عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

African Players in Europe: Wissa Wonder Goal for Brentford 

Football - Premier League - Brentford v Chelsea - Brentford Community Stadium, London, Britain - March 2, 2024 Brentford's Yoane Wissa scores their second goal. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Brentford v Chelsea - Brentford Community Stadium, London, Britain - March 2, 2024 Brentford's Yoane Wissa scores their second goal. (Reuters)
TT
TT

African Players in Europe: Wissa Wonder Goal for Brentford 

Football - Premier League - Brentford v Chelsea - Brentford Community Stadium, London, Britain - March 2, 2024 Brentford's Yoane Wissa scores their second goal. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Brentford v Chelsea - Brentford Community Stadium, London, Britain - March 2, 2024 Brentford's Yoane Wissa scores their second goal. (Reuters)

A stunning goal by Democratic Republic of Congo forward Yoane Wissa helped Premier League strugglers Brentford draw 2-2 with Chelsea in a London derby at the weekend.

The 27-year-old acrobatically hooked a bicycle kick past goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic into the roof of the net midway through the second half to put the home side 2-1 ahead.

But French international Axel Disasi equalized to leave Brentford six points above the relegation zone with 11 rounds remaining.

Here, AFP Sport highlights African headline-makers in the major European leagues:

ENGLAND

Yoane Wissa (Brentford)

Chelsea scored first through Senegalese Nicolas Jackson, who atoned for an earlier missed opportunity by giving the visitors a 1-0 half-time lead. After Dane Mads Roerslev levelled, Wissa struck on 68 minutes for the Bees. The memory of his breathtaking sixth goal this season will linger for all who saw it at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth)

The Ghana midfielder scored his fifth goal this season to wrap up a 2-0 win at struggling Burnley. Semenyo struck in the 88th minute, breaking down the right flank and curling his shot inside the corner with unerring precision. His goal doubled Bournemouth's lead and ensured they would win for the first time in the league in 2024.

SPAIN

Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla)

Morocco 2022 World Cup star En-Nesyri scored twice within 13 minutes of the kick-off for bottom-half Sevilla in a 3-2 La Liga win over seventh-placed Real Sociedad. The goals took his season tally to nine -- seven less than chart-topper Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid.

Munir El Haddadi (Las Palmas)

Spain-born Moroccan international El Haddadi scored the last goal in a 3-3 thriller between Getafe and Las Palmas, who twice trailed by two goals. El Haddadi levelled on 57 minutes in the mid-table clash.

GERMANY

Serhou Guirassy (Stuttgart)

The Guinea international lifted his Bundesliga season goal tally to 20 by scoring twice for third-placed Stuttgart in a 3-2 win at bottom-half Wolfsburg. He is second in the Golden Boot race behind England star Harry Kane, who has netted 27 times for Bayern Munich.

FRANCE

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Marseille)

Aubameyang, the 2015 African Footballer of the Year, triggered a second-half goal rush by sixth-placed Marseille in a 5-1 triumph at bottom club Clermont. After the losers cancelled the half-time lead Senegal international Iliman Ndiaye gave the visitors, the former Gabon captain netted to put Marseille in front a second time.

Terem Moffi (Nice)

Moffi, who was in the Nigeria squad that finished runners-up at the Africa Cup of Nations won by hosts Ivory Coast last month, gave fifth-placed Nice an early lead at mid-table Toulouse. His goal was in vain, however, as the home side hit back in the second half to finish 2-1 winners.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Maguire and Mainoo Back in England Squad, First Call-ups for Steele and Garner

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton v Manchester United - Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, Britain - February 23, 2026 Manchester United's Harry Maguire applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton v Manchester United - Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, Britain - February 23, 2026 Manchester United's Harry Maguire applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
TT
TT

Maguire and Mainoo Back in England Squad, First Call-ups for Steele and Garner

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton v Manchester United - Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, Britain - February 23, 2026 Manchester United's Harry Maguire applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton v Manchester United - Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, Britain - February 23, 2026 Manchester United's Harry Maguire applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo and Dominic Calvert-Lewin earned recalls on Friday while James Garner and Jason Steele received first call-ups to England's next-to-last soccer squad before the World Cup.

There was, however, no place for Real Madrid right back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

England is stepping up preparations for the World Cup with home friendlies against Uruguay and Japan this month and coach Thomas Tuchel named an expanded 35-man squad.

Maguire and Mainoo have been in good form for Manchester United under its recently-hired interim coach, Michael Carrick, and Calvert-Lewin has scored 10 goals for Leeds in the Premier League this season.

Sports

FIFA Fines Israeli FA for Anti-discrimination Rules Breaches

Pedestrians pass the FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown clock in Boston, Massachusetts, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Pedestrians pass the FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown clock in Boston, Massachusetts, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
TT
TT

FIFA Fines Israeli FA for Anti-discrimination Rules Breaches

Pedestrians pass the FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown clock in Boston, Massachusetts, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Pedestrians pass the FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown clock in Boston, Massachusetts, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

FIFA fined the Israeli Football Association (IFA) 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,700) on Thursday for "multiple breaches" of its anti-discrimination obligations.

