African Players in Europe: Ghana Trio Score Before World Cup Ties 

Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth v Fulham - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - October 3, 2025 AFC Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo celebrates after the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth v Fulham - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - October 3, 2025 AFC Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo celebrates after the match. (Reuters)
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African Players in Europe: Ghana Trio Score Before World Cup Ties 

Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth v Fulham - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - October 3, 2025 AFC Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo celebrates after the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth v Fulham - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - October 3, 2025 AFC Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo celebrates after the match. (Reuters)

Ghana stars Antoine Semenyo, Mohammed Kudus and Inaki Williams warmed up for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers by scoring in the top European leagues at the weekend.

Semenyo struck twice as Bournemouth beat Fulham and Kudus was the match-winner for Tottenham Hotspur at Leeds United in the Premier League.

Williams converted a penalty to claim his first goal of the season and help Athletic Bilbao beat Mallorca in La Liga.

Ghana need four points from matches against the Central African Republic on Wednesday and the Comoros four days later to qualify for the World Cup.

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

ENGLAND

ANTOINE SEMENYO (Bournemouth)

Semenyo netted twice to inspire the Cherries' 3-1 win. He scored in the 78th minute with a composed finish after easing past Timothy Castagne on the left flank. The Ghanaian struck again six minutes into stoppage time, slotting home in composed fashion to take his league goal tally to six this season.

MOHAMMED KUDUS (Tottenham Hotspur)

Kudus was on target in the second half to seal a 2-1 win at Leeds. Kudus, who joined Tottenham from London rivals West Ham in the close season, bagged his first goal for Thomas Frank's side with a deflected blast from the edge of the area in the 57th minute.

ILIMAN NDIAYE (Everton)

The Senegal midfielder converted a penalty to help Everton end Crystal Palace's long unbeaten run with a 2-1 victory. Ndiaye stroked home from the spot in the 76th minute to cancel Daniel Munoz's first-half opener. The 25-year-old's third goal this season set the stage for Everton to secure their third league win of the campaign through Jack Grealish's stoppage-time strike.

SPAIN

KARL ETTA EYONG (Levante)

Among the usual top scorers in La Liga has emerged Cameroon striker Etta Eyong, enjoying a breakout season at Levante. The 21-year-old netted his fifth of the campaign in a 2-0 win over Real Oviedo, showing a poacher's instinct to dart in and finish from close range after a saved shot spilled back into the six-yard box.

INAKI WILLIAMS (Athletic Bilbao)

Captain Williams won and converted a penalty for Bilbao in their 2-1 win. The striker was kicked in the area and, after dusting himself down, fired home the opener.

AKOR ADAMS (Sevilla)

Nigerian striker Adams applied the finishing touch for Sevilla's fourth goal in a 4-1 rout of champions Barcelona. On as a substitute, it was his second goal in two matches for the improving Andalusian side.

GERMANY

BILAL EL KHANNOUSS (Stuttgart)

El Khannouss' superb solo goal was the difference in a 1-0 win over Heidenheim. Unable to make their superiority count against stubborn opponents, the Moroccan stepped up on 65 minutes, cutting in from the left, dodging several defenders before sliding the ball home.

FRANCE

ANSU FATI (Monaco)/SOFIANE DIOP (Nice)

Guinea-Bissau-born Fati, from two penalties, and Morocco international Diop scored two goals each as Monaco drew 2-2 with 10-man Nice in Ligue 1. Tunisian Ali Al-Abdi was sent off in the 34th minute, soon after Nice had opened the scoring.



Bayern's Diaz Sidelined with Hamstring Injury after Arsenal Draw

Bayern Munich's Colombian forward #14 Luis Diaz warms up prior to the UEFA Champions League football match between FC Bayern Munich and Arsenal FC in Munich, southern Germany on October 21, 2026. (Photo by Karl-Josef HILDENBRAND / AFP)
Bayern Munich's Colombian forward #14 Luis Diaz warms up prior to the UEFA Champions League football match between FC Bayern Munich and Arsenal FC in Munich, southern Germany on October 21, 2026. (Photo by Karl-Josef HILDENBRAND / AFP)
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Bayern's Diaz Sidelined with Hamstring Injury after Arsenal Draw

Bayern Munich's Colombian forward #14 Luis Diaz warms up prior to the UEFA Champions League football match between FC Bayern Munich and Arsenal FC in Munich, southern Germany on October 21, 2026. (Photo by Karl-Josef HILDENBRAND / AFP)
Bayern Munich's Colombian forward #14 Luis Diaz warms up prior to the UEFA Champions League football match between FC Bayern Munich and Arsenal FC in Munich, southern Germany on October 21, 2026. (Photo by Karl-Josef HILDENBRAND / AFP)

Bayern Munich forward Luis Diaz will be out of action for the "foreseeable future" after suffering a minor muscle tear in his left hamstring during Wednesday's 2-2 Champions League draw with visiting Arsenal, the Bundesliga club said on Thursday.

