Brazil vs South Africa to open men’s Olympic soccer

Brazil's soccer player Ronaldinho holds a paper that reads "Honduras," as he's flanked by former soccer player Aline Pellegrino during the draw for the men's Olympic football tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, April 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) — Brazil’s soccer player Ronaldinho holds a paper that reads “Honduras,” as he’s flanked by former soccer player Aline Pellegrino during the draw for the men’s Olympic football tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, April 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil will face South Africa in the opening men’s Olympic soccer match, as the five-time World Cup champion tries for its first gold medal.

Brazil lost to Mexico in the Olympic final four years ago in London.

The match is set for Aug. 4 in Brasilia, a day before the Olympics officially open in Rio de Janeiro. Iraq and Denmark are also in Group A.

In the draw on Thursday at Maracana Stadium, defending champion Mexico is in Group C with South Korea, Fiji, and Germany.

Japan is with Nigeria, Sweden and Colombia in Group B

Argentina, Honduras, Portugal, and Algeria are in Group D.

Brazil coach Dunga will be expected to win it all at home, and he knows it.

”It has to be this time,” Dunga told Carlos Nuzman, the head of the Rio organizing committee.

”Brazil will always have pressure,” Dunga added. ”But we have a good group of players. Some that play in the Copa America will also be in the Olympics.”

It’s unclear if Neymar will play for Brazil. The Brazilian football confederation has requested he be available for the Copa America in June in the United States, and then the Olympics.

Barcelona has not indicated it will release him for both events.

Tickets sales have been lagging for the Olympics, and organizers hope the draw will encourage buying in a country where football dominates everything.

Brazil will also play the opening match in the women’s tournament against China on Aug. 3 in Belo Horizonte. Sweden and South Africa are also in Group E.

The defending champion United States is in Group G with France, New Zealand, and Colombia.

Group F has Germany, Canada, Australia, and Zimbabwe.

Japan, the runner-up four years ago, did not qualify.

Olympics 2016: Draw pairs Nigeria with Sweden, Colombia and Japan

The reigning African U23 champions have been handed an easy group in the preliminary stages of the 2016 Olympics to be staged in Brazil

Nigeria U23 will face Sweden, Colombia and Japan in Group B of the preliminary round of the 2016 Olympics men’s football event.

The draw ceremony took place Thursday afternoon at the Estadio Maracana’s auditorium. The audience at the auditorium included some esteemed figures, with representatives from all 28 delegations in attendance, as were Dunga and Oswaldo Alvarez, the respective coaches of Brazil’s men’s and women’s teams.

Brazil were zoned in Group A against Iraq, Denmark, and South Africa.

Algeria were landed in a veritable ‘Group of Death’ where they will be facing Honduras, Portugal and Argentina in Group D.

Defending champions Mexico were handed a tricky pool in the draw, having been bracketed with Korea Republic, Fiji and Germany.

Nigeria faces ban after government interference in football federation

By Kyle Lynch

The tough times for Nigerian football continued this week, as the entire federation (NFF) faces a possible suspension after being sanctioned by FIFA. Having failed to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations a few weeks ago, FIFA has now sent a warning to the federation after a Nigerian court ruled that former NFF president Amaju Pinnick be replaced by Chris Giwa. Under FIFA rules and regulations, the national government is not allowed to interfere with the federation’s decisions.

Below is a section from FIFA’s letter on the matter.

The decision of the Federal High Court in Jos, if implemented, would likely be considered as interference in the internal affairs of the NFF and the case would be brought to the highest authorities of Fifa for consideration of sanctions, including the suspension of the NFF. All members associations have to manage their affairs independently and with no influence from third parties. In addition and according to article 68 of the Fifa Statutes, recourse to ordinary courts of law is prohibited unless specifically provided for in the Fifa regulations. Furthermore, it is the duty of each member association to ensure that these provisions are implemented by its members and possibly take sanctions against those which fail to respect these obligations.

This is not the first time Nigeria is under hot-water for government interference in football matters, as the Super Eagles were able to avoid a seven-month ban last summer for a similar incident, also involving Chris Giwa.

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Should FIFA punish the NFF, Nigeria could be banned from playing in the Olympics this summer. With the 2018 World Cup qualifying draw set for June, the Super Eagles could also potentially miss out on their chance to play in Russia.

Suarez brace fires Barcelona past ten-man Atletico

The GazzettaWorld

A second half brace from Luis Suárez helped Barcelona rally to down Atlético Madrid 2-1 on Tuesday night at the Camp Nou in their Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Fernando Torres scored in the 25th minute to give the guests the lead, but Barcelona answered in the second half through Suárez in the 63rd and 74th minutes.

