Sports

Libya sacks French coach, Corentin Martins after strings of poor performances

Published

2 years ago

February 21, 2023

The Libyan Football Federation has sacked the French head coach of the national team, Corentin Martins, following a string if poor performances.

In a statement on Tuesday, the federation said it has now set its sights on a getting an homegrown coach as a replacement going into the later stages of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying campaign.

The 53-year-old Martins was only hired on a year-long contract in April last year, replacing Javier Clemente who was fired due to poor performance by the Mediterranean Knights.

“The committee members all agreed to choose a national coach from Libya

“We’re doing our best to choose a coach who will be capable to really enhance the level of the performance of the players, to encourage them and to give them a new spirit.

“Our next two matches against Tunisia are very important for us in order to qualify. We hope that our players will do their best,” the Secretary General of the Libyan Football Federation, Abdul Nasser Ahmed, said in a statement.

The decision to sack Martins, coached Mauritania for seven years, according to Ahmed, comes after a poor performance at the recently concluded African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Algeria where Libya crashed out at the group stage.

“(CHAN) was not really satisfying for any of us: media, public, for us as a federation and for Corentin Martins as well,” Ahmed said.

“It was a great effort to organise the team but unfortunately, things did not go the way he wanted or the way we wanted.

“Therefore, we had a meeting with him and both agreed that we will finish this contract agreement with him on a very friendly basis, which was done.”

Related Topics:Featured Football Libya Mediterranean Knights

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Sports

Coach of Mamelodi Sundowns female team suspended over sexual harassment allegations

Published

6 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The head coach of Mamelodi Sundowns women’s team, Jerry Tshabalala, has been suspended indefinitely amid allegations of sexual harassment of players.

A statement by the management of the top South African team said the 44-year-old Tshabalala, who has been in charge of Sundowns’s women’s team for over a decade, has been accused of a number of allegations, including making inappropriate sexual comments to his players, as well as entering the dressing room and refusing to leave while players are completely naked.

In a statement released on Saturday, Sundowns said they had appointed a law firm to investigate the allegations against the coach with specific instructions to unravel allegations of improper conduct by the Tshabalala.

The club said it views the allegations in a very serious light and has relieved the coach of his appointment pending when the investigations are concluded.

“Sundowns has, in the interim, put Coach Jerry Tshabalala on special leave pending the outcome of the investigation,” the club statement said.

“This is not done to pre-empt the outcome of the investigation, but to ensure that the investigation can proceed expeditiously and protect the rights of all parties.

“In the event that the investigation establishes facts that warrant action, the Board will immediately take such steps as are appropriate.

“Mamelodi Sundowns will in due course make announcements on the findings of the investigation and the action to be taken,” the statement concluded.

The Sundowns female team have been a dominant force in women’s football in South Africa and on the continent since Tshabalala took over in 2012, winning seven domestic league titles, as well as two CAF Women’s Champions League crowns.

Sports

FIFA Ranking: Nigeria ends 2024 as fifth best team in Africa

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Nigeria’s men’s football national team, the Super Eagles, ended the year 2024 as the fifth best team in Africa in the latest FIFA world ranking for the month of December.

According to the rankings published by the world football governing body, Nigeria remains unchanged from its previous position, despite having a challenging international break.

The FIFA rankings also reveal that Nigeria suffered a significant decline this year, dropping eight places to end 2024 ranked 44th globally.

The decline follows disappointing performances during the final AFCON qualifiers for 2025, where the Super Eagles struggled against the Benin Republic and Rwanda, resulting in a lack of wins.

However, some of the Super Eagles bitter rivals like South Africa’s Bafana Bafana experienced a resurgence, climbing three positions to finish the year ranked 57th in the world, showing a marked improvement in their recent form and successful matches during the qualifiers.

It was a woeful year for West African rivals Ghana who ended the year in 77th position, which highlights the challenges the Black Stars have encountered in the outgoing year in its bid to maintain its positions among Africa’s elite teams.

Meanwhile, the Moroccan national football team, the Atlas Lion, retained its 14th position in the in the world while still maintaining its number one spot in Africa, holding the first position for the third year in a row.

In the world ranking, Morocco is followed by Senegal on 17th position, Egypt, 33rd, Algeria 37th, Nigeria, 44th, Côte d’Ivoire, 46th, Cameroon, 49th, Mali, 51st, and Tunisia in the 52nd position.

Top 10 African teams in 2024

1. Morocco – (14th)

2. Senegal – (17th)

3. Egypt – (33rd)

4. Algeria – (37th)

5. Nigeria – (44th)

6. Côte d’Ivoire – (46th)

7. Cameroon – (49th)

8. Mali – (51st )

9. Tunisia – (52nd)

10. South Africa – (57th)