The 29-year-old Colombia international came on in the 68th minute at ⁠the Allianz Arena ⁠but was forced off in stoppage time after suffering the injury.

Examinations carried out by Bayern's medical staff confirmed the hamstring tear, the club said ⁠in a statement.

"The 29-year-old forward will therefore be sidelined for the time being," Reuters quoted Bayern as saying.

Diaz's injury is a setback for Bayern as they enter a busy stretch of the season, with the winger having been a key attacking option since joining the German ⁠champions.

Bayern ⁠and Arsenal shared the spoils in the league-phase encounter on Wednesday, with Declan Rice scoring a late equalizer for the visitors to earn a point.

Bundesliga leaders Bayern next visit third-placed Freiburg, who are a point behind the champions after six games, on Sunday.


ATP Blocks 234,000 Abusive Comments from Reaching Players, Fans

USA's Coco Gauff leaves the court after losing her women's singles match against Belgium's Elise Mertens at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 7, 2026. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
USA's Coco Gauff leaves the court after losing her women's singles match against Belgium's Elise Mertens at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 7, 2026. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
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ATP Blocks 234,000 Abusive Comments from Reaching Players, Fans

USA's Coco Gauff leaves the court after losing her women's singles match against Belgium's Elise Mertens at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 7, 2026. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
USA's Coco Gauff leaves the court after losing her women's singles match against Belgium's Elise Mertens at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 7, 2026. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)

Social media abuse was directed at over 85% of men's tennis players attracting engagement online in the past year, with the ATP blocking some 234,000 comments from reaching them or fans, the governing body said on Thursday.

The ATP based the findings on an analysis of more than 3.7 million comments across ATP and player social media channels by its Safe Sport initiative, which uses AI-enabled moderation and specialist threat assessment.

It ⁠said more than ⁠284,000 abusive comments were identified, and over 82% of them were removed in real time. During its first year, the program identified and hid upwards of 162,000 comments containing "severe" abuse.

"Player welfare sits at the heart of the ATP's safeguarding work," Reuters quoted Andrew Azzopardi, the ATP director of safeguarding, as saying.

"Preventing more than 234,000 abusive comments from ⁠reaching players and fans demonstrates the tangible impact the program is having every day. Online abuse has no place in tennis.

"We will keep investing in the technology, expertise and partnerships that protect players, and we will continue working with the authorities to hold those responsible to account."

Tennis players, like many athletes, often have to deal with the wrath of anonymous abusers online, many of whom are bettors, with French player Gael Monfils humorously hitting back at some of them following an early defeat in ⁠Stuttgart last year.

Monfils, ⁠40, said at the time he was surprised people still put money on him to win against much younger opponents.

Online abuse is not confined to angry gamblers, with American Coco Gauff saying earlier this month she received an "insane" amount of racist abuse at the China Open, prompting condemnation from the United Nations Human Rights Office.

World Tennis, the WTA, the All England Club and the United States Tennis Association have launched monitoring services that use a combination of artificial intelligence and open-source data to help protect players.

The French Open has also made AI-powered software available for players to block online harassment and hate speech.


More LaLiga Clubs Join Pact to Cap Ticket Prices for Away Fans

Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Sevilla - Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - October 18, 2026 Real Madrid's Dean Huijsen and Sevilla's Kike Salas embrace after the match REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Sevilla - Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - October 18, 2026 Real Madrid's Dean Huijsen and Sevilla's Kike Salas embrace after the match REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
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More LaLiga Clubs Join Pact to Cap Ticket Prices for Away Fans

Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Sevilla - Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - October 18, 2026 Real Madrid's Dean Huijsen and Sevilla's Kike Salas embrace after the match REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Sevilla - Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - October 18, 2026 Real Madrid's Dean Huijsen and Sevilla's Kike Salas embrace after the match REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

Three more clubs in Spain's top division have joined an agreement to cap away ticket prices at a maximum of €30 ($34), a spokesperson for LaLiga told Reuters on Thursday, meaning 17 clubs in the 20-team league now participate.

LaLiga is strengthening the reciprocal agreement between clubs as ⁠AC Milan fans ⁠boycott their visit to Udinese over away ticket prices of €65 ($73).

The agreement, in place since the 2023-24 season, also ensures a minimum of 300 tickets ⁠are made available to travelling fans.

Away ticket sales have increased by 33% per game on average, according to LaLiga data.

England's Premier League has a cap of £30 pounds ($40) for away fans.

German's Bundesliga guarantees 10% of available capacity for away support, with their ⁠tickets ⁠matched to home prices.

European governing body UEFA's regulations require 5% of stadium capacity to be allocated for away fans with a price cap of €50 ($56,20) in the Champions League.

The LaLiga spokesperson did not name the three additional Spanish teams joining the price cap scheme.