It was a night of extreme highs and lows for Torres, as El Niño gave Atlético a precious away goal, only to be sent off 10 minutes following his score. Nevertheless, the goal does provide Atlético a lift prior to next Wednesday’s return leg at the Vicente Calderon.

For Barcelona, a frustrating first hour finally gave way to a spirited final 30 minutes as Luis Enrique’s men earned their seventh straight win against Atlético.

After being shut down by Real in Saturday’s 2-1 Clásico loss, Lionel Messi showed an early appetite for a goal and just minutes in the Argentine rifled a left-footer that went blazing just wide of Jan Oblak’s goal. That was followed by a Jordi Alba cross that Messi tried to volley home, only to hook it well wide.

But it was Neymar who should have opened the scoring when the Brazilian was picked out by countryman Dani Alves on a cross from the right, but the former Santos man smacked it right over the crossbar.

Diego Simeone’s men managed to absorb the early pressure, and in true Atlético style they struck on their first real chance of the match when Koke beautifully played a ball in for Torres, as the former Liverpool man split the Barcelona centre-backs, ran onto Koke’s pass and sent a shot through Marc-André ter Stegen’s legs to give Atlético a 1-0 lead. For Torres, it was his 11th career goal scored against Barcelona.

The movement of Torres and fellow forward Antoine Griezmann continued to riddle the Barcelona defence, and minutes after Torres goal, Griezmann nearly doubled the lead with a top-spinning shot that required a diving save from Ter Stegen.

For all the brilliance exhibited by Torres on his goal, the veteran showed a shocking lack of composure in the minutes that followed and was slapped with two yellow cards in six minutes, reducing Atlético to 10 men with more than a half to play.

However, if there is one team that is equipped to handle playing a man down, regardless of the opponent, it is Atlético. Simeone’s men were resolute in their defending, clamping down on Barcelona’s dangermen when necessary to end the half with the score in their favour.

Barcelona pressed for an equaliser at the start of the second stanza, and Messi well near pulled off the goal of the tournament, but his overhead kick off a Neymar pass flashed just wide. Minutes later Neymar had Atlético fans worrying when his curling shot rattled off the crossbar.

The barrage from the home side continued. Simeone conceded the flanks to Barcelona and opted to keep his men camped in the area, giving Barcelona plenty of looks at goal, including Neymar heading right at Oblak and then the Brazilian sending a shot just wide.

Of the three men who make up the ‘MSN’, it was Suárez who had been kept quiet until just after the hour mark when the Uruguayan was in the right place at the right time to redirect an Alba mis-hit into Oblak’s net to draw Barcelona level 1-1.

Barcelona smelled blood, and the hosts pushed for a winner while Atlético remained pegged back. The Camp Nou could sense a second goal, and it all came to fruition just before the final quarter-hour as Suárez played a nifty one-two combination with Alves that ended with the Uruguayan powering home a header from the penalty spot.

Luis Enrique’s men were keen to tally a third to pad their lead on aggregate, but Atlético had just enough to ward off any further danger, leaving the tie in doubt with a full 90 minutes to play next week on the banks of the Manzanares.

Tiger Woods will skip Masters, says still no timetable for return

Tiger Woods is not playing in the 2016 Masters.

On Friday night, the four-time Masters champion made the somewhat last-mintue announcement that he is still not healthy enough to compete.

“After assessing the present condition of my back, and consulting with my medical team, I’ve decided it’s prudent to miss this year’s Masters,” Woods said on his website.

“I’ve been hitting balls and training daily, but I’m not physically ready. I’ve said all along that this time I need to be cautious and do what’s best for my long-term health and career. Unfortunately, playing Augusta next week wouldn’t be the right decision. I’m absolutely making progress, and I’m really happy with how far I’ve come, but I still have no timetable to return to competitive golf.”

Woods hasn’t played competitively since finished tied for 10th at the Wyndham Championship in August. Seeking a berth in the FedEx Cup playoffs, Woods needed to win the event to extend his season.

That week in North Carolina, Woods complained what he thought was pain in his hip. However, when he visited his surgeon, Dr. Charles Rich, in Utah for a common visit after his PGA Tour season ended, it was determined the pain stemmed to an issue in the same spot on his back where he has a microdiscectomy performed in March 2014. Rather than trying to rehabilitate the injury, Woods chose surgery, a second microdiscectomy in September. A month later, Woods underwent a second back surgery.

In December at his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, Woods was sullen and lamented the lack of progress in his recovery, saying he struggled to do more than walk and rest on his couch and in his bed. He offered no timetable for his return or even when he could swing a golf club again.

“Pretty much everything beyond this will be gravy,” said Woods, who turned 40 on Dec. 30. “For my 20 years out here I think I’ve achieved a lot, and if that’s all it entails, then I’ve had a pretty good run. But I’m hoping that’s not it.”

