Sports

Exclusive: How Super Eagles captain Musa parted ways with Turkish club Sivasspor

Published

2 months ago

February 28, 2024

Contrary to various reports in some Nigerian media that Turkish Super Lig club, Sivasspor, sacked Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa, due to low productivity, africanewswatch.com can authoritatively report that the veteran winger was the one who terminated his contract with the club.

A close associate of the Jos, Plateau State-born Musa, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the player decided to quit the club as they had failed to pay his salaries for the past six months.

“Please disregard the rumours that Ahmed Musa was sacked by Sivasspor of Turkey. The rumour has no iota of truth in it.

“On the contrary, it was Musa who terminated the contract and it was mutually agreed that it was the best step going forward.

“I can tell you that Ahmed had informed the club since December that he wanted to cut short his contract after they failed in their obligations.

“So it is appalling that some media houses will publish unverified reports that Musa was sacked by Sivasspor without even making any effort to confirm the true position of things. It is sad, to say the least,” the associate who is a member of Musa’s management team, said.

According to him, the veteran player is already working on a move to another club in the summer after leaving Sivasspor which he joined in 2022 from another Turkish outfit, Fatih Karagumruk.

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Sports

Al Ahly, Esperance to clash in CAF Champions League final

Published

1 day ago

April 27, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Two of Africa’s club giants, Egypt’s Al Ahly and Esperance of Tunisia, will do battle next month over two legs for the right to be crowned champions of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Title-holders Al Ahly and their long-standing rivals Esperance both booked their places in the final with dramatic semi-final victories over DR Congo”s TP Mazembe and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa respectively on Friday night.

While Al Ahly, winners of five of the last seven editions of the continent’s top draw tournament, with a record 11 in total, overcame TP Mazembe with a 3-0 aggregate victory in the semi-final second leg after a goalless first leg last Saturday, Esperance surprised Sundowns with a 1-0 victory in Pretoria to wrap up a 2-0 aggregate win.

The two-legged final will mark the third encounter between Ahly and Esperance in the Champions League final, with the Egyptians winning in 2012 and the Tunisians triumphing in 2018.

In 2023, the two clubs clashed in the semi-finals with Ahly emerging victorious home and away, securing a 4-0 aggregate triumph.

Esperance who are aiming for a fifth Champions League title, will host the first leg in Rades on May 18, with the return fixture scheduled in Cairo seven days later.

Sports

Former Zambian captain Rainford Kalaba discharged from hospital after near-fatal accident

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Former Zambian national team captain, Rainford Kalaba, has been discharged from hospital weeks after he was involved in a near-fatal accident where he sustained serious injuries.

The accident which involved a head-on collision between a Mercedes-Benz car in which Kalaba was in, and a truck, had initially sparked fears for his life and has since been in the Intensive Care Unit of the Zambian University Teaching Hospital (UTH).

The good news on the footballer’s progress was released by the UTH Public Relations Officer, Nzeba Chanda, who informed that the Chipolopolo legend has been discharged after showing positive signs of recovery.

“Mr. Rainford Kalaba has been discharged from the UTH-Adult where he was admitted after being involved in a road traffic accident two weeks ago,” Chanda said, adding that Kalaba will continue his recovery at his family home.

According to local media reports, the 37-year-old was a passenger in a Mercedes Benz when it collided with an oncoming truck in the south-eastern Zambian town of Kafue a week and five days ago.

In his active playing days, Kalaba spent the majority of his club career at TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo, winning the CAF Champions League with the club in 2015 and the CAF Confederation Cup in 2016.

He also had a spell with clubsides in Portugal including FC Braga, and was a major part of the Zambian squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 under Frenchman, Herve Renard.