Ademola Lookman and Troost-Ekong nominated for the CAF Men’s Player of the Year.
Nigerian duo, Ademola Lookman and William Troost-Ekong have been shortlisted for the 2024 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award. They’ll compete with Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Cote d’Ivoire’s Simon Adingra, and Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy for Africa’s top individual football honor. Lookman, 27, was pivotal in Atalanta’s UEFA Europa League success last season, notably scoring a hat-trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen. He also contributed three goals for Nigeria in seven matches during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Troost-Ekong earned the 2023 AFCON Best Player title, leading Nigeria to a second-place finish with three goals. The prestigious CAF Awards ceremony is scheduled for December 16 in Marrakech, Morocco, where Africa’s top players will be celebrated.
Ademola Lookman and William Troost-Ekong have been nominated for Player Of the Year (Men) at the #CAFAwards2024 🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/kLEQXmS35h
— 49th. (@the49thstreet) October 24, 2024
Roberto Mancini dismissed as role as Saudi Arabia’s manager.
The Saudi Football Federation has dismissed Roberto Mancini as head coach of the national team after a challenging 14 months. Mancini, who joined Saudi Arabia last August on a reported £21 million-per-year deal, left his role by “joint agreement” with the federation. Appointed soon after resigning as Italy’s manager, where he had led the team to victory in the 2021 European Championships, Mancini struggled to produce results with Saudi Arabia. His team sits third in Group C in Asia’s World Cup qualifiers, level on points with second-place Australia, with one win, two draws, and one loss. Tensions grew as he openly criticized the Saudi Pro League’s heavy foreign investments and clashed with fans following a 0-0 draw against Bahrain. With only seven wins in 18 matches, his departure comes after a disappointing Asian Cup campaign.
🚨🇸🇦 It’s over between Saudi national team and Roberto Mancini.
Agreement teached today on a mutual understanding to end the contract.
Saudi Federation, already working on new head coach. pic.twitter.com/xxvvyRcLfY
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 24, 2024
Former Morocco player, Abdelaziz Barrada has sadly passed away.
Midfielder Abdelaziz Barrada has passed away at 35, the club announced Thursday. The Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) called his death a “great tragedy.” No official cause has been disclosed for the France-born player, who represented Morocco 26 times and was part of the team that reached the 2011 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations final. Marseille, where Barrada played for two seasons, extended its “sincerest condolences” to his family, sharing their grief in a message on social media. In addition to his time at Marseille, Barrada’s career included stints with Spain’s Getafe and clubs in Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates before his Retirement in 2021. He also played for Paris Saint-Germain’s reserve team earlier in his career.
Terrible news as former Morocco national team player Abdelaziz Barrada has passed away aged 35.
Rest in peace. 💔🕊️ pic.twitter.com/m1TZ0KreYv
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 24, 2024
José Mourinho handed a red card as Man United drew Fenerbahçe in Istanbul.
Manchester United players were left frustrated after a 1-1 draw with Fenerbahçe in the UEFA Europa League, failing to hold their lead once more. Christian Eriksen put United ahead in the first half with a brilliant strike, but Youssef En-Nesyri equalized for Fenerbahçe shortly after the break with a well-placed header. Fenerbahçe manager, José Mourinho, facing his former club, was shown a red card for heated protests over a denied penalty call on Bright Osayi-Samuel in the second half. United had managed early pressure, with Eriksen’s goal silencing the passionate Istanbul crowd. Marcus Rashford nearly added a second, and André Onana made an impressive double save to deny En-Nesyri’s close-range attempts. Despite controlling much of the second half, United couldn’t secure a win, marking their third consecutive draw in the competition. They’ll aim to shift momentum when they visit West Ham on Sunday.
🔴🇪🇺 3 points in 3 Europa League games for Man United. 5 goals scored and 5 conceded.
1 win in the last 11 European games for Manchester United.
1 win in the last 7 games in all competitions this season. pic.twitter.com/oCEVUxpl5b
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 24, 2024
OKC outshines Denver Nuggets despite Nikola Jokić’s triple-double.
The Denver Nuggets began their 2024-25 season with a disappointing 102-87 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite Serbian star Nikola Jokić’s triple-double of 16 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds, Denver fell behind early and never regained momentum, with the Thunder leading by 20 for much of the final quarter. Contributions from the Nuggets’ bench were minimal, leaving Oklahoma City in control by halftime and pulling away after the break. Russell Westbrook’s debut with Denver didn’t go as planned, as the nine-time All-Star struggled, shooting just 2-of-10, including 1-of-6 from three-point range, ending with six points. Oklahoma City’s defense held Denver to just 35.4 percent shooting, including 7-of-39 from beyond the arc. All five Nuggets starters scored in double figures, but none exceeded 16 points. Denver will look to rebound when they host the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Final #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/ZBGQkHA00N
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 25, 2024