Latest news with #StadeMalien
France 24
6 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Mali club hope motorbikes can help drive for CAF Cup glory
Officials at the Bamako club, who have dominated domestic football with neighbours Stade Malien for decades, told reporters they had motivated the squad by presenting 21 motorbikes to players. But the Djoliba bosses said the gifts came with conditions, including that they must be used exclusively for training and matchdays. "The bikes must not be used for social activities, or for commercial purposes. We presented the gifts to ensure our boys arrive early for matches and achieve success," an official said. Motorbikes are a popular mode of transport in many west African countries with the purchase and running of cars beyond the financial reach of most citizens. Djoliba, who lost 4-3 on aggregate to AC Leopards of Congo Brazzaville in the 2012 Confederation Cup final, want to emulate arch rivals Stade, surprise winners of the trophy three years earlier. However, just getting past the two-round qualifying stage in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League, poses challenges for Djoliba. Their first opponents, on consecutive weekends in September, will be African debutants Abia Warriors, who finished third in the highly competitive Nigeria Premier Football League. Should Djoliba win that two-leg tie, they will meet the winners of another west African derby, between USFA of Burkina Faso and AS Gbohloe-Su des Lacs of Togo, for a place in the group phase. Cash boost Being among the 16 qualifiers for the mini-leagues guarantees each club $400,000 (€345,000), with the prize money progressively rising to $2mn for the winners. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) last season responded to numerous complaints about the high cost of competing in continental competitions by giving qualifying-phase losers $50,000 each. This has been doubled to $100,000 for the forthcoming campaign -- a huge boost given travel and accommodation costs in a continent where flight options are limited and relatively expensive. While Djoliba dream of glory, the odds are that the 2025-26 Confederation Cup winners will come from one of four north African countries -- Algeria, Egypt, Morocco or Tunisia. Clubs from those nations have won 17 of the 22 editions, led by Renaissance Berkane of Morocco and CS Sfaxien of Tunisia with three titles each. Berkane will not defend a title won last May with a 3-1 overall victory over Simba of Tanzania as they will make a maiden appearance in the CAF Champions League instead. Twice winners Zamalek of Egypt, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, 2023 title-holders USM Alger and fellow Algerians Chabab Belouizdad are among the clubs who could succeed Berkane.
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 days ago
- Business
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Mali club hope motorbikes can help drive for CAF Cup glory - Africa
CAF Confederation Cup contenders Djoliba of Mali hope gifts of motorbikes can steer them to success in a competition where they once finished runners-up. Officials at the Bamako club, who have dominated domestic football with neighbours Stade Malien for decades, told reporters they had motivated the squad by presenting 21 motorbikes to players. But the Djoliba bosses said the gifts came with conditions, including that they must be used exclusively for training and matchdays. "The bikes must not be used for social activities, or for commercial purposes. We presented the gifts to ensure our boys arrive early for matches and achieve success," an official said. Motorbikes are a popular mode of transport in many west African countries with the purchase and running of cars beyond the financial reach of most citizens. Djoliba, who lost 4-3 on aggregate to AC Leopards of Congo Brazzaville in the 2012 Confederation Cup final, want to emulate arch rivals Stade, surprise winners of the trophy three years earlier. However, just getting past the two-round qualifying stage in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League, poses challenges for Djoliba. Their first opponents, on consecutive weekends in September, will be African debutants Abia Warriors, who finished third in the highly competitive Nigeria Premier Football League. Should Djoliba win that two-leg tie, they will meet the winners of another west African derby, between USFA of Burkina Faso and AS Gbohloe-Su des Lacs of Togo, for a place in the group phase. Cash boost Being among the 16 qualifiers for the mini-leagues guarantees each club $400,000 (€345,000), with the prize money progressively rising to $2mn for the winners. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) last season responded to numerous complaints about the high cost of competing in continental competitions by giving qualifying-phase losers $50,000 each. This has been doubled to $100,000 for the forthcoming campaign -- a huge boost given travel and accommodation costs in a continent where flight options are limited and relatively expensive. While Djoliba dream of glory, the odds are that the 2025-26 Confederation Cup winners will come from one of four north African countries -- Algeria, Egypt, Morocco or Tunisia. Clubs from those nations have won 17 of the 22 editions, led by Renaissance Berkane of Morocco and CS Sfaxien of Tunisia with three titles each. Berkane will not defend a title won last May with a 3-1 overall victory over Simba of Tanzania as they will make a maiden appearance in the CAF Champions League instead. Twice winners Zamalek of Egypt, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, 2023 title-holders USM Alger and fellow Algerians Chabab Belouizdad are among the clubs who could succeed Berkane. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mali club hope motorbikes can help drive for CAF Cup glory
CAF Confederation Cup contenders Djoliba of Mali hope gifts of motorbikes can steer them to success in a competition where they once finished runners-up. Officials at the Bamako club, who have dominated domestic football with neighbours Stade Malien for decades, told reporters they had motivated the squad by presenting 21 motorbikes to players. But the Djoliba bosses said the gifts came with conditions, including that they must be used exclusively for training and matchdays. "The bikes must not be used for social activities, or for commercial purposes. We presented the gifts to ensure our boys arrive early for matches and achieve success," an official said. Motorbikes are a popular mode of transport in many west African countries with the purchase and running of cars beyond the financial reach of most citizens. Djoliba, who lost 4-3 on aggregate to AC Leopards of Congo Brazzaville in the 2012 Confederation Cup final, want to emulate arch rivals Stade, surprise winners of the trophy three years earlier. However, just getting past the two-round qualifying stage in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League, poses challenges for Djoliba. Their first opponents, on consecutive weekends in September, will be African debutants Abia Warriors, who finished third in the highly competitive Nigeria Premier Football League. Should Djoliba win that two-leg tie, they will meet the winners of another west African derby, between USFA of Burkina Faso and AS Gbohloe-Su des Lacs of Togo, for a place in the group phase. - Cash boost - Being among the 16 qualifiers for the mini-leagues guarantees each club $400,000 (€345,000), with the prize money progressively rising to $2mn for the winners. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) last season responded to numerous complaints about the high cost of competing in continental competitions by giving qualifying-phase losers $50,000 each. This has been doubled to $100,000 for the forthcoming campaign -- a huge boost given travel and accommodation costs in a continent where flight options are limited and relatively expensive. While Djoliba dream of glory, the odds are that the 2025-26 Confederation Cup winners will come from one of four north African countries -- Algeria, Egypt, Morocco or Tunisia. Clubs from those nations have won 17 of the 22 editions, led by Renaissance Berkane of Morocco and CS Sfaxien of Tunisia with three titles each. Berkane will not defend a title won last May with a 3-1 overall victory over Simba of Tanzania as they will make a maiden appearance in the CAF Champions League instead. Twice winners Zamalek of Egypt, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, 2023 title-holders USM Alger and fellow Algerians Chabab Belouizdad are among the clubs who could succeed Berkane. str-dl/ea
Ya Biladi
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Ya Biladi
FUS Rabat falls to Rivers Hoopers in second BAL match
FUS Rabat suffered a second consecutive defeat in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Kalahari Conference, losing 88–82 to Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers on Sunday at the indoor arena of the Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat. This loss follows Saturday's opening match, in which the Moroccan club was defeated 71–60 by Egypt's Al Ittihad of Alexandria. In another game on Sunday, Al Ittihad narrowly beat Stade Malien 72–69. FUS Rabat will face Stade Malien in their third game of the tournament on Tuesday. The Kalahari Conference, featuring FUS Rabat, Al Ittihad (Egypt), Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria), and Stade Malien, marks the opening phase of the 2025 BAL season. The competition is taking place in Rabat until April 13. It will be followed by the Sahara Conference, scheduled from April 26 to May 4 in Dakar, Senegal, and the Nile Conference, from May 17 to 25 in Kigali, Rwanda. The top eight teams across the three conferences will qualify for the playoffs, set to begin on June 6 in Pretoria, South Africa.
