African Players in Europe: Daring Semenyo Wins Final for City

Football - FA Cup - Final - Chelsea v Manchester City - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - May 16, 2026 Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo celebrates with the FA Cup trophy. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - FA Cup - Final - Chelsea v Manchester City - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - May 16, 2026 Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo celebrates with the FA Cup trophy. (Action Images via Reuters)
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African Players in Europe: Daring Semenyo Wins Final for City

Football - FA Cup - Final - Chelsea v Manchester City - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - May 16, 2026 Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo celebrates with the FA Cup trophy. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - FA Cup - Final - Chelsea v Manchester City - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - May 16, 2026 Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo celebrates with the FA Cup trophy. (Action Images via Reuters)

Antoine Semenyo produced one of the great FA Cup final goals with an audacious back-flick that sealed a 1-0 win for Manchester City over Chelsea in the FA Cup final at the weekend.

The Ghana winger illuminated a largely scrappy final late in the second half as he improvised a sublime finish to caress Erling Haaland's cross into the net at Wembley.

Semenyo is set to be a key figure for the Black Stars at the 2026 World Cup, where they face England, Croatia and Panama in Group L.

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

ENGLAND

ANTOINE SEMENYO (Manchester City)

His moment of magic was enough to clinch City's eighth FA Cup triumph and their second piece of silverware this season after the League Cup final win over Arsenal. Semenyo joins Ricky Villa, Michael Owen, Roberto Di Matteo and Steven Gerrard among the ranks of iconic FA Cup final goalscorers.

BRYAN MBEUMO (Manchester United)

The Cameroon forward scored for the first time since February in his side's 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest. Mbeumo netted in the 76th minute at Old Trafford to put United 3-1 up, turning in Bruno Fernandes' cross with a close-range finish to end his 11-game goal drought. The 26-year-old was also involved in a moment of controversy when referee Michael Salisbury ignored VAR and ruled his handball was accidental in the build-up to Matheus Cunha's goal.

ISMAILA SARR (Crystal Palace)

The Senegal forward notched his eighth league goal this season with a penalty in a 2-2 draw at Brentford. Sarr slotted home from the spot in the sixth minute, putting UEFA Conference League finalists Palace ahead.

DANGO OUATTARA (Brentford)

The Burkina Faso winger kept his club in the hunt for European qualification with a double against Crystal Palace. Ouattara's first goal arrived in bizarre fashion in the 40th minute when Palace defender Jaydee Canvot's clearance hit the 24-year-old in the face and deflected into the net. That was Brentford's first equalizer. Ouattara did it again in the 88th minute, firing home after Michael Kayode's throw was flicked on.

SPAIN

ADEMOLA LOOKMAN (Atletico Madrid)

The Nigeria striker and former African Footballer of the Year struck after 21 minutes to give fourth-placed Atletico a 1-0 home win over Girona, who are in the La Liga relegation zone with one matchday remaining. Lookman was set up France forward Antoine Griezmann, playing his 500th match for Atletico, and last at the Metropolitano stadium before joining MLS side Orlando City.

GERMANY

NICOLAS JACKSON (Bayern Munich)

Senegal striker Jackson came off the bench to score a late goal as Bayern celebrated their 35th Bundesliga title with a 5-1 win over Cologne. It was Jackson's 11th goal in all competitions this season and fourth in the last six Bundesliga games, despite playing second fiddle behind first-choice striker Harry Kane.

SERHOU GUIRASSY (Borussia Dortmund)

Guirassy opened the scoring in Dortmund's 2-0 win over Werder Bremen on the final day. The Guinea striker netted with a well-placed header on the hour as Dortmund ended the season with a win having already wrapped up second behind Bayern.

ABDOULIE CEESAY (Saint Pauli)

Gambian Ceesay could not save St. Pauli from relegation despite scoring for the third game in a row. Ceesay gave St. Pauli hope with a headed second-half equalizer in their final-day relegation showdown with Wolfsburg, but the Hamburg side lost 3-1 and fell back into the second division.



UEFA Hands Lifetime Ban to Czech Coach who Secretly Filmed Female Players

UEFA Hands Lifetime Ban to Czech Coach who Secretly Filmed Female Players
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UEFA Hands Lifetime Ban to Czech Coach who Secretly Filmed Female Players

UEFA Hands Lifetime Ban to Czech Coach who Secretly Filmed Female Players

UEFA has issued a lifetime ban to Petr Vlachovsky, a Czech women's soccer coach who secretly filmed his players, the governing body announced on Tuesday.

Czech media reported that the coach was convicted in May 2025 and initially received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban for filming FC Slovacko's players in changing rooms, the youngest of whom was 17.

In a statement, ⁠UEFA's Control, Ethics ⁠and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) said it had decided to ban Vlachovsky "from exercising any football-related activity for life" following the appointment of an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate allegations of potential misconduct.

"The CEDB further ⁠decided to request FIFA to extend the abovementioned ban on a worldwide level and to order the Football Association of the Czech Republic to revoke Mr. Petr Vlachovsky’s coaching license," Reuters quoted the statement as saying.

