34 African Players Makes UEFA Champions League Group Stage

The 32 remaining clubs in the UEFA Champions League have submitted their squad lists and there are no less than 34 Africans spread amongst the teams, with the group stage set to kick-off later this month.

Thirteen of the clubs have no Africans registered for their Champions League campaign, including Italian champions and last year’s runners-up Juventus.

The Old Lady have Ghanaian Kwadwo Asamoah on their books, but given that he is still working his way back to full fitness after a serious injury last year, they have opted to exclude him from their UCL roster.

FIFA Ranking: Nigeria Maintains 53rd Position In The World & 9th In Africa

With the lack of International activities in the last month Nigeria has maintained the 53rd position in the world and 9th position in Africa. For most green fans it looks unacceptable as the criteria FIFA uses still remain on clear to most fans. Nigeria 53rd in the world..... hmmmm... ok but 9th in Africa, it's a no to most Nigerians.

Nigeria has retained 53rd position in the latest FIFA global rankings released on Thursday. Super Eagles will tackle Tanzania on Saturday for 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier .

Algeria leads the continent at 19th position, followed by Cote d’Ivore at 21, Ghana at 27. Tunisia (33), Senegal (38), Congo (42), Cameroon (42), Egypt (49), Nigeria (53) and Cape Verde Islands (56) make up the top ten in Africa.

CAF Renames Six Football Competitions

The Confederation of African Football Executive Committee have renamed six of their continental competitions.

The competitions affected are as follows: the Africa Women Cup of Nations (formerly African Women’s Championship); Africa U-23 Cup of Nations (formerly African U-23 Championship); Africa U-20 Cup of Nations (formerly African Youth Championship);

Others are Africa U-17 Cup of Nations (formerly African U-17 Championship); Africa Beach Soccer Cup of Nations (formerly African Beach Soccer Championship) and Africa Futsal Cup of Nations (formerly African Futsal Championship).

WORLD CUP DRAW: Nigeria to Play Djibouti / Swaziland Plus Full Africa Draw

Super Eagles will get their 2017 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign under way with  against the winner between Djibouti and Swaziland later on this year following a draw conducted in St Petersburg on Saturday.

The qualifiers are divided into three rounds, with the first round being made up of the 26 lowest ranked teams in Africa. The second round sees 13 winners of the first round matches proceeding to the second round where they compete with 27 other countries over two legs for a place in the group stages.

Nigeria will play her Djibouti or Swaziland in November over two legs, with the winner going through to the group stages. The group winners will then qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

FIFA RANKING: Nigeria Still 45th Position

Nigeria’s senior national team maintained their 45th position in the latest Fifa world ranking released on Thursday. The African champions were adjudged the same rank in the world according to the ranking released earlier in April.

The Eagles are now the eight-ranked African side behind Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Tunisia, Senegal, Cape Verde and Guinea.

Is Ike Uche The Best African Player In La Liga???

Ikechukwu Tongololiki Mawakavamba Jawarapawara Uche is a name unlikely to fit on the back of a shirt. Fortunately, however, the Nigerian striker is better known simply as Uche - or Ike to his team-mates - and he is now the finest African footballer in La Liga.

The 30-year-old forward has spent his entire playing career in Spain, having moved at the age of 14 and worked his way up from regional football to the Primera Division with Villarreal via Racing Ferrol, Recreativo Huelva, Getafe, Zaragoza and a loan spell at Granada.

WORLD CUP: Nigeria & Algeria Eyes More Glory For Africa

History makers Algeria and Nigeria are one victory each away from a showdown that would ensure a World Cup semifinalist from Africa for the first time. The Algerian Desert Foxes tackle Germany and the Nigerian Super Eagles confront France on Monday on the third day of second-round action.

And the winners of the Africa-Europe clashes meet on 4 July in a last-eight match-up at the global football showpiece in Brazil. Should the two Africans win, then one of them would be guaranteed to make further history by becoming the first ever World Cup semifinalists from the continent.

Africa has been competing at the World Cup since 1934 with the best achievements being quarterfinal places for Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana. Nigeria became the first African country to reach the second round three times when they finished runners-up to Group F table-toppers Argentina.

WORLD CUP: Vincent Enyeama Named Africa's Best Player So Far

Vincent Enyeama has been impressive between the sticks for Nigeria at the ongoing 2014 Fifa World Cup finals in Brazil. His last minute save to deny Edin Dzeko a sure goal as Nigeria beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-0 in a Group F game on Sunday is probably his finest moment so far in Brazil.

That moment of sheer genius is however just one of many so far provided by the goalkeeper who is currently ranked as the best of all shot-stoppers currently in Brazil by Fifa.

The 31-year-old is currently ranked as Africa’s best player at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with 9.59 points in the latest Castrol Index Top 10 rankings released by the World football governing body.

AFRICA : Morocco Name New Coach

Former Morocco international goalkeeper Badou Zaki has been named head coach of the Moroccan national team, 10 years after he led the Atlas Lions to the Africa Cup of Nations final lost to Tunisia in 2004.

The 55-year-old, who stepped down as manager of Wydad Casablanca last year, was in competition for the post with a number of local and foreign coaches including Italian Giovanni Trapattoni and Dutchman Dick Advocaat.

“The Morocco team has many quality players as well as the required means to be able to honour Moroccan football, which many people in the country see as a sacred mission,” Zaki told a press confederation in Rabat after his presentation by the FA on Friday.

Yaya Toure: I Don't Get Good Recognition Because Am An African

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure believes he is not recognised as one of the world's best players because he is African.

The Ivory Coast international, who has won league titles in England, Spain and Greece, as well as the Champions League with Barcelona, was among the six names shortlisted for the Professional Footballers' Association’s Player of the Year award on Friday.

Following the club’s Capital One Cup victory at Wembley in March, Samir Nasri claimed Toure would be considered as the best midfielder in the world if he wasn’t African.

AFRICA: Coton Sport Out Of Champions League

ES Setif progressed into the Group phase of the CAF Champions League with their 1-0 victory over Coton Sport in their match at the Roumdé Adjia Stadium in Garoua on Sunday afternoon.

The Algerian outfit will progress on a 2-0 aggregate after striker El Hedi Belameiri, who scored in the first leg, netted the only goal of the match in the 11th minute.

Kheireddine Madoui’s men outperformed the Cameroonians in both legs of the match-up to ensure their spot in the final eight of the competition. This is the first time in four years that the 1988 African champions will feature in the group stages and it is one they will be looking to progress even further from.

JOKE OF THE DAY: Every Football Team In Africa Is An Animal

In Africa every football team is an animal. Why are this teams represented by names of animals???
¤LIONS of Cameroon
¤ELEPHANTS of Cote D'ivoire