A report by the disciplinary committee of world football's governing body found the IFA "failed to take meaningful action against Beitar Jerusalem" for "persistent and well-documented racist behavior".

In October 2024, the Palestine Football Association reported allegations of discrimination by the IFA to FIFA, which began an investigation.

FIFA did not opt for the sanction requested by the Palestinian FA, which argued that the IFA should be suspended.

But the IFA was found to have failed to "abide by FIFA's statutory objectives", in a lengthy decision published by its disciplinary committee, which listed several racist incidents in Israeli football, AFP reported.

The disciplinary committee highlighted "deficient and substantively inadequate" sanctions against Beitar for racist and discriminatory behavior.

Supporters of the club "have engaged in persistent and well-documented racist behavior," the report said.

"The club's use of slogans such as 'forever pure', and the repeated chanting of ethnic slurs such as 'terrorist' directed at Arab players are not isolated incidents but rather form part of a systemic pattern of conduct that offends the basic rules of decent behavior and brings the sport into disrepute.

FIFA said the committee had stressed that Beitar Jerusalem were "only a small example of a general failure by the IFA."

The IFA was issued with a warning and was ordered to display a "significant and highly visible banner" at its next three FIFA competition home matches, stating "Football Unites the World -- No to Discrimination".

The IFA will also have to invest one-third of the fine towards implementing a plan to "ensure action against discrimination and to prevent repeated incidents".

The report also said that the IFA's failure to respond to "political and militaristic messaging" by the CEO of the Israeli professional league and by Maccabi Netanya "further compounds its breach".

"The IFA has made no public statements condemning racism, has not launched any Anti Discrimination campaigns, and has not taken steps to foster inclusion of Arab or Palestinian players," the report continued.

"It has not used its platform to promote peace or to counteract the politicization of football by affiliated clubs and officials."

- 'No action' over Israeli teams in West Bank -

After a separate investigation, FIFA announced no action would be taken against the IFA over allegations that Israeli clubs based in the occupied West Bank were taking part in Israel's leagues.

FIFA's governance, audit and compliance committee based its judgement on the fact that "the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law".

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) welcomed FIFA's ruling, saying "it was a step in the right direction".

However it added: "The PFA observes that the findings do not fully address the scope and gravity of the violations raised in its original proposal."

In 2024, United Nations experts -- mandated by the Human Rights Council but not speaking on behalf of the UN -- said at least eight football clubs had been identified as playing in "Israeli colonial settlements" and called on FIFA to "fulfil its responsibility to respect human rights".

"The autonomy and self-regulation in sport must not be detrimental to fundamental human rights," the experts said.

In addition to roughly three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.

Sports

AFC Halts Bidding Process for 2031, 2035 Asian Cup Finals

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general‑secretary Windsor John speaks during a press conference at the Football Association of Malaysia headquarters in Petaling Jaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 16 March 2026. EPA/FAZRY ISMAIL 112526
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general‑secretary Windsor John speaks during a press conference at the Football Association of Malaysia headquarters in Petaling Jaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 16 March 2026. EPA/FAZRY ISMAIL 112526
TT
TT

AFC Halts Bidding Process for 2031, 2035 Asian Cup Finals

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general‑secretary Windsor John speaks during a press conference at the Football Association of Malaysia headquarters in Petaling Jaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 16 March 2026. EPA/FAZRY ISMAIL 112526
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general‑secretary Windsor John speaks during a press conference at the Football Association of Malaysia headquarters in Petaling Jaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 16 March 2026. EPA/FAZRY ISMAIL 112526

The bidding process for the 2031 and 2035 Asian Cup tournaments has been halted due to pending changes in the global football calendar, the Asian Football Confederation announced on Friday.

The Malaysia-based regional body said the move had come after discussions with FIFA regarding a possible switch in the international match calendar that would see the Asian Cup played in even-numbered years.

"Given the far-reaching implications such a change would have on the scheduling and strategic planning of its premier national ⁠team competition, the ⁠AFC has initiated a broader review of its competitions calendar," Reuters quoted it as saying in a statement.

"As part of this process, it has been deemed appropriate to halt the current bidding cycles to provide greater clarity and ensure a more structured approach to future ⁠host selections."

Six bids had been submitted for the men's 2031 finals with Australia, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, South Korea and a joint offering from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan seeking to organize the 24-team event.

Australia, Kuwait and South Korea were also bidding to host the 2035 tournament alongside Japan.

The quadrennial Asian Cup was previously played in even-numbered years from its inception in 1956 but was moved for the 2007 edition, ⁠which was ⁠hosted by Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

The tournament has been played in odd-numbered years since, with the exception of the most recent edition, which was hosted in Qatar in January 2024.

The Gulf state stepped in as a replacement for China, who had been slated to organize the tournament in June 2023 but gave up hosting rights due to the country's COVID-19 restrictions.

The next edition of the Asian Cup will be played in Saudi Arabia in January 2027, with Qatar the defending champions.