After a report in late February claimed Woods had suffered a setback in his recovery, Woods tweeted a video of him gently hitting a 9-iron into a simulator with the caption “Progressing nicely.”

Since then, Woods or his agent Mark Steinberg haven’t offered an update on any further progress. However, at a news conference at the Houston-area Bluejack National, a course he designed, Woods said he was looking forward to getting back to competing on the PGA Tour.

Woods said he does intend to attend the annual Masters Champions Dinner on the Tuesday of tournament week.

Afcon 2017: Nigeria fail to qualify after defeat by Egypt

Nigeria have failed to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations after falling to a 1-0 defeat in Egypt in their Group G match on Tuesday.

With just one game remaining and only the group winners to qualify, Nigeria cannot make up their five-point deficit to table-toppers Egypt.

Ramadan Sobhy’s 65th-minute winner puts Egypt on the verge of qualification.

Egypt face Tanzania in June and will book their place in Gabon with any result better than a 3-0 defeat.

Nigeria won the Nations Cup in 2013 but have now suffered back-to-back eliminations in qualifying.

Tuesday’s match in Alexandria became a virtually all-or-nothing tie after Chad withdrew from the group on Sunday, citing financial difficulties, and all results from their matches them were erased.

That left only three teams in Group G and in accordance with the rules of the Confederation of African Football only the winner would qualify for the finals.

Egypt have seven points with one match to play, against bottom club Tanzania, who have only one point but two games remaining.

To have any chance of qualification Tanzania would need to beat Egypt by a better scoreline the 3-0 defeat they suffered in Egypt last June because head-to-head records would come into effect in the event of the sides finishing level on points.

Tanzania would then have to beat Nigeria in their final match.

Dier seals England’s superb fightback win over Germany

Ryland James,AFP

Berlin (AFP) – Eric Dier’s superb injury-time header sealed England’s stunning fightback victory from two goals down to claim a 3-2 win over world champions Germany in Berlin on Saturday.

A fierce Toni Kroos strike had given Germany the lead just before the break while a pin-point Mario Gomez header put the hosts 2-0 up on 57 minutes.

But the tide turned England’s way midway through the second-half which led to three unanswered goals.

A Harry Kane strike gave England hope before Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy grabbed the equaliser just three minutes after coming on.

But it was Dier’s winning header just before the final whistle from a Jordan Henderson corner which stunned the World Cup holders at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

“We played brilliant today. I thought we fully deserved the win,” Kane told ITV.

“We had a lot of chances that on another day we probably could have scored two more. We’re all buzzing. We never gave in and what a night.”

Gomez said he and his teammates were stunned by England’s fightback.

“It’s difficult to understand. We were playing a very good match, were leading 2-0 against a very strong team and had other chances to score,” said the veteran.

“But then we left too much space for our opponents.”

It was an impressive display from Roy Hodgson’s England to give them plenty of hope ahead of the summer’s European championships in France and they will be looking to keep up their impressive form on Tuesday when they take on the Netherlands at Wembley.

In contrast, Joachim Loew’s Germany have plenty to work on after a poor display ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Italy in Munich.

Both sides were missing their first-choice captains with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Wayne Rooney out with knee injuries.

Loew started just five of the team which won the 2014 World Cup final, but still fielded 472 caps worth of experience which dwarfed inexperienced England’s tally of 161.

Hodgson opted for the Tottenham Hotspur quartet of Kane, Danny Rose, Dier and 19-year-old Dele Alli.

Gomez looked to have given Germany the lead when he fired across Jack Butland into the England net with 27 minutes gone, but the linesman flagged for offside.

Replays, however, showed the Besiktas striker, on loan from Roma, was onside.

Nevertheless, Germany took the lead on 43 minutes.

Real Madrid’s Kroos tried his luck from the edge of the area and beat Butland at the near post.

England were forced into the first change just before the half-time whistle as the injured Butland was replaced by Southampton’s Fraser Forster.

Germany doubled their lead on 57 minutes when captain Sami Khedira’s long-range pass found Gomez and the burly striker headed home.

But momentum started to swing England’s way with Kane’s neat turn on 61 minutes giving him the space to drill his shot into the bottom corner.

Hodgson brought on Everton’s Ross Barkley and Vardy for the final 19 minutes.

Vardy produced the desired effect with a superb flick with his instep from Nathaniel Clyne’s low cross from the right to beat Germany’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Alli could have got on the scoresheet when the Tottenham midfielder fired over the bar unmarked in the area six minutes from time.

But England were not to be denied as Dier headed home to the delight of the travelling fans as the visitors maintained their record of never having lost to Germany in Berlin in nine meetings.