FC Slovacko did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Football players' union FIFPRO welcomed the ban as well as UEFA's request for ⁠world ⁠soccer governing body FIFA to impose an international ban on Vlachovsky.

"This outcome sends a strong and necessary message that abusive and inappropriate behavior has no place in football and that safeguarding the wellbeing of players must remain a priority at every level of the game," FIFPRO added in a statement.

Vlachovsky had also previously served as coach of the Czech women's Under-19s team.


Alcaraz Withdraws from Wimbledon with Wrist Injury

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 14, 2024 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses for a picture with the trophy after winning his men's singles final against Serbia's Novak Djokovic. (Reuters)
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 14, 2024 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses for a picture with the trophy after winning his men's singles final against Serbia's Novak Djokovic. (Reuters)
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Alcaraz Withdraws from Wimbledon with Wrist Injury

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 14, 2024 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses for a picture with the trophy after winning his men's singles final against Serbia's Novak Djokovic. (Reuters)
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 14, 2024 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses for a picture with the trophy after winning his men's singles final against Serbia's Novak Djokovic. (Reuters)

Carlos Alcaraz's hopes of regaining his Wimbledon title have been dashed with the two-time champion announcing Tuesday he is withdrawing as he recovers from a wrist injury.

"My recovery is going well and I'm feeling much better, but unfortunately I'm still not ready to play, I am obliged to withdraw from both Queen's and Wimbledon," said Spaniard Alcaraz, who lost to world number one Jannik Sinner in last year's final.

"These are two really special tournaments for me and I'll miss them a lot. We'll keep working to come back as soon as possible."

Alcaraz sustained the injury during the first round of the Barcelona Open and subsequently pulled out of tournaments in Madrid and Rome and then Roland Garros, where he is the reigning two-time champion.

The world number two became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam in January with his triumph at the Australian Open. The 23-year-old holds a 22-3 record this season and also won a title in Doha.

Wimbledon will be only the third Grand Slam that Alcaraz has missed since making his main draw debut at the 2021 Australian Open.

Alcaraz's injury has stopped him continuing his exciting rivalry with Italian Sinner, 24, who is firm favorite to triumph in Paris and London.


Guardiola Set for Emotional Man City Farewell After Era-Defining Decade

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
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Guardiola Set for Emotional Man City Farewell After Era-Defining Decade

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola poses with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, on May 16, 2026. (AFP)

Pep Guardiola is expected to take charge of Manchester City for the final time on Sunday, drawing the curtain down on a decade that has reshaped not only his club but English football itself.

When the Catalan arrived in 2016, he was already regarded as one of the game's great innovators. What followed was something even more profound: a transformational reign that turned City from wealthy contenders into the defining team of an era.

Ten years on, Guardiola leaves City having won 15 major trophies, not including the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.

His trophy cabinet includes six Premier League titles -- including a record four in a row -- and the club's first Champions League crown, a haul that places him among the most successful ‌managers in English ‌football history.

This season alone, he has guided City to both the League ‌Cup ⁠and FA Cup ⁠titles, and pushed Arsenal right to the wire in the Premier League race.

His final match, expected to be Sunday's league game against Aston Villa, will close the book on a story of dominance, reinvention and influence that extended far beyond results.

And the Etihad Stadium crowd will surely soak up every second, singing their tribute song to their beloved manager: "We've got . . . Guardiola!" to the tune of The Dave Clark Five's "Glad All Over".

Guardiola's legacy at City is measured not just in silverware but in the scale of control his teams exerted. At their peak, ⁠they amassed points totals previously unimaginable, winning four straight league titles between ‌2021 and 2024 and forcing rivals into near-perfection just to keep ‌pace.

In 2023, they completed the treble, joining Manchester United's 1999 side as the only English teams to hoist the ‌league, FA Cup and Champions League trophies in the same season.

GAME CHANGER

The 55-year-old is credited with changing ‌the game by imposing a level of control and technical precision rarely seen in English football, turning City into the benchmark for how the game could be played.

His teams did not simply win; they dominated by keeping the ball, dictating tempo and suffocating opponents through positional play and relentless pressing.

Beyond the results, fans will surely miss Guardiola's entertaining, ‌restless presence. Usually dressed in his favored knit jumpers and smart trousers, he prowls the technical area, arms cutting through the air as he ⁠points, waves and barks instructions.

Frustration ⁠flashes quickly, sometimes with a sharp kick at a cooler. He has been known to cushion stray balls with a deft touch of a foot, or turn and encourage the crowd to cheer.

He frequently speaks to opposing players on the pitch after matches, to offer tactical tips or praise a performance.

City's players have praised his impact and marveled at his relentless quest for excellence.

"He changed the way I see football," City captain Bernardo Silva said after Saturday's FA Cup win.

"That winning mentality is nothing like I've ever seen," defender John Stones added.

For all the tactics, Guardiola's greatest legacy will have been cultural. He made style the norm and forced the Premier League to evolve around it.

If Sunday indeed ends his tenure, his influence will not fade.