and whether they are the team to beat at this year's AFCON:

For a team that could just as easily be sitting at home watching on TV, they made a pretty good start.

Including both diving and synchronized swimming.

His name is Narcisse Ekanga, and there is a pool of water near him or all around him, rather. There's also a rounding of the football gods cursing him with some really bad karma for the rest of AFCON.

There's actually a very real chance he was hurt on the landing after a genuine attempt to escape injury.

This was one result i was not expecting, however one i totally agree with. Right from the start of the tournament and even through out the Qualifying period, the Lions of Teranga had established themselves as one of the very few sides who were strong favourites to lift the AFCON trophy on Feb 12th.

Yesterday's Group D action between Ghana and Botswana and Guinea and Mali capped the end of the first round of fixtures in the Orange African Cup of Nations. Both Ghana and Mali scooped points each after winning their matches by slender 1-0 margins.

It is quickly emerging that no team can be underestimated.

So the African Cup of Nations got underway yesterday with a couple of shocking results that i was not expecting. Hosts Equatorial Guinea making their first ever appearance at the AFCON picked up 3 points from a Libyan side who failed to make their possession count.

However, the most shocking result was Senegal's 2-1 defeat to Zambia.

Group D: African Cup of Nations Preview (Botswana, Ghana, Guinea, Mali) is a post from: Just Football

Time to conclude Just Football's team-by-team African Cup of Nations 2012 group previews now with a look at Group D Botswana, Ghana, Guinea and Mali.

The stage is set for the 28th edition of the African Cup Of Nations that begins tomorrow in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon with two Group A fixtures between the hosts Equatorial Guinea and Libya in the early kick off and the eagerly awaited Senegal v Zambia clash in the late kick off.

Group B: African Cup of Nations 2012 Preview (Angola, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Sudan) is a post from: Just Football

Just Football's team-by-team African Cup of Nations 2012 group previews continues now with a look at Group B. Follow us on Twitter or subscribe to Just Football to get all the latest news from Just Football at the African Cup of Nations and beyond.

It's official Chelsea have completed the signing of Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill. Cahill was repotedly bought for a fee believed to be in the region of £7 million and is set to be presented at Stamford Bridge sometime this week.

It is still not clear whether Chelsea gave into Cahill's obscene demands of a £100,000 weekly wage in addition to a £4 million signing on fee as the fine details of the deal are yet to be revealed, however, what is certain is that Cahill is happy with the deal.

Alan Pardew backs former Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll to find his feet at Liverpool

The Magpies boss revealed he will not be looking to sign a striker in January, despite Demba Ba's AFCON participation, but remains keen to bolster his defence

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-12-28 17:31:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

With the African Cup of Nations set to begin in about a months time, many Premier League clubs are already starting to prepare for the departure of their players, however, one club Manchester City are delaying the departure of Ivorian duo Yaya Toure and his brother Kolo.

According to the club, they have been granted a special allowance to delay the Toure's departure so that they can take part in the the FA Cup fixture against United and the First leg tie of the League Cup against Liverpool.

South Africa manager Pitso Mosimane made a bit of history at the weekend by becoming the first manager to lead an entire nation astray.He convinced himself and everyone else in South Africa that the Bafana Bafana needed only a draw against Sierra Leone in order to make it to the finals of the AFCON in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea'
So they followed the game plan and played out a goalless draw in Nelspruit.

The stage is set for next year's Africa Cup of Nations which will be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea after the final round of fixtures played this weekend confirmed the 16 nations that will grace the 28th edition of the continent's ultimate footballing tournament.

The 16 nations are: Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Morocco, Libya, Ghana, Angola, Botswana, Tunisia, Sudan, Zambia and Niger.

How silly and embarrassed the players, officials and supporters of the South Africa soccer team must feel.

In their final game of the qualification rounds to try to reach the 2012 African Nations Cup, South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane believed that all his team needed was a draw to qualify for the tournament.

The appointment of Bob Bradley as the national team coach for Egypt is significant on a number of different fronts, both on and off the field, and for our nation and abroad.
Where I have addressed the signficance of Bradley's on-field influence in a number of different posts, Seth Vertelney of goal.

Davide Somma Pic: Sowetan

The Bafana Bafana vs Egypt match will be live on SABC on Sunday 5 June at 8.30 pm.

That is good news because the Boys need to know that all their fans are watching and cheering them on in this important AFCON qualifier against the Pharoes at the Cairo Military Academy Stadium .

While the protests in Egypt have subsided from their peak last week, hardy anti-Mubarak protesters still occupy Tahrir Square in the capital, Cairo. While the world was enraptured with images broadcast by organizations able to avoid the secret police, such as Al-Jazeera, what effect did the protests have on football in the country?

Several weeks ago, when this video was made, no one gave a flying oil drum about Qatar and its relationship to football not, at least, in the mainstream world. Now it appears they won't be able to get away without several million journalists masquerading as white-glove inspectors, turning over each and every move they make from now until 2022.