Connect with us

Sports

Tunisian footballer sets self ablaze in protest after police accuse him of terrorism

Published

on

A 35-year-old professional footballer in Tunisia, Nizar Issaoui has died after setting himself ablaze in a protest against the police for labelling him a terrorist following a dispute over bananas, his brother, Ryad, told journalists on Friday.

Issaoui, who set himself alight on Wednesday in the village of Haffouz in the central region of Kairouan, suffered third-degree burns and died in the hospital the following day, according to Ryad.

“He was taken from hospital in Kairouan to the specialist burns hospital in the capital Tunis, but doctors were unable to save his life,” the brother said.

Before setting himself on fire, Issaoui had posted on Facebook that he had sentenced himself to “death by fire“.

“I have no more energy. Let the police state know that the sentence will be executed today,” he wrote.

Issaoui was said to have decided on the extreme protest after police officers accused him of “terrorism” when he complained that he was unable to buy bananas for less than 10 dinars ($3.30) a kilogramme, double the price set by the government.

“For a dispute with someone selling bananas at 10 dinars, I get accused of terrorism at the police station. Terrorism for a complaint about bananas,” he reportedly wrote on social media.

The incident which has been widely reported by the Tunisian media, is coming 13 years after a street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi burned himself to death on December 17, 2010, an action that sparked a revolution in the country, triggering the famous Arab Spring which toppled some authoritarian regimes across North Africa and the Middle East.

Issaoui’s death also sparked protests on the streets of Haffouz on Thursday evening, as young demonstrators hurled stones at police who responded with tear gas, the media reported.

The late Issaoui was a free agent at the time of his death, after a career that saw him play for a range of clubs from the lower divisions to the top flight in the country’s league.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Former President of Moroccan club Raja sentenced to 3 years in prison

Published

on

The former President of Moroccan top club, Raja Casablanca, Mohamed Aouzal, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison after he was found guilty of fraud by a Casablanca Ain Sebaa Court of First Instance on Friday.

According to court documents, the case involved charges of breach of trust and issuing a bounced check in connection with his role in the insurance sector.

Other charges against Aouzal included financial misconduct, specifically breach of trust and issuing a check without sufficient funds.

The documents stated that the legal action against Aouzal stemmed from a lawsuit filed by an insurance company and was found guilty of owing the company nearly MAD 400 million (around $40 million) as the legal representative of an insurance brokerage firm.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court also imposed a fine of MAD 20 million (approximately $2 million) in favor of the plaintiff company.

Aouzal was arrested following investigations by Morocco’s National Judicial Police Brigade after which he was charged before the Public Prosecutor at the Ain Sebaa Court and was placed in custody at Oukacha Prison.

The lawsuit, according to Morocco World News, pointed to significant financial irregularities in Aouzal’s brokerage firm, alleging that it failed to meet its financial obligations and caused substantial losses for the insurance company.

“The trial began on December 10 after Aouzal’s initial court appearance. The court examined the evidence and heard extensive arguments before entering deliberations earlier this week.

“On Friday, the judge ruled in favor of the insurance company due to the significant monetary damages incurred,” the report said.

Continue Reading

Sports

Dumping England for Nigeria the best decision of my life— Ademola Lookman

Published

on

Current African Men’s Footballer of the Year, Ademola Lookman, has attributed his rise in the football echelon to his decision to dump the English national team, The Three Lions, to play for the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

The Atalanta striker, who was named the African Player of the Year after a sterling 2024 season where he kept putting up superb performances for both club and country, credited the success of his career to his decision to snub England and commit to Nigeria.

“I think ever since I put on the Super Eagles jersey, it’s been fruitful,” Lookman said in an interview on SportyTV.

“We’ve been able to achieve a lot as a team and we’re still going as a team. But the camaraderie is something that’s very special within the squad.

“It is an incredible achievement and an incredible moment. It is special to join a list of many great players who have achieved a lot in the game. They are legends.

“There have been many special moments this year, and I can speak about a lot of good ones. But also the tough moments, like when you don’t feel like hitting the gym, but you push through and end up doing that session—it gives you more strength. Those difficult moments have given me that extra strength,” he said.

The Atalanta forward believes that his decision to represent Nigeria has contributed to a significant personal and professional growth, allowing him to continue thriving with the national team.

Before switching allegiance to play for the Super Eagles in 2022, Lookman had represented England at youth level, including winning the U-20 World Cup in 2017 but he had a stop-start career with stints at Everton, Fulham, and Leicester City, before he was shipped to Atalanta, initially on loan, before the move was made permanent.

But the turning point in Lookman’s career came when he decided to switch allegiance to Nigeria and has never looked back as everything he touched turned to gold.

The London-born Lookman made his Super Eagles debut in March 2022 against Ghana, and he has since described this moment as a turning point in his career.

He has scored eight goals and provided four assists and was the star man at the 2023 AFCON tournament where he netted three goals and registered one assist, and was named in the tournament team.

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

VenturesNow3 weeks ago

Nigeria: Marketers predict further price cut as another refinery begins operations

Oil marketers and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority expect refined petroleum product prices to reduce as another...

VenturesNow3 weeks ago

Kenya: Consumer inflation rises to 3.0% from 2.8%

Kenya’s statistics agency said on Tuesday that Kenya’s consumer price inflation increased slightly to 3.0% year-over-year in December from 2.8%...

VenturesNow3 weeks ago

South Africa’s Transnet’s half-year deficit hits $117m

Transnet, a state-owned logistics company in South Africa, announced on Tuesday that it had lost 2.2 billion rand ($117.48 million)...

Musings From Abroad3 weeks ago

Nigeria, China extend $2bn currency swap deal

A 15 billion yuan ($2 billion) currency-swap arrangement between China and Nigeria has been extended to boost investment and commerce...

VenturesNow3 weeks ago

Egypt’s central bank maintains overnight rates

As anticipated, Egypt’s central bank has maintained its overnight interest rates, stating that although inflation was predicted to drop significantly...

VenturesNow3 weeks ago

Illicit flows cost Nigeria, others $1.6bn daily— AfDB

According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), illicit money flows and profit shifting by multinational corporations doing business in Africa...

Metro3 weeks ago

‘Don’t start what you can’t finish’, ex-Nigerian official replies President Tchiani

Former Nigerian Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has told President Abdourahamane Tchiani of Niger Republic to refrain from making infantile and...

Tech3 weeks ago

Again, Starlink raises prices of its services in Nigeria

Elon Musk’s satellite internet service provider, Starlink, has again jacked up the prices of its services in Nigeria after an...

Sports3 weeks ago

Former President of Moroccan club Raja sentenced to 3 years in prison

The former President of Moroccan top club, Raja Casablanca, Mohamed Aouzal, has been sentenced to three and a half years...

Metro3 weeks ago

Zambia announces second case of Mpox as country battles cholera outbreak

The Zambian Ministry of Health has reported a second case of Monkeypox, popularly known as Mpox, in Kitwe region of...

Trending