Little Dutch delight for Kaizer Chiefs
In other football news, African club champions Pyramids have lost ace forward Ibrahim Adel and former Morocco star Ahmed Faras has died aged 78.
South Africa
Kaizer Chiefs, winners of a record 53 domestic trophies in South Africa, triumphed in only one of five friendly matches on a pre-season of the Netherlands.
The Johannesburg outfit beat PEC Zwolle 1-0 but lost to Vitesse (2-1), Utrecht (4-0), NEC Nijmegen (1-0) and FC Twente.
Chiefs hired Tunisian coach Nasreddine Nabi last season and he ended a 10-year trophy drought by winning the South African FA Cup, but they finished a disappointing ninth in the 16-club Premiership.
Egypt
Ibrahim Adel, whose six goals help Pyramids become surprise winners of the 2024/25 CAF Champions League in only their second appearance, is moving to United Arab Emirates club Al Jazira.
The 24-year-old missed the first leg of the final against Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa through injury, but recovered to come off the bench in the return match.
Another Pyramids star, Democratic Republic of Congo-born forward Fiston Mayele, has returned to the Cairo club after a proposed move to Saudi Arabian club Al Fateh failed to materialise.
Morocco
Ahmed Faras, who captained Morocco to their lone Africa Cup of Nations title in 1976, has died aged 78 after a long illness, the national football federation announced.
The forward scored 36 goals in 94 appearances for the national team and in 1975 became the first Moroccan to be voted African Player of the Year.
Faras spent his entire 18-year club career with Mohammedia, helping them win the league, the national cup twice and the super cup.
Sudan
Record 30-time champions Al Hilal slipped one place to second in the Sudan Elite League play-offs after drawing 3-3 with Al Wadi Nyala on matchday five.
Arch rivals Al Merrikh took over top spot by winning 2-1 against Al Mergani Kassala to boost chances of a top-two finish and qualification for the 2025/26 CAF Champions League.
The play-offs are being staged in the military-controlled northeast of a country where an ongoing civil war, which began in April 2023, has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
Guinea
French coach Hubert Velud is among the contenders to replace compatriot Michel Dussuyer as coach of struggling Guinea.
Velud, 66, left Moroccan club FAR Rabat this year after a bizarre accident. Jumping to celebrate sealing a Champions League last-eight place, he fell awkwardly, was injured and could not work.
Despite being able to call on star Borussia Dortmund forward Serhou Guirassy, Guinea failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and lie fifth in a 2026 World Cup qualifying group.
bur-str-dl/ea
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
27 minutes ago
- New York Times
Copa América Femenina alters practice rules following outcry from Brazil
CONMEBOL, South American football's governing body, has advised teams competing in Copa América Femenina that all players will now have access to pitches for pre-game warmups, according to a memo reviewed by The Athletic. The message went out to teams Thursday night, following widespread criticism the previous day from Brazilian players, including Marta, the six-time FIFA Player of the Year, over tournament regulations requiring players to warm up in a small, indoor area alongside their opponents. Advertisement 'From now on, in addition to the goalkeepers who already had a warm-up period on the field for 15 minutes, the possibility will be enabled so that the field players can also warm up on the field of play during the same period of time,' the memo said. 'After an extensive evaluation of the state of the playing fields of the competition stadiums so far and also considering the feedback received from some participating teams, CONMEBOL has decided to implement an adjustment in the pre-match operations.' The mid-tournament change comes after players publicly criticized the confederation and organizers in Ecuador over warm-up conditions at the tournament, which is considered the premier event in South American women's football. Images have circulated on social media, with a video posted by Dibradoras, a Brazilian media company that covers women's sports, showing Brazilian and Bolivian players warming up together in a confined space ahead of their Wednesday night match. Pode isso, Conmebol? Tivemos acesso a imagens do espaço onde a @SelecaoFeminina aqueceu antes de entrar em campo para o jogo contra a Bolívia na Copa América. Dividindo um 'puxadinho' com as adversárias, as jogadoras ficaram espremidas fazendo as atividades + — Dibradoras (@dibradoras) July 16, 2025 The tournament implemented the original system to prevent damage to the pitch at Gonzalo Pozo Ripalda Stadium, which hosted back-to-back games on Wednesday. 'It's been a long time since I played in a tournament here in South America, and we're saddened by these situations,' Marta, 39, told the Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte. '(CONMEBOL) demand performance from the athletes and a high level of work, but we also demand a high level of organization. We have the right to demand organization. 'This situation is really disruptive. There wasn't enough space for both teams, but both wanted to be there to prepare. I really don't understand why we can't warm up on the field. This is still a problem for us because it's very hot here, with the altitude. We hope CONMEBOL reverses some of the issues and improves things.' Advertisement Brazil's head coach, Arthur Elias, previously indicated that this setup limited his ability to evaluate players before deciding on his starting 11. This was partly why 25-year-old Kerolin was absent from Brazil's lineup in their opening game against Venezuela. The Manchester City forward, who was the NWSL's Most Valuable Player in 2023, went on to score a hat-trick in Brazil's 6-0 win over Bolivia. 'Unfortunately, we are in a competition where the teams don't warm up on the field,' Elias said of Kerolin's initial absence. 'That is, they don't warm up football, they warm up other movements. … It's more or less the size of this room. We can only warm up the starters. We can't even warm up the reserves. 'These are not gestures that are part of the game. There's not much exchange of passes, there's no intensity that you can achieve because the space is small, so they don't warm up as the football player has to warm up to practice.' Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges, who plays for the NWSL's Racing Louisville FC, echoed similar criticism following Brazil's win against Bolivia, directly calling on CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez for improvements. Borges shared her grievances, including the lack of a video assistant referee (VAR) system in the group stage, with commentator and former player Francielle Alberto. 'We are playing in a competition that counts for a place in the Olympics … and we don't have VAR in the games, we can't step onto the pitch in a game against Venezuela without knowing what the pitch (is) like,' Borges said, 'Worst of all, (we are) warming up on a synthetic pitch, (over) cement, within a space of 10, 15 meters, stinking of paint, because it looks like they painted the stadium there two days, one day before. 'So, it's very difficult, because last year we had a men's Copa América at good times, in good stadiums and we see … this disregard for women's football and it's a shame.' Advertisement In speaking to Globo Esporte, Borges added, 'Ask (Domínguez) if he could warm up in a 5 to 10 meter space that smells of paint. I think we had the example of the Men's Copa América, with a huge structure. Why is the women's tournament having this kind of thing?' Brazil is the defending champion of the Copa América Femenina title and is an 8-time winner of the competition. This summer's spectacle is of increased significance with the 2027 women's World Cup coming to South America for the first time, with Brazil serving as tournament hosts. (Photo of Marta: Franklin Jacome / Getty Images)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ex-Steelers wide receiver announces retirement on Day 1 of training camp
In a shocking turn of events, a former Steelers wide receiver has announced his retirement from the NFL at age 30. On Thursday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that ex-Steelers wideout Mike Williams, who signed with the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason, retired on Day 1 of training camp. "Sources: Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams' agent, Tory Dandy, informed the team last night that, after eight seasons, his client is retiring from the NFL," Schefter wrote on X. "Williams walks away from the game at age 30." Williams was traded from the Jets to the Steelers in November 2024, and despite showing promise in Pittsburgh's offense, he ultimately finished his Steel City tenure with just nine receptions, 132 receiving yards, and one touchdown in nine games. He was one of the most underrated 50/50 wide receivers in the league, and his surprising retirement leaves a solid final career stat line of 330 receptions, 5,104 receiving yards, and 32 touchdowns in 106 games. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like. This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Former Steelers WR retires on Day 1 of Chargers training camp
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ex-Steelers wide receiver announces retirement on Day 1 of training camp
In a shocking turn of events, a former Steelers wide receiver has announced his retirement from the NFL at age 30. On Thursday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that ex-Steelers wideout Mike Williams, who signed with the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason, retired on Day 1 of training camp. "Sources: Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams' agent, Tory Dandy, informed the team last night that, after eight seasons, his client is retiring from the NFL," Schefter wrote on X. "Williams walks away from the game at age 30." Williams was traded from the Jets to the Steelers in November 2024, and despite showing promise in Pittsburgh's offense, he ultimately finished his Steel City tenure with just nine receptions, 132 receiving yards, and one touchdown in nine games. He was one of the most underrated 50/50 wide receivers in the league, and his surprising retirement leaves a solid final career stat line of 330 receptions, 5,104 receiving yards, and 32 touchdowns in 106 games. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like. This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Former Steelers WR retires on Day 1 of Chargers training camp