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Cameroon 2-2 South Africa: Kekana scores goal of the year contender

Goal.Com

South Africa midfielder Hlompho Kekana scored a remarkable goal from inside his own half before Cameroon battled back to earn a 2-2 draw in Limbe and further damage its visitors’ Africa Cup of Nations qualifying hopes.

Shakes Mashaba’s side headed to Limbe without a win in its opening two Group M matches and an opener from Tokelo Rantie was canceled out by Cameroon forward Sebastien Siani on the stroke of halftime.

But Mamelodi Sundowns player Kekana then took center stage with a sensational 49th-minute strike that is set to define his career.

Nicolas Nkoulou nodded home to earn a point for new boss Hugo Broos in his first match, meaning Cameroon is a point ahead of Mauritania and five better off than South Africa ahead of Tuesday’s return in Durban.

063b64f0a5f64bdb40184765a9f2f71b — South Africa midfielder Hlompho Kekana scored a remarkable goal from inside his own half before Cameroon battled back to earn a 2-2 draw in Limbe and further damage its visitors’ Africa Cup of Nations qualifying hopes.

South Africa goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune was grateful to see the loose ball scrambled clear when he spilt an early shot from Christian Bekamenga, and his side led in the 15th minute.

AFC Bournemouth striker Rantie darted in behind a sluggish Cameroon back line and coolly rounded Guy N’dy Assembe to score.

Khune made a stunning reaction save when Edgar Salli crashed a volley toward the top corner from a 38th-minute corner, while Rantie’s earlier composure deserted him when he scuffed a shot against Assembe’s boot on the end of a one-two from Mandla Masango.

Siani crashed home a fine effort from outside the area to haul Cameroon level but Kekana would relegate this to a footnote.

Collecting possession toward the right flank, around 60 yards from goal, the 30-year-old audaciously took aim with Bekamenga off his line and the ball sailed unerringly into the center of the goal.

Cameroon, perhaps understandably, struggled to regain its poise but equalized for a second time when Marseille defender Nkoulou converted a 66th-minute set piece.

South Africa defender Thulani Hlatshwayo hacked off his own goal line in stoppage time before Thulani Serero had strong penalty claims rejected at the other end in a frantic finish to a match that will be long remembered for Kekana’s exploits.

ISIS Suicide Bomber Kills 41 at Soccer Game in Iraq

A young Iraqi mourns during a funeral for some of the bombing victims on Saturday. Photo: Haidar Hamdani/AFP/Getty Images

By Chas Danner | New York Times

At least 41 people were killed and 105 wounded when a teenage ISIS suicide bomber blew himself up at a small soccer stadium in the Iraqi city of Iskanderiyah, less than 30 miles south of Baghdad. The attack targeted the crowd watching an amateur soccer match on Friday evening in the mixed Sunni and Shi’ite town, and the city’s mayor, who was presenting awards to the soccer players at the time of the bombing, was among those killed. The BBC also reports that 17 of the dead were boys between the ages of 10 and 16. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attack using its social media channels, according to the SITE extremist monitoring group. Amateur video captured the moment of the blast:The Associated Press notes that analysts and members of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition believe attacks of this type may proliferate, both inside Iraq and abroad, as the militant group continues to lose ground to Iraqi forces in the country’s North and West. Iraqi ground troops are also planning to try and retake the largest ISIS-held city, Mosul.

Nigeria to face sanctions for overpacked stadium

Supporters sit on the roof of a house to get a view of the pitch.Source:AFP — Supporters sit on the roof of a house to get a view of the pitch. Source:AFP

NIGERIA could face African Football Confederation (CAF) sanctions for allowing too many spectators into the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna Friday for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Egypt.

An estimated 40,000 crowd was inside the 25,000-capacity northern Nigeria venue when the match kicked off after the Kaduna state government allowed fans free entry.

“Nigeria will most likely be penalised by CAF for poor crowd control even though there was no major incident before, during or after the match,” said a leading football official, who requested anonymity.

“Sanctions for such a shortcoming would be a fine and a warning,” he added.

Another official said the police failed to stop the crowd gaining access to the stadium even when it was clear that the capacity was overstretched.

Many spectators watched the 1-1 draw from inside the seating perimeter while police, some on horses, patrolled.

Supporters hanging from a tower.Source:AFP — Supporters hanging from a tower. Source: AFP

Other fans climbed a floodlights pylon to watch the clash of the former African champions.

In 2009, poor crowd control in Abidjan caused 19 deaths before a 2010 World Cup qualifier between hosts Ivory Coast and Malawi.

Investigators said ticketless fans were to blame for the stampede and the Ivorian FA was fined $47,000 by FIFA.

A stampede at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana in 2001 resulted in 127 deaths.

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