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So Close, So Far: African soccer stars who played in the English FA Cup final but never won it

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In the long and glorious history of the English Football Association Cup, simply known as The FA Cup, there have been a number of African soccer stars who have played in final and lifted the prestigious trophy.

There also have been some who graced the final but came out empty handed. Players like South Africa’s Quinton Fortune, Togo’s Emmanuel Adebayor and Moroccan Hakim Ziyech readily comes to mind.

As the FA Cup final takes center stage today with Liverpool squaring up against Chelsea, a number of African players will be involved and at the end of 90 minutes, some will fall into the category of African stars who either won or lost the cup.

Either the quartet of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Naby Keita and Joel Matip all of Liverpool or the duo of Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea will be set for the joy of lifting the trophy or face the disappointment of losing.

Here is a roll call of African players who have reached the FA Cup final but never won it.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Former Togo National Team Captain, Emmanuel Adebayor turned out for Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, while plying his trade in England but never managed to win the FA Cup with any of these elite clubs.

His best sniff at the cup was in the 2015-16 season while playing for Crystal Palace when they faced and lost 2-1 to Manchester United in extra time, with the Eagles giving up a one goal lead with only 12 minutes left on the clock.

Quinton Fortune

The former South African international midfielder was on the books of Manchester United for seven years, between 1999-2006.

Though he won a Premier League title in 2003, he could not place his hands on the FA Cup as he was on the losing side in 2005 when the Red Devils lost to Arsenal 5-4 on penalties after a barren draw in regular time.

Wilfried Zaha

The Ivory Coast international also in the same team with Adebayo in the 2015-16 final which lost to Manchester United.

Zaha who was a key player for Alan Pardew’s men at Crystal Palace started and completed the match but despite his dominant performance and constantly threatening the Man United back four, he could not propel his team to a win.

Eric Bailly

The Ivory Coast centre-back was an unused substitute when Manchester United lost the 2017-18 final to Chelsea with a wonder strike from Eden Hazard.

Bailly was a key member of the team which steam rolled its way into the final but this term, has been a bit part player and is likely to leave the club due to injuries that has limited his appearances.

Hakim Ziyech

Will retired Moroccan winger Ziyech be lucky this time after he failed to lift the trophy last year when Chelsea lost 1-0 to Leicester City?

This will be a second straight final for Ziyech who started last season’s final and played 68 minutes but was not lucky to get on the scoresheet as Youri Tielemans’ 63rd minute goal proved the difference.

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Kenyan footballer arrested over brutal robbery, murder case

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A Kenyan footballer, Byron Billy Owuor, has been arrested in connection with a violent robbery that led to the murder of a businesswoman in the Kondele area of Kisumu County of the country.

Owuor, a former Kisumu All-Stars player, was arrested after an AK47 rifle linked to violent robbery and murder was recovered and linked to him.

According to media reports, the 26-year-old midfielder was arrested along with another suspect for their alleged roles in a crime that has shocked the local community.

Police authorities confirmed that they seized the AK47 and 36 rounds of live ammunition linked to the robbery which took place on January 27th.

In a statement by the country’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the weapon was used to fatally shoot the business woman, Grace Awino Adero, who operated an M-Pesa shop with her husband.

“The assailants attacked the couple, making off with the day’s earnings and killing Mrs. Adero, while her husband narrowly survived the encounter,” the DCI said.

“The cold-blooded killers, believed to be part of a larger gang, fled the scene on an unmarked motorcycle, retreating to a hideout in Kasagam.

“Hours later, a suspicious saloon car was located by the Kasagam police during a routine patrol. Upon searching the vehicle, officers discovered a homemade pistol and four mobile phones, alongside an AK47 rifle without its magazine.

“The investigation revealed that the rifle had been obtained illegally from Uganda,” the DCI noted.

A media report stated that the case took a significant turn when detectives identified Robert Wakolo Okoth, also known as Michael Osama, as the alleged mastermind behind the syndicate’s criminal activities.

“Following this lead, a coordinated sting operation was conducted at Osama’s residence near Rai Primary School in Kasagam. During the raid, Osama’s 17-year-old brother, also believed to be a gang member, was arrested.

“The items recovered from the house include an AK47 magazine loaded with ammunition, six rounds of .38 special ammunition typically used in pistols, and five ID cards from different individuals.

“A green camouflage bag and a Kenya Armed Forces Comrades Association card were also found, pointing to the serious nature of the gang’s operations.

“With the arraignment at the Winam Senior Principal Magistrate’s Court, detectives have been granted an additional 14 days to wrap up their investigation.

“The focus now turns to capturing the remaining gang members whose identities have been uncovered but remain at large,” the statement said.

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Liverpool legend Graham Souness wants ‘selfish’ Salah to leave club

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One of the legends of English Premier League club, Liverpool, Graeme Souness, wants Egyptian star, Mohamed Salah, to leave the club due to his “extreme selfish” nature.

Souness who was reacting to the celebrated touchline dispute between Salah and manager Jurgen Klopp during the club’s league match against West Ham last weekend, described Salah as the most selfish player he has ever seen.

Salah got into trouble with Liverpool fans when he was preparing to come on as a substitute, having been selected on the bench for the second time in three games.

Video footage that captured the scene showed Klopp walking up to the Egyptian and whisper something in his ear but whatever the manager said seemed to infuriate Salah who flared up leading to an exchange of words between the duo.

The two have played down the confrontation with Klopp insisting that whatever issue they had has been “completely resolved.”

Klopp who spoke on Friday at a press conference ahead of Liverpool’s home match with Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday, insisted that his spat with the star forward would not damage to their relationship going forward.

“If we wouldn’t know each other for that long, I don’t know how we would deal with it, but we know each other for that long and respect each other too much that it’s really no problem,” Klopp said.

“In general, the best situation would be everybody is in the best possible place, we win games, we score lots of goals.

“Yes, then the situation with Salah would probably not have been exactly like that. Then Mo wouldn’t have been on the bench in the first place,” the manager said.

However, while speaking on William Hill’s Three Up Front podcast on Friday, Souness called Salah a selfish player and expects him to leave Liverpool.

“Salah is the most selfish player I have ever witnessed. Even before that game, whenever Klopp takes him off, he is never happy about it,” Souness said.

“That is what you want from your players; if you take them off on two goals, they should want to stay on to score a third. When Sadio Mane was there, they’d fall out all the time,” Souness